Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
Hey there! I've had my Mini+ since December and I've had lots of successful prints- but none with the Prusament silver PLA I received. Other Prusament PET-G works fine, and I've used another brand's PLA and it works fine as well- the galaxy silver tends to ball up in the first few layers and then the whole print just kind of goes out of control.
It's done this since I opened the vacuum sealed package, so I presume contamination isn't a concern. Any tips on what might be going wrong? It's worth noting I've replaced the extruder with a bondtech dual-drive model and replaced the heatbreak, but I still can't get this filament to print.
Thanks!
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
Prusament Galaxy Silver is one of my favorite colors and I’ve printed many many rolls of that filament with no problems. I also have the Bondtech extruder. It’s certainly possible that you’ve received a lemon. Sometimes (but rarely) happens. As it was still sealed I doubt it soaked up humidity and what you described doesn’t sound like that. I would redo Live Z for this filament to make sure you have a perfect first layer and print a temp tower. What temperature is your print bed set to? Maybe adjust the tension screw on the extruder to see if that makes a difference?
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
@fuchsr
I concur. Clean the bed and redo your Z height
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
Nice, thanks folks! I definitely clean after every print and I can give a re-z + a bit more extruder tension a shot. After that I'll take a pic of the results.
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
@onewheelskyward
Thanks. A pic will defintely help.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
So this is a normal print with some pet-g. 9h until I can put the pla back on there. 🙂
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
Oh for the love of.... it's working fine now. Heiseberg principle perhaps?
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
I see your using the PEI sheet. I followed all the Prusa recommendations regarding cleaning with IPA, but I couldn't keep the first layer from coming loose. Even when I tuned my Z until the filament was smashed on the bed. What I found that works for me is Dawn dish wash soap. I wash the plate before every single print now and it seems to be doing the trick.
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
@onewheelskyward
What did you do to fix it? Having a similar issue. Was able to finally print the “Prusa” logo but can’t print a whistle or benchy. Won’t adhere to the bed.
RE: Prusament galaxy silver PLA won't stop balling up
I too regard the Prusa silver-gray PLA that comes with the printer as the gold standard as to how a filament should behave on the Prusa printers. Unless I have a specific reason not to, I'll switch to that filament when doing a Z calibration. I've found that when the Z is dialed in with the Prusa silver-gray PLA, most any other filament will properly print as well.
I've found a good second-source of this filament to be at the online store of Filament PM here in the States. I always keep it on hand on the spool rack and use it whenever a silver-gray PLA is the desired media for the job.
If this filament will not properly print (assuming that it's not a one-off bad spool or wet or damaged) on the I3 series, something is definitely wrong, most likely the Z calibration.
...
So I've done a number of things, including a full recalibration after printing the mini base feet. I'm not sure which thing fixed it, but starting fresh with a full printer test and a first level calibration are probably a good thing. It's been really good since then, and the only issue I continue to have is when I download an internet stl with multiple objects in the print. So I separate them out and everything seems fine. I hope you have luck soon!
Calibration
Calibration or sheet cleaning are the top ways to increase adhesion.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog