Problems with PLA stripping and jamming
After a long series of problems with printing in PLA I am finally beginning to make some progress. I’ve written up some of my thoughts about causes of this particular print failure in my blog at http://mynext3dprinter.tumblr.com/post/57240973286/my-love-of-printing-with-pla-has-been-rekindled
The most important tip: put a piece of foam/sponge on the filament where it enters the extruder to make sure dust and stuff gets wiped away. And before every filament change, heat to 75°C and pull out the old filament. That typically removes all the dirt that is in the hotend, giving you a clean start.
Agreed, Jan. I always do both of those.
Hi
What is diluted PVA from your blog? From what i can research it is Elmers glue or wood glue, Is this correct? What is the ratio you use to dilute it?
Thanks
Wayne
Yes, same thing, I believe. I found this video very helpful - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuQ2EabKBDo
I print PLA only (Makerbot Replicator 2) and I’ve only just managed to get consistent successful prints, doing all of the same things you did. Tightening up the extruder tension was the key. I’ve never had a successful print under 200 degrees so I just hover around 220 - 230 and that always gets good results. I find that removing the filament slowly and in a circular motion removes all of the dust that collected during long prints. Also I keep a fine wire brush handy, so if the hot end gets blocked and the extrusion is curling up as it comes out, take a single wire fibre from the brush and push it in and out of the nozzle a few times. That usually helps to get a good first layer down. I’ve never tried the diluted PVA idea, but I hear hairspray works well. My problem at the moment is that objects are sticking too well to my platform and thin shells snap when I remove them. What should I do about that?
@Richard_Gain Great link, Thanks
The great thing about PVA glue is that it’s water soluble. Just put the glass plate in a shallow bowl of water and the prints come loose after about 10 minutes.
Good tip. I have not printed anything yet, waiting for the delivery so i am just reading all i can in the meantime.
Still using the stock makerbot plate at the moment. It has a shiny makerbot branded etched side, and a frosted side. I always use the etched side because if I use the frosted side I just can’t get the prints off without breaking them or wrecking the plate. This PVA thing might be the answer to the frosted side. Thanks @Richard_Gain
Do you wait for the PVA to dry completely before starting the print?
If you have a heated bed, set it to 50C and it dries in half a minute. If not, perhaps wait a few minutes or use a hair-dryer.
Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing
Trying PVA glue right now. Also first print with ed3 hotend. Had a printing hiatus since April when I received the hot end. So far it is totally amazing.
+Joshua Rowley - I’m using a new E3D hot end for 3 mm filament. I’ve been discussing the nozzle jams with +Sanjay Mortimer and he reassured me that there wasn’t a problem with the 3 mm version jamming; so I guessed it must be either my temperatures or my hobbed bolt.
I’m printing with pla from protoparadigm and have noticed that I need higher temps when printing thin isolated walls @195-200, but when printing solid infill out thick walls, I need to lower temp to avoid drooping @185-188. I should also mention that I haven’t installed a fan, which will probably change my issues. But I did notice that the extruder does not need to be as hot when it is printing over an already hot area. Oddly, the extruder seems to “pull” heat from the hot print. Doesn’t really make sense since the print is much cooler than the extruder