Got my PrintrBot Simple finished. Here’s my first print; the 5mm step calibration shape. (I got my first burn pulling it off of the bed, too. Hit the extruder with my finger.)
Any advice is welcome. Using the PrintrBot recommended initial settings of 200C temp, 0.3mm layers.
Z-axis is obviously not homed correctly. Is this the end-stop adjustment I need to fix? The Z-height (steps) on the object is pretty much right on 5mm.
The blocks measure about 5.75mm on the Y-axis and 5.5mm on the X-axis. I’m pretty sure I’ll need to adjust this in Repetier-Host (steps/mm for X and Y), correct?
How does the extrusion and layer height look? I used the PrintrBot suggested settings, which I can’t remember at the moment. The 10mm bridge on the X-axis drooped a bit on the shells, but the infill just fell away. The 5mm bridge on the Y-axis did better, of course, with very little droop on the shells, and some of the infill hanging in place.
What made the top block go bad, when the others look okay? Should those corners/edges be sharper?
If this is PLA, you’re running about 20C too hot (in general) - PLA should be extruded closer to 180C in most cases. Try 190C and see if your print looks a little better. Top block is mushy because of heat radiating downward onto the print and causing some sag; a small fan will generally help the layers below solidify quicker. If this is a 0.5mm nozzle, 0.3mm is a good layer height to play around with.
Great first print. If your x and y scale are off, I.e. your x and y measurements aren’t correct, you have to change this in the firmware. I’m not sure if that is what you were referring to when you said repetieir-host, since that is the name of the host software. But you are correct, you would tweak the steps/mm. I would check belt tension and squareness of your x and y axes first as the steps/mm setting is derived from mechanical parts, being the radii if pulleys, steps per Rev in motors, microsteps, all of which should be supplied by printrbot.
You should only need to tell the extruder value for steps/mm.
What do you think your z is not homed correctly? The bulging at the bottom may be due to your slicer making the first later over extruded. This is to account for uneven needs and non repeatable homing errors. Your print stuck well, so your z is probably spot on. If you have leveled your bed, and your print sticks, you don’t need to adjust your z endstop
BTW what did you use to get the print to stick so well that it pulled off some tape?
As for bridging, you won’t be able to do it without a fan. The fan makes a huge difference, but be sure to duct it. My fan doesn’t have a duct or speed control, and I make my parts pop off the bed by causing thermal gradients. Also, I end up cooling my nozzle which a few times ended up in filament jamming in my extruder upstream of my Bowden tube while unattended. That really sucked. The fan will sharpen your corners and reduce the goopiness on your higher layers that you see
All: Thanks for the advice. I left out a couple of details that are standard on the new PB-Simple. Standard nozzle is 0.4mm, and the Simple now comes standard with a 40mm fan (part of filament latch; would be hard to duct) and 3 end-stops.
I know my Z-axis is off and my bed is slightly out of level because the nozzle was literally dragging along the blue tape for the first two layers (gave me excellent adhesion, though ).
I’m going to fix the Z and the bed, adjust the X and Y, and drop the temp a few degrees. I’ll post again with results and full settings details.
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