jingleby
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:54 am

Air print on short start/stops.

I'm an experienced 3d modeller and have solved lots of printing issues over the last 2-3 years on my replicator 2 but am stuck again.

My printer air prints whenever it has to do a lot of start/stops like infill on a thin long rectangle.

Would simplify 3d be any help in resolving this? Is the software more intelligent in slicing or retraction distances?

Thanks.
CompoundCarl
Posts: 2005
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:23 am

Re: Air print on short start/stops.

I've definitely noticed that S3D seems to make much more optimized toolpaths which can make a big difference in print quality. And is also provides a lot more customization for modifying how a print is made if you need to do something specific. I have no doubt that you could get better results with this added control.

And there's a great community here if you have questions about a specific print ;)
jingleby
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:54 am

Re: Air print on short start/stops.

Thanks @compoundcarl.

I definitely see the benefit of the software, but curious if anyone knows the inner workings of it and likeliness it may help with this issue.
JoeJ
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:52 am

Re: Air print on short start/stops.

The reason a lot of starts and stops can sometimes cause issues is because that puts a lot of strain on the extruder. Sometimes it ends up stripping the filament as well.

As far as "inner workings", the software has plenty of options to let you control how often a retraction takes place and also several options to limit these tiny infill sections that can cause the multitude of starts and stops. So you should easily be able to improve this with the added control.
Rebekah_harper
Posts: 263
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:25 am

Re: Air print on short start/stops.

the options within the retraction is either a positive or negative value. so you can have it when it starts a new line the filamant reintroduction to the nozzle stops short by a determined value. such as -0.1mm

for infill there are many patterns you can apply plus set it to cirular in conjunction with the amount of top and bottom layer quantities IE: inline with the wall of your part for as how many layers you want.

I think this software is more capable and more intuitive than others.
jingleby
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:54 am

Re: Air print on short start/stops.

Thanks everyone. Any input on rationale for adjusting retraction rates and by how much is also appreciated.

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