Ender 3 Print Quality Issues

[Zero1Niner]

Hi all,

A bit new to 3D printing, so I dont have all of the proper terminology down, which makes researching problems a bit challenging.

I have been doing ok, but last night I started a long print, and today when I woke the quality was terrible.

I am suspect of the PLA. I was at the end of one roll of OVERTURE PLA, and knew I didnt have enough for the next large print, so I changed to a brand new role of the exact same material, but whoa...just not looking the same.

Thought I would put this post out there to help learn some of the proper terminology so I can better research these types of issues.

Take a look at this mess in the pics.

There is some banding on the solid layers that I cant understand.

Also some lack of adhesion between the wall layers.

The solid infill seems to have no strength at all. I can squeeze and crush the sides with ease (which is not the case for previous prints).

One other variable for last night was that it was colder than the previous day, and it was raining. I left the room temperature thermostat set at a consistent 75 all night, but not sure if it was able to maintain that temp and humidity through the night.

If anyone is able, please give me some of the proper terminology on theses issues, and best methods of troubleshooting if you have some experience with this.

Thanks for the help!

[MambaRoja]

What were your settings?

[Zero1Niner]

This pic is showing the weird inconsistency a little more clearly (all of these pics kinda suck tho).

[Zero1Niner]

Ah yes...settings.

[MambaRoja]

Consider cleaning or changing your nozzle

Temp?

[Zero1Niner]

Actually, here is the 3mf. Is it ok to upload 3mf files here?

[Zero1Niner]

last night was 210 for first layer, then 205. Today I upped that 215 for the first layer, then 210. That print is just getting started.

[MambaRoja]

I would clean the nozzle, the 3d print General https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcG...b5OXz-2EIGsEcg and his book are good sources for troubleshooting

[Ender5r]

Have a look at your part cooling fan settings. This is not the fan that faces you; it's the 1 on the side. If it's set too high, it might cool the filament b4 it can stick properly to the previous layer. It's a place to start.

[Zero1Niner]

So im might be nuts (not maybe...surely), but just to try some A/B testing, I paused the print, loaded the PLA roll that was previously using that is close to run out, and it really looks like the banding that Im seeing is less. Its not perfect, but seems noticeably less than the other spool I just took off.

This seems so unlikely. Its the same exact brand, same SKU for the PLA. Just reordered exactly what I had already bought.

Its hard to see from these pics, but you still can see the cleaner print using the previous spool.

[MambaRoja]

dry the filament?

[Ender5r]

This seems so unlikely. Its the same exact brand, same SKU for the PLA. Just reordered exactly what I had already bought.

But probably not the same batch.....

[Zero1Niner]

Dry the filament. This is a new concept to me, and sounds like a great idea. Seems my oven wont go low enough to do it. Lowest temp is 170F. If Im reading correctly, needs to be ~125F

Hmmm...

[MadMan]

There are DIY filament dryers out there. One in particular uses a Home Depot bucket, lightbulb, a couple pie tins for deflectors, and some strategically placed port-holes in the bottom and sides of the bucket. Heat along with air movement is your friend if you need to dry filament. If I can find the high-tech dryer I'll post it, otherwise just do a few hundred searches and you'll come across it.

Normally PLA isn't overly hygroscopic however I'm not familiar enough with Overture. I only used one roll and that was only because it was provided. And absolutely you can get two identical filaments that act totally different. Rare, but I've had it happen a few times.

[MambaRoja]

food dehydrators appear to be safe

[Ender5r]

Heat is not a requirement for drying filament. It can help, but you can do it by sealing the filament in a container or bag with dessicant. I typically use resealable bags with dessicant and use a small Stinger brand vacuum to suck out the air before sealing the bag -- seems to work.

Mind you, from what I seen & read, overly damp filament makes steam and bubbles that pop when exiting the nozzle.