What type of improvements are you looking for? What Slicer are you using?
First step is to assure all points are as level as possible and calibrate everything to a “T”. There are a ton of good Youtube videos for getting the basic calibration down. You shouldn’t need to do MUCH in this department, but a level bed is crucial.
Secondly, if it’s in your budget, check out Simplify3D. I used Cura for my first few months of printing, and have found (as have many), that Simplify3d is a superior product that yields superior prints. That said, it comes with a price tag. I’d suggest digging as far into Cura’s settings as possible to get a good feel for your printer. Once you get your feet on the ground & get thru the initial learning period, check out Simplify3D.
Within Cura, some of the settings you can make adjustments to that can improve your print quality would be:
Layer Height (Resolution) - at .06 (I believe the highest resolution the Mini V2 prints at), you’ll have an extremely high resolution print with barely visible layers, but it will take a LONG time. At .3, you’ll have a rougher print, but it will print much faster. Find the happy medium between the two (I’ve been printing most of my models between .15-.2, unless it’s very intricate).
Print Speed can also have a significant effect on your final product. IMHO, the default 50-60mm-sec is pushing the top end of the speed limit for this machine in some cases. Try dropping it down to 30-40 mm sec if you’re having issues.
Material Temp is another variable to be considered. Each type of material has its own “sweet spot”, and even different types of PLA will print better at different temps. Keep track of the ideal settings for each one of your spools, and make note of them (or create a profile for them, to save some time).
These are just a few of the basic adjustments / tweaks that helped me get started. Keep digging, there’s a lot of info out there! 3d Printing is at least as much of an Art as it is a Science. It’s all about trial and error, and reading from other’s mistake & successes. Thankfully, we have a beautiful, helpful community here, so we’ve got your back!
Welcome to the club!
