I clean it occasionally and yeah it is typically a bit dirty. So after that print above I unloaded the filament and then reloaded it and now I’m printing the object/bracket in this thread to test the printer and it appears to be working fine (so the feeder should still be dirty but maybe cleaned out a little with the filament replacement). How do I stop the feeder getting clogged during a print? (if you have any ideas) because if I’m running a print for 12 hours and it clogs after 3 even if I clean it at the start the print will fail.

Hey Andrew,

Glad you are able to absorb some useful knowledge from the thread! A lot of good information available here, and maybe we can add some more :slight_smile:

A print stopping midway through for no reason is an issue I experience myself from time to time. I do not know why this happens, but assuming yours isn’t jamming, I have found some decent solutions that have worked for me. The first thing I would recommend is trying a different set of slicer software. Download Slic3r (http://slic3r.org/) and configure it for your printer. I have included starting and ending gcode for your printer to use in Slic3r if you need it. Try using that and see if that works. The other solution that may work would be to re-orient the part in the software (turn it around, 90 degress, etc.) I haven’t found any information online as to why a print stops mid way through, so it truly is a mystery! Give those things a shot and let me know how it goes!

Also, are you able to print other objects successfully?

*EDIT* - Gcode has been attached in a PDF to keep things organized!
Bonus Code.pdf (119 KB)

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Hi CMDRReservoir,

No I don’t think it is jamming, I mean when I pull the filament out it is stripped where the gear has been crunching against the filament and it hasn’t been moving but then the nozzle is all clear and all I have to do is unload the filament and then reload it and it works fine.

Yeah I can print other objects fine, it just does it with the long ones occasionally for some reason, I have almost finished the bracket/object from this thread and it looks great and all I did was unload/reload the filament.

Ok cheers I will look into that, thanks for the g code I am definitely not much of a g code writer.

Andrew

Here is the object I just finished printing, took just over an hour and it came out pretty decent, few small dodgy bits but overall is pretty good I think. And all I changed from my failed print is to unload/reload the filament and different object obviously.

Andrew,

Thank you for printing the test object, that helps! The print looked pretty good, and if there was any clogging or obstruction, you’d have some thin walls and cracks (provided it even printed at all). I would try the few things I mentioned, and if you need any help setting up Slic3r, let me know! I’ve been using it for quite some time, and know its peculiarities. Did you design this object or download it?

Nate

Hi Nate,

No this is the object from the start of this thread I just downloaded it. Do you know if I can export the file type as an .x3g with Slic3r?

Cheers

Andrew

Andrew,

Hahaha, I meant the object you are trying to print! Should have specified XD Is that an original design or a downloaded STL? And as far as exporting from Slic3r to .x3g, there is unfortunately no built in way to do it; however, you can download ReplicatorG (http://replicat.org/) and that has a nifty .x3g coversion button (I’ve included a screengrab for you). There is a way to do it in Slic3r with some perl script but that is a little more trouble than it’s worth, imo. If you want to give it a whirl though, here is a guide:

http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/01/05/using-slic3r-with-a-flashforge-creator/

Just scroll down to the Converting from G-Code to .X3G Using GPX as a Slic3r Post-Processor and it’ll tell you how to do it.

Nate

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Haha oh right I was wondering why you asked that, nah it wasn’t my design but it happens with mine and downloaded ones to and I can’t seem to find any pattern other than the objects that take a long time.

Thanks for the info, I’ll check it out, I have to admit I am tempted by Simplify3D as it seems to have got lots of good feedback and I can’t be bothered trying to run multiple different programs to be honest.

Cheers for your help

Andrew

Sorry to be late to this thread. Just, like yourself, have had to tackle ABS after mostly being a solely PLA person.

The prints aren’t HD, (0.2mm) but I thought this might help.

I’ve tred buildtak sheets, which seem to work OK, but still warp, even with a raft. Then I found dimafix (if you’re in the UK, kora is a reseller). After applying a layer of spray directly to my aluminium print bed (no kapton), I crossed my fingers and hit print.

The results are amazing, it sticks fast until it cools, and then it shocks itself free from the bed, (akin to PLA on heated glass). Instead of the usual corners curling, a couple of the parts I’ve printed have been that the part is bowed outwards (corners touching the desk, middle lifting), but that’s probably because those were long thin parts.

The only issue I’ve had is with splitting of layers, (only on a reasonably tall print) but I gather that’s because I’m printing too hot and the heated bed is slightly too hot. Also, the printer isn’t enclosed in any way, which as I understand would help with the layer splitting.

The first picture is using buildtak, you can see the part warped quite a bit even though I used a raft and brim.

The second picture is a side by side of the buildtak (right) and dimafix (left). The dimafix surface is smooth and flat. The only places it lifted is where there wasn’t very good contact with the bed for the first layer.

The third picture shows the sides of the two parts, the dimafix one cracked partway up, presumably due to the lack of a enclosure.

This is pretty interesting. Thanks for showing the results. So it seems there’s major quality affected by reducing temps on the following layers? If that’s the case, i don’t understand why. Wouldn’t reduced temp reduce heat? Enclosures are used to maintain or keep the heat.

I can understand the different effects of infill, since it could make the part more rigid, so it wouldn’t necessarily warp as much. It would make sence, since the higher % infill, the more solid the part, making the part more straight

Also, what if my bed temp can’t get up to 110 C? I printing w/ the Rostock Max V2 and I’ve always printed at 90C, consistent. The stock bed has trouble heating anything past 90C. Already takes about 15 min to get up to temp. But, I haven’t had success printing a box w/ out warmping or curling at the bottom edge. Maybe I can try 90, then 80-85C on the following layers?

It’s funny you mention the longer prints having the issue, because this actually just happened to me last night with one of my rather large objects! I turned the model about 45 degrees and it has since printed just fine, but I have discovered something interesting. Let me preface it with this tidbit:

I have the bad habit of regenerating the .x3g for every file. By this I mean, I will put the gcode into ReplicatorG, and export it as an .x3d for every individual card. This means that I am doubling my work for no reason, even though it doesn’t take very long! Here’s the interesting part though: I have three of the same 3D Printer (Flashforge Creator Pro) and one of them was printing with no issues at all. The other, not so much. Same file, same everything, except I exported it a second time on the SD card.

This leads me to believe that it has to do with however the file is getting put onto the SD. After it is done being made/saved to the SD card, I just yank it out. I’ll have to delve further into this so I can get you some more accurate information, but for the time being the rotation/re-orient method has worked well for me!

As for Simplify3D, I have it and I’m…not so sure if it was worth it. I could be stubborn in my ways, but it doesn’t offer much over Slic3r for my needs. Certainly would make your life easier if your are on the newer side of 3D printing, but not really much other than that. Certainly not a bad program by any stretch, though. If you’d like (and if it doesn’t violate some license agreement), I can slice the STL file for you in Simplify3D and send it your way :slight_smile:

Nate

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Glad you are finding good information here! ABS is really interesting (albeit frustrating) stuff, and is pretty temperature dependent. If you change some parameters by ±5 degrees, you’ll likely get different results on your print. That’s a very good question as to why ABS is affected by different bed temps. Without getting too technical, the hotter ABS gets, the more “gooey” it gets. Keeping it on a platform at 110 will keep it more in a “gooey” state than 90 will. This makes for a great first layer that adheres to the print bed, but as you start layering it, the layers wilt and deform. Turning down the temperature even further gets you bad adhesion. As ABS cools down, it starts to contract and as a result, you get warping and cracking.

Even with an enclosed chamber and the print bed on 110, this doesn’t guarantee that your object will be unaffected by cooling or won’t warp off the bed. While an enclosed space definitely helps, you can still run in to issues! It sounds like you are having poor bed adhesion partly because you can’t get the temperature up high enough. In my experience, temperature is only half the battle with ABS. If you can’t get your bed past 90, that’s okay! You’ll just need to use a few other things to help you out. Lowering to 80-85 after you print the first layer at 90 will probably only cause you more warping/adhesion issues. What I would recommend is making some ABS Slurry (Acetone + ABS) to put on the print bed to get better adhesion. It acts like amazing super glue when the print bed is hot, and will yield when you try to pull it off the bed after it has cooled down. I would also recommend adding a brim to your print (should be an option in your slicer of choice) to help cover more surface area. If you really want a controlled heating environment, add a skirt.

There are many things to help keep your print secured to the bed. People use all kinds of things: Hairspray, ABS Slurry, BuildTak Sheets, Kapton Tape, that other product that was mentioned in this thread, and so on. My personal favorite combination is AB Slurry with Kapton tape. I can print anything without it warping off the bed!

Hmm that’s very interesting what you say about the re-generation of the file and a re-orientation obviously changes the file. I appreciate your advice for the re-orientation but I want to see if there’s something else I can do because sometimes you want to print in a certain orientation (I know i’m preaching to the choir here haha).

Thanks for your offer but don’t bother with the slicing because I don’t think it would show too much, as sometimes I can get a failed print to work the next go with no change to setup so it would be hard to know what had ‘caused’ the success of the print.

I’m not new to 3D printing but I really like ease of use with the slicing program, is Simplify3D easier/more user friendly than Slic3r? Because if they have the same functionality I’ll go with the easier one.

Cheers for all your advice

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Perhaps re-orient is a too strong a word, more like…shift it. As in, turn the model ever so slightly or something of the sort without changing the actual way/order it is going to print out. You can always re-compile it as it is and that may do the trick as well! It’s something I’ve done that has worked for me, so just thought I’d throw it out there :slight_smile:

It is true that me slicing it may fix the problem without definitively showing what the problem was. To be honest, I have very little concrete idea as to what causes the issue, but I am hoping to find out soon! I figured you weren’t new to 3D printing, but Simplify3D is more user friendly overall than Slic3r. If it’s something you wish to spend the money on, it’ll do you well. If you want my 100% pure opinion though, Simplify3D performs just above (if at all) Slic3r. Simplify3D has also botched a few of my more complex designs, but Slic3r has had no issues with them. Slic3r also has more infill options available. Really though, that’s just my opinion/experience and it’s not a bad program by any means, but it sure as hell ain’t a $150 program. I’m glad I could offer my advice on these topics for you :slight_smile:

Oh right I get what you are saying now. Yeah I don’t know I wonder if people have the same problem with PLA? I’m starting to think maybe it’s a heat related thing.

Yeah cheers, ok I might do a bit more research on the slicing options.

@nagarajgaru said it all, except maybe one thing I’d like to add. You cannot translate 0% to 100% of infill to 0% to 100% of warping. (Not that you did that, exactly, @DaJay23D, but hold on, making my point here :slight_smile: ) I’d say that at 0%, only shells can wrap, and probably wont, because its only them against the 1st layer bonding. at 10%, depending on infill pattern, you’ll get a low/average solidity part that may cause few warping because again there is not much plastic to fight against the bonding. At 50% though, you have both lots of plastic willing to bend, and lots of empty shells allowing it. Now, from 50% to say 99%, I do not know exactly what we should expect, better or worse, but at 100% infill, if you look at @The_Build_Shop print, zero warping, I wonder if there is so much place left for warping? I mean, if the bounding to bed is good, and if the -say- first 10 layers dod not succeed in their strong will to warp up… Maybe then the think flat layer of plastic helps the rest to stay flat too? Not that I sudenly had some AM training, just wondering if it is thanks to either "Z-"ABS filament or Zortrax high quality printer “magic”, or if, indeed, 100% infill, while costly, can also be an option to fight it?

I did start with ABS on my first prints and I also thought I “tackled it” pretty well :wink:

About your opinion on PLA, I’d say that the downside of PLA is that you cannot find a nice RED :-)))

Other than that, printing PLA is so eeeeeasy! on my FF, I use borosilicate + 1 layer of dimafix, then 60°c all long. Never encountered any warping with that.

On my Prusa, on which i’m printing small parts most of the time, I just use glass + Garnier fructis airspray + no heating. Excellents results too.

BUT sometimes, you ask for PLA and you get sh*t! I even once ordered from Colorfabb, and it was lost during transport, then found, and man, can’t tell you where it stayed for a month but I could not do anything with it anymore…

just an idea, I use 90degrees celcius for the bed, for problem causing prints I use “ABS slurry”

Just add a little piece of ABS (3cm) into little amount of pure aceton (about 20ml) and let it dissolve for 5 min.

Then pour it to your pre heated print table and aceton will vaporize in a minute, leaving a thin but strong ABS layer.

Start printing on that, the results are worthy of the trouble

Empty wardrobe works great, I also store my filaments in the drawers in it, I can still use filaments opened more than a year ago, without any trouble.

Fit these to your FF to keep in more heat.