22MIL2DAY
Posts: 53
Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 10:51 am
Location: SARASOTA FLORIDA

Large Print

I was able to get a large print done last night (14 hrs) see attached. I was very happy with this 1st go round.
I was wondering if anyone could identify for me the parameters to focus on to produce the nice quality detail that is evident in the Sasquatch head print.
This print 1st posted out at 17 hrs 25 minutes so I adjusted the feeds and was able to reduce the run time. I increased the rapids and the print moves but it was scary towards the end when the part was over 7” tall and the little area fill moves were violent. I don’t know how it stayed secure. Is there a way to keep the feeds high for long distance print travels and then ramp them down near the ends so there transitions are not so violent? In MasterCam, Surfcam, Pro/Man and so on there is a ramp up / ramp down function that slows the cutter feed when preparing to change direction. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Attachments
left_crankcase_half-1.jpg
printed part-1
printed part-1
printed part-2
printed part-2
dalew8abz
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:14 am
Location: Cleveland Heights, Ohio USA (4 mi. from MakerGear HQ!)
Contact: Website

Re: LARGE PRINT

22MIL,

I haven't tried this yet, but I have read that it should work. You can apply multiple FFF Processes to a model. Apply one Process, with fast rapids, at the start of the model, from layer 1 up as far as you want to go at that speed (e.g., the first 100 mm, at 0.2 mm/layer would be 500 layers). Apply the second Process, with slower rapids, from the next layer (e.g., #501) on up.

I'm at a PC without Creator installed so I can't advise as to the particular location of the entries for starting and ending layers for a Process... sorry. But since you've got your part printing that well, I'm betting you can find them!!!

I don't recall reading of anyone here using multiple Processes, but I'm guessing others have done it and can advise if I'm wrong here... If you get it working, let us know!

Just don't apply multiple Processes to the same layer of a part. I printed six parts once, and was having trouble applying one Process to all six. So I applied six Processes, thinking it would use one on each part. It applied all six to all six parts, and started printing each layer SIX TIMES. My mistake was in walking away for a couple minutes, then coming back to a huge mess. The dragging of the hot end through the mess snapped a blade off in each of my cooling fans. (I should have noted the estimate for the print, which was 720 minutes instead of 120 minutes. And I should have run the preview. Now I know better $$$)

As a feature request, it would be nice if the preview checked for interfering motions such as printing the same space twice... or six times... ;)

Dale
1oldclown
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:34 pm

Re: Large Print

If you are present for the print, you simply use the movement rate knob found in the control panel. I've slowed things done while certain portions of a print required it and then brought the speed back up later and then slowed down for the finishing touches.
kaink
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:22 pm

Re: Large Print

I had some similar issues on large prints. I changed the firmware on my printer to have softer acceleration/deceleration. It would be nice to have software control.

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