Newbie's first steps and lessons learnt  

Newbie's first steps and lessons learnt

I've had my mini for nearly a month ... I didn't know what to expect and I'm blown away with the quality of the prints. I'd spent the last six months trawling these boards reading about other's experiences and worrying if I should pre-buy 'this' replacement part or 'that' upgrade. When it arrived, I just assembled it, I didn't even bother with the hot end - heater block gap adjustment that everyone talks about I just printed and wow! (I could include pics of 'benchy's' and bits but there are plenty of examples elsewhere).

That said, I have learned a few things over this last month so I thought I'd put my experiences in a post on the off chance that they might be of help to fellow 'newbies'. I hadn't seen anything on the first point (below) and I was disappointed at first, until I worked out what I was doing wrong.

1. I'd read that PETG was strong and flexible and more suited to outdoor projects so when I tried to make some leg restraints to stop lightweight patio chairs blowing away in the wind, I tried to make some brackets that would clip over decking boards ... and the aforementioned 'strong' / 'flexible' PETG snapped 😫  ... OK - I know you experienced types have probably worked out what I did wrong ... but I didn't find anything to explain it - I was just disappointed with the performance of PETG.
... if you need strength in a particular direction make sure you print with the fibres aligned along that plane (i.e. if you need strength and flexibility in say a clip, print the clip in the X-Y plane not in the Z plane so that the filament flows along the direction of strength). There is no strength / minimal strength between layers. Yes - I know that's material science '101' but I didn't enroll on that course 😊.

2. PETG sticks better to the textured plate if you 'up' the printbed temperature (I got it to stick at 90 deg - Prusa's built in setting is 85 deg) - I was also very reluctant to get the print nozzle 'up close and personal' with the printbed (for fear of gouging a trench) but it helped when I lowered the first layer ... just a bit 😓 (obviously everyone's machine is set up differently so actual numbers are not relevant).
... as a corollary to this point, I found that fine tuning the 1st layer Z height 'on the fly' is remembered by the mini on subsequent prints - changing the bed temperature (from the same 'tuning' menu) is not remembered - you have to change the profile in Prusaslic3r.

3. I started to get adhesion issues with the smooth plate despite religiously cleaning it with IPA between prints and wearing latex gloves when handling the plate. Eventually I held the plate in a different light and I saw grease marks so I washed the plate in washing up liquid (dish soap to readers on the other side of the pond) and it worked fine after that. So I now give it a wash every ½ dozen prints or so.
... strangely, Prusa do not recommend holding the plate in running water - don't know why ... it's the easiest way to get soapy water off.

4. I've needed to print an object which was very close to the edges of the print area (using the diagonal wasn't an option) and the line round the edge of the print took it over the line ... I've only just found out that you can turn the 'outline' off in Prusaslic3r 🤭 (skirt and brim:set no of loops to 0).

Now I know that a lot (if not all) of the above is 'basics' and most of you guys (... that's the 'generic' term applying to both sexes ... I was going to use 'guys and gals' but I think that might have 'Jimmy Saville' connotations ... and we don't want to go there 😱)  know it already ... but it was news to me - and as I said I'd spent 6 months reading up whilst waiting for my mini - so I thought I'd put it here (one more place for someone to find it).

so that's a list of the first few things I've come across ... and tripped up over - and there's plainly a whole host of other pitfalls to come but so far it's been brilliant.