Help with warping
Hi all!
I'm having some major trouble with warping while printing PLA recently. This is somewhat a continuation of https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-hardware-firmware-and-software-help/first-layer-issues-17/. Ever since JoanTabb helped me on that issue, I've been scrubbing the heck out of my smooth sheet between prints. If I don't, most prints fail to stick completely and turn into spaghetti monsters. If I do scrub like mad, then the prints will stick, but nowadays pretty much every print warps.
Here's what I've tried:
- Re-calibrating everything. Seriously.
- First-layer calibration (getting beautiful results); XYZ, etc etc.
- Cleaning the steel sheet thoroughly. Soap & water.
- Cleaning the nozzle thoroughly with a brass wire brush
- Changing filaments -- I've tried different colors of the same brand and different brands entirely
- Flipping the steel sheet
- Re-positioning the print to another part of the print bed
My problem seems to be getting worse and worse over time. The only things that I can think of are either that my steel sheet is degrading, or that it has something to do with the changing seasons and the colder weather that comes with it.
Any chance anyone has any suggestions outside what I've already tried?
Thanks!
.
If soap and water scrubbing is beginning to fail then you may have a buildup of PLA breakdown products on the sheet, it can help to clean the sheet with acetone very occasionally, two or three times a year at most or you risk making the PEI brittle.
Warping is usually a cooling issue. If the printer is in a cold draft, even an occasional one from an opening door, then the hot plastic can cool unevenly and generate warping stresses. You don't need an enclosure for PLA but you do need to protect it from stray breezes.
Cheerio,
RE: Help with warping
Do you have a temperature probe of some sort? I'm having similar issues and it may be from uneven heating from the bed. Heat up your bed and measure to see if the temperature is even. For me I seem to have a hot spot on one corner of the bed.
I can't imagine PLA warping
It prints so cold, and has so little cooling to do - it hardly ever warps. Is there something odd about the models you are printing that makes them prone to warping (e.g. do you have your print speed turned way up?)
RE:
There's nothing unique about the models I'm printing as far as I can tell. But I'm no expert, so I'll attach the gcode just in case I'm missing something. They're all printed at normal speed and they're all pretty basic models that I'm trying...
Should be a straightforward print
Nothing stands out. ordinarily, warping -where you can see the part lifted off of the bed because the bottom surface has curled enough to cause a crash- is due to long uninterrupted strands in a material that is rapidly cooling relative to it's print temperature.
A couple of try-this - we have not seen any pictures, so you may only have an adhesion problem (aka wimpy Z offset) and not have a warpign problem at all. You didn't provide much detail on what the issue is - spaghetti monster, crash detected, yada yada.
try adding a 5mm brim in the slicer (usual help for true warping).
verify you are using the smooth sheet
Send picture of down-side of a failed print
as a total hail-mary, glue stick.
???
@cprussin
You did not include any images of the problem, and have not included a zipped .3mf file so, the only suggestion I can make based on your g-code is to rotate your internal fill 90 degrees or change the fill type to grid 20%, without other indications such as pictures, I'm left to assume it's warping along the X axis ?
Also, just to clarify, you mention the steel sheet, they are all steel, but there are 3 types, one is a smooth, there's satin, and a textured sheet, what one are you using?
Good Luck
Swiss_Cheese
The Filament Whisperer