Anet A8 3D Printer.

[ukracer]

I've never used 0.4 layer, Cura warns me against using a layer as big as nozzle.

Raft should normally cover the unsupported printed area? Unless you are hugely out of level a raft should solve your levelling problems.
On the whole I think you're reading lots of ways to solve problems that should not need solving out of the box with these printers which must be frustrating.
The newer cura did not give me favourable results so because I have not found a need for any of those new features yet I just went back to the cura that the printer setup guide showed me how to setup for the printer, because my aim is to make stuff not become an A8 or Cura expert.
I'm just using green frog tape on the heatbed, levelled with A4, no nozzle offsets. No X or Y offsets as I printed switch mounts to do that
Only time I had an adhesion problem was printing small footprint items with no brim after going from the manufacturer's original bed tape which was awesome and I cannot find (according to my mate a common new A8 owner forum issue).

Hope you find some solutions that work soon.

Its not all bad as i have experience with plotters and want to build my CNC table soon and its all interchangeable (in parts) you do need to learn new software.
Its the fist time i ever used a raft and a lot of support has been removed but the top photo actually came of the raft at the bottom. I tried using a thicker layer height to speed up the print bit unlike you i am learning.more so than printing parts as i cant ever see me making money from such a slow process...lol

 

[ukracer]

I have adhesion problems all cracked now.....the reason a raft was tried was to get a cleaner finish on the bottom layer......as its not easy in software......i am using my z axis micro adjuster with is working a treat.

I think 0.4 layer height spoilt the quality for the gain of speed.

 

[ukracer]

I do have a new profile a guy has sent me which. Is supposed to be good......will keep that for later.

 

[130]

Time wise I have used 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 never 0.4. 0.1 is really good quality, 0.2 half the time to print and very good quality, 0.3 a bit textured but a great layer for functional items, 0.4 goes against Cura guidance so I gave it a skip.

While I see your point on learning I have already learnt what I needed to learn to get this printer to consistently turn out a good result, it's still back to what I said, is your goal to make stuff or become a skilled printer engineer. I don't need to learn the newer software until it provides a benefit, and by then I will have skipped having to learn multiple versions. I do make my own tools where it makes life easier but I buy spanners to fix the car and only make special tools like a near 2" crows foot when necessary.

I totally get it, as the tech is fun but my printer spits stuff out ok at the moment, but then I've had it over a year and learnt enough, so my learning is in the CAD drawing of the things I want to print now. My point was merely keeping it simple and making one change at a time when working so you can see the effects of those changes in isolation makes life easier.

 

[ukracer]

Time wise I have used 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 never 0.4. 0.1 is really good quality, 0.2 half the time to print and very good quality, 0.3 a bit textured but a great layer for functional items, 0.4 goes against Cura guidance so I gave it a skip.

While I see your point on learning I have already learnt what I needed to learn to get this printer to consistently turn out a good result, it's still back to what I said, is your goal to make stuff or become a skilled printer engineer. I don't need to learn the newer software until it provides a benefit, and by then I will have skipped having to learn multiple versions. I do make my own tools where it makes life easier but I buy spanners to fix the car and only make special tools like a near 2" crows foot when necessary.

I totally get it, as the tech is fun but my printer spits stuff out ok at the moment, but then I've had it over a year and learnt enough, so my learning is in the CAD drawing of the things I want to print now. My point was merely keeping it simple and making one change at a time when working so you can see the effects of those changes in isolation makes life easier.

Bit ironic as the reason for using .4 was to get a bench mark and also at the same time print a bearing for the cel robox filiments as I have 6 reels. I can stay consistant on the PLA filament to check other functions.

I learn from seeing and watching not from books and written text so becoming a skilled printer engineer at the same time printing stuff I can use has its merits. When I say skilled I would like to learn different printers as I can see an area of opportunity locally (mate of mine is a brilliant artist) and at the same time teach my grandson 3D printing CNC plasma and robotics/engineering/electronics etc.
I cant see a fortune to be made with 3D yet but its appeal is strangely the time it takes to print (also its downside) as I can do lots of other things while it does its stuff. So yes I am with you on keeping it simple and using constants it can print high enough quality small stuff as changing a parameter and printing soon shows up but bigger stuff starts of good and then its ages before you see the results of changes.

so in essence I fully agree with you.

Oh and I have not tried designing and printing my own stuff yet as I dont want that variable to cloud what results I am getting.

 

[130]

Oh and I have not tried designing and printing my own stuff yet as I dont want that variable to cloud what results I am getting.

Oh dude it's awesome when you print something for next to nothing that would cost you £40+ from a BMW dealer AND you customise it - like floor matt fixings modified to work with ripped carpet...……..
………...or even just little tags to zip tie to suspension with the NM on

 

[PhillipM]

0.4 layers are no good if you're only printing with a 0.4mm line width - think about it, you're stacking circles - your contact area to the layer below would be almost nothing bar what gravity gives in slump.

I don't use rafts at all, waste of time and filament if your bed is level, and they just give you a poor bottom surface for no upside. Back when a bit of cut sheet or plastic was a bed years ago, yes, but shouldn't been needed on machines these days.

 

[130]

0.4 layers are no good if you're only printing with a 0.4mm line width - think about it, you're stacking circles - your contact area to the layer below would be almost nothing bar what gravity gives in slump.

I don't use rafts at all, waste of time and filament if your bed is level, and they just give you a poor bottom surface for no upside. Back when a bit of cut sheet or plastic was a bed years ago, yes, but shouldn't been needed on machines these days.

I have only used a raft very rarely, but for someone with levelling issues it's an option. If it solves the issue you know it's levelling

 

[PhillipM]

Just print a large square with a skirt, it's easy enough to see if it's levelling straight away as it does the skirt by watching the extrusion width - it's basically just live plastigaging

 

[130]

^ lol, I've never had mine far enough out of level for it to be visually apparent like that, though I also don't do a prime blob so first few CMs of skirt are therefore usually missing

 

[PhillipM]

Ah, I always run a purge/wipe on the front of the bed before a print to purge the nozzle - some of the materials I print have issues with the first few bits that have been sat in the hot nozzle too long as it cooled and warmed up from job to job.

 

[130]

I think that is one of the additions newer software would help with but the skirt or brim takes the hit for me
I believe I could paste it into the start Gcode on the old cura

 

[PhillipM]

My purge is just a script, it runs before any of the model code, I have ones that run on tool changes and ending too.

 

[ukracer]

Oh dude it's awesome when you print something for next to nothing that would cost you £40+ from a BMW dealer AND you customise it - like floor matt fixings modified to work with ripped carpet...……..
………...or even just little tags to zip tie to suspension with the NM on

You have convinced me I need to create a suppository...lol

 

[ukracer]

My purge is just a script, it runs before any of the model code, I have ones that run on tool changes and ending too.

That sounds good..could we take a look.

I found this that looks cool. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2825761

 

[ukracer]

I have only used a raft very rarely, but for someone with levelling issues it's an option. If it solves the issue you know it's levelling

it was more squish issues..lol It was actually caused by z axis motors not align ed. I printed some pointers that show that instantly now. I also printed a check list as its easy to become complacent.




started with the one above to level them.


and then I use the pointers to ensure they stay aligned.

 

[ukracer]

0.4 layers are no good if you're only printing with a 0.4mm line width - think about it, you're stacking circles - your contact area to the layer below would be almost nothing bar what gravity gives in slump.

I don't use rafts at all, waste of time and filament if your bed is level, and they just give you a poor bottom surface for no upside. Back when a bit of cut sheet or plastic was a bed years ago, yes, but shouldn't been needed on machines these days.

Yeah thats why I got a poor print...well actually its was not bad considering it was on .4 what did confuse me was when i used a brim it came of neat but the raft has stuck to the model like glue its well bonded.....and the upper surface of the raft its well mint. looks superb. lol

 

[ukracer]

My purge is just a script, it runs before any of the model code, I have ones that run on tool changes and ending too.

Thats what I was meaning ....hoping to see your scripts to get some ideas....being cheeky like.

 

[PhillipM]

That sounds good..could we take a look.

I found this that looks cool. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2825761

My startup script, pretty simple, just moves to the front of my bed and runs across extruding then wipes:


G21; set units to mm

G162 X Y F9000; home XY axes maximum

G161 Z F6000; home Z axis minimum

G92 Z0; set Z to 0

M132 X Y Z A B; Recall stored home offsets

G90; set positioning to absolute

M6 T0; Select Right Extruder

M108 T0 R8; set extruder speed

G1 Z5; move Z to waiting height

G1 X90 Y-73 Z0.3 F40000; move to waiting position (front centre)

G1 X-90 Y-71 Z0.2 E24 F4000 ; wipe and extrude

G92 E0; Zero Extrusion

G1 X-100 Y-60 Z0.1 F40000; wipe

G1 X-115 Y-60 Z0.05 F40000; wipe

G1 X-115 Y-65 Z1 F40000; lift

G1 X0 Y-70 Z2 F40000; break strings

G92 E0; Zero Extrusion

M73 P0

M73 P1

Obviously, don't copy paste that into an A8 unless you like grinding noises

 

[ukracer]

My startup script, pretty simple, just moves to the front of my bed and runs across extruding then wipes:


G21; set units to mm

G162 X Y F9000; home XY axes maximum

G161 Z F6000; home Z axis minimum

G92 Z0; set Z to 0

M132 X Y Z A B; Recall stored home offsets

G90; set positioning to absolute

M6 T0; Select Right Extruder

M108 T0 R8; set extruder speed

G1 Z5; move Z to waiting height

G1 X90 Y-73 Z0.3 F40000; move to waiting position (front centre)

G1 X-90 Y-71 Z0.2 E24 F4000 ; wipe and extrude

G92 E0; Zero Extrusion

G1 X-100 Y-60 Z0.1 F40000; wipe

G1 X-115 Y-60 Z0.05 F40000; wipe

G1 X-115 Y-65 Z1 F40000; lift

G1 X0 Y-70 Z2 F40000; break strings

G92 E0; Zero Extrusion

M73 P0

M73 P1

Obviously, don't copy paste that into an A8 unless you like grinding noises

few more beers I might have done lol. But at least I have something to read up and understand what its doing...then one day I might be in a position to add it.