paeonius
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:23 pm

under estimated print time / print quality

im running a makerbot replicator 2, sailfish
usually when I slice in makerware i print 10-15% faster, `

makerware model sliced at estimated 5.5 hrs to build (so I expect to finish printing under 5 hours)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/y23a53ipouq46 ... .21.47.png
print finished under 5 hours
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i9tu70mkbsd35qs/IMG_8036.JPG

in Simplify3D it was 4.91 hrs to print (sounds about right), but its still printing with a finish time of around 6.8 hours
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cmpzvavy3bxmj ... .11.09.png
print finished in 6 hrs
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lp2ewbajgnrmzr9/IMG_8012.JPG

1. time estimation is important for me because i base my quotes on how long my printer is running

there was problems with the quality of the parts
Simplify3D
holes on the outer shell (top of the model)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/d4eewdvmwb98i0k/IMG_8013.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lo98dpy2c06o0mv/IMG_8018.JPG
head was very rough
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rlbkaygozkgxkiu/IMG_8017.JPG
curve where supports very rough
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vacisza38q0s3ux/IMG_8016.JPG
bottom of the print
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6znrk9t8kae7mo2/IMG_8015.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ihtajujpdj05wbm/IMG_8014.JPG

makerware slicing was much better
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ikl5c0jizntbknr/IMG_8043.JPG
head was a bit rough
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qsrps278bzbkxx6/IMG_8042.JPG

Comparison of the 2 printed parts
https://www.dropbox.com/s/irc56tfeqh8y41e/IMG_8037.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gilst94yt54uq9h/IMG_8038.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/quqssfwt9fx6m89/IMG_8039.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a09d5vz6kgepsrp/IMG_8040.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gx23n72iyhwnlfx/IMG_8041.JPG

2. what can I do to fix the Simplify3d settings?
Joey
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:20 am

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Lot of information in this post, but your missing some key elements. For instance, what are the makerslicer settings? Do you know the layer height, infill, whatever makerslicer can tell you would be useful. Then, post your simplify3d settings, either in a screenshot or factory file, and then I can see what the differences are. It's hard to tell from prints what the settings were and what should be changed.
vOidward
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:34 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Yeah you've got some wildly different settings between the slicers.

Post either a setting profile or a .factory file. In order to diagnose problems we need to find the problem in the first place.
paeonius
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Ty Joey and Voidward Ive posted the factory file attached
Novarossi Engine Header_original.factory
(440.28 KiB) Downloaded 308 times
Ive tried using the same settings for both slicers 0.1mm 15% infill supports
another example Im trying today, donut takes 12 hours estimated in makerware
and only 3hrs in simplify3d
simplify3d
Doughnut Half.factory
(228.13 KiB) Downloaded 305 times
https://www.dropbox.com/s/drnjwiy7iyg1p ... .58.21.png

makerware
https://www.dropbox.com/s/12n1xlblxgwqr ... .57.59.png
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6e7f3i28l7kze ... .58.10.png

i just noticed i put a raft on it but that shouldnt account for such a big print time difference
vOidward
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:34 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Your biggest problem is you're not printing with the cooling fan (assuming this is PLA).
Your fan settings are 0 and 100, but they're both set on layer 1 so one of them isn't triggering. Change the 100 to layer 2.

Are you printing with PLA or ABS?
Are you measuring your filament diameter before printing and setting it accordingly?

For PLA, your extrusion multiplier should be around 1.0. Might need to experiment if you're printing with ABS, as I don't print with it. I feel like extrusion width should be higher for ABS, but again, not experienced enough.

Outline overlap under infill might not need to have as high as 20%, I usually set that to 5% or 0.
Your temperature might not need to be as high as 230, if it's PLA I generally stick to 220 or lower. ABS varies by extrusion temperature also.

The more I look at it the more it seems like just a byproduct of not having the extrusion fan enabled.
paeonius
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

thanks for the tip Voidward,

I print in PLA and used the default settings so that might explain it
1.75mm filament from bilbycnc in australia, never had to measure the width in 2 years since they are reliable

if the fan isnt on that would explain the quality allot, I will fix that and the other settings!

with the temp, ive always thought that if you run it a little bit hotter then you can print a bit faster?

But the time estimation is still a big problem, right now im still having to slice in makerware, do the quote and then come back to slice in simplify3d
paeonius
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 2:23 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

googling the problem, im geussing rep2 fans arent capable of PWM so need to manually adjust the gcode to remove this
hopefully this fixes the print quality

http://forum.simplify3d.com/viewtopic.p ... 7&start=10
vOidward
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:34 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Yeah they're binary on/off, but that isn't the issue with your profile. The issue if you're trying to execute the same command twice at once, since they're both set to layer 1.
Just move one to layer 2 and it should be fine.

In theory, yeah if you're printing at very fast speeds a higher temps will let your extruder push through filament faster without starting to skip. I don't think you're at that speed limit with your prints. Lower temps allow the PLA to cool faster and hence retain their intended shape. Also, reduces stringing.

As far as estimates go, yeah they've never been particularly accurate and I doubt there's an easy fix. I feel like there's probably some settings that don't get taken into account when it comes to print time, but I've never had enough of a need to investigate which those are exactly.
vOidward
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:34 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

While I doubt I can do anything about time estimates, I can maybe recommend a few settings to speed up your print:

Infill: sparse infill every 2 layers
Support: sparse support infill every 2 layers / support infill percentage: 20
Cooling: Disable adjust print speed for layers below X
Other: support structure underspeed to 100

I'd also recommend you bump up the primary layer height to .15 or .2, structural stuff generally doesn't need detail of that level, but I guess that depends on what your customer needs.
vOidward
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:34 pm

Re: under estimated print time / print quality

Out of curiosity, I implemented most of what I suggested and fired off a test print:

Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
I'm pretty sure I can crank up speeds and use less support and still get good quality.
Estimate was 2h, so it took 35% longer, usually I add 1/3 to the estimate and it comes out around there.
Last edited by vOidward on Sun Jun 22, 2014 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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