Hi.
I'm having problems printing with the Leapfrog Creatr Double Extruder. At some point of the model the plastic detaches from the bed or the model itself.
I'm using 2 processes in high quality with PLA and the following settings:
Process #1 (bottom layers)
Nozzle Diameter = 0.35mm
Layer height = 0.25mm
Start printing at (unchecked)
Stop printing at 0.15 mm
Process #2 (upper layers)
Nozzle Diameter = 0.15mm
Layer height = 0.10mm
Start printing at 0.15 mm
Stop printing at (unchecked)
As the pictures show, the plastic starts forming "blobs" near the extruder.
Also, the last models came out tilted in the z axis - as if the layers are not being printed totally in a vertical axis.
What am I doing wrong and what can I do to solve these?
Thanks
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anotherArchitect
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:15 pm
Plastic won't stick / Leapfrog Creatr
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Re: Plastic won't stick / Leapfrog Creatr
Im also using a Leapfrog Creatr and am pretty new to 3d printing.
You might want to heat up your bed a bit more, and try to decrease the first layer height and speed a bit.
(FFF settings-->Layer)
You might want to heat up your bed a bit more, and try to decrease the first layer height and speed a bit.
(FFF settings-->Layer)
Re: Plastic won't stick / Leapfrog Creatr
I have a Creatr and have pretty good success with PLA. Of course your results can vary depending on the material and you'll see a lot of opinions on what works. Success will often partly depend on the geometry of the part (how much surface is on the bed) and how dense the part it is (more of a problem with ABS). Anyway this is what works for me most of the time.
Bed Prep:
I use blue 3M painters tape on the bed. I lay down a couple of strips and then wipe it with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils. 99% alcohol is best but you typically have to order that from Amazon or from your local pharmacy. (91% alcohol is widely available and may be fine too. I keep 99% around anyway for cleaning electronic parts.)
Bed Temp:
For blue tape you can leave the bed heater turned off.
Extruder temp:
I usually run at 210C for PLA. That's a little on the hot side but I use an external nozzle cooler. You may need to run at a lower temp.
Process:
I normally just run a single process. The first layer needs to be printed slow to get good adhesion. Try 30% to 50% speed reduction in the layer tab. You also need to adjust the first layer thickness (see below). I print parts using a .1 and .15 layer thickness with no problems.
Machine prep:
A pain but really important! The distance between the bed and nozzle will change a LOT depending on the bed temperature (and from vibration). The easiest way to do this is with a piece of standard printer paper. Heat the extruder, retract the filament a couple of millimeters and wipe off any excess plastic. Home the print head. Now slip the paper under the print head. You want a slight drag on the paper (too much drag and you're probably just pushing down the spring loaded bed or digging into the paper). Adjust this with the screws in the corners of the bed. Move the print head to opposite corners and adjust the screws so that you have light drag on the paper at each corner. You will likely need to repeat this several times. S3D has a utility for doing this but the current version isn't working correctly. I just disable the motors and manually push the head to the corners.
Part Prep:
If the part doesn't have much surface touching the bed, you can add a brim (thin outline at the bottom to give the part a larger surface on the bed). S3d doesn't have a dedicated brim function, but you can simulate this by adding a skirt, making the offset distance zero, and using multiple loops. Depending the part geometry, it might not touch the part on all sides. You can also use a raft, but I avoid that unless there is no other way.
First layer:
You want the first layer to squish down into the tape. This will be clearly visible. If you see any open areas between the lines of plastic in the first layer the nozzle is still too high above the bed. In the layer tab of the process, reduce the first layer height percentage until the first layer looks like solid plastic. If only portions of the first layer are solid you're bed isn't level. Do the above height/level adjustment again.
If you've done everything correctly the part will likely rip the blue tape when you remove it.
If you change to using a heated bed such as with ABS, you'll need to adjust the bed again with the bed heated up to temperature.
Something else you may want to try is a material called ColorFabb. This is a blend of PLA and PHA. It prints easily like PLA but has better layer adhesion and is tough and has some flex like ABS. Super consistent diameter (+/- .05mm). A little more expensive but very nice to work with.
I can't guarantee the above will correct your problems based on the photos. However if the bed isn't level and the part isn't adhered well to the bed it will results in all kinds of problems.
Bed Prep:
I use blue 3M painters tape on the bed. I lay down a couple of strips and then wipe it with rubbing alcohol to remove any oils. 99% alcohol is best but you typically have to order that from Amazon or from your local pharmacy. (91% alcohol is widely available and may be fine too. I keep 99% around anyway for cleaning electronic parts.)
Bed Temp:
For blue tape you can leave the bed heater turned off.
Extruder temp:
I usually run at 210C for PLA. That's a little on the hot side but I use an external nozzle cooler. You may need to run at a lower temp.
Process:
I normally just run a single process. The first layer needs to be printed slow to get good adhesion. Try 30% to 50% speed reduction in the layer tab. You also need to adjust the first layer thickness (see below). I print parts using a .1 and .15 layer thickness with no problems.
Machine prep:
A pain but really important! The distance between the bed and nozzle will change a LOT depending on the bed temperature (and from vibration). The easiest way to do this is with a piece of standard printer paper. Heat the extruder, retract the filament a couple of millimeters and wipe off any excess plastic. Home the print head. Now slip the paper under the print head. You want a slight drag on the paper (too much drag and you're probably just pushing down the spring loaded bed or digging into the paper). Adjust this with the screws in the corners of the bed. Move the print head to opposite corners and adjust the screws so that you have light drag on the paper at each corner. You will likely need to repeat this several times. S3D has a utility for doing this but the current version isn't working correctly. I just disable the motors and manually push the head to the corners.
Part Prep:
If the part doesn't have much surface touching the bed, you can add a brim (thin outline at the bottom to give the part a larger surface on the bed). S3d doesn't have a dedicated brim function, but you can simulate this by adding a skirt, making the offset distance zero, and using multiple loops. Depending the part geometry, it might not touch the part on all sides. You can also use a raft, but I avoid that unless there is no other way.
First layer:
You want the first layer to squish down into the tape. This will be clearly visible. If you see any open areas between the lines of plastic in the first layer the nozzle is still too high above the bed. In the layer tab of the process, reduce the first layer height percentage until the first layer looks like solid plastic. If only portions of the first layer are solid you're bed isn't level. Do the above height/level adjustment again.
If you've done everything correctly the part will likely rip the blue tape when you remove it.
If you change to using a heated bed such as with ABS, you'll need to adjust the bed again with the bed heated up to temperature.
Something else you may want to try is a material called ColorFabb. This is a blend of PLA and PHA. It prints easily like PLA but has better layer adhesion and is tough and has some flex like ABS. Super consistent diameter (+/- .05mm). A little more expensive but very nice to work with.
I can't guarantee the above will correct your problems based on the photos. However if the bed isn't level and the part isn't adhered well to the bed it will results in all kinds of problems.
