Trying to figure out the cause of this problem. Printed out this enclosure and it ended up curving halfway through the print. Anyone seen or experience this kind of problem before? Printing with black ABS @ 245C, bed @ 90C.
Cooling problems. Do you use fans? Try to cover the printer from airflow.
I don’t think that is a cooling problem, look how uniformly the one side veers to the right. Looks to me like there is a mechanical problem. As z goes up, its pulling that side of the carriage.
What orientation was the part on the printer, and for that matter, what printer?
Had the same issue, there was a difference of 1 mm hight between the left and right z axis, it was only visible on tall prints and most often when printing on the sides of the printing area
Definitely looks like a mechanical problem. It almost looks as if you managed to build a Mendel-style bot with different screw pitches on the two sides.
Could be wires too tight, could be one of the motors gradually heating up enough to make its mount flexible. Belt tension would then flex it and gradually shift each successive layer further from that end of the axis.
I had a similar problem when I first built my i2. The z shafts were not perfectly centered and all my prints had a gangsta lean to them even though they were perfectly smooth, just like that.
@Ryan_Hescock_Stanos that sounds like the machine just isn’t square, so prints would be at an angle, but the edges that were supposed to be straight would still be straight (just with the wrong angles between them). Or am I misunderstanding?
Is it from a print with an enclosed print bed? Print a four-sided box and see if it bends the same way, or just rotate the three-sided print you’ve got now by 90 degrees. It might be that you’re getting a warp (common with ABS) as you print.
That’s why I said similar problem. For this print it looks like it gets pulled more the further up it goes, indicating some other mech issue. If it was a cooling issue it would be caved in on one side or have one of those weird hourglass shapes.
I would position the nozzle near where the problem was then run the z all the way up and down to see if it drifts in the direction the print was leaning. If it is, watch carefully and see if something is binding/bent/unsquare that is pulling it that way.
Also try to cover the side of the printer that is warping with anpiece of cardboard. It could be a little draft…
This was printed on my reprap, 3DPrintMi plus. It was printed vertically and at a diagnol. I squared my x gantry before printing but I did at one point tightened the x axis belt mid print. The curve started to happen halfway through (2 hours in) so could be heat related but my motors never get hot. I wondered if the abs was pulling it to the wall side, creating a uneven distribution of shrinkage. Gonna try this print again, its the first time seeing this
What kind of climate are you in? Little known fact about ABS, it’s a prick to use in the tropics. It’s very porous and absorbs water from the atmosphere. It’s not a huge problem, usually, but it will enhance any minor issue that might cause curving on its own to certainly curl your print up.
I doubt I have a draft problem. The printer is stationed inside a small room, ac was off and windows closed. I would think that if i had a draft, the print wouldve curled off the bed first.
Its wierd since I printed this at a diagnol, the curve is going in the direction of the printed wall, so thats both the x and y direction.
I partially solved my humidity problem with an Up Mini I no longer use by keeping the filament in an air conditioned, dehumidified room, and then storing it in an airtight box with rice. I don’t do anything with ABS anymore, it’s too much trouble.
I don’t think it’s a warping issue, as most of your xy in your layers would still be registered properly to reach other, usually only the bottom layer lifting will be off, the rest are printed in top of each other. I’d tend to agree with mechanical issues. If you have a dial indicator and a known square block, you can indicate your motor motion
Thanks for the advice guys, after two more attempts with the same results, I figured out what was wrong. The part was actually curling slowly at both ends, near the edge of the hot plate. Looks like my HBP isn’t distributing the heat evenly even with insulation installed. IR sensors tells me that edge loses 10C as the print gets higher. Not surprised.
I have tried jacking my temperature up to 120C but my Makerfarm’s Printrboard started to overheat, causing it to stall mid print. I have a fan blowing at it now but it only prolongs the inevitable. Seems like my limit is around 110C before it freezes again.
For this specific print, might have to switch to PLA after all.
You can try to glue it down by mixing a bit of wood glue with water and brush it over the allready heated bed. As soon as it’s dried, start printing inmediatly.
Have you tried hairspray, many people swear to it
I’ve been using hairspray with Elmers glue stick smeared on top on bare glass. Been using this method for a whole year and it’s the best method I’ve come across. However, the curling is happening at the edge of the bed so even though the middle registers 90C, its about 80 to 85 at the edge. When the parts gets taller, it draws the heat away form the bed, acting as a heatsink thus dropping it down to 75C. Increasing the temperature bogs the Printrboard so I don’t have much choice really. I just tried using ABS slurry on top of hairspray but with the same result. Just need to way to evenly distribute the heat or get a bunch of heatsinks for my Printrboard.
If your Power Supply is strong enough for the bed but the printr board isn’t, buy an SSR. Pretty easy to setup, and pretty cheap on Amazon. I got a 40W one for $12, always good to go overrated with cheap Chinese components