Batman holes / craters on the top layer  

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Hi,

try to set an higher number on top layers ( 5 top layers) . that should solve the issue

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@antonio-da-catania

Thanks so much for responding!

This is just the standard "Batman" model that comes with the printer, so the top layer is already set to 5 out of the box, but I suppose I could increase it. If it used to work fine without me changing any of the settings, might you know if there's a common cause for this new issue?

(Cleaned the bed with dish soap and deionized water, all the stuff you find online)

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

That's interesting! Need more investigation.

Ok the model (batarang) is the same, but are you printing the very same g-code file you found on the SD card? Or is it a new slice?

Also, i'm not sure at this point. The surface with the issue is the first layer (in contact with the bed)? or is it the last layer (the top layer) ?

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@antonio-da-catania

It's a bat-mystery!

It's just the same old model that comes on the SD card, haven't touched it.

And this the top layer (i.e. the last layer printed).

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

may you send me the same gcode ?

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@antonio-da-catania

Yeah, man, can do, but it's really just the stock standard, pre-packaged model:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/enfqmmsqaaiu7o0/MK3_PLA_Batman_200um_18M.gcode?dl=0

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

the file it's fine.

So maybe It could be a partial clog of the nozzle or maybe due (unlikely) the bondtech gear loose. 

give it a look at this and this articles

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@antonio-da-catania

Whoa, okay, cool. Definitely something to try, thank you!

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Does this happen with other filaments?

It's hard to tell from the picture; is there some discolouration around the bad spots?

The nearest I have seen to this occurred after some milk (at least, I suspect it was milk) was splattered onto a spool of PLA and as each soiled spot passed the nozzle it prevented adhesion locally.  Having said that I've not seen it on a top layer so I'm partly guessing here.

Cheerio,

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@diem

Hey, thanks for taking a look at it. Yeah, it happens with a number of different filaments, unfortunately.

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

I'm still thinking about it...

can you post a clearer picture?

also, just to be extra sure 😅: what we see in the picture is the 5th layer of the five top layers, right?

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

@antonio-da-catania

Yes, it's the top layer.

This is how it looks when the print finishes:

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Unfortunately, a cold pull did not resolve the issue.

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

This looks like pillowing, usually caused by incorrect cooling of the top most layer.  The fact that we all have the same GCODE and it works for most suggests there is either something wrong with your fan setup, that you've got a draft where the printer is, or that the room where it is is excessively cold or hot.  Check that the fans are connected to the right headers (IE not swapped over) and that they are working OK.  If it's an environmental issue you may need to build/buy an enclosure (assuming it's not just that you left a window open nearby)...

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Pillowing - Okay, this is the vocabulary word I didn't have, so thanks times the universe for that.

Unfortunately, self test runs fine on fans and really nothing has changed the room. Maybe it's factory reset time?

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

I'm newer to this so take this with a grain of salt, but how are your filament drive gears? Are they clean or all loaded up? How is the tension on the idler gear? Is it driving properly? Maybe it's under extruding???

Ted

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Posted by: @dark_nes

Pillowing - Okay, this is the vocabulary word I didn't have, so thanks times the universe for that.

Unfortunately, self test runs fine on fans and really nothing has changed the room. Maybe it's factory reset time?

Yes, I would do a factory reset, calibration, and first layer adjustment, and  then do another print watching carefully as it prints that last layer and watch for absolutely anything amiss.

RE: Pillowing, have a look at these couple of sites, then do a google search for "3D print pillowing" (without the quotes):

https://pick3dprinter.com/3d-printing-pillowing/

https://support.ultimaker.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012016240-How-to-fix-pillowing

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

Posted by: @dark_nes

Unfortunately, a cold pull did not resolve the issue.

There is the acupuncture option:

1)preheat the nozzle to the filament temp (or even hotter , in ex. 260°C for PLA) .
2)Lift the extruder up to 150mm or more (for better visibility). 
3)From the menu -> settings -> move axis -> Extruder ->rotate the knob to the right to extrude the filament

keep an eye on the nozzle.
if the filament is extruded straight, the nozzle should be fine.
If the filament comes out curling and twisting, it is partially clogged.

in the latter case, use an acupuncture needle to try to unclog it from below (inserting the needle in the nozzle from the extrusion hole)

RE: Batman holes / craters on the top layer

I can't imagine it's a clog as dark_NES says the rest of the layers always print correctly.  I still think it's pillowing.

@dark_NES: Have you checked that it is printing at 100% speed as set on the LCD?  Printing too fast can also cause pillowing.

If you look at this example of pillowing:

and compare it to dark_NES's sample:

You can see that they are the same...

The main factors that cause it are incorrect cooling, too fast printing, and too few top layers.  It can very occasionally be caused by the nozzle being too near the bed so raising the Live Z by a couple of steps may help if nothing else does.