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Hi all,

I am working to print a case, but am having trouble with the raft adhering to the print on the edges (see attached photos). I’m using a MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation printer, with RepRapper filament. Have you run into this issue, or do you have any suggestions about how to alleviate the problem?

Thanks so much in advance for help you can provide.

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Oh yeah I remember this… when I was using Makerbot Raft was pain in the ass always, unfortunately I haven’t found the solution myself back then. I know there’re limited settings available to change, but there should be some raft settings that you can alter. Could you let us know what settings you have access to?

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From the pictures and with your print curling on the edges, I’d probably suggest in the first instance re-levelling the print bed. Don’t trust the in built leveller. Nine days it was level and there was a 2mm difference from one side to the other. I did it using a small spirit level. Then once that’s done in the settings I would increase the raft to model spacing to around .5mm. Next step I would lower the extrusion temperature by 5 degrees. To make sure it’s not too hot and cools in ample time and doesn’t stick to the previous layer.

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Please, scuse me, for my poor english. Yu are soore that you need raft? your contact surface on the base board seems good to a good fixation. Which

slicing softwate are you using?

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It looks like your edges are curling up to. Your raft may not be sticking well and curling up and fusing to the case rather than staying separate. You need to get your raft to stay flat the entire time.

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First have a look at your settings under raft, and the support to model spacing settings. I seem to get mine perfect every time, it’s almost impossible to not get the raft off. If you’d like, when im

back at home I can save my slicer profile and email it to you?

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… my old up mini raft & support was so so easy to remove & left a clean finish the makerbot one seems so so poor in comparison imho… I dont use it no more… So fed up cutting myself with the craft knife …makerbot could learn a few things from up iam sure !

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Hi all,

This is Bowen from Fusion Printing.

I frequently encounter this issue even using good quality PLA, which have low warping problem.

This is what I do. When you print large flat object, use the “Helper Disk” in makerbot desktop software. You can find them under “Example” sub menu. When you open the helper disk, you can place them on the corner and makerbot desktop will consider these disk as a part of your geometry. When first couple layers finish printing, you can use tape to securely attach them to the built plate.

This method worked fine for us.

Hope that helps!

Best,

Bowen Zhang

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Are you using PLA, if so, try not building a raft, make sure your extruder temp is set to the proper range for PLA (190-220 degrees which can be affected by room temp and build plate temp). Also make sure your extruder speed is slowed to 30mm or so. These suggestions by other 3DHub members helped my PLA builds enormously. I also build with no heat to the build bed.

Fun stuff!

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Thank you, everyone, for your responses and help. I am using MakerBot PLA on the fifth generation desktop with the smart extruder and MakerBot Desktop software. I have rarely had an issue with the rafts in the past, and never come across this particular problem. In fact, I have printed other parts since then, and they have come out fine.

The fifth generation has neither a heated bed nor a heated build chamber, and my extruder is running at 215 celsius. Room temp is about 71 F and humidity hovers around 40%. I do need a raft for this part, as it doesn’t stick to the bed otherwise. Just an FYI, the infill is 100%, if that makes a difference.

If you cannot tell from the pictures, this is a case that has rounded edges on the outside. The software notes there should be support around the edges, but what happens is the raft curls up to meet the part.

I level the bed fairly frequently, but always use the assisted leveler built into the MakerBot. I will check that going forward with an actual level.

@Bleddyn_Dunn, can you tell me how to increase the raft to model spacing? How does one lower the extruder temperature?

@Matt_4, thank you for the offer to share your slicer settings. That would be most helpful.

@Bowen_Zhang, thank you for the suggestion to use the “Helper Disk”. I will give that a try if the other suggestions do not work.

@JohnT, is there an option in the MakerBot Desktop software to lower the extruder speed?

Thank you, again, for all your help. Thank you for your patience if the questions I am asking seem remedial or obvious; I have never encountered this problem before.

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Are you using 3M painter’s tape? Is your print head lifting the filament before it has a chance to stick? Does your build software actually have “settings” for print head speed. Makerbots generic software does.

I’m a newbie, but an older greek and have only used the MakerBot software to build, TinkerCAD etc to create and love them both. However, MakerBot’s software has a menu “setting” which I understand works well controlling the extruder and bed temps and I was advised by others (at 3DHub) to lower the “Travel speed” to 30 mm/s (they weren’t sure if this actually works on all machines, but in my mind, it does on the CTC Black series) and, as mentioned; the extruder temp to 205 degrees (I live in Michigan with a recent temp of 60-70, higher humidity etc.).

This my not apply to you, but works while still allowing me to breath filtered air:

I added a cardboard box over the top of the lid of the CTC 3D printer, then added another smaller box attached to a small filtered humidifier ($30.00) which does a great job of filtering the 3D printer odors, noise etc (poor man’s emissions control unit, not EPA tested, but then again; they let the automobile industry say my vehicle gets 17-24mpg and I’ve never done better than 15.4mpg on the highway.). Anyways, the air sucked through and around the 3D printer and seems to help the PLA harden quicker without adding another fan etc. Additionally, if the problem exist, turn the 3D printer object upside down and don’t use a raft.

Keep me in the loop and let me know what works and what doesn’t.

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@JohnT, thanks for your additional suggestions. I do not have access to the MakerBot this evening, but will try the adjust the settings tomorrow. As it turns out, I am unable to rotate the part 180 degrees as the part is a case, and it would need to print with supports on the inside, which would be near impossible to clean completely with the fine features on the inside (I can send you a picture or the file, if you like).

I’m having a difficult time picturing your setup with the cardboard boxes. Are you making it so the air coming in or the air going out of the printer is affected? Is your setup to add or remove humidity (I was under the impression that humidity was bad for PLA filament).

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I am only using the humidifier for it’s fan/ventilation, it draws air from the 3D printer. If the smell from the projects heat bothers me, I add water to the humidifier(2gallon humidifier/small) which gets absorbed by the paper filter within the humidify and the smells are then diminished as they pass through the damp filter on their way out. Basically air is just being drawn from the 3D printer which keeps the 3D printer cool and lots of air flow through the printer.

And yes, email me a pic of the object, and if you can, attach and STL file so I can see if there’s an easy support I can create for you.

John (JLTurcott@Hotmail.com is best)

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I’m having the same issues. Do you have the latest firmware update? How about the new Smart Extruder +? I have both and running into that same issue. I’m also getting an unintended temperature sag on the extruder. I’m thinking it’s firmware issue.

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I purchased a Makerbot clone, “CTC Black dual extruder” on ebay (first one was junk, so I returned it, however the second was a charm). Mine is a basic $409 delivered CTC 3D printer and I stopped using rafts because the objects I was making did not require one with PLA and 3DHub members said “don’t use one with PLA unless needed”. This being said, have you tried not using the raft setting and creating a simple thin layer as a self made raft?

Possible issue: I’ve used 3 filament from 3 different companies, the WYZWorks transparent seems to be of poor quality and the results the other 2 companies sent did twice as good, twice as strong and twice as tight.

Probable issue: I read something online about layers clumping when I first received my 3D printer. The article pointed out clumping may be caused by setting the initial layer to far off the bed. You might loosen each bed/heat plate leveling wingnut which narrows the gap between the print head and the bed a 1/4 turn. Then print a small flat object with a raft to see the results. My first layer looks like spider silk and comes out very nice, but also sticks to the 3M painters tape and is difficult to remove even when I use a glue stick and turn off the heat to the build plate.

If your extruder heat is fluctuating, I’d try using the other extruder, my PLA print do well at 215degrees and extruder temp stays right on 215.

Hope something here works or narrows down your issues.

John

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A lot of people left responses but I am going to sum it up quickly. Nozzle height and temperature.

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@Matt_4 Does the offer still stand to save your slicer profile and email it to me? If so, my email is mstorey@beckatt.com. Thank you.

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I used to have this issue but after ensuring that the Z axis calibration is spot on and the bed perfectly level I then slightly increased the gap between the raft and layer 1.

I can now simply pull the raft off.

I use ABS so this still leaves some discolouration on non-white filament prints.

I get rid of them by using an acetone cold vapour bath (Basically hanging the part in a glass jar by some cotton thread with a few ml of acetone swirled around the jar) for about 10-15 minutes depending on the part and how shiny I want it to be.

Note: please don’t do what I did a few nights ago and go to bed leaving the part in the jar. I woke up to find a molten blob of ABS stuck to the bottom of the jar which was stuck solid.

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Wish i read this when you asked but i shall still answer for others that have a 5th gen MakerBot (long live the King).

The issue from your picture, in my more than 15k hrs printing in the last year(i could be wrong still), have fixed that simply by adjusting my Raft to Model spacing which is the biggest thing that can affect your print sticking to the model. PLA looks like it varies depending on the quality/condition of the nozzle which if set to .45 -.75 (model raft spacing to vertical offset) tends to come off easier. Always use a raft with a 5th gen when going more than 50mm high on Z axis (it looks better & wont fall over). I have my travel speed at around 165 all the time. As JhonT said on the temp 190-220 is cool an i even go as high as 235 but with some other settings changed. IDK about the 30mm extruder speed thing he mentioned because mine has had many settings. Mine is currently set to 55mm/s, 1st raft layer cooling speed 67%, 28mm/s 1st raft layer speed, 2.86mm raft size, 0.69mm raft to model vertical offset.