1 Topic by jspisak

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Topic: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Hello there! I just got a Solidoodle 4 and doing some test prints. I have leveled the print bed thus far and gotten better print results, but looking for some more recommendations. I know the resolution helps as this print was at .3 but just looking for some other things I can do to make t tighter. As you can see in pics there are some "oddities" I guess you would call it? Thanks in advance!

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2 Reply by jspisak

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Ohhhh also I had the print bed pretty high I think at 120 which may have been too high. I think. But not really sure. Nozzle was set to 215 which was the default.

3 Reply by Photog

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Those prints look great to me, maybe just calibrate extruder you may be slightly under extruding

My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

4 Reply by Gordym

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

I am not sure of the difference between the SD4 and the SD2 which is the model I have, but I run my print bed between 90 and 95 and have good results. I experimented with several different temps and settled there because it was about as low as I could go to get the print to stick well. I don't  see a reason to run it any hotter since the end result would just be the wasted time for it to get to that temp.

SD2
E3D V6
MK5 V6

5 Reply by jspisak

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Thanks for some of the info! I had trouble with a larger object yesterday where the base broke away from the platform mid build and got all messed up. Any suggestions for keeping those things from happening?

6 Reply by Photog

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

jspisak wrote:

Thanks for some of the info! I had trouble with a larger object yesterday where the base broke away from the platform mid build and got all messed up. Any suggestions for keeping those things from happening?

Add a glass plate to the bed, and spray hairspray onto it before printing. It will hold it on

My SD3:  Clear plexiglass case, case heater, X axis stabilizer, Z axis stabilizer, thumb screws, filament guide, heatsinks on all motors, extruder fan, controller fan, heatsinks on motherboard, Y rod pillow block, USB and Power on/off switch, fully calibrated including trimpot tuning. Am I missing anything?

7 Reply by grob

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Glass+hairspray is a great idea, but in the interim here's a couple more suggestions:

  • The first layer doesn't look very squished down - you might want to raise the z-stop a touch to get some more squish. This will help keep it stuck down especially for taller prints.

  • Even though the bottom layer is a bit stringy (which the above will fix), judging from the other layers I'm pretty sure you're actually overextruding. Do an extruder steps-per-mm calibration and a wall-thickness calibration as per Ian Johnson's excellent instructions: http://solidoodletips.wordpress.com/201 … libration/ + http://solidoodletips.wordpress.com/201 … flow-rate/. Note that for the SD4 you'll need to aim for 0.48mm wall thickness.

  • Note on the bottom layer particularly how the infill doesn't quite reach the perimeters (there are gaps inside). This is often due to backlash in the y-axis belts. Follow the solidoodle procedure to tighten and even up the y-axis belt tension and see if that helps a bit: http://support.solidoodle.com/hc/en-us/ … Tensioning

SD3. Mk2b + glass, heated enclosure, GT2 belts, direct drive y shaft, linear bearings, bowden-feed E3D v5 w/ 0.9° stepper
Smoothieboard via Octoprint on RPi

8 Reply by jspisak

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Re: Recommended printer tweaks for SD4

Awesome advice! That's exactly what I was looking for someone who has seen some of the issues with the print and can make some suggestions! Thank you I will look into them all!