Marvin Printing Issues (CTC)

[etang858]

Hello all,

I tried printing a Marvin, and it did not come out well at all. I tried using CTC’s suggested settings but that was even worse.

Machine: CTC Bizer II (basically a makerbot dual clone with a metal body)

Electronics: Stock

Upgrades: Y- pillow blocks, Spring loaded drive block

Software: Makerbot Desktop 3.4.1.48

Material: PLA that came with the machine

Settings:

Infill: 15

Shells: 2

Layer height: 0.1mm

Extruder temp: 220C

Bed: not heated

Extruding speed: 90

Traveling speed: 150

I have a desk fan at the front of the printer blowing on low and rotating. I know PLA is supposed to have a lower temperature but when I try lower temps, I get worse results. I think the thermocouples might be reading back a false temperature?

Main areas of failure are around the bottom part of the ears, back area, top loop, and V-lip under Marvin’s left eye (its folded in and pressed against his face).

Any suggestions on how to improve print quality would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[3dkBerlin]

You need to build the active cooling

Active Cooling Fan Duct v2 for Replicator 1 / Duplicator 4 / FlashForge / CTC...

and your problems will be solved.

florian

[iCloud]

You need a cooling fan if you get a 40mm case fan 12v and out it on 24 volts and hold it in front of Marvin watch the difference and yeah don’t print at 90 and 150 it’s waaaay to fast for the ctc style machine try more like 40 mms and 80 travel at 200°c

[Eduardo_Garcia]

Like others just said, your speed is way too high. Decrease it by 1/2 at least. Pla I usually print around 60mm/s. Also, the fan on low take it off it does not work. Your cooling the extruder which will make it print bad. If you really want active cooling then do it properly. If not don’t do it all together.

[MidWestMade]

Hey, I had the same problem for a while too. With the CTC it’s all about settings, the 90 & 150 mm/s are actually the “maximum” suggested values, a realistic one is 40-50 mm/s. What I did for my Marvin was I printed 3 at once, this gives time for layers to cool and harden. Print 3 of them, about two inches away from one another, and slow both speeds down to 30 mm/s. It made a huge difference for me!

[MasterFX]

It doesn’t look too bad. The problem is, that your fan only cools the front of the model, not the direct printed part. A fan on the extrufer (which moves while you print) is a better solution.

[backspinnn]

I had some similar issues with layers shifting and it turned out to be my extruder shifting position as the layer height grew. I ended up pulling the extruder to the side with a ziptie, so the slop was eliminated.

[etang858]

Do you have a picture of this zip tie mod? Thanks!

[etang858]

added the fan and slowed down the rate. Improved quality but there are still some issues in the same spots. Just not as dramatic. I’ll have to play around with the speeds. Thanks!

[etang858]

I added the fan except its just always on right now. I don’t have the mosfet or a switch yet. I just jam the fan with a piece of PLA until the first few layers are done and then take out the stopper. Print quality is up but not to my satisfaction. It seems like from this point it is guess and test. Thanks for the help thus far.

[iCloud]

If you have a look at my guide you can see how to remove slack from the x and y carridge it’s over on CTC talk under IGUS bearings

[etang858]

Update: I added a cooling fan and slowed down my feed and travel rates. Overall print quality increased.

Current settings are:

Infill: 15
Shells: 2
Layer height: 0.1mm
L Temp: 230
R Temp: 205 (Tried 200-220)
Bed: OFF
Extruding Speed: 40
Traveling Speed: 50

I’ve tried combos of 215/30/30, 215/40/80, 205/40/80, 200/40/60, 205/40/50 with numbers representing Extruder_Temp/Extruding_speed/Travel_Speed.

I am still having issues between Marvin’s legs (hehe), his “ears” not being round, his lower back not being uniform, and the V-region on the front of his face not coming out too well.

Are the errors I’m seeing indicative to a particular setting or do I just need to power through and try more combinations?

Thanks for all the community support thus far!

[anwar73]

Me toooo , the sam happened

[MidWestMade]

Are you using RepG for software? The slicer it uses isn’t that great, I also would recommend MakerWare (it’s free) and super user friendly and easy to use. You could also add in another shell to make it 3, it’s another inner layer of support.

[gabriela3d]

Nice one! I’ll link everyone to it: Talk Manufacturing | Hubs

[iCloud]

Makerware for what it is, is terrible there’s no brim and only recently the addition of some access at custom profiles if you want a nice print I can send you a Marvin print sliced through simplify 3d and I never have managed to get a perfect Marvin around the back as it just is a steep overhang

[etang858]

I’m using Makerbot Desktop 3.4.1.48 with the stock firmware on the actual printer (not sailfish)

[etang858]

That would be great if you could. Can you also provide the settings for your file. Thanks. etang858@gmail.com

[iCloud]

Emailed you

[bg3d]

Try some different filament. I’ve seen drastic differences between brands. Ultimachine, maker gear and hatch box I’ve heard good things about. Also print 4 at a time, this will allow for more cooling time regardless of a fan.