3D Printer Help

[phunkymunky]

Hello,

So I recently purchased a Flashforge Finder for simple home 3D prints, and for it's first couple of prints it worked great. However, ever since today it keeps melting/lifting the bottom layer. It's printing in PLA only and I'm using painters tape on bed and a light coat of hairspray. (Worked great before like this) It's a non-heated bed.

Has anyone come across similar issues with their printer? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

1st pic is of a good print, 2nd one is how they are now.

 

[Valcrow]

It looks like it's not sticking? hard to tell from the image.

If you want it to stick REALLY well onto tape, wipe the tape down with a bit of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) and you will have magic sticking powers that second to nuclear fusion. I'm not sure hairspray + tape is a good idea, it's usually hairspray on glass or heated glass, not so much on tape.

Either that, if you still have troubles with adhesion then your nozzle is too far away from your bed.

The first image looks like you're under extruding a bit too, the lines aren't quite touching like they should.

 

[phunkymunky]

It looks like it's not sticking? hard to tell from the image.

If you want it to stick REALLY well onto tape, wipe the tape down with a bit of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) and you will have magic sticking powers that second to nuclear fusion. I'm not sure hairspray + tape is a good idea, it's usually hairspray on glass or heated glass, not so much on tape.

Either that, if you still have troubles with adhesion then your nozzle is too far away from your bed.

The first image looks like you're under extruding a bit too, the lines aren't quite touching like they should.

Thanks! I'll give it a try. I didn't have issues with my 1st 5 prints, then it started all of a sudden. What do you mean by under extrusion?

From what I've seen as its printing, it looks to be as it sets the layer down and goes to the next line, it seems like the side of the nozzle is melting the previous layer and making it rise up. The 1st couple of lines start good, but then it starts lifting.

 

[Valcrow]

On second inspection it might be normal, is the circle the disposable raft? If so then it's ok If it's part of a part, then not's not so OK.

What you're describing could be two opposite things. if you can take a short phone video/picture closeup it'll help.

If you're saying the material is being 'squeezed' out the sides of the nozzles and going up, then you're too close to the bed. Basically if you lay down a line and its U shaped from the profile then you're too close. The line being deposited should be more or less flat, and should merge slightly with the line next to it.

Now if you're saying the nozzle is melting the layer UNDER the layer its being deposited then you have bad adhesion (which could be caused by being too far) or bad sticking surface.

Anyways, a picture of the print failing on the bed and not removed will tell much more.

 

[NormanF]

Interestingly enough, I got that same printer a couple weeks ago. The first week or so the prints were fantastic, then parts started coming off of the build surface. The weird thing is that if I print with a raft then the raft will have a death grip on the surface and with the part I print. At that point I started trying hairspray and then blue tape. I had read somewhere someone having trouble with either the Flashforge Dreamer or Dremel Idea Builder (which is a modified Dreamer) and they took off the build surface that came from the factory and used on of the replacements and it was smooth sailing from there. Of course nobody in North America sells the replacement surface for the Finder so I said screw it and ordered some BuildTak that I will have to cut to fit. I got it last night but did not have a chance to try it.

I think it is one of four things:
1. The build surface is contaminated during the manufacturing process.
2. The new version of their slicer that came out recently. I have Simplify3D, but they do not have a profile for the Finder and I have not manually configured it yet.
3. The new slicer also had a new version of the printer firmware.
4. I adjusted the nozzle height and I did it wrong. I think this is very likely because I used a piece of paper instead of a business card.

Also, for future reference, Flashforge used glass for the build plate.

 

[Valcrow]

I think buildtak does make their buildplate surface. So it's basically OEM

 

[phunkymunky]

So, the alcohol worked well. Too well that I'm having a hard time removing the prints :lol
As for the prints, I wasn't using their program, so the gcodes were messing up the print. I was using Slic3r. Then tried Cura but the temperature would not hold, thus canceling the print. I had not realized forge came with their own program on a usb, tried it and it works like a charm. I feel so dumb. However, it was working fine before, that's why I got confused.

I'm currently printing Rey's Blaster on .1mm resolution and it looks great! I'll upload pics when I get a chance.

 

[NormanF]

Cool. At the risk of jinxing myself, mine is printing good again too. I recalibrated the nozzle again, this time to the point I could barely move the card without tearing it and then had to level the bed twice.

Sent from my Motorola StarTAC

 

[RocketNerd]

check your backlash settings and make sure you clean your nozzle, this can cause feed issues and with the PLA peeling like that, it sounds like it could be a cooling issue as well. without video its hard to know. if you have a heated printbed, make sure its up to temp before starting the print, if not, i found that enclosing the space helps keep the heat in and breezes down, which cause the peel due to the PLA cooling at different rates and causing the warpage that leads to lifting.

It's a pain, but prior to every job, i would re-calibrate the bed locations and do a manual flow test of the nozzle at temp to ensure your filament flows smoothly, sometime old filament that's cooled inside the extruder head can also cause uneven heating of your filament(so make sure you clean it often, i clean it every time i switch to a new filament/color). lastly, make sure and spend the extra couple of cents to purchase quality filament. I've tried numerous different manufacturer's and can honestly say, some are much better than others. some will skip, not feed right, or sputter out of the nozzle, while others will flow like a river. keep tweaking your setting and find out what works best at what setting, and write down a cheat sheet so you can refer back to what works and what doesn't.