I printed 2 test blocks. 1 PLA (red) 1 ABS (white). I went back to zero and reset to original settings.

PLA hot end 220 bed 50. layer height 0.1, shell 1, fill 20%, print speed 45

Test 1 Ran PLA and saw stringing. At 50% print I reduced the temp to 215 which reduced the stringing and the part finished out decent.

Test 2 ABS hot end 220 bed 70. all other settings stayed the same. I was pleased with the results. The overhang was a little lumpy but I assume that can't be helped.

I was surprised the lower temperature helped the ABS. I will try the large part again using the same settings but will increase the shell to 1.5. A future test will be 2 shells if this works

I found I can have no drag on the filament. The guide I was using may have caused too much drag at certain locations during the print. This may have caused some of the defects. I will build a new guide and a friction free spool holder to allow the smooth payout of filament.

Advice welcomed.

To All, Thanks for the help.

The Insanity Continues..

Ron

I have gotten the quality of print with ABS a lot better but have one last problem. On very tall and spindley parts over 100 mm high, I find the thin transfers warping during the print. This warping raises the edge of the point and allows the nozzle to hit it. After a couple of times of print it warps enough to allow the nozzle to break the part. Any suggestions? If I set the orientation differently, it causes other problems.

The first picture (blue parts) does not show the buidup of material, just the problem areas where it occurs. Second picture gives a better idea.

My next test will be to print in PLA which I think will have less warping. I wanted this part in ABS.

Second test

I printed with PLA (red part) and found the same problem. I found I needed to tape the part to the base to have it sturdy enough to print up near the top. I still have the warping as shown on the blue part, but I manually tap the warp downward as it cools between layers while it is printing. I do this a few times when the nozzle begins to hit the warped edge. The tapping flattens the part and it is fine for a while until it hits again, until the gap closes.

Any advice?

Thanks, Ron

What a lot of 3D printer owners have done in this case is to build a cover to encase the print area to prevent cooling air from entering the print area and also to contain the heated air inside the enclosure.

Thanks, I will try building an enclosure.

These light weight parts are a tough part to learn on. I will need to eliminate most of the warping when I begin the next group.

I will use the PLA (red) parts I printed for the two arms. The two leg pieces which are about the same size in height will be ABS. I will try to keep the warping to a minimum.

Ron

Thanks to all that helped and responded to my issues. I am printing 8 hour parts with decent results. I am hooked on PLA and ABS fumes now. Much more to learn and play with.

Anthony, I look forward to your videos, and tutorials. I also hope to see more of the mini and it's cousins still in your mind. (LOL)

Ron

Hello to All

The ABS issues still are a problem. The size of the legs are too tall for my printer so I have to lay them down. Trying to print the leg portion of my build I now have warping and cracking problems. Due to the fact these parts are a 22 hours+ print time I don't want to mess to many of them up.

I returned to PLA an the first one came out ok, but I had to adjust settings as I went along. The second part is printing now and I will see if the adjustments improve the part quality.

I have heard ABS parts with walls, are long, and fairly high are tough to keep from warping and cracking. I used air blocks to prevent drafts. I messed with temps and speeds, and still the problems . Has anyone had similar issues?

I wanted to use ABS but I may have to stay with PLA. The lower temps and print stability of PLA is helping a lot.

Looking for opinions.

Ron R

I printed out a full part in PLA and it came out great. Settings were 195 degrees head, 55 degrees bed and speed 95%. The surface was nice, no warping, no cracking or lifting, and very minimal stringing. I left all other settings the same as I used for the ABS. 24 hour + print time. I will be printing out matching parts in PLA for now but I want the strength of ABS so I need to print them in ABS soon.

I may try to make some tall hollow rectangle boxes with walls about the same thickness as my part. This way I can play with the settings.

Any other suggestions?

Ron R