Fine detail not showing up after slicing  

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

You can easily print lines that are the same size as your nozzle or wider. Printing anything narrower can be tricky, and the slicer will simply not try if the extrusions are too thin. Your options are to either use a larger print size (font size) or use a smaller nozzle. If you configure PrusaSlicer for a 0.25mm nozzle, you'll notice that those fine letters can (theoretically) be printed. They are going to be difficult to print because they are so small and not well supported.

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

Thanks Bob,

Option 1 is a non-starter - this is a part of a radio panel for my flight sim home cockpit, so I can't change the size of the objects being printed.

Not 100% clear about what your saying about option 2. Can you tell from what I sent you just how big each element is? If so, how? (I can see the Z height in the Object manipulation window).

I tried scaling the letters in X and Y, and it does slice, but I doubt that's a good solution. So I need a smaller nozzle? (that's what she said - 🤣 ) If so, can you confirm what I need?

Mike

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

When things dont slice due to being too small you have a few options. 

First you can load/define a printer profile configured for a smaller nozzle, like the 0.25 mentioned.  If it slices with that size nozzle then to actually print it you would need to buy and fit a 0.25mm nozzle to print the gcode that was sliced for that nozzle size.
If it didn't slice even at 0.25 then there wouldn't be any point in changing your nozzle, so seeing it it would using software first makes sense.

The best way to 'fix' it is to go back into your design software and make the text used larger.  Such that it will be picked up by the normal 0.4mm nozzle.  This wouldnt be making the whole thing larger but just the text portion, and I'm guessing this text and outline frame are supposed to fit into recesses of the panel so they would need scaling up too.  If its not your model then that could be difficult to do.

With the model as it you can turn on detect thin walls as that does slice the text, the problem with that is that its had to enlarge them to the minimum thickness it can print.  So if they are supposed to be inserted into recesses in a panel later they wont fit.  Also if there is a panel with recesses then given the general fact that 3d printed 'holes' often come out slightly smaller than designed then I hope the original designer leaves a suitable clearance for those recesses.  

Btw if you are printing multicolour panels then this website might be of interest https://schlosshan.eu/blog/2019/03/02/prusa-i3-mk3-real-multicolour-prints-without-mmu/

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

Thanks for that!

So I will order some different nozzles. Just wondering if a torque wrench is recommended? 

Thanks,

Mike

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

Torque wrench is optional, but if you have a tendency to be heavy-handed, it might be a good idea. I just use finger and thumb to tighten.

Do try disabling Print Settings->Layers and periemters->Quality->Detect thin walls feature as well.

RE: Fine detail not showing up after slicing

DTW already off. Also turned off elephant feet - no joy. I think I will get the wrench. One less thing to worry that I screwed up - lol