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Torture toaster with PETG
I'm new in the 3D priting and I bought a BIQU B1 printer :-)
I printed the Pokemon with the white filament that come as a sample with the printer (PLA) and after that I bought the Inland PLA+ and PETG+ from Microcenter.
The first thing that my son asked me to print is the toaster.
Well, I tried to print three times with the PETG+ filament and always I end up after one or two layers with oozie everywhere and I had to stop printing.
I replaced the filament with the PLA+ and now it's printing correctly (It's 91% complete right now :-) )
So, I set the correct temperator for both filaments:

PLA+ 205/60
PETG+ 230/70

I'm thinking that for this type of object (torture toaster) it doesn't work with PETG because of the complexity.
Is that correct? If not, what I could be doing wrong with PETG+ filament?

Hi, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! Please add photos of the oozing.

Like mentioned, one of the most important things with PETG and other materials such as PLA with woodfill, Nylons, some other materials usually with similar properties to PETG, drying is your friend. The main reason being is that the materials listed above are all hygroscopic. They have a tendency to absorb moisture in the air very well and it should almost be a regular thing to dry it for some ours before printing it. Some materials like Nylon cant be used even after just three days of sitting in open air.
The issue arises when you are printing and the moisture trapped in the filament is super-heated. If you print some and its been out you will get those pops and cracks while its printing, that's the result of the moisture heating and the water bubble exploding making cracks, leaving inconsistent layers and sometimes small craters.
I wouldn't say that the toaster is impossible but its a challenge, as it should be. The premise of the toaster is to challenge your printer and give you and insight into how your printer is working, in terms of your settings. Printing this model will be great to see how well your retraction, bridging, tolerance, and temps are. While I would generally say try it out, it does take some time so going with some easier prints like retraction cubes, temp towers, and simple bridges may be better and easier on filament use when starting off.
If the extruder is slipping, attempt to add a slight more tension but not too much. As mentioned before, it really is a better thing to grab a cheap aluminum kit from Amazon or a hobby store online. The reason being is that the idler will no longer be a smooth roller bearing but instead have teeth as well to help hold on, the aluminum is also much stronger and can hold up in the case you get a jam for any reason.

From what I can tell, the BIQU B1 is an Ender 3 clone with a similar extruder, which probably has really poor grip on the filament. This is bad with PETG, which tends to slip, and once it starts slipping, it will grind and make the problem worse. On top of this, it probably has a PTFE-lined hotend precluding printing PETG at the higher temperatures it would do better at, so the extruder is probably fighting excess resistance to pushing filament through the hotend. In short, I never had good experiences trying to print PETG on my Ender 3 when it was stock, and I'm not surprised if you have similar problems on a similar printer.
With that said, there are some things you can do to improve the problem.

Dry the filament. Unless it's been actively dried in the past 24 hours and kept away from humid air afterwards, or stored in a serious drybox, PETG is always wet. PETG is very bad about not resuming well after retraction when it's wet (my theory: the water absorbs all the heat in its phase transition to vapor before the heat can properly melt the filament) and this will tend to produce the condition where the extruder starts slipping, leading to game-over.

Go slower. 30-40 mm/s at 0.2 mm layer height and 0.4 mm line width is about the highest you can expect PETG to do well at on this kind of extrusion setup.

Tune your retraction length down as low as you can take it without oozing/stringing, and your travel speed up. Travel speed (and acceleration) should be set as high as your printer can handle. This is a win-win situation: your prints finish a lot faster and there's less time for the retracted material to cool down while traveling, which would make it harder to restart extrusion after travel. It also reduces the risk of oozing/stringing.

However you might just find that printing with PETG is too much of a pain without an upgraded extrusion system. For prints where PLA is an appropriate material, consider just using PLA.


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Ender 3 S1 - Is this positioning or extrusion error? Or something else?
I have been printing for a few years now, and recently purchased an Ender 3 S1. I have a strange issue, that I couldn't resolve yet.
If there is a geometric change between layers, then the unchanged parts misalign also. I attach a picture, but try to explain too: A flat vertical wall is looking perfect, but if there is a window in it, the rest of the wall is displaced in the same layers at the bottom and top of the window, then resumes normally. The error is in connection with the object's geometry, not the parameters of the printer. (It is not at a specific Z height) In a calibration cube, this happens at the bottom and top of the Y and X letter indents.
So, I checked the belt tensions, rods are straight, nothing loose, nothing too tight, and the temperatures are steady. I tried 20 mm/s and 50 mm/s, the same result. Not a layer shift, everything else is spot on position. I'm thinking of a slicing issue maybe? Or over/under extrusion? Really out of ideas.

This is lost material due to oozing, combined with lack of linear advance calibration. If you don't see ooze/stringing on the outside of your model, it's probably inside, caused by internal travel skipping retractions.
If you use Cura, the Cura term for this is combing. Rather than turning it off, it's best to set the "Max Comb Distance Without Retract" to around 1 mm, and turn on "Connect Infill Lines". This will not add many retractions, but should still avoid all the internal oozing.
If you use PrusaSlicer/SuperSlicer, I believe their name for the same option is "Only retract when crossing perimeters". Turning this off will make it always retract for travel moves.
You'll also want to tune Linear Advance. Otherwise you'll still have inconsistent extrusion thickness that's speed-dependent, and bulging corners.

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Print Object Without Top Layer But With Intermediate Layers
I'm using PrusaSlicer with OpenSCAD.  I want to print a solid object with a notch in it, without top layers, but with infill and solid walls for the notch, like this...

I can set the number of top layers to zero (Print Settings > Layers and perimeters > Solid Layers > Top = 0), which gets rid of the top layers as desired, but it also removes the base from the notch, like this...

Is there any way to do what I want without awful shenanigans in OpenSCAD or editing G-code?

Please indicate (by [edit]) if the geometry should be fully printed, or if you can live with a shorter (height) object. Also [edit] your question which printer you have.

I just confirmed it works flawlessly in PrusaSlicer as it did in Slic3r, the software from which PrusaSlicer is forked. Just use the solution provided in "Different infill in the same part", but now do not change infill options but the layer options.
First load the cube with notch, and then load/insert a modifier to get something like the following (grey is the box with notch, green cube is the modifier):

Now change the options (click on modifier and left-click to select Layers and Perimeters option item) of the modifier (select zero top and bottom layers):

The sliced solution will look like what you request:

Note that this solution will give you an object that is exactly the height of the designed cube, it just doesn't have a top surface, but infill and walls to the top.

I would just pause at the second to last layer, remove the print and cancel it.
With Cura you can do this easily in the slicer. Or just manually do it.
I have never used Prusaslicer but all slicers must have this. For more information, see the Prusa documentation "Insert pause or custom G-code at layer".

The print will be too short, it will be missing the last layers. At least advise to alter the design by extending the top part by the thickness of the top layers.

@0scar how do you work that out? The OP specifically says they don't want the top layer. This is how I do it when I want the infill texture on top, and it works fine.

Simple, if you have 5 top layers at 0.2 mm per layer, your object is too short, by 1 mm. I assume the size is important, if not your answer is very valid, I've left a comment for the OP. Note that the OP specifies that the notch needs top layers, those settings apply for the top surface as well, so if you stop the print before the printing of the top layers, it is too short.. Please explain better if this is not what is meant in your answer.

@Oscar you're assuming that 1mm is important, and assuming the OP wouldn't use common sense? Never mind, feel free to downvote

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Command Line Slicer OSX Terminal
What are the correct steps for slicing an .stl file with OSX Terminal. I have tried cd to the directory where the .stl file is and then CuraEngine slice -s mesh_rotation_matrix=[[1,0,0], [0,1,0], [0,0,1]]" -l my3DP.stl -o my3DP.gcode. Nothing happens when I run this sequence of commands. I also tried Slic3r but get a command not found error.

Found some info on and was able to pull up the help for slic3r. https://github.com/slic3r/Slic3r/issues/1259

With the following code I was almost able to do a command line slice with Cura. 'CuraEngine slice -v -j /Applications/3D\ Printing/Cura.app/Contents/Resources/share/cura/resources/definitions/fdmprinter.def.json -j /Applications/3D\ Printing/Cura.app/Contents/Resources/share/cura/resources/definitions/fdmextruder.def.json -l my3DP.stl  -o my3DP.gcode' I was only able to make it work after specifying a series of other settings that for some reason cura engine calls up even though I specified the def.json definitions.

These are all of the other settings I had to specify or else cura engine throws up errors and doesn't slice. '-s 'material_shrinkage_percentage'='100' -s 'adhesion_extruder_nr'='0' -s 'fill_perimeter_gaps'='false' -s 'filter_out_tiny_gaps'='true' -s 'speed_equalize_flow_enabled'='true' -s 'travel_compensate_overlapping_walls_0_enabled'='true' -s 'travel_compensate_overlapping_walls_x_enabled'='true' -s 'outer_inset_first'='false' -s 'wall_min_flow'='1' -s 'wall_min_flow_retract'='1''


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Sudden Extreme Z-Banding
I am experiencing an extreme Z-banding issue that has come on all of a sudden.
I'm quite new to 3D printing and I have just taken a deep dive into printer calibration by going through the Teaching Tech 3D Printer Calibration website, after which my printer was working great.
Overnight, I printed a part that took over 9 hours to print, and it printed very nicely. But today, without making any changes to my printer or slicer settings, I printed another part and the results were awful.

I'm getting some quite extreme Z-banding that seems to occur at a regular frequency, but not perfectly regular. It also does not seem to be a layer shift because it bulges out on both sides of the upright sections on the same layer. So I don't believe it is due to Z-wobble from a bent or misaligned lead screw, but I could be wrong.
I've gone over my machine several times checking everything is tight, the belts are tensioned adequately, etc, etc, and I can't find anything that seems to be wrong. But, of course there could still be some mechanical issue I have not discovered.
Any help on what could be the cause of this would be greatly appreciated, as I am at a loss as to why it has suddenly started doing this when it was working great the day before. All the websites I have found suggest that it is due to Z-wobble (but I'm not so sure for the reasons stated above), due to extrusion issues (but none of the websites show anything near as extreme as this), or due to bed temperature problems (I've carried out PID auto tuning and it seems to be stable).
The part I printed last night for 9 hours used a 40% gyroid infill, so my printer was vigorously vibrating for a decent chunk of time. Could this have caused some damage?
My printer is a stock Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro with 0.4 mm diameter brass nozzle.
Slicer Settings:

Nozzle temp = 200 °C
Bed temp = 60 °C
Layer height = 0.2 mm
Line width = 0.4 mm
Wall count/top layers/bottom layers = 4
Alternate extra wall on
Infill density = 40 %
Infill pattern = gyroid
Flow = 88 %
Initial layer flow = 110 %
Print speed = 50 mm/s
Outer wall speed = 15 mm/s
Inner wall speed = 20 mm/s
Travel speed = 100 mm/s
Print acceleration = 700 mm/s^2
Jerk = 15 mm/s
Retraction distance = 1 mm
Z-Hop off

Can you measure the frequency exactly in number of layers? Is it matching with the frequency that the gyroid pattern repeats at (looking at the sliced preview in your slicer)? I think the most likely causes are something to do with infill (could be part-internal oozing that was amplified by your filament absorbing moisture) or could be cooling related (different ambient air temperature from the one that worked, etc).

Lots of things can cause these issues but one that I cause that I find intreastng can be found here.

this was a facinating discover to me and could be the cause of your issue potentially.

Welcome to 3D Printing! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, it would be preferable to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.

Hi and welcome. As agarza states, please list and highlight the main points from the video. This is because, should the video be deleted for whatever reason (see link-rot), then your answer will not be very useful, if the video can not be played. Stack Exchange requires that answers are self-contained and not point to external sites (see link-only answers), except for reference. Thanks. Also, you have a typo in "interesting"... :-) In addition, please don't forget to take the [tour].


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What is this behaviour called and how do I fix this?
I am printing Eryone 1.75 mm PET on my Kobra Max printer with 80°C bed and 230°C.
I am experiencing this:

Is this "over-extrusion" and "stringing"?
And how do I avoid this?

I think it's neither. I was not able to find Eryone PET but PETG. Printing this with 195°C would lead to what you have there. I recommend printing it hotter. About 230°C like the manual says.

PETG has a tendency or be prone to stringing more often than other filaments. You need to print the filament in the window of the listed temperatures and setup the printer correctly, have your retraction in order, but still if all is tuned sometimes PETG will string, e.g. my black PETG doesn't string at all, while the white from the same vendor will string very little with the same settings.

You could try printing two separate retraction towers to figure out the exact retraction parameters for your printer and material, One for velocity, the other for distance.

@KevInski Thank you, I accidentally posted the wrong nozzle temperature. I do use 230°C.

@0scar May I ask you which black PETG you use?

@tmighty ColorFabb PETG Economy

PETG sticks to brass nozzles really well. Better than it sticks to itself, in many cases. When travelling over already-printed material, especially if the filament is not retracted (Cura calls this kind of travel "combing") or if the material it's travelling over is overextruded and bulging up, the nozzle will pick-up/dig-up some of that material and drag it around. There, it accumulates until the size and shape is adequate to cause it to get dislodged when a part that's sticking out far enough not to be molten collides with another part of the print, and it falls off. It may get picked up again by the hot nozzle later, leading the process to repeat.
There are various mitigations for this:

Limit "combing". In Cura, set "Max Combing Distance Without Retract" to 1 mm and "Connect Infill Lines" on to get good behavior without introducing huge numbers of retractions. slic3r-based slicers have an option called something like "Only Retract When Crossing Perimeters" that you want to turn off to get the same effect.

Make sure you're not overextruding. Turn down flow slightly if needed.

Dry your filament. PETG is always wet unless you dried it in the past 24 hours yourself, and wet PETG does this a lot worse.

You may be able to select a nozzle that the material doesn't stick to. There are non-stick (likely PTFE) coated nozzles designed for this purpose (but they can't be used at high temperatures), and nickel plated seems to do better too. I'm not sure about other materials like stainless steel or (note: expensive) tungsten carbide but they may be options to improve this too.

Stringing
PETG is prone to stringing, even with the best settings. Often, I live with some stringing as strings are easy to clean up while other issues can be introduced by getting totally rid of it.

It's not clear to me that this is stringing at all. In my book, "stringing" means material that's pulled out of the nozzle by surface tension during travel moves (usually outside the model, but internal stringing is a thing too). The model in OP's pic however does not have any external travel moves. It looks more like this is material that got torn up by travel across it ("combing" travel tends to do this with PETG), possibly as a result of overextrusion too.


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I'm new to 3D Printing and I've have just assembled a new Ender3 V2 with a CR Touch bed leveller. The extruder motor is not working
Due to a mains power failure, I was unable to finish a "Thingiverse Stripes" auto bed levelling test on my new Ender 3 v2. When power returned several hours later and I tried to resume the Test, I discovered that the Bowden tube and nozzle were blocked.
I replaced the Bowden tube and nozzle but now found that after the first inch of the print layer the filament stopped, and the extruder stepper motor was not working. I checked that I could operate the extruder with the manual wheel to prove that there was no blockage and it worked ok. I also checked the extruder stepper motor in the "Move" mode; It would not turn in either direction. I think it tried to move but stopped instantly.

Check whether all the cables are properly attached to the pins in the connector.
Also, was the hotend heated while trying to do this? Some firmwares leave the pointless "safety feature" active to prevent extruder motion if the hot end is cold.

I checked that all the cable connections were good. However, I was following a youtube video instructions and I'm now pretty sure that the hotend was COLD when I restarted the print after the power failure and that is what caused the blockage. I have already seen your message about the Marlin "Pointless safety feature" but, as an old (81) novice, I have  no idea how to follow your suggestion. I would really appreciate some guidance please? Tom.

The feature is hard-coded into the firmware - to change it permanently, you'd have to compile a new one. It's also usually not an issue, but can be frustrating for beginners who don't know about it and wonder why their extruder won't move.
In current Marlin, it's called PREVENT_COLD_EXTRUSION in the configuration.h file, which may be commented out to disable it.
There's also a g-code to disable it semi-permanently: Sending M302 P1 will disable the check, M500 lets you save that change if saving settings in the EEPROM is enabled in your firmware.

Thank You towe, as I understand what you suggest, the fix, "send M302" and "M500" must be done in Marlin and not in Cura. I wil now try to find out how to do that. Thanks again. Tom

That fix, sending M302 P1 (the P1 is important) and then M500 can be done in any program that can communicate directly with the printer. I used to use "Pronterface" for that. You could also put those commands in a normal text file with the file ending ".gcode" and run that from an SD card.
Also, note that there's no immediate need to disable that feature, as long as you remember about it before wondering why the extruder might not work.

Hello Tom, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! Please know we all were new to this once! In order to troubleshoot your issue it is best that we require some more information. The discussion of cold extrusion should be seen separately from the problem, so please make a photo of the 1" high print so that we can look at it for clues. Also remember to always pull the plug when you are (dis)connecting or fiddling with cables, you can destroy stepper driver when puling the cables while live. It is only advised to turn off PREVENT_COLD_EXTRUSION when you have removed the nozzle.

It was not a I" high print Oscar, just a 1" length of the first layer of a Stripes Auto bed levelling test. I have now replaced the nozzle, the PLA Filament,that I am using for the the test. and the Bowden with a Capricorn as I need to print with ABS. The problem now is that Extruder Stepper Motor now tries to move but makes a clunking sound and stops. It is free to move Manually with no resistance. As I am a total novice with both computers and 3D printing, I am still trying to work out how to follow towe's advice to turn off Prevent-Cold-Extrusion.

Thanks for the explanation of 1" length instead of height! P.S. if you are a novice, please do not try ABS, use PETG as an alternative, ABS shouldn't be the material to use as it is far more challenging than PLA or PETG. Do not pursue the advice to prevent cold extrusion unless you take the Bowden tube off of the hot end or remove the nozzle (and the filament can freely move through the hot end).

Thanks Oscar, the main reason for following the advice is the HOPE that it will release the the "stop"  that was put on the Extruder motor by that function. I would have assumed that that would have happened when the printer was shut down and power was removed but it has not. Then again, maybe the motor/board has been fried!!


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Changing a teflon tube inside a hotend, help with disassembly
I have an HBot 3D 1.1 printer (it's a CoreXY style printer, newer versions are produced by ZMorph). I think that a filament guide tube inside the hotend got damaged, resulting in decreased diameter, which means I can't push the filament through it. It stops halfway through the heatsink (black marker in the attached photo).
I need some help, I'm not sure how to disassemble this type of hotend. With my Ender 3 which I have at home, I can just unscrew the nozzle since it's simply a hexagonal nut, but here it seems that the nozzle and heat block are one part and I don't think I can unscrew the heat block and the heatsink. I'm not sure what to do.
I'm sure the nozzle itself isn't clogged. I've done some cold-pulling on one end, inserted a thin wire from the other, and examined the insides with a flashlight.

This is an old hotend type, it is called a J-Head (see e.g. the J-Head Nozzle Mk V, I'm unsure which exact version you have). The hotend is serviceable, you can buy separate "nozzles" (with integrated heater block) for it in some e-shops. You should be able to unscrew the "nozzle" from the PEEK nozzle holder. The milled flat surfaces indicate that you can use a 13 mm or 1/2" open-end wrench to disassemble the PEEK nozzle holder.
The "nozzle":

The instruction to assemble such a hotend are:

Mk V

Secure the brass nozzle in a vise by the heater section.
Wrap a couple of turns of PTFE tape (plumbing tape) around the brass threads.
Screw the nozzle holder down onto the nozzle. If no flats are milled, use a pair of pliers to tighten the nozzle. The nozzle holder can be protected from the pliers by first wrapping it with a rag or paper towel. If there are flats milled, a 13 mm (1/2") open-end wrench can be used to tighten the nozzle.
Remove the brass nozzle from the vise.
Slide the PTFE liner down into the nozzle holder. The PTFE liner needs to be inserted such that the flat end is making contact with the brass and the internally tapered end is towards the top.
Install the washer.
Screw in the hollow-lock socket set screw. Ensure that the washer stays centered while tightening this set screw. Use a piece of filament to ensure that the set screw is not too tight as the liner can become compressed and obstruct the passage. If this happens, slightly loosen the set screw.

To disassemble you need to reverse the order.
You need to ask yourself it you want to change to a newer type of hotend, but generally, these are higher, e.g. compared to a V6:

I've managed to disassamble the hotend, but PTFE insert was caked with carbonized filament and partialy melted, I had to drill through it and right now I'm filing out the rest. I can't really find the 1/4''OD, 1/8''IN PTFE tube domestically, but I think I will just try the 6x3 mm one and hope it's close enough. I didn't file all of the previous insert so it might just fit snugly.

Not exactly the type of answer you probably want, but this hotend does not look servicable. The nozzle is usually considered a consumable part unless it's made of something like tungsten carbide, or at least steel. The nozzle is almost surely long past its useful life unless the printer was barely used, and the entire hotend has lots of design flaws like very small thermal mass and heat sink butting up against the heater block, which defeats the purpose of having a heat sink.
The right solution here is to figure out what kind of attachment it's supposed to use (dimensions of that groove mount) and buy or put together a replacement hotend.

It is serviceable, but I agree, it could be time to update!

Nozzle seems fine, the problem is with the PTFE tube inside. Unfortunately it's a printer I use at my workplace so I have to operate on a shoestring budget. You might be right though, I might have to look for replacement if replacement doesn't work out.


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PETG configuration
Recently, I have started to use PETG as my new material, before that I had been using ABS. But I stopped using ABS because of the cracking. I have been printing a lot of calibration cubes and I thought I was ready to print a bigger piece. This is the result, it has small holes and empty lines in the walls. On the top, I don't know what happened.
I have a Tronxy cube x5 which I use together with Cura. I print in PETG at 230 °C.The print bed is set to 65 °C. I use a print cooling fan at 30 %. The layer height I set to 0.2 mm, the line width  from the 0.3 mm nozzle. The Printing Speed is set to 20 mm/s for walls and 35 mm/s for infill. My retraction is  4 mm/off at 20 mm/s.

What do you recommend I do?

Hello Cartox. Your question is lacking detail and as such is hard to answer without knowing a couple of things about your printer setup. Please [edit] and fill in the [placeholders] in the template I added and then remove the leading <!-- and trailing --> afterwards. This will turn it visible and help us help you find the actual problem.

This is underextrusion, the question is what is causing this. In order to answer the question we need more information as suggested by the previous comment. Could be the speed is too high.

It looks like you have moisture in the filament.  Also, Your hotend temperature may be too low.  See Printing PETG in Material to use inside ultrasonic cleaner


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Ender 3 failing on the same z position every print
I have an Ender 3, I changed its extruder for one metallic one.
In my last prints, I am getting issues at the same height. The extruder can't pull the filament in for that z position.
I cleaned the Z axis, applied oil, and adjusted the eccentric nuts. I have minor improvements but still have many issues with my prints.
I am thinking of changing to double z-axis, but I'd like to use my printer now.

This is my printer.

Welcome to 3D Printing Stack!  Can you post a photo of your filament path?  This seems like you might have something jamming up your feed at a certain Z height.

Is it every print that fails at this Z height, or just every attempt of this particular print? Whatever it is, this is an extrusion issue, not a Z motion issue. The problem is not the rollers and will not be solved by dual Z.

@ZeissIkon I double-check the filament track. In theory I fixed it already.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE every print in the last three weeks have the same issue. You are right. I am gonna post more pics soon. Thanks.

What do you mean by "In theory I fixed it already", if you fixed this please share through an answer. Both filament track and filament spool (winding) look too good to explain extra resistance caused by entanglement or kinks.

The extruder couldn't pull the filament. I had to pull the filament by hand every few minutes. That part was fixed. But my printings have errors yet. Around the same Z heights.

OK, based on the new pics you added this looks like a massive layer shift, vs what looked like an extrusion problem in the original post. So it may very well be something wrong in Z motion at that height, causing a nozzle collision and thereby layer shift.

I haven't fixed my 3d printer yet. I know what my problem is now. I am having flow continuity issues. I thought it was happening because my filament was wet. I tried with a new filament, and it's happening the same after a couple of hours.

I fixed this issue today on two printers.
One was failing first or second layer, the other after 1/2 an hour or so. After trying everything else I traced the cause to changing the nozzle to cheap steel ones. Changed back to the old brass ones and both printers are working fine.
Unsure what is wrong with the steel nozzles, I bought 10 of them online for peanuts, but happy to be printing again.

How did you determine that your issue was the same as OP's?

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE because it looks like roughly the same description and has the steel nozzle change in common. I was looking at everything else before realising it was the brand new nozzles. Filaments, heat, levelling mechanicals etc,. Then finally fixed one today, and went straight home and fixed the other in a few minutes


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Using 40W adapter on 30W heater cartridge?
Recently, I accidentally shorted out my heater cartridge when trying to do my first nozzle swap on my Prusa MK3S+. I just ordered a new E3D v6 Hotend with 30 W Heater Cartridge and it will be here in a few days. I just cut the wire from my heater cartridge to my heat block (long story short, I can't remove it from the block). I'm not sure I understand exactly the wattage though. The heater cartridge that came with my Prusa MK3S+ is 40 W. Does that mean the actual cartridge or the plug into the board? Also, can I just solder the existing 40 W wires to the new 30 W cartridge? If so, does it need to be a precise solder (I'm not very good at precise soldering) Finally, can I just wrap the connection in electrical tape? Sorry for so many questions; this is my first time trying to understand the electrical component of 3D Printing. Any help would be appreciated.
I can't replace my individual heater cartridge because the screw was melted in. I checked my mainboard fuses and they are fine. My printer still powers on, all the motors work fine, and even the bed heater works. I cut the wires at the heater cartridge and left them in the air not touching, and now it thinks it's heating up, so I think that I can deduce that the wires were touching the heater cartridge, and I wasn't able to separate them. Unfortunately, I don't have a wire crimper and am trying to keep this fix as simple as possible.
Note:
After using a 30 W heater on my MK3S+ for a while, I started getting thermal runaway problems somehow, and I have switched over to E3D Revo Six for the safer PTC heating element.

Welcome to 3D Printing Stack Exchange.  Please take the [tour] and read through the [FAQ] -- your question has too many questions in it and will be closed as it stands.  Please [edit] your question to ask one question.  You can ask the others separately (you don't even need to wait for this one to be answered).

I don't think this is really multiple questions, just clarification of what the OP doesn't understand about replacing the heater. The overall question is "what do I need to do to fix this?"

There's a lot going on in this question, and I think you would have done better to ask first before ordering anything how to fix your printer. It's not even clear what part is damaged. A heater cartridge itself can't be damaged by shorting, as that's basically the normal mode of operation for it. However, if you shorted the leads going into it to one another, bypassing the heater, those wires or more likely your mainboard could be toast. Or you might just have broken a wire.
Moreover, it doesn't make sense why you ordered a whole replacement hotend, much less one that's a downgrade for your printer. The E3D V6 is woefully underpowered at 30W. 40W is a bare minimum nowadays.
To answer your specific question points, normally heater cartridges and preassembled hotends come with wires long enough, and proper gauge, to go all the way to the terminals on the mainboard. Some, however, have short wires and some sort of connector. If it has long wires, it's best to just run them all the way to the mainboard as intended rather than splicing. If you do need to splice wire or add a connector, wiring that was made for a higher current will be fine for lower current (as long as it's undamaged). Solder joints are generally not a good idea, though, as they will undergo wear when the wire moves with the toolhead. My understanding is that it's better to use some sort of crimp splice.
And of course, before you do any of this, try to determine whether your controller board is what's damaged. If so, which I think is fairly likely, then you need to either repair or replace it, not the hotend. Connecting a multimeter (in voltage mode) or light bulb of the appropriate voltage to the heater terminal on the board and trying to run the heater would tell you immediately if it's bad (no output) but won't necessarily tell you that it's good.

Thank you for your quick answer. I was going to get a Prusa-specific hotend from E3D, but the shipping would take a few weeks. I can't replace my individual heater cartridge because the screw was melted in. I checked my mainboard fuses and they are fine. My printer still powers on, all the motors work fine, even the bed heater works. I cut the wires at the heater cartridge, and left them in air not touching, and now it thinks its heating up, so I think that I can deduce that the wires were touching at the heater cartridge, and I wasn't able to separate them.


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Why raft is printed much better than the actual first layer?
I'm facing a weird problem I cannot understand why it happens.
Most of my objects have a large planar base so I don't have any adhesion issue.
I'm using a PLA Silk gold filament from eSun (filament dryer is on while printing) and a Dremel 3D45 printer.
This is the bottom (first layer) of an object printed directly on the (glass) bed:

Then I tried another object (very similar) using a raft. The raft itself is almost perfect:

But, again, the first layer of the actual object (only 0,1 mm air gap from the raft) has the same problems of the first one:

The most relevant settings I'm using in Cura are:

layer height: 0.2 mm
initial layer height: 0.3 mm
top/bottom line width: 0.4 mm
initial layer line width: 100%
top/bottom thickness: 0.8 mm
nozzle temperature: 205 °C
nozzle temperature initial layer: 210 °C
bed temperature: 60 °C
bed temperature initial layer: 65 °C
print speed: 50 mm/s
print speed initial layer: 25 mm/s
cooling: 100%
initial fan speed: 0%
regular fan speed at height: 0.3 mm

I enabled the auto-calibration before each print.

Based on the scarring and the appearance of the printed holes, it looks as if the nozzle to bed distance is not good, it is probably too large (could be too close as well, if you consider the scarring where the nozzle might have picked up already deposited material). The bed is also quite hot, for PLA you could drop this to 50 °C
Note that an initial layer height of 0.3 mm is also quite large, it causes a lot of material to be deposited while there might be too much/too little room for the amount. Printing on glass should give you a shiny mirror glaze finish (unless the glass is textured); the images don't express that feature from printing on glass build platforms.
A raft generally shouldn't be necessary for PLA (but some exceptions may apply), but certainly not for large planar based prints with a decent amount of surface area in contact with the bed. It is hard to get a nice surface on top of a raft/support structure.
Rafts generally print very well as there is extra space in between the deposited lines, and there usually is some over-extrusion.

Rafting here was just an experiment. I'm going to play with the initial layer height but I have some issues to find the best nozzle gap. The Dremel procedure is long and (to me) seems not so reliable. By the way under 50 °C the PLA does not stick to the bed (even with the purple glue) and the manufacturer suggests bed temperature up to 60 °C (comments on Amazon says this as well).

I got a very shiny finish on the bottom raising the initial layer flow to 105%. But the down side was it detached easily from the second layer!

This hints more to an incorrect nozzle to bed distance. You shouldn't change flow of the first layer, normally there are already modifiers at play for the first layer.

Ok. Do you suggest to change the nozzle gap + or - 0.1 mm, try to print and see what happens?

You can easily redefine the height by editing the G-code file, see How to set the Z home offset or this answer.

I occasionally find a raft useful on PLA prints if I'm printing a model with very little contact to the bed. A raft under the part and supports can help keep it stable. Otherwise, yeah, a raft is a waste of machine time and filament.


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Editing a G-code file for different material
I had a model I had originally printed in PLA, and then lost the STL... but I still have the G-code. Now I want to print it in PET-G. Do I need to do anything other than update the numbers on the M104 and M90 instructions near the top of the file to set for new hot end and bed temperatures to get it to print properly?
I know some materials I might also need to adjust speeds, but it seems like with PLA<=>PET-G those two items ought to be enough. Is there anything else I should check?

Tired of waiting, the print is now 40% done and seems to be just fine.
Thinking through my own problem more, there are three other things I might want to check (other than base speeds, as mentioned in the question) if I do this in the future:

Cooling. Some materials need the cooling fan set differently. This should also be a single line edit near the top of the file.
Retraction. Some materials need different retraction settings to control stringing, and in fact I do find I often need retraction to be a little more aggressive for PET-G vs PLA, even if this one print came out okay. This change is needed for every retraction instruction, instead of just once at the top of the file, but I could probably adjust it via a simple find/replace in the file.
Travel Speed. Some materials need faster travel moves, also for stringing.  This manages a trade-off between speed and quality. One could just always set for the fastest travel speed, which both improves print times and stringing, but faster travel moves sometimes result in ringing/ghosting at the corners, and so there's a balance that can be different per material type. This might be adjustable with a find/replace, but I would want to read through the file some to be sure we don't use similar gcode/speed numbers for anything else. It may also be possible to use strong accelleration/jerk controls to compensate for consistently faster travel moves, in which case I could set my slicer to use fast speeds that still always work, regardless of material.

With M220 you can alter the speeds, so that would take care of PLA to PETG difference in speed. Note that sometimes fan speeds are increased for printing overhangs or small areas. How are your Python skills! ;-) That should fix this fast!

@0scar I'd go for PowerShell (or even C#), but the coding wouldn't be a problem :)

Indeed, what you're doing should work fine, and thinking about it exposes how misleading slicers are about the need for profiles. For the most part, gcode is not just material independent but even device independent, and can be made even moreso if you use features like firmware retraction that let you configure more of the variables on the firmware/printer side instead of the slicer.

Some slicers have a separate temperature for the first layer, so watch for second set of hotend temp and bed temp commands in the Gcode after the first layer completes. It may sneak back to the PLA temperature.

Yeah, I've actually printed an ABS gcode (editing speed and temps) with porcelain.


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Layers offset at top and bottom and some inbetween
I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem/problems for a couple of days now regarding printing issues caused probably by the Z-axis. I'm new to 3D printing and kind of at a loss about what to do next or how to do it right. I hope you have some ideas about what could cause it and what to try. (There is also a picture included where you can see missing spots/holes in the print and I also would like to know how to fix that)

Printer: ELEGOO Neptune 3
Material: PLA
Slicer: Cura

What I already tried:

Readjusting the lead screw and couplers
Readjusting the belt tension
Readjusting the rollers


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Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing?
Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing? If not should I do some kind of curing (like in resin printing) when my prints are done or wash them with alcohol or something.

FFF/FDM: Yes
FDM/FFF runs by melting a filament and letting it cool again. As soon as the printed parts are cooled down to below 50°C (which is rather quick) handling them is safe. There's no chemical process involved, it is a pure physical, thermoplastic process, and the plastic re-solidifies as the part is cooled down.
It is far more likely to get damage from touching the hotend than from the printed part.
SLS/DLMS aka Fused Powder prints: Yes but...
SLS/DLMS runs by pointing a high-powered laser on a fine powder and melting/smelting/welding/sintering it together. While such powder prints, no matter what type of powder they are made from, are safe for your hands to touch, the fine powders are very bad for your lungs. Handling such prints requires breathing protection until they are dusted off, usually using compressed air.
For stability, some are impregnated with resins after print, which requires hand protection till the resins are cured.
DLP/SLA aka "Resin": NO
Resin parts are made by curing a liquid resin.
The most common type is DLP/SLA, where a laser or light source cures the resin at the bottom of a vat and the model is pulled up from. As a result, they come coated in liquid, uncured resin. These resins are a known skin irritant, and their fumes can be an irritant too. In general, keep them in a dedicated workshop.
Because of this, these prints are not safe to handle barehanded and need to be washed and cured after printing.
Polyjet Resin Printing: kindoff
There's a method of resin printing that is more akin to an inkjet printer, such as the Stratasys Polyjet system. Those prints don't come coated in resin and come out cured to a point where handling them is safe, but those are (as of 2022) industrial machines, and even as the PolyJet core patent expired in 2019, it is a market that nobody jumped at, especially considering many of the advanced features like full-color Polyjet using CMYB is under patent still. Oh, and apparently, even in 2022, only one other company managed to make a functional Polyjet machine that is ripe for the market, which is super tiny in the first place.
Back to topic. While the parts come out fully cured, polyjet printing itself is messy. You absolutely need support material everywhere. It is safe to touch, but in the dissolution stage of the support material, it is most certainly not safe to touch.


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Ender 3 Pro bed is lower in the middle
I just purchased this Ender 3 Pro about 1 week ago and since then I've been having nightmares with leveling/tramming the printer bed. From having to tram it again after every print to not being able to level it at all.
Since then I've been reading and watching a lot of problem-related content to try and find a solution.
The two most recommended upgrades were a glass bed and stiffer springs for the bed so that's what I bought. I purchased the original Creality glass bed and the yellow springs and for a day or so I got it to work in an acceptable way but I still had to tram the bed every couple of prints.
Today for some unknown reason, I woke up and I can't seem to get my bed leveled in the middle. I've tried every possible solution that crossed my mind but the middle of the bed is still too far from the nozzle and the filament won't stick.

The recommended purchase is an auto bed leveling probe.

It is likely that your bed is deformed, I have this problem too. The easiest way to test it is to get a metal ruler and put it on its side vertically on the glass bed (at a 45° angle). If you see any light seeping through the middle, then the bed is sagging, but if you see light on the edges, then the bed has a bump. The easiest and cheapest way to fix this is to put post-its (you can use one or more) under the mat on the locations where you see the light.

Glass beds are rigid, they won't sag in the middle after a few days, or months, or years. So the problem might be the undercarriage levelling equipment.
The screws may be unwinding or slipping somehow. I suggest you level it one by one and fix the knobs so they cannot turn and then try it out. Perhaps before that unwind the knobs fully and examine the threads for problems like slippage.

the glass might also be deformed, or  it is actually the print deforming as it cools.

@Trish glass was fine but deformed overnight? Seems unlikely, as does the print deforming since it never gets a chance to cool. It's failing on first layer

unlikely, but glass under stress can bend very slightly.

@Trish never seen it when it's on a flat surface so I just gave the most likely scenario for the OP

I suspected that the screws where slipping too that's why I bought the yellow kit of springs that are stiffer and it made it not really easy for them to move only by the printer vibration.
For the glass bed possible deforming I also added some foil pieces on the center of my printer bed under the glass.
I changed some settings on my slicer to make it easy to print and I'm getting some prints out of it again but the middle of the bed is still lower than the rest of it!

Change the glass then. I don't have a fancy glass bed, just a piece I cut from a broken louvre at first, PETG ruined that eventually so I'm now using glass cut from an old window


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How does relative bed flatness affect print quality?
What are ways to a priori determine how bed flatness affects prints, as a function of the initial layer height? It's pretty obvious that a 50 µm difference from one edge of the print to the other is not a big deal when layer heights are 500 µm, but it's huge when the initial layer height is 100 µm.
So where's the elbow between good, okay, and bad?
Motivation: I'm working on making a flat bed and want to know when to stop.

You can go about this by doing the arithmetic for volume of the extruded lines that go in the first layer, and figuring how their width will be affected by their thickness differing from the planned thickness.
For isolated lines or lines that are just part of a double wall, any excess will be "elephant foot". For solid fill, the error will accumulate until there's nowhere for the material to go, and it will either pile up above the nozzle height at the sides of the nozzle or cause the extruder to skip or slip after building up pressure that leaves the nozzle over-primed. It's also possible that the bed springs or compressibility of the build surface (buildtak, etc.) take up some of the error past this point.
For cases where the distance between the nozzle and bed is too great, on the other hand, it's possible that the extrusion will only slightly smash against the bed, or not at all. In that case you have to work out what dimensions the non-squished, likely-circular cross sections will have.

I feel like the case of too-great distance is particularly pernicious, as the result isn't just lack of squish, but warping and unmoored prints leading to failure. Do you have any guidance for evaluating the risks and results?

You asked about "a priori" ways to determine, so rather than trying to give anecdotal or empirical findings I focused on how you'd go about predicting the behavior. I think it shoul be possible to get a rough idea at what point lack of adhesion will occur this way - you'd look for the distance where the extrusion becomes mostly round and has very little surface area left to squish against the buildplate.

I see what you're getting at, although I'm not sure what I can do with "very little" in regards to surface area. I think it would be helpful to have a rule of thumb, if such a beast were to exist. Is "very little" a percentage of surface area? Volume? Or is it more likely to be a fixed width no matter the layer height and width.

If you imagine the cross section as a bubble expanding from the nozzle orifice, I think you'll find there's a fairly rapid transition from making no contact at all with the bed (fully round bottom) to covering a large portion of the intended line width. You'd have to work out the math to be sure, but this is my intuition at least.


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What does somebody mean in Cura when he demands a "feeding rate of 105%"?
In a review for a certain filament I read that somebody recommended "a feeding rate of 105%".
What does he mean, and how could I set this in Cura?
When I search for "feed" in the print settings properties of Cura, nothing is found, so I suspect he means "speed".
When I search for speed, multiple speed settings turn up, not only one.
How could I do what he recommended?
Thank you!

[Extruder] feed rate [modifier] is used synonymous to extrusion multiplier
The feed rate of the extruder is the rate at which filament is pushed (fed) into the hotend. An overwrite value that modifies that rate from the normal rate is in most slicers called "extrusion multiplier".
It is a quickfix to manipulate print behavior, especially addressing under extrusion due to various problems, such as mis-sized filament or to compensate for deformability of it compared to the filament the extruder is calibrated for.
It is however not a permanent fix. See also here, here and here.

This is the right answer. On top of this, such advice from a filament reviewer is not likely to be meaningful unless you have the exact same printer as them, since the reason they needed to do this could be tied to their printer's extrusion system, material properties of the filament, or some interaction between the two. Only if they said "this filament is routinely undersized vs the nominal 1.75 mm diameter, so you need to adjust the flow to compensate" would it be meaningful to a general audience.

The answer correctly translates/explains what is meant by the link source, but actually, the feed rate is incorrectly used in the source, feed rate applies to all steppers simultaneously, not on E alone. And as such Feed Rate is not a synonym for Extrusion Multiplier (in general).

In the context of the linked source (in German "Die Feeding Rate sollte mit 105 % eingestellt werden"), with "a feeding rate of 105 %" is meant the extrusion multiplier (there is no reference in the source to Cura). This is explained in this answer. The answer is correct for the translation, but should have warned for the incorrect wording. Technically, feed rate is not a synonym for extrusion multiplier.
The source is wrongly using the term "feeding rate", feeding rate is the rate at which all steppers are scaled, not solely the E (extruder) stepper.
In G-code this is found to be the F parameter, e.g. in G1 F1200 X76.468 Y148.947 E0.0264 the feed rate of 1200 mm/min is applied on all steppers, in this example X, Y and E. Changing the feed rate changes all speeds for all steppers simultaneously. This is found in G-code M220.
The extrusion multiplier (or known as "Flow Percentage") only acts on the E stepper motor, this is not reflected in the G-code, but adjusted in the firmware planner. The G-code to adjust the flow percentage is M221


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What is this situation called and how do I avoid it?
I am trying to print ColorFabb XT-Filament PETG on my Kobra Max, and I get the following results:

These are my Cura settings:

WAY too low print temperature/wrong material Profile
That's a PLA profile with 195 °C on the printhead. PETG is recommended between 230 °C and 250 °C. Load a PETG-Profile. in Cura, the material (which dictates print temperature) is a separate thing and can be swapped independent of many other settings, especially how detailed you print. However, very careful piece of advice:
Save your profile before swapping materials!

Thank you. I don't have a PETG profile. I will change the settings according to your recommendation. Edit: Oh, I find an instruction how to activate a profile for PETG in Cura: https://all3dp.com/2/cura-petg-settings-profile/

yes, you can just swap the material in CURA, which swaps print temp and some other things.

The advised temperature of ColorFabb XT is 240-260 °C and a bed temperature of 60-70 °C.

Real PETG needs at least 245 or so to print decently at all, and preferably 260 or so if your printer can handle it safely (needs all-metal hotend). Fake "PETG" can be all sorts of random plastics mixed together and might print anywhere from 210 to 250.


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Is the first layer safe to touch after printing with heated bed adhesive (PrimaFix)?
I just purchased the PrimaFix heated bed adhesive for my 3D printer. I read on the back of the box that it's dangerous when it comes in contact with the eyes, skin, mouth and when swallowed.
After printing, is it safe to touch the first layer? If not, what should I do to make it safe to touch?

I imagine that the warning is related to the state when it is fluid, not dried.

This is a general purpose catch all warning that some people with sensitive skin might have a rash like reaction, and you should never put these things in your mouth or eyes anyway.
It just means that you should treat it like you would super glue.
Once it's dry it's inert and safe to handle


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Make a joint to keep together rings of PLA
I have a PLA 3D-printed object made of several rings with a diameter of 150 mm and a thickness of 6 mm. The height of each ring is about 30-35 mm but it does not matter so much.
I'm looking for a way to keep the rings together (one on top of another). I cannot place anything inside the ring (like a thicker area to host a nut). Most of the rings may have a closed top or bottom, so I cannot access the inner part.
I'm using three tabs (at different angles to force the correct alignment) that fit inside matching slots on the counterpart:

They are a bit stronger than pins and holes due to the greater surface of the base layer, but of course are useful only for alignment.
Due to the very small thickness of the ring I cannot place a screw inside them to keep in position, the inner wall cannot hold a screw!
I was thinking about L-shaped tabs and slots to fix the rings rotating them a bit, but:

it would not easy to clean the horizontal leg of the slots
nothing would prevent to rotate the rings in the opposite way (even accidentally) so the disconnect

For my use-case scenario, I don't need anything too strong. Just avoid to disconnect the rings when taking the object in hands. I tried with magnets but:

to make an acceptable resistance I needed 7-8 per ring (due to their small size)
the electronics inside uses Hall sensors so I cannot use magnets!

Any idea?

Do you need to be able to disassemble this at random times?

@ZeissIkon yes, it may happen. Otherwise I could just glue them

Double sided tape? Not the foam tape type, but the tape that is used to glue kite fabric together before stitching, is this something that you can use?

@0scar, not sure which type are you talking about. Do you have any link? I would avoid tapes and glues, but I may definitely give it a try

@Mark E.g. 3M GPT-020F is only 0.2 mm thick, but I think I used Nitto double sided tape for my kite ages ago...

One possibility, if the wall thickness is sufficient, might be to put screw threads in the actual tube wall.
The wonderful thing with CAD and 3D printing is you can absolutely control the thread start points and shoulder position, so the clock orientation of the parts when they're screwed together is perfectly repeatable from one part to the next.
The potential down side is that threads require some minimum wall thickness to avoid introducing a line of weakness where the root diameter is too close to the inside or outside diameter of the main part.  One way to help this is to use finer threads, or square or Acme thread profile, which can grip strongly without a great deal of engagement depth.

Actually, this is a great idea. I have to play a bit with the CAD to understand if I have enough knowledge to design the threads in that way.

The only downside I can see (but it can be acceptable) is I have some slots that run across all the rings to put in cables. With your method it's impossible to inspect a ring after assembly.

You could use velcro. I find it very easy to work with because you can cut it precisely with scissors or craft knife, and it's great for just holding things together but won't come undone by accident.
It's cheap and there are lots of different thicknesses at sewing shops. The ones I use come in sheets and have an adhesive backing. Takes a day for the adhesive to cure but once it's stuck on it won't come off.


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Changing filament colors
I am new to 3D printing. I have a Longer LK5 Pro. I was making a part that has raised letters, and wanted to have white letters on the black part. I used a Post Processing script on the Cura program called "change filament", which is supposed to stop printing, retract the head, and allow you to change the filament. Mine just keeps on printing. I've tried "pause" and done the filament change, but unsuccessfully so far because of blobs deposited on the letters.
Any suggestions?

I've done it a few ways depending on the desired effect I'm after.
Manually pausing the machine is what seems to come out best. If you design for it, you can sometimes have it pause while it's over infill and therefore has no blobs to worry about. I haven't looked into doing it automatically, but perhaps it's possible to pause partway through a layer.
If the design doesn't have to be flat, then I'll do a solid colour and the last top layers another colour with the design cut out. This is to my mind optimal as you get a bit of texture with the design inset as well as different colour and makes for a nice clean method.
The other way was z-hopping which is an idea I got from a Youtube video. Cura has a setting for this. Basically you can make the nozzle lift when it moves. You split the colours into two separate objects and you print in one colour. Then you change filament and print another colour as a separate print right over the top of it and the nozzle hops over the original print.

Manually pause and immediately do an X-home or Y-home so nozzle is not over the work. Swap filament. Repeat an X-home and a Y-home to assure printer knows where the nozzle is (it's possible to disturb the print head position while changing filament). Manually turn on extruder heater if it's off and allow to reach printing temperature. Advance filament to purge old color and assure heating chamber is filled. Resume.
It works pretty reliably for me...

Cura's "Filament change" post-process script relies on the insertion of the G-code M600. This only works when your printer manufacturer has activated this in the firmware!
The Marlin default is that the M600 command is not functional, see e.g. the following line of code of the advanced configuration file:
//#define ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE

In order to enable the functionality to "add" the M600 code to the firmware you need to rebuild the firmware by removing the // in front of the #define ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE. This may require some additional skills to do, downloading firmware, setting the proper settings in the configuration for your specific printer model, compiling and installing the firmware.
The alternative is manual pausing from the display, but this requires you to be present at the printer.
Another alternative is that you alter the G-code yourself to insert a dwell code (G4), which can be supplemented by a move away from your print), note this requires you to also sit next to the printer, the dwell command will allow for a pause for a specified amount of time, be sure not the miss the window.

I found that raised letters look and work better when picked-out using paint or permanent marker.
Print your lettering in your part but don't even bother changing filament.  Instead carefully use a marker pen or paint brush to colour in the top of the lettering.   Depending on the paint you might choose to do several layers.
Nail polish is an excellent paint option - it comes in a plethora of colours and the budget stuff works fine.  Gold/silver/metallic "art markers" give a nice look on black or white PLA too.
Note, white/light filament jobs may encourage pigments to track between the layers, giving a shadow look.  Test before committing.
When dry, you might chose to do a clearcoat of spray paint on top for durability.
IMO changing filament colour is a feature that doesn't work very reliably.

I have a Longer LK5 Pro. The filament runout sensor provides the perfect functionality for this problem.
Insert a switch in the sensor line. I used this 12V 24V Latching Switch, Mini Latching Push Button Switch.
Pop the button over infill, the runout routine stops the print nearly instantly, parks the print head and brings up the change filament option screen. Make the change, pop the button, and hit resume. Clunky, but it works.


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Cause of print errors with PC + CF?
I simply don't have a lot of experience with 3D FDM printing and additionally Priline PC+CF filament.
It does print relatively easily. But a coworker wanted a Batman symbol for his daughter. Now I'm getting problems.
Seems on longer runs when filling in the top or bottom the right side doesn't have enough filament while the left side does.
Then there are these occasional areas where the material... guessing is retracted and causing a lift?
Was going to try disabling it... there are lots of things to try but was hoping for some guidance. Thanks

I don't recall having either issue with PLA, especially the bottom. And that didn't manifest until this model.
Printer: Ender 3 S1 Pro
Slicer: MatterControl
Nozzle: 265 °C
Bed: 105 °

I already changed my Slicer settings. Aside from going into the G code can only give ballpark. Print was ~265C nozzle 105C bed.

One thing that you have to remember is that PC/CF filaments are hygroscopic, they absorb lots of moisture from the air very quickly.
So I would begin by drying your filament, and then printing with it inside of a dry air-sealed box such as a food dehydrator or a box of silica packets.
When not using the filament, it is crucial that it is not left out.


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Ender 3 Pro, tried both SKR Mini E3 V2 and V3 and still unable to connect with OctoPrint
So, long story short, I was using the SKR Mini E3 V2 and had a load of weird issues which lead to it not being able to connect via a Raspberry Pi 3B via USB (using OctoPi distribution).
I tried updating firmware and it would connect to the printer but failed whenever I did anything i.e. heating, moving an axis, etc. I eventually managed to find a heating error. I changed the thermistor on the hot end, realized it was complaining about the heated bed so changed that too, then the Pi just wouldn't see the board. I bought a new V3 board and on the first test everything connected fine; it even started heating up and then cut off as it was getting warm. After a couple of attempts to refresh the firmware, it has done the same thing where it won't find the printer. Like an idiot, I had removed the original LCD screen as I would just use OctoPrint as the screen. I am going to check it when I find out what I did with it.
Firstly, is there a way to set the boards back to default, just so the Pi sees either again? Secondly, is there a reasonable firmware that I can download or should I just use the Visual Studio application to rebuild the firmware? Would this even be helpful at this stage?

First thing you should try is to see if you can establish a connection to the controller boards over USB (beware of Baud rate and USB port location/name). Use Pronterface or other console interface and try to manage the printer from your computer/laptop. If that works, OctoPrint should also work, we may need some screenshots of the connection and the failures shown by OctroPrint.

Well.... turns out I'm kind of an idiot but not entirely... I found 3dprintscape.com and he said he had issues with the firmware downloading directly but if he downloaded the whole git as a zip and got it from there... I tried it and it seems to have worked! I even found my screen for the printer which confirms it... but that now means I have an extra board which is probably working fine... dammit... lol
Thanks for at least looking at it if you did... sorry to be easily confused..


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eSun Silk Rainbow PLA leads to nozzle clogging
I use eSUN (Silk) PLA filament daily and I've never had an issue. I use the parameters suggested by the manufacturer:

nozzle temperature: 210 °C
bed temperature: 60 °C (with purple glue)

The extrusions are perfects (the printing itself may be improved, but here I'm talking about the extrusion) even if it runs for 20h+.
Instead with the Silk Rainbow PLA filament, after few hours the extruder is clogged. No more extrusion. I have to stop the printing (and waste all) preheat the extruder, remove the nozzle and extract the filament. Then, feeding another kind of PLA I'm able to recover the functionality.
This happens ONLY with this specific filament!
I tried to increase the nozzle temperature up to 220 °C. It lasted maybe one hour longer but eventually failed again.
The filament is stored inside a dryer that is on during printing.
What can cause such a behavior? I have a Dremel 3D45.
UPDATE
Here some pictures. Some parts are broken because I had already thrown it away. The bottom layer is quite good:

Details of the surface of the base:

Details of the infill and support structures:

Weird enough both the comment and the answer suggest to lower the temperature but here the answer I received from the manufacturer:

You can adjust the printing temperature to 230 °C higher, and then
adjust the printing speed to 40 mm/s slower. The plug is generally
caused by bad material fluidity, the temperature is set higher, you
can increase the fluidity.

I suggest you lower the temperature. There's a different sweet spot for some filaments even if they're the same brand. And it's not always the middle recommended heat on the label I have found.

Question updated, the manufacturer suggests to higher the temperature. Do you find a rationale in this hint?

@Mark the op already tried that, making it lower is the next logical troubleshooting measure. It's what has worked for me in the past.

I am the OP. Actually I only raised the temperature to 220 °C, while eSun suggests to reach 230 °C instead of lowering it. What I mean is: why try at random temperatures instead of understand which is the problem and (at least) change the temperature in the right direction?

@Mark good luck

@Mark the solution is: print a temperature tower.


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A vertical scar on the print surface, what is the name of this problem?

Printer: Kobra Max
Nozzle: 0.4 mm
Material: PLA
Slicer :Cura

I have printed 1 model 3 times with different settings (different temperatures and different bed temperatures).

Try 1: 190 °C / 50 °C
Try 2: 210 °C / 70 °C
Try 3: 230 °C / 50 °C

All 3 models show 1 "line" at some point.
The models are smooth all around, but then there is this 1 line on each model.
What is this error called, please?

This is the Z-seam, or just "seam". It's a consequence of the fact that the extrusion of each layer has to start and stop at some point rather than being a continuous path for the whole print (like it would be in "vase mode").
Depending on your retraction speed and distance, travel speed, linear advance/pressure advance tuning, and various slicer-level knobs, the seam can range from mild and nearly imperceptible to a giant bulge to a gaping hole in your print. Yours doesn't look terribly bad.
Most slicers (you didn't mention which you're using; knowing that could help get better answers) have options to control where they position the seam, letting you hide it in corners where possible or put it consistently along one edge of the model you don't care about.

Thank you! Do you have any idea where I could hide the seam for this knob? The knob is round. Edit: I think I will post a new question for this...

For anything that is meant to be round, you probably want to be thinking about vase mode

@MikeBrockington Actually that is not possible for the geometry of the prints of the OP, they have quite thick walls. Vase mode or also known as spiralize mode has a continuously increasing Z height, so therefore it is not possible to have more than 1 wall/perimeter.

I had the same concern to make mechanical connections where we tolerate a distance of 0.1 mm and these so-called "sewing points" making it impossible. I started to compare between the preview before printing in the slicer and the part printed before.
The problem is recurrent along a vertical line and always repeats itself at the same point. So by looking to the layer settings, there is a junction between the outer and the first inter shell. This junction could be avoided by modifying the "shell print order" parameter.
Here is a video shows the difference abd before / after picture. The line remains visible but the points disappear completely. You can set the layer height to 1.2 mm for better results.


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How / where do I hide the seam?

Printer: Kobra Max
Nozzle: 0.4 mm
Material: PLA
Slicer :Cura

I have printed 1 model 3 times with different settings (different temperatures and different bed temperatures).

Try 1: 190 °C / 50 °C
Try 2: 210 °C / 70 °C
Try 3: 230 °C / 50 °C

All 3 models show a seam.
How / where do I best hide this seam?

These are some screenshots of the model in Fusion 360:

I've also seen an option to hide the seam by burying it inside the part, between walls.  However, it is possible Cura doesn't support this?

There are a bunch of possible causes for the seam. But the main one is retraction.
In Cura the main setting affecting this is under 'Travel'.
In the 'Travel' settings is 'Enable retraction', and 'Retract at layer change'.
Retraction pulls the filament up and it doesn't make such a noticeable seam.

Wow, the seam is almost invisible now! Why is that not the default / standard setting?

@tmighty Specifically, the problem with insufficient or disabled retraction especially with materials like PETG is you'll get quite a lot of stringing and it can take forever to clean up the print afterwards.

In the Cura settings, search for "seam". This will then display the options to adjust those settings.

Make the following adjustments:

Z Seam Alignment to User Specified
Z Seam Position to Back
Seam Corner Preference to Hide Seam

This will position the seam to the best possible position both inside and out.

Thank you! Could you add the fact that one needs to activate showing these settings in the preferences, first? Because for me, they were hidden at first.

Oh, and in the Cura version that I installed, these settings were already set / standard.

I can mention that but you can just search for the term "seam" at the top of the settings, as is seen in the screenshot.

With cylindrical objects you cannot hide the seem (as there aren't sharp corners to hide the seam), unless the parts are oriented always facing a certain side.
There are 3 options, one is to face the part with the view you want to display and put the seam at the back with a slicer option, or two, fiddle with the retraction settings to minimize the seem as much as possible, or three, randomize the seam (but this generally doesn't look very well).

option 4: grab some files and remove it after printing. Like me. I sand such away.

I mainly use PETG, sanding doesn't look that well.

There are 5 Ways to deal with seam placement
2 ways to place seams deliberately with  Z seam alignment: User specified

Seam Corner Preference: sharpest corner - this is good to get the seams to one corner, and for boxy prints can make them invisible even. However, this fails for cylinders, as it needs a corner that is discernable sharper than others.
Seam Corner Position: Choosing a direction - this fails to remove the seam for cylinders for the same reason, but can help if one side isn't seen usually.

1 way to distribute the seams and blend them in

Z seam alignment: random - by distributing the Z-seams randomly, the whole print looks uniform, but you also have the bulges all over the build.

Vase mode is seamless
By activating Vase Mode, the print is automatically printed with a single, continuous shell made from a single, spiraling line. However, such prints can't have overhangs at all and are very thin, making them unusable for most technical applications.
Postprocessing can remove seams
The most common way is to put the seam on a surface where it does not hurt, and then remove it after the print with either a sharp knife, scraper, sandpaper, or needle files. In most technical usages, sanding and smoothing over the layer lines is beneficial anyway, so removing the seam in the same step often isn't too much an extra problem.

Removal works if the seam is a bulge, but if you printer is well-tuned, it's more likely to be just a really thin groove.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE depending on the project, a slight bulge is preferential as you don't need to add filler, but indeed, a grove is possible, but can risk 'start problem' on some printers.

Hiding the seam isn't really possible when the object is rotationally symmetric. The closest you can get is hiding it "statistically" by distributing the seam randomly so it's fractionally-bad everywhere rather than fully-bad in one place. Depending on your needs, this might be good, or it might be awful. If you're hoping to clean up the seam in postprocessing, it's probably awful since there's not just one isolated point that needs fixing with a razor blade or something, but the whole print surface.
One thing you can try, though, is turning on wipe. In Cura this is "Outer Wall Wipe Distance". Setting it to 1-2 mm can go a long way to concealing the seam, especially if it's not bulging from ooze, which yours doesn't seem to be. Combined with random distribution, this might come out looking pretty good for your particular need.
In general, how to deal with seams depends on whether the problem is cosmetic or functional. I'm assuming in your case it's cosmetic, but if it is functional (affecting fit of mechanical parts together, making a printed gear rotationally asymmetric, etc.) then one trick you can do is make an artificial cut into the surface at an arbitrary point and selecting to put the seam on the sharpest corner. This can help ensure the entire print fits inside the intended print volume, and is only missing a small amount of material on a scale smaller than the functional scale of the print.


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Can I 3D print a wall assembly and expect it to be load-bearing?
I need to build me a small support wall 250x80 cm mounted on two metal supports approximately 200 cm apart.
I was looking into WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) boards and then it hit me that I may be able to make it functional AND pretty with my 3D printer (Prusa MK3S + MMU2).
However, I have zero idea on how to calculate whether the board will be able to handle the weight of the soil I would shovel behind it, if at all.
My current design proposal is to make a hexagon mesh of PETG filament. The hexagons would have cylinder cutouts in all three directions, through which I would then hammer in cylinders to bind them together. Perhaps even some edge contours so that they fit perfectly.
But, my problem is that I don't know how to calculate the strength of such a solution (or any other).
Is this even a viable idea?
The filament type needs a bit more explanation:
My current proposal is PETG since I read that PLA will become brittle with time (as I can attest to myself having to replace my flag pole holder every 3 - 4 years)
I don't want ABS since I have horrible experience printing it.
I did not find anything of particular use when searching for "3D print load-bearing" on this site and similar with Google searches...

The answer is: "Yes you can", but at what design... (not as compact as WPC boards). Maybe you should add an image of the geometry or a sketch. I can't see you print lengths of 80 cm. Furthermore, it might become pretty impractical to print considering the multiple parts and it may not be cheap.

People make load-bearing parts for printers that handle kg-scale moving parts accelerating at 3-5 gs out of ABS, ASA, PC, and PET, so in general yes, but it depends on the specifics of your load.

Even if your design ends up being strong enough, consider the time and cost of printing it vs simply buying some WPC and installing it. Unless you're in it for the "Look what I did, it's so cool!" factor, it seems totally impractical and overly expensive to me...

They've 3D printed entire bridges (I think just for pedestrians so far, not sure if there are any vehicle-rated bridges yet).  So it's possible, just not likely to be within an amateur budget....

Yes, of course, in your wording. Hasn't YouTube showed you 37-or more examples?

You could print a decorative layer that attaches to the WPC board.
It would be faster and cheaper, and there'd be no doubt about its strength.

i was beginning to lean in this direction too: it would save tons in filament cost since strength would no longer be required

It's far too easy to fall to the Law of the instrument. To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Calculations such as you want are not possible in my opinion except in such general terms as to be useless. Differences in layer height, layer adhesion, print quality and what heat you printed the item would all affect the physical properties.
Since it's not a manufactured item with known properties but a unique one. You would have to print and test it yourself.

Here are some general issues with load bearing 3d prints for this type of usage:

If this is to be used outside, plastic has issues with both water and UV exposure making it brittle.  PETG does better on both of these areas than either PLA or ABS.
Plastic generally does better with compression than with shear or pulling.  In other words, hanging something from plastic might not work well but it might work as a bottom support or in a situation where it is squeezed rather than pulled.
Even if the plastic appears strong enough initially, it may "creep" where the plastic deforms under stress over time.  This applies to all three of compression, shear, and pulling.
To optimize for strength, print direction is critical.  You want to make sure that the stress will not be trying to shear print layers.  Also (for any material, not just 3d printed plastic), curved shapes are stronger than square corners.  A fillet instead of a corner makes a big difference, but more extreme curves are even better.
If you are going to make this out of modular pieces joined with a second material, it is very hard to characterize the strength of the resulting composite, but generally it is stronger than using a single material.

Regarding creep, it's very material dependent whether and to what degree it happens. The general consensus is that PLA and nylon do creep, ABS, ASA, and PET don't, and PETG probably does.

ABS does creep, but not a lot, and not nearly as much as PLA.  ABS is fairly elastic, tending to return to its previous shape when stress is removed, but it can be made to creep.  PLA tends to conform to the shape the stress puts on it, even when it is very small and brief.


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How do I choose a nozzle for PA12+CF for Kobra Max?
I am sorry if I sound too newbie, but to me, it seems like an unsolvable riddle:
I have not yet used any other nozzle than the one that comes with my printer.
I would now like to print Fiberlogy Nylon PA12+CF15 black, 1.75 mm on a Kobra Max, and in one YouTube video, somebody says that 260 °C were not hot enough for PA12+CF yet.
So I guess I have to buy a new nozzle as somebody in a review video said that the Kobra Max nozzle diffuses at over 260 °C.
How do I find a fitting nozzle and what do I need to pay attention to?
I have googled "Kobra Max full metal hot end" and found this Hotend for Anycubic Kobra Max on Anycubic's site, but it is being sent from China and takes 2-3 weeks. I would very much like to find one that is being delivered faster, but I don't know what else to search for.


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Single Line in same place on different models
I just got an Ender 3 S1 Pro and I've done a few prints using fairly stock settings out of Cura. A few minor tweaks to Layer Height and Start temps. I've done some research but can't really find an example of this issue. If someone can give me some insight, that would be very helpful.

Have you checked the z-axis screw for a bad spot.

If this defect is present in all your printed models, there most likely is something wrong with the mechanics of the printer. Check the rollers, the vertical posts and the screw. Make sure sure everything runs smoothly. Also look out for hitting external object near the printer like e.g. spool holders.

As suggested, check the components that move. One could have a tiny bit of debris in a roller/wheel, but the flaw in the model would be more periodic.

I had exactly the same problem, every print has had the same defect.
What solved it for me was calibration. I calibrated the printer once, it was already better, then I calibrated it another time and it was gone.

Hi Anouvee, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! Unfortunately your answer is marked with a low quality score by the system. Please expand your answer explaining what you mean by calibration by [edit]. Please explain in detail how calibration effects on the defect (the line present in the prints). Thanks!


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Cura 5.2 beta, flat wall indentation
Could anyone help me diagnose the setting or issue causing the effect in the second picture (indentation in a perfectly flat wall)?
The vertical wall should be flat, as shown in the first picture of the STL model.

You need to show us which wall you are talking about. I see several walls that are not vertical.

If you compare the slice preview to the stl you will notice the indentation I'm talking about where it should be flat. If I still need to point it out, look at the bottom left of the image.

Have you checked that the stl is error free?

can you pull down to look into the affected layers?

Could you post the STL as a link or on e.g. Thingiverse? We can then try ourselves.

added some pictures, I cant post the model.
Model comes from Autodesk Inventor STL export, I never had stl errors doing this.
Indentation goes all the way around the pocket of what should be a perfectly flat wall.

Cura 5.2 is in Beta, have you tried a non beta release like e.g. 5.1.1? Also post a picture of the printed object, is the indentation present? Else it might be a drawing error, not an actual printing problem. This has happened in the past with Cura before if I remember correctly, I even think we have had a question on that before.

I'm going off limited information here, if you could provide a full view of the model that would help.
That being said;
It looks like there is a feature on the opposite side of the wall "pulling" the lines towards the outside.
There is no direct setting to change to fix this, it looks like the layer size is limiting how close the printer can mimic the geometry.
Try dropping the layer height drastically (ie. .02 to .01) in order to see if the indentation changes it's shape.
Alternately, change the orientation to non-ideal angles and see what changes.
At the core, it seems your issue is the actual interpretation of the model by the slicing software and may not have a setting associated with it.

I added some pictures to my post. The indentation goes all the around that pocket. The slicer should be able to leave such a gap in the infill or inner wall instead of on the outer wall, or even vary with trace width to account for whatever is doing this.
I tried to reduce the wall count to 1 with no effect, I have 5 set for the slice preview. No effect with layer height changes.

Ok, lets dig into this some more then. Is this the latest Cura release (5.1)? Do you have access to standard CAD software (SolidWorks, Blender, ChituBox, Fusion, etc.)? Have you tried 0%, 1%, 5%, 95%, 99%, and 100% infill? You have quite the conundrum here, assuming you have all the above already done - I would say you want a complete rebuild, i.e. importing the mesh into a CAD program, converting the mesh to a solid, converting the solid back to a mesh/STL. If that doesn't work then I would assume it has to be a setting issue in Cura. If this file is publicly available, you should share it.


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Some kind of stringing
I experience some lines on my prints. However, I would not really call them "stringing".
I have seen some stringing and it was rather like an undefined spider web.
But the lines that you see in my photo are super straight and fine.
Are they called "stringing" too? And how do I get rid of them?
Specs:

Printer: Kobra Max
Nozzle: 200 °C
Bed: 50 °C
Filament: GiantArm PLA

This is not stringing, this is oozing of material during travel move. Maybe you should change the title to "Unwanted deposited lines on build plate!". Retraction and combing are the options in the slicer you are looking for.

They're caused by filament being pulled during travel so they qualify as stringing.
You need to look at your retraction and heat, speed as well makes a difference. You can try combing and other things or just pull them off.

Do you think I should lower or raise the speed?

I think you should just pull the string off.

You should provide a better picture, i.e. a finished print.
Stringing is generally something you don't worry about - adjust your retraction settings a tiny bit to retract more.
I didn't see what software you used, that will help with where the settings are.
Also the plate is very different from the rest of the layers, it could just be a leveling issue.


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Same issue just started
Thermal runaway e1 ender 3 nozzle temp steady till it moves then nozzle temp drops and jumps all over then I get the thermal runaway. Also When wiring up to computer, it registers its there but it's unrecognized and won't communicate with it. I'm stuck. I don't have the money to throw at it and not sure how to check each part.

Sounds like something is shorting on the thermister.  Can you open the print head and look for bare wires or loose wires ?

It looks like you are asking two separate questions. One is possibly answered in the duplicate question proposed by Criggie, the other one needs more information to help find a solution.

The title should be changed to ask a single simple question.


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Extruder oozes filament out and slides build platform on contact with nozzle tip
If I am 3D printing on my Ender 3, and I pause the print, the extruder lets out more filament for like 2 seconds. This leaves a glob of dry filament on my print, which the could contact the nozzle tip, causing it to slide the build platform.
I have fixed the build platform sliding problem by attaching the included clips. However, another problem remains. Once the glob is made, the filament dropped on top of it gets pushed up, making the print not be even, which ruins the print. I don't think I did anything wrong on the setup, but it might just be that the extruder doesn't stop in time? Did I do anything wrong is is this an issue among all Ender 3s?

I use the Creality Ender 3

Are you printing from the SD card? Could you also [edit] your question to include which exact Ender 3 you have? Also add why you want to pause.

Yes, I am printing from an SD card. My print was taking too long, and the printer is in my room, so in order to be able to sleep I had to pause it.

I had this same issue, it's just how it works.
I solved it by pausing over infill, so when it resumes the blob is not visible. You can grab the filament with something as well, but it takes good timing. If you just pause/resume over infill then it doesn't matter.

It extrudes after a print to replace any filament that may have drooled out while it was paused.
Quite possibly it is extruding much more than necessary, and ideally, it would clean the nozzle after dong an extrusion like that.  However, the stock ender3 doesn't support automatic nozzle cleaning, so that's not exactly an option.
Personally, I keep a long tweezers near the printer, and just grab the free space extrusion when it does this and clean the nozzle manually with the tweezers.  It takes a little bit of care and speed to do this without causing other damage, however.

A hot nozzle will leak out material (called oozing) if the filament is not properly retracted or if pressure has build up in the path from the extruder up to the nozzle (typically in Bowden tube setup extrusion).
Pausing a print on an Ender 3 can be performed by two different methods, a manual pause invoked by the menu of the printer display, or, a G-code pause (note that the filament changing G-code is used instead of the dedicated filament pausing G-code M601 which is generally not supported).
In case of the latter option, a G-code (M600) can be used to pause and retract, use the same filament to continue, this way it is considered a pause.
A word of advice from All3DP.com's article "Ender 3 (V2/Pro/S1): How to Change Filament Mid-print":

The above script uses the M600 command to function, but this command may not be registered by your printer’s firmware. In our experience, the M600 command was successfully registered by the Ender 3’s original Creality (Marlin-based) firmware – indeed, according to Creality’s GitHub for Ender 3 firmware, the M600 command is programmed. However, if you have an older model of Ender 3, the feature may not have been activated in the firmware.

To prevent the blob you can use the answer provided by Kilisi of try to use the second method using G-code (if you know when you need to pause, e.g. to insert something into a print, your question doesn't state what the reason for the pause is).

Working pause-and-resume without damaging the quality of your print depends on the printer doing a lot to preserve the primed/ready-to-print state of the printer and avoid heat damage to the part you're printing and to the filament, and on your using very well-dried filament. If any of these requirements aren't met, you're going to have a bad day.
In particular, the printer needs to do extra retraction (at least an extra 10 mm, probably more like 20+) to get the filament completely out of the melt zone while paused, and needs to quickly move the nozzle away from the print so as not to melt it. If this is done right, unretracting by the same amount just when starting will get you back to the necesssary nozzle pressure to resume extrusion nearly uninterrupted. Marlin firmware can be configured to do this right, but I doubt it's done right in the version of the firmware shipped with your printer. You didn't describe what happens in detail when you pressed pause, but it sounds like this isn't happening, so it's likely doing just a "dumb pause" in-place.
If you really want good pause functionality, you probably need to investigate customizing the firmware. This is not terribly difficult, but also not dead simple, and can go badly wrong if you mess it up. You'd need to weigh these risks against how much you want the functionality.


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Why do straight lines on the top appear to be curved?
I'm having a problem with my prints. Recently when I print rectangular pieces, the piece has an strange curve in one edge, it also has an strange patter in the surface. I have calibrated the bed but it doesn't change anything. What can I do to fix this?
I have a Tronxy cube X5 which I use together with Cura. I print in ABS at 230 °C.The print bed is set to 80 °C. I use a print cooling fan at 20 %. The layer height I set to 0.2 mm, the line width from the 0.4 mm nozzle. The Printing Speed is set to 20 mm/s for walls and 50 mm/s for infill. My retraction is 5 mm/off at 70 mm/s

When measuring you need to make sure the caliper is parallel to the object you measure. From your images, the only valid measurement is the 2nd photo. This is a coreXY machine, are you sure it is printing square? Please print something like this and measure the square and report back. Else it could be an extrusion problem or something. The top layer also appears to suffer greatly from under extrusion hence the curved lines.

Printing ABS slowly, at low temperature, without an enclosure sounds like a formula for warping.

@0scar Thanks for answer. I have just printed the test and this is the result:
https://imgur.com/a/Shc9LgH .
Under extrusion could be the reason of the problem?

Look at this question, it might be helpful. There is an other test print to test for the diagonals, in case of a 200 x 200 mm the diagonals should measure 282.84 mm. There might be a problem with your frame or binding?

Why straight lines on the top are curve?

Apart from the dimensions, it appears that the top layer is suffering from extreme under extrusion, like there is hardly any filament being deposited.
Your last layer started printing at the lower right where it did print okay, but, when progressing to the left you see the starvation of filament flow resulting in sparsely filled in regions that look like curved lines on top of the print.
This could be heat creep, entanglement of the filament spool or an extruder problem.

This would probably be more appropriate as a comment as it doesn't answer the question.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE This answers the question if you you look at the last image and the title of the question, so definitely not a comment imho. The curved lines are basically under extrusion results. I did made a comment on the caliper images, these appear irrelevant to the question title.


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Ender 3 Won't Print Small/Thinner Items
Pretty new to 3d Printing. Ultimaker Cura as my Slicer. I have the Ender3 3d Printer.
I have a model from Hero Forge I'm trying to print. I added some caltrops on the base but when I go to print the figure, my Ender3 won't finish the caltrops/smaller items and won't finish the figure. It will basically just go through the motions lol.
Here's an example of it happening on the base of my Figure.
This is the mockup and afterwards is basically where it stops and the filament either just stops coming out or the nozzle moves around the filament that actually does print.

Here's an example of something similar happening to Pikachu's ears.

There are several issues with your printer. If that is the top layer of the base we see, your printer is extremely under extruding. The problems with the bottom image are not related, there you have retraction issues and too fast printing of the small area layers in the right ear, hot on hot equals molten mess. It is better to split the question in two separate questions.

What is your retraction length and speed? And what speed and layer height are you printing at? Unfortunately, this looks pretty much like what I'd expect for an Ender 3 with the stock extruder. It should be possible to get it "better", so it doesn't stop extruding completely like this, but I was never able to get prints I'd call good, with extrusion solid enough not to be brittle, using it.

Looks like there is too much stringing and globs. As @R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE said, please provide us with some more information. Maybe even noxxle temp. and units that the model was shown in (on the software)

Resolution is limited
You are printing with FDM. FDM is limited in printing detail by its nozzle diameter: you can not print something that is much smaller than your nozzle diameter. A typical nozzle is 0.4 mm in diameter. Your figurine? That is too thin and fragile.

Might suggest to use a resin printer if it is just stuff for display that isn't meant to be functionable.

I suggest you try again with another filament. It looks like your nozzle is either clogging or your filament is slipping. There could be multiple reasons why, but the easiest first troubleshooting strategy is to change filament because it can rule out half the reasons.


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Random layer malfunction
When I was printing this part which has this cross-shaped portion in the middle that has supports, it seems that as soon as it started the layer with the supported part, the layer just completely strung everywhere and just went into thin air. If there is any way I would be able to fix this problem, as it seems like it just appeared out of nowhere on an otherwise perfect print, any help would be appreciated. Just so you know I was printing with Overture gray PETG at 235 °C nozzle and 85 °C bed. This was printed on an Ender 3 with a silent motherboard.

did it look ok when previewed on slicer? Can't really tell much from the picture

Yes it looked fine. In the picture it shows that basically when the layers change after a while it stopped adhering to the layer below it

I suggest you check the STL for problems. If it was drawn as two objects and then joined, there may be an issue at the join.