Tree Frog no longer prints successfully
First PLA tree frog print after building i3 MK2S kit printed successfully at high power mode from SD card (mid May). Recently I have tried unsuccessfully to reprint tree frog three times from same SD card both in High Power and Silent mode with PLA. Everything is fine until print height reaches near the top of the hind legs, at which point the front legs detach from the body.
In the first of the three attempts (silent mode) the entire body at the height of the hind legs' top actually shifted to the rear about 0.5 mm and continued successful printing for another 7 mm or so (when I saw that the front legs had detached and manually stopped printing).
The last two attempts back at High Power mode did not demonstrate the print shift to the back as stated above, but the the front legs still detached at about the same height of print.
I have printed many other objects over the course of the last three weeks, including the castle, and this has not happened with any other item...
Re: Tree Frog no longer prints successfully
Prints detaching could be a simple result of crud buildup on the buildplate. Grease, oils, etc. kill adhesion. Or using the wrong cleaner - i.e. window cleaners that leave a residue.
I recommend Isopropyl alcohol for cleaning the bed before every print and every now and then, use some Aceton on a paper towel and give it a good wipe to get rid of the stuff Isopropyl is leaving behind. Aceton does wonders to restore adhesion.
Now, a layer shift in silent mode towards the back could be a matter of increased friction when the bed moves. Silent mode uses a lower curret to drive the motors, so it is more likely to skip steps if the movement isn't smooth. Possible reasons (among others):
- your bearings / smooth rods need more oil or crapped out, check for damage on the rds
- frame is skewed - or something is rubbing - or the bearings are not aligned well
- belt tension is wrong
I guess i would start with closely inspecting the printer if you see black rubber debris anywhere. While you're at the pulley, check the grub screws. Then i'd turn the printer off and see if the bed moves freely and smoothly when you push it by hand without binding. If it doesn't I'd repeat this test with the belt unhooked.
Re: Tree Frog no longer prints successfully
Stephan,
Thanks for your quick response! I have cleaned the build plate with acetone and will try to print the tree frog again later today.
BTW, the bed moves back and forth without any binding whatsoever, and I could not find any black rubber debris anywhere around/below the printer.
Regards,
Ray
Re: Tree Frog no longer prints successfully
Stephan,
Acetone cleaning did the trick - Thanks. And the layer shift during printing has not repeated...
Regards,
Ray
Re: Tree Frog no longer prints successfully
I'm glad you resolved your issue, but thought I might contribute.
I just built my kit last weekend. I was bound and determined to print with just the PEI and not tape or glue like I did with my old select mini printer, but my prints kept detaching or barely holding on. I used IPA between every print, but I wasn't happy with it. I then remembered a couple things I'd done with my old printer.
Calibrated the extruder. I discovered my Prusa was under extruding by about 9% (in a 100mm extrude, only about 91mm was being extruded)
Bumped up my bed temperature to 60 (for pla)
after increasing my extruder multiplier in Slic3r, and setting the temp up a little, my layers look WAY better and it can be almost hard to remove my prints (I only use IPA ever 3 or 4 prints now)
Just FYI based on my experience, for something to look at if the issue creeps up again.
Robert
Robert B.