1 Topic by michael.montcalm (edited by michael.montcalm 2013-02-10 20:55:43)

  • michael.montcalm
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Topic: Filament coming out in blobs after first layer

Hi All,

I've just opened my Solidoodle 2 pro and am having some issues getting a print going. I've gone through several troubleshooting steps, and have searched under various keywords but haven't found someone with the same issue as me. Below is a shot of the result of a print. The first layer or two appear to print normally (though they're paper thin, I'm not sure if that's an issue). After that, the printer appears to just drop blobs.

i.imgur.com/4qjxMa7h.jpg or WP_000078 in attachments.

I've tried to get an image before the blobs start. Here is the best view I can give:

i.imgur.com/MzlzdL1h.jpg or WP_000077 in attachments.

Simply extruding the filament using the button on Pronterface works fine. Example below:

i.imgur.com/tvprJAsh.jpg or WP_000074 in attachments.

I've tried this with the following designs, and both resulted in a piece that ended up with globs or dotted lines of plastic after the initial layer. thingiverse.com/thing:31705 and thingiverse.com/thing:6382. I've done the process of moving them to ReplicatorG, then to Skeinforge (not the one built into Pronterface, nothing comes up when I try that), and then on to Pronterface.

  • I've attempted temperature ranges for the bed ranging from nearly off (60 ish) up to 110.

  • I've tried extruder temperatures ranging from 190 to 210.

  • I've played with various settings in Skeinforge, setting them according to the document here: groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/solidoodle/MT1hS5_JHnA

 

So far nothing I've tried has helped. I'm wondering if anyone has run across this issue and has solved it.

Thanks!

P.S. sorry if links don't work, I was getting errors when trying to use them.

Keywords: blob, glob, dotted line, drip, drop, droplet

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WP_000074.jpg
WP_000074.jpg 374.46 kb, 1 downloads since 2013-02-10 

WP_000077.jpg
WP_000077.jpg 339.44 kb, 1 downloads since 2013-02-10 

WP_000078.jpg
WP_000078.jpg 450.55 kb, 1 downloads since 2013-02-10 

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2 Reply by elmoret

  • elmoret
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Re: Filament coming out in blobs after first layer

Have you leveled the bed? It looks like you're jamming the nozzle way into the bed. There should be a 0.3mm gap.

Search for "level the bed".

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
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3 Reply by michael.montcalm

  • michael.montcalm
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Re: Filament coming out in blobs after first layer

Thanks for the tip elmoret! I notice a tiny discrepancy with the bed level, but I'll continue on that. I've actually found the solution.

Solution: in this case the document for Skeinforge settings has the following:

  • Speed

  • --Feed Rate (mm/s)               50.0

  • --Flow Rate Setting (float)     2.1

I've found much better results with a much higher flow rate. Some of the stuff on the Skeinforge site says that the Flow Rate should be set at 210 but that different printers read the value differently. I'm guessing Solidoodle reads with the decimal value off by one, as a value of 21-25 works much better.

My Skeinforge settings now look like

  • Speed

  • --Feed Rate (mm/s)               50.0

  • --Flow Rate Setting (float)     25

Attached is the print after changing the Flow Rate Setting to 25.

Cheers all!

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