I have been working to figure out how to better print with the sonic pad, main reason was I wanted to print somewhat faster. I have many of the issues worked out, and now want to focus on the first layer issue. Up till now I have printed smaller parts so it really hasn’t been an issue.
Before the sonic pad I used to use the superslicer, I still think it is better for me to understand, but the sonic pad has all of the resources to use the Ultimaker slicer. I am also working to understand this slicer. I was not able to get the print speed when I used the superslicer, so I have given up on using it.
My first print I use to see if the first layer is an issue is this large X which prints over a large area of the print bed. The print I get for a single layer is very course on the top and I can see slight gaps showing through.
Here is an image of what the first layer looks like. In general it sticks to the bed really well. I am printing this with PETG, and I have read in several searches that this is normal. After the third layer it gets to normal, so maybe it isn’t a problem, I thought I would ask knowing people I trust.
My first thought is that it looks like over extrusion. Have you tried reducing the extrusion multiplier slightly?
P.S. – FWIW, SuperSlicer is a fork of PrusaSlicer. PrusaSlicer limits speed using “maximumum volumetric flow.” That setting may be limiting your speed increases in SuperSlicer.
By slightly do you mean 2% lower or 10% lower. I will try both and start with initial layer flow.
I looked at the SuperSlicer configuration after I did a few searches that indicated the setting should be in two places, in the Filament settings and the printer settings. ALL I could find that was straight forward was ‘Max volumetric speed’ with units of mm^3/s in the Filament settings. The other parameters that seem useful are Maximum feedrate and it isn’t clear to me how they would relate. Maybe I should just continue with UltiMaker.
I’m just curious if there’s a reason why you’re not using Orcaslicer. Its roots are from SuperSlicer but it’s got quite a lot more capability from PrusaSlicer and Bambu’s fork.
To be honest, I just got the Sonic Pad and it came with UltiMaker files already made for klipper. I tried to modify the settings for SuperSlicer and couldn’t figure nit out, Just couldn’t get the speed that I could get with UltiMaker. I will admit the issue is just plain me, I don’t, at least at this point, have enough background of the parameters for the different slicers, so I just punted with the easy solution. I have a few more prints for a project I am in the middle of and then I might try OrcaSlicer. I looked through the settings for the SuperSlicer and couldn’t see a straight forward set of steps.
Either 2% or 10% might be the answer, but I’d start at 2% and decrement from there. SuperSlicer is handy in that it has a number of built-in calibration tests, including one for ‘filament flow calibration.’
The Maximum volumetric flow setting can limit the machine print speed:
That said, there are a number of other settings that can slow a machine down. These include outer wall speed, top or bottom layer, and overhang/bridging speed settings. Also, printer acceleration limits and part size can impact actual printing speeds, e.g. is the part big enough for the printer to accelerate the print head up to the desired print speed before it has to change direction?
@Alan & @CoreyPDX
I hate Cura and I hate the Sonic Pad. Was working along, everything is not perfect but I had usable prints that I could make progress on my project and make some incremental progress to make the printing better. After a few hours of printing the process I was using just went haywire. All of a sudden nothing would print correctly. The first layer on a round tube like object had a single layer at least 20mm larger in radius added to the print. When I would use the review on cura it looked good, when I printed it it was there. I shut down both the printer and the pad and waited until this morning.
This morning anything I print has a gap, in some places not all, between the outside wall and the infill on every layer. I watch it print the wall lines and they are good, I then watch it print the first infill line and only in places there is about a 1mm gap and it never fills in during the print. It happens on round column parts, rectangular parts, always at the same place on a specific part.
I don’t really think it has anything to do with cura, but cura came with the Sonic Pad. Not sure I know what the next step will be, I hope I don’t have to reset it to factory every month.
It sounds like there are several things going on. If you don’t like the Somic Pad, why not take it off and revert to Marlin?
What Build Plate Adhesion settings are being used in Cura? The “single layer at least 20mm larger in radius added to the print” sounds like a brim. The “gap” is puzzling (skirt? brim? wall order?). Can you save a print as a 3mf project and upload it?
It looks like there is too much squish in the posted image. I’d increase the z-offset setting.
