Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down
 
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Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down  

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Trimetric
(@trimetric)
Trusted Member
Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

I've been using some FilamentOne PLA filament (Glint Blue) for the last month or so with no issues. My first layers are a thing of beauty, absolutely perfect on the smooth PEI sheet.

Yesterday I got a roll of their Traffic Red Pro Select PLA and started printing with it using the same profile I was using for the Glint Blue (which is just a copy of the Prusament PLA profile, 215/60).

For the life of me, this filament just does not want to stick down. It curls like crazy to the point I can't even finish the Life Adjust Z square let alone a real print. Just to make sure I'm not crazy I switched back to the Glint Blue and the very first Z square was perfect...no curling, no blobbing, even layers.

I did notice the non-glittery PLA is 195-215 vs 205-225 so I tried bumping down to 205 and it's even worse. I event went back to the Prusa Gray filament that I got with the printer and it went down nicely for the Life Z square as well, same Z height as the blue and red.

Everything I've read is that their filament is high quality. This is a brand new filament straight out of the shrink wrap.

Is there anything else I'm missing? I've cleaned the bed with soap and water and 91% IPA, it looks spotless and the other PLA sticks fine. I'm at a loss.

 

Posted : 12/04/2021 3:17 pm
Lize
 Lize
(@lize)
Estimable Member
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

Uploading a photo of the red square may be helpful.  Even though the same manufacturer some filaments benefit from different live Z setting so worth trying to adjust the red.  I had bother with a yellow when other colours were fine.

If no luck with live Z then other suggestions could be trying reducing in 5 degree steps down to 195, measure the filament to see if it's a different width and you could also look at amending the extrusion multiplier if you think its under or over extruding.

Posted : 12/04/2021 4:01 pm
Trimetric
(@trimetric)
Trusted Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

Well, I couldn't even get the red square to finish or I would've posted a picture.

I did a cold pull using some cleaning filament and it looked pretty clean, but my first print with the Red filament did actually stick down this time. I did the cold pull b/c I noticed the red filament wanted to curl slightly out of the nozzle. It's definitely the most shiny of the 3 PLA's I have so I'm wondering if the texture is just more susceptible to any old PETG or something that might've been stuck in there.

However, the red square is definitely not as uniform as the gray or the blue one (the blue is deceptive b/c the glint hides the layer lines of course). I'll play around with the temps and the Live Z a little more to see if I can dial it in.

Posted : 12/04/2021 4:27 pm
Trimetric
(@trimetric)
Trusted Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

Yeah, this filament is just a major PITA. I have no idea what to do with it. Even in the best case, the first layer seems uneven and bumpy compared to the other filaments I have. The stringing is so bad that I have to catch it after the purge line just to keep it from getting into the print. Lowering the temperature doesn't seem to help with the stringing and just seems to hurt the adhesion even more. I don't think I've successfully gotten a Life Z square below 205 and it's still stringing like crazy.

Once again, switching back to anything else and all the problems go away with no other changes.

Maybe I just got a bunk roll of filament. I reached out to FilamentOne to see if they have any thoughts. 

Posted : 12/04/2021 5:42 pm
Trimetric
(@trimetric)
Trusted Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

Just to follow up on my own thread, this filament just needs a tiny bit more adhesion than any other PLA I have for whatever reason.

My method to fix this has been to keep my Z offset the same as my other dialed in PLA and just apply about 4 horizontal swipes of glue stick followed by a wipe in the opposite directly with some 91% IPA to dilute and spread it out evenly. You honestly can't even see the glue stick on the bed, but you can feel with the shop towel that it's pretty tacky. Then I'm able to lower the temperature a bit to reduce the stringing and still get good adhesion.

Not really ideal as all other PLA I have prints just fine on the PEI with an IPA wipe (or Dawn clean) but it's not that terrible I guess.

In other news, I REALLY wish Prusament was more available in the USA without the shipping costs..... 😀 

This post was modified 3 years ago by Trimetric
Posted : 14/04/2021 4:27 pm
Lize liked
Dan Rogers
(@dan-rogers)
Noble Member
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

If your square is rough surfaced, head is getting globbed and stringy, your live Z is probably too low.  

Good to pay careful attention to the recommended temp ranges - I now mark every roll with a sharpie for the sweet spot.  If you are using Prusament, it runs a lot hotter.  But the red is a different beast even there - so every mfg/color lot is potentially different. 

That's the state of 3d printing today - these are NOT toasters or radios - not everyone can learn to be good at this (takes a lot of science and patience.

Posted : 14/04/2021 4:57 pm
Trimetric
(@trimetric)
Trusted Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: Different color filament same manufacturer just will not stick down

@dan-rogers

Yep, I got sucked into the trap of lowering the Live Z to try and get better adhesion, but then of course it was dragging.

I just refused to believe I'd have to put some glue stick on my pristine PEI sheet, LOL. I might actually try some of the Layerneer that others have mentioned since it seems a little less messy and more precise than the glue stick. At any rate, I'm now stubbornly printing everything in Red PLA to assert my dominance over this filament.

Posted : 14/04/2021 5:05 pm
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