Simplify3D User Forum

KC_703 wrote:Post a pic of the results... what filament type are you using?

I'm using hatchbox 1.75mm - it got good reviews on Amazon.

Below: the two on the left were from S3D, the right was MatterControl

Printing small parts is extremely challenging.

Use a smaller diameter nozzle if you can, Make sure you leave enough time for each layer to cool as the part prints. An easy way around that is to print the object two or more at a time and turn off island optimization. Slowing the layers down in S3D is not so great however, at some point it will cause more problems than it solves. Better to print multiple parts in my experience and leave the speeds alone.

On the model side, make sure wall thicknesses are an even multiple of the print width in S3D. If you are printing .4mm wide, it's best to print .4, .8, 1.2 or 1.6mm thick walls as examples. Obviously this won't matter on very thick walls since there will just be infill. It's only super important for walls that approach the thickness of your printing width.

When you have a lot of tall thin posts, it's best to do a hop on retract to prevent the nozzle from hitting them.

To add to my previous post, I totally agree with billyd's post. And in fact I have to go further.....

Take a very close look at the .stl file for this piece and compare it with the printed result from your MatterControl slicer. You'll notice that none of the printed shape will be less than 0.4mm wide...even areas on the .stl that are thinner. This will be because the hardware cannot print narrower than the filament width. In other words what you get is not what you wanted to be printed, but a "best it can do".

Bearing the above in mind, there is a unique "feature" in S3D that some see as an error and some see as a useful thing. The slicer will not print sections that are thinner than the filament width...which will leave gaps should the item be printed. Take a look at this thread and the threads it references: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=3471 This is one of the reasons that the print from S3D has failed.

This is not the only issue you are experiencing. To get accurate and consistent prints, you need to get the right mix of parameters that suit your machine, the part you're trying to print, and the material you're printing with. Getting this right is not simply a matter of tweaking one setting....but is likely to be adjustments to several parameters, carried out one at a time to see how they affect the print. And to do this, you will need some appreciation of what the settings actually do...and the first step would be to have a read through the threads that describe the settings in each of the tabs. Start here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2367

S3D, when you have it tuned to your printer, will give some superb results....and taking the time to read up on the settings will bear excellent fruit. So, don't lose heart......have a read and learn how to get the best out of your printer......

billyd wrote:Printing small parts is extremely challenging.

Use a smaller diameter nozzle if you can.

My question is why a $150 dollar program fails while free software works fine?

I think that MC spends a bit more time on the small parts - the little squares only get a squirt of filament in S3D while MC spends time and does a little circle around them to build them up. I would like to know how to get this expensive program printing at the same level as the free one.

You said you have a Robo3D printer. Have you tried using the Robo3D profile already built into the software? You have quite a few differences in your settings, most of which will probably have a negative influence on this small print. Did you create this profile yourself?

As many people have mentioned, you are trying to print a very small part, and right now your settings in S3D are not setup for that. After correcting several settings, I printed the attached gcode file on my printer, and the result looked great.

My question is why a $150 dollar program fails while free software works fine?

You've obviously not read my last post! S3d does not fail! It slices in a different way. The item you're trying to print is not compatible with S3D when using a 0.4mm nozzle. And your other slicer is "fudging" the item to make it print.....by thickening the areas that are thin.

JoeJ wrote:You said you have a Robo3D printer. Have you tried using the Robo3D profile already built into the software? You have quite a few differences in your settings, most of which will probably have a negative influence on this small print. Did you create this profile yourself?

As many people have mentioned, you are trying to print a very small part, and right now your settings in S3D are not setup for that. After correcting several settings, I printed the attached gcode file on my printer, and the result looked great.

Maze.gcode

That works very well for me! How exactly did you change the settings to make it print well?

dkightley wrote: This is not the only issue you are experiencing. To get accurate and consistent prints, you need to get the right mix of parameters that suit your machine, the part you're trying to print, and the material you're printing with. Getting this right is not simply a matter of tweaking one setting....but is likely to be adjustments to several parameters, carried out one at a time to see how they affect the print. And to do this, you will need some appreciation of what the settings actually do...and the first step would be to have a read through the threads that describe the settings in each of the tabs. Start here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2367

S3D, when you have it tuned to your printer, will give some superb results....and taking the time to read up on the settings will bear excellent fruit. So, don't lose heart......have a read and learn how to get the best out of your printer......

I've read a about the settings tabs in your post - I came across that a few weeks ago. While helpful, it would be more effective if the author put concrete examples of .stl file prints that benefit from the tweaks mentioned in his post.
Unfortunately, I really don't have a whole lot of time to experiment many times whilst making small changes to the settings - I rely on forum support so I can use what time I do have to make useful prints.

S3D is better suited for advanced users. Its flexibility is also what makes it a little more complicated. It is extremely powerful, but you must understand the settings and what each of them does. Otherwise its power is wasted, and just makes it more frustrating for the novice.

billyd wrote:S3D is better suited for advanced users. Its flexibility is also what makes it a little more complicated. It is extremely powerful, but you must understand the settings and what each of them does. Otherwise its power is wasted, and just makes it more frustrating for the novice.

I may be a novice, but I'm trying to learn. That's why I'm asking how to change the settings so the part can print well.