Just purchased Simplify3d to run my Taz 5 printers and I must say, the prints are fantastic HOWEVER for some reason it will not print the first or last layer properly??? In the pictures you can see it’s incomplete and almost looks as if its printing every other row??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi @jv550510 unless I’m mistaken, the Taz 5 has a minimum printing height of 0.075mm (75 microns); your settings screenshot shows a layer height of 50 microns and you’ve asked for a first layer at 85% of that (42.5 microns). Essentially, you’re asking the printer to print way too thin a first layer. The first layer thickness is really important and sometimes it needs to be thinner than the rest of the print (when the rest of the print is relatively thick layers), sometimes it needs to be thicker (when the rest of the print is very thin layers). For a 50 micron print, I’d actually recommend setting your first layer height at around 150 - 200%, maybe even more, but whatever you choose, your layer height can’t be lower than the spec of the machine (so if it is 75 microns, that’s the thinnest you can print at) and the first layer at this height can’t be less than 100%. I note that the profile name actually says “100 microns”, so you’ve modified it to below what the printer can achieve.
The top layer problem is something else. Was that print done under the settings in the screen shot? That doesn’t look like 4 top layers, it looks more like 1. It could be not enough top layers, maybe a little under-extrusion.
Agree on the first layer. Really thin then thinning it more. To print that low for layers the machine is going to have to be set perfectly.
Top layer could be that there are not enough top layers for the infill percent.
The first layer problem looks like it is because the first layer width is set to 200%. 200% means that it IS printing every other row. The bigger the number, the more that gap will increase. Change that to 110% and run the print again. I think your layer height is actually fine.
Hi,
Okay, first of all I would try to work out if this is the model or the software. The print settings don’t look wrong straight off the bat but maybe look at layer height more around 0.1 -0.15 for a part like that unless you need real fine detail?
Some diagnosis steps:
- Try the same model and use Cura software (LulzBot | Cura) with the TAZ 5 setup - even just print the first few layers (try with the basic pre-loaded TAZ 5 ‘high detail’ setting).
- If the Cura print fails then looking at the print this could be an issue with the model (what software was the model made in?)
- If the Cura print is fine then is likely the software - look at the support settings - from the photos it looks like its almost trying to do some sort of rafting or maybe the extrusion rate might be different during infil? (Maybe not enough material coming out during those parts of the print - again if the printer is trying to do 0.05 then might be due to that - maybe try again at 0.1?)
- If you need to learn the setting for various materials, Cura is already setup by lulzbot - Load in your model, select the material in basic mode and then switch it to expert mode… Once you get used to the settings, layer heights etc only then would I recommend playing about with other systems.
Sorry we’ve not used Simplify3D much (does look like there is some good open settings to play with) and with our TAZ printers we find Cura does everything so consistantly we haven’t even looked elsewhere…
Regards
Mi
I was thinking the layer width option was, in essence, the extrusion factor. Now that you point that out, it does make a lot more sensense! lol I’ll double check and test it this evening and update you guys with the results.
The only thing that still confuses me though is when I open the same part in Cura, it gives me these same weird results which it has never done before. I’m starting to think S3D might have somehow changed my firmware (or is it software?) on the printers.
Thanks for the input and I’ll update everyone this evening after work.
I had it set to 50 micron just for a test, I get the same results at 100, 200, and 300 as well. The even weirder part is now Cura is doing this same underextrusion bottom and top layers when it’s worked perfecting since last summer.
I’ll contact S3D this evening for their input.
Thank you for the advice!
Your problem on the first layer with the gaps has everything to do with that “First Layer Width” Setting of 200%. Change it closer to 100%.
Yes, if happening with Cura and the settings as per the pre-defined settings then could be firmware issue. To be safe I would get yourself back to an original starting point with a working model and get a small print off working and then go through changing just 1 parameter at a time until you get to where you want it to be on whatever software.
TAZ 5 firmware can be downloaded from here LulzBot | Downloads to get you back to a starting point.
The problem with the top is your top layers setting. when printing 50 micron layers, the 4 top layers only give a 0.2mm top shell. I tend to run 8-10 top layers at 50 microns to give a top shell of 0.4 - 0.5mm thick. This reduces pillowing and any other artifacts from bridging over the infill and will give you a nice smooth top layer.
So divide 0.5 by the layer height and that will tell you how many top and bottom layers to use. (I tend to use fewer bottom layers because I always set the first layer much thicker than the rast… it helps to get a solid bottom layer and negates any tiny bed levelling issues.
