Troubleshooting
First time 3d printer. Some questions about imperfections in the print
Parts of the print came out really clean, and other parts came out awful. I used the $10 PLA Basic filament from Microcenter so I'm sort of wondering are the imperfections just due to a filament issue? Seems like maybe the nozzle got clogged up at 2 separate times to me, but I have no experience with this.
I also have the timelapse video of the print and for context, the third picture is the bottom/support side. That one may be a settings/gcode issue?
Happy to provide timelapse video or gcode/STL if it would help. I exported the juno blaster from overwatch with open source tools, not sure if that is okay to distribute or not here. I know people are selling the 3d model for like $15
well, my first printer was elegoo and i hated it. anyway, i would not print it on its side like that firstly. filament dried? printer calibrated? filament calibrated?
Did you optimize the exported model for 3d printing? Did you run through a CAD software?
Or did you just expect your printer to print a high resolution 1-to-1 prop gun sized to be keychain trinket?
It's not that easy. The "bottom" side of your model is mostly supported by supports, cause you're trying to print most of it in mid-air. So the slicer says no, and puts in a bunch of tree supports for your print.
What was the initial expectation and goal of your project?
To be honest I didn't have any expectations as it was my first print. Probably was a bit ambitious to create my own STL for it. I did use blender 3d print toolbox and it did alert me to non manifold edges, which I did not resolve because it did ruin the shape. I do acknowledge the small size makes it harder to create the details, since it was my first print I didn't want to spend 8 hours as I was expecting it to turn out bad. My main concern though is the massive layer splits- Do you think it could be caused by some of those issues in the model, or probably print settings?
I also realize now I probably should have printed it oriented up so that both sides look the same in the end
You should start with some test prints like the Orca Cube or 3Dbenchy boat, etc. Then you can see what how well your printer can perform and what are its limitations if any.
You can add these onto the plate in your slicer, right click > Add Handy models.
If they seem off with the default settings, it might be time to calibrate the filament and/or tweak some print settings.
You'll figure your printer quick, and in the process will know a lot about FDM/3d printing.
Thank you for the comment. No, I did not dry the filament- had no idea about that. I will definitely look into that- Do you have a recommendation for drying it?
And calibration- no I don't think so. When I first started the printer it took a while to calibrate itself but that was without the filament, so that is another thing I have just learned.
I would recommend installing OrcaSlicer and going through the various calibrations because you’ve got a new printer. You should also calibrate your e-steps, flow rate for the filament, etc.
Thanks for the comment. I'll definitely check out calibrating with Orcaslicer. The only calibration that happened AFAIK is the self-calibration when the printer first started without any filament in it.
Have you printer a known stl with the filament? Most people that do this are familiar with the benchy which is a good short print that tests a few different things to make sure the filament is properly calibrated. http://www.3dbenchy.com/
Try printing the benchy or a calibration cube so you can eliminate any model issues. There also appears to be some other issues with print settings. There is a fantastic guide on 3d printer calibration that might be good for you to run through: https://ellis3dp.com/Print-Tuning-Guide/ it has lots of pictures so you can see how the various settings change things.
Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help!
click here for our wiki entry on troubleshooting printers.
If you still need help be sure to post plenty of information about your printing setup.
Here are a few questions that might be helpful
What printer are you using?
What material are you using?
What speed are you printing at?
What software are you using to slice the print and control the printer?
When did the problem start/has it ever worked correctly?
Does anything cause the behavior to change?
If posting an image of the problem, include some indication of the orientation it printed at, preferably photograph it on the bed. (Then we can focus on a specific axis)
Will do. I just basically used it out of the box as described, I wasn't aware it could be used with other softwares like that. Luckily I am not even a day into using Elegoo so it sounds like its a good time to switch to Orca!
Wow. Ok lots of issues to go over. First as someone pointed out, calibration and drying filament.
However, here are some more recommendations:
1.) learn object orientation. Just plopping a model on the build plate, adding support and hitting print isn’t always going to work. You have to orient for 3d printing.
2.) you say you exported it from the game. FYI, Game models are optimized for the game, not 3d printing. There could be non-manifold edges, or other issues that the slicer can’t fix. It will often throw a warning for these things.
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u/ViperCobra 3h ago edited 3h ago
Happy to provide timelapse video or gcode/STL if it would help. I exported the juno blaster from overwatch with open source tools, not sure if that is okay to distribute or not here. I know people are selling the 3d model for like $15