I am still having the issue of my first layer not going down correctly on any span of more than 5-6mm on the infill. The rings and any perimeters are fine. So, I am leaning towards some extrusion or extruder related issue. Anyway- can anyone tell me the regular settings for my extruder steps?
printrbot jr v1<<
Have you tried wiping the tape with alcohol / acetone? Often tapes have a waxy coating you need to remove…
What is under the tape? Glass is good because it is flat and is not as good a conductor as aluminum. I used aluminum for ages and it just sucks the heat out of those delicate first layer threads and they don’t stick.
I suggest getting rid of the tape all together.
I have a Printrbot Jr. I started with blue tape which drove me crazy. Then I moved to cheep hair spray which was much better, but still not perfect. Recently I have been using water soluble glue stick- like the kids use in school.
It can be hard to get a thin, even layer, but if you get it too thick and gloppy, just use a cloth or paper towel dampened with warm water and smooth it out.
Either way, let it dry fully- no, don’t wait till it’s tacky. Counter-intuitively it works much better when it is bone dry than when it is sticky to the touch. It truly is amazing how well it works. Seriously.
That being said, nothing will work properly unless your bed is leveled at the right layer height. I print at 0.2mm so I use a feeler gauge to make sure at Z home the nozzle is 0.2mm above the bed at each corner and the center.
Your problem could also be related to speed. Slic3r, and probably most other slicers default to infill speed faster than perimeter speed. Your infill may be failing because your nozzle is moving faster than your current level of bed adhesion will allow while your perimeters are slow enough.
Recommendation:
1.) Yes, re-confirm proper extrusion setting which is different for every printer and roll of filament. Procedure here: http://www.printrbottalk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Extruder_Calibration
2.) Level bed at proper layer height
3.) Check travel speeds- perhaps slow them down
Extra credit:
Try using glue stick on a glass bed. You’ll be amazed if you follow my suggestions above.
thanks all for the suggestions. I know i do need to fine tune my e-steps. Here is what’s bugging me. i have been printing very nicely with my plexiglass bed, roll of same blue tape without spray , and roll of same filament. I’ve cleaned my hot end, and leveled and releveled. i have had good results with my steps how they are . I want to figure out what has ‘gone wrong’. I know it is capable of printing rather nicely with these factors as they are and have been for some time now.
very much thanks though. i am always thankful for this platform when i have questions and/or issues
and heck yeah to Ween