Issues with PETG print
Hi,
I'm printing a simple model from PETG and seeing some issues. The infill is showing some gaps - I know it's "just" infill so it's not a big deal, but I think it should look better and probably hints at some issue that should be resolved/tweaked. Also the outer wall isn't as smooth as I'd think it should be (or is that normal?).
The printer is a kit I assembled myself some 9 months ago. I had some minor issues here and there, but nothing major. The printer lives in an IKEA Lack table enclosure. I recently added the plexi glass panes. I started the print with doors closed, than opened the doors because I thought that could be the cause, but maybe not...
Any ideas what the problem could be? Thanx
RE:
It's at an angle so it's failure to print overhang. The infill pattern is more difficult than necessary - my "goto one-size fits all" choice is gyroid if I remember to change from default - but it hints at an issue you can fix.
- dry filament. "9 months" is a dead ringer - if the spool is aged over a similar period, it would have collected humidity. Fixing moist filament in the configuration does more harm than good (and I mean "a lot of harm" just for the sake of printing material that could be dried easily). Rule that out first.
- nozzle: is the nozzle clean? Hard to tell from the picture but what I see is overhang at two different angles, and one of them looks good. A crusted nozzle can cause this (carbonized leftovers).
- speed: You may need to dial down infill speed if it is not detected as overhang. A simple test, just use front panel controls to slow down to e.g. 50 %.
If I had to bet on a single card, I'd say "moisture". There may even be some stringing in the second picture inside the holes.
Second, outer wall: Search for "buldge" (sic). To some extent hard to avoid, but this looks too much.
RE: Issues with PETG print
I do keep the spools in the bags with some dessicant at all times, but maybe it's not enough. Maybe it's time to finally get a dryer.
The nozzle might have picked up some filament along the way. Looking at the print progress I did see some trailing bits there.
RE: Issues with PETG print
>> but maybe it's not enough
Do yourself a favor and rule out that possibility. Wet filament is an endless rabbit hole, there simply is no way to fix it in software. And looking back and writing it off as "learning experience" doesn't work too well either. Been there, got the t-shirt.
One catch is, even out-of-the-bag new filament is not necessarily "dry" but more often than not "controlled humidity" where it is barely printable with humidity content that acts as plasticizer during production / handling. With the implicit assumption that serious users will dry it anyway.