Failing to a get a fine quality ABS Marvin print

[Ali_16]

Hey 3D Hubs people :),

I just started 3D printing and I’m trying to troubleshoot my way into good quality prints. I have printed 2 Marvins in Black and White PLA and both had very satisfactory quality.

However, when I tried to print a Marvin in Red ABS the quality of the print was very poor.

The ABS options for printing were as follows:

Nozzle Temperature: 235 C (Specified Temperature was 210 to 240 C)

Bed Temperature: 100 C

Printing Speed: 30 mm/s

Extruded Filament: 103%

Infill: 80%

Support: None

Can anyone help me out in getting a finer quality print?

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Regards,

Ali

[wirlybird]

I might drop the temp to 230, that’s what I use for my ABS.

Bed seems ok.

Might slow down more if needed, I printed at about 1000mm/min I think.

It does look like it might be over extruding a bit, run that down to 100%

I run infill about 20-30%.

Try printing 2-4 at a time and see if that helps. Aside from possible over extrusion it looks like it could be over heating also.

What printer, Slicer?

[3DMuse]

Hello @Ali_16,

Your PLA prints look perfect especially the white one! The bridges are all perfect, it seems you have mastered this filament. Now with ABS…

Looks like you’re having some over extrusion and sagging on overhangs. My instinct tells me to first reduce temperature to see if it helps with sagging and over extrusion. Once you feel happy with the temperature then only reduce your extrusion multiplier. Your fan speed should also help with the sagging but tweak that at the end. Trial and error is the only approach as the ratio of ABS is not the same with every vendor and some use other additives in their filaments. Good luck!

Regards,
James

[MetaCAD]

you need to enclose the printer to keep the heat in and stop drafts

[Nebbian]

Watch the part as it’s printing. I guarantee that the sides of the marvin are curling upwards as you print, and the nozzle is mooshing them around as it moves onto the next layer. ABS does this if you’re not careful.

I solved this issue on my printer by having an enclosure, and also by running my layer fan at a very low speed (10-15%) while printing. This means that the ABS gets down below its glass transition temperature on each layer, so it doesn’t warp large chunks of the print.

I’ve printed a couple of KG of small parts in ABS like this, it’s definitely the way to go. Don’t be afraid of cooling when using ABS. Controlled cooling is great. Uncontrolled cooling is not so great.

[Ali_16]

Hey James,

I’ll do the tweak you recommended and see the results. The fan was completely off when I was printing because I thought ABS prints did not need fans for cooling; I’ll turn it on in a controlled setting and see what happens.

And thank you so much for the compliments on my PLA prints, it feels good to get them after a long struggle with the material

Regards,

Ali

[Ali_16]

I’ll tweak the temperature and speeds to see what happens.

I ran 20-30% infill earlier and the part could not hold itself off because it was too soft. Maybe it will act differently when I add in some cooling.

I’m using the Prusa i3 MK2 for the prints, and Cura to slice.

[Ali_16]

Hmm, I’ll see whether I can find an enclosed area part for my Prusa i3 MK2. If not, maybe I’ll make my own. Thanks!

[Ali_16]

It does curl up as I print it, and it does exactly what you described!

I’ll tweak up the options and see what happens. Although finding an enclosed area is gonna be a challenge for my Prusa i3 MK2, so I might make my own one.

That was really helpful Nebbian! Thanks alot.

[wirlybird]

Yes, definitely on the enclosure. I even close the air conditioning vent in the ceiling when running ABS to keep the drafts off! I also let the bed preheat for a longer time to bring the temp in the enclosure up more.