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Mid-print issue, extruder issue?
I have succumbed to asking the community for assistance. I've been scratching my head and lost many late nights and time trying to figure out what is going on with my 3D printer.
Please see the image of what's going on with it.
Sometimes my printer doesn't even get this far, most of the time it fails at the 5th layer or so because it stops extruding is what I suspect.
I've replaced the hot end entirely, a new thermistor inside the hot end, replaced the PTFE tube, upgraded the extruder feeder to aluminum. Replaced the extruder gear, and for some reason, the filament just stops feeding.
I've tried several retraction settings from 80 mm/s and 2 mm of filament, to 20 mm/s and 6 mm of filament.
Initial Layer Height: 0.25 mm

I hope the community can help me out here.

Would you attach a drawing image of what the print is supposed to look like.  That doesn't look like the printer stopped extruding.  It looks like part of the print lifted off the print surface.  What material are you printing?

This looks like (multiple) layer shifting where finally the lower parts got bumped off. There could we'll be multiple problems at play here...

I am trying to print this headphone stand: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2446648 and using PLA. Not sure if its shifting but there's some empty spots as if the filament isn't being pushed through the nozzle. But I've replaced the nozzle, entire hotend, and tried various temps from 185 - 220. I've re-installed the PTFE tube over a dozen times, and replaced it with a new one.

This looks like what I get with defective models at times...

So I fixed one issue, my cooling fan for the hot end wasn't spinning properly due to stringing, the strings of filament wrapped inside the motor. So now that I replaced it, the PLA doesn't seem to expand and get stuck in the hot end as much. However, it still is happening causing the PLA to expand in the PTFE tube causing a jam at time.

Do the two loose pieces go where the fill shows up on the larger piece?  If so, you may have internal surfaces there that need deleting in your drawing so that they don't mess up your slice program.  Otherwise, the slice program may leave a gap in the gcode where you have no extrusion.
If you retract too much, it can cause the filament to jam in the hotend, but you wouldn't be getting all the mid-air extrusion, not connecting to anything.
We need more information to give you a more precise answer.  I suspect you have a settings or gcode/drawing issue rather than a hardware issue.

Hi there, I'm trying to print this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2446648 and I suspect may be its a slicer issue but I went back to an old print and it does the same issue now where after 5 layers it just leaves blobs on the print.


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Is it better use Nylon fillement for cold pull even if I have been using PLA?
Using Prusa I3 MK3S
I am using PLA fillement and I need to do cold pull from time to time.
I noticed many people on Internet suggestusing Nylon fillement for clod pull.
I wanted to reach out to this community and ask if it is better using Nylon fillement for cold pull even if I have been using PLA?

Nylon holds better when pulled, PLA may snap.
Also it can grab particles around it, but it keeps low friction so the force you use to pull goes to detaching the dirt instead of rubbing against the walls.
By getting solid and by maintaining strength at higher temperatures, you can pull when it's hotter (with PLA you should pull at what? 40 °C?) and by being hotter can grab particles and remains of other filaments which are potentially softer. It's pulled at around 140-150 °C so that ABS and PLA at that temperature are very sticky and soft.
By holding easily higher temperatures (250-260 °C easily) you can also extrude it and it will melt any other filament in the nozzle.
Try doing some cold pulls with a light colour PLA to be able to see what it grabs. After a couple of pulls it should be clean. Then do nylon and check how much more stuff it will remove. If it's nothing, no need of using nylon. If it's dirty, it's the proof it can clean everything better than PLA.
A sample of nylon (50 g usually) will be sufficient for a long time so no need to get a full spool.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

sort: votes


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How should I connect a separated 5 V source to an Arduino connected to a RAMPS board
I'm going to add a Raspberry Pi to my printer, which requires a 5 V source. I want to take this opportunity to also power the Arduino with that same source, as dropping 12 V -> 5 V is a quite big waste. I know the electronics don't consume much power, and the regulator can handle the heat, but why not?
I want to know how can I safely do this. Is it sufficient to just bent the pin from the RAMPS to the Arduino's VIN?
I'm also using TMC2209 stepper drivers. According to this: https://learn.watterott.com/silentstepstick/pinconfig/, these requires the 12 V line to turn on before and turn off after the 5 V.
I wonder if this is true, as I haven't seen this anywhere else.

I would not recommend changing Arduino powering.
You can either do as you say and power Arduino by giving it regulated 5V to Vin, but then the ATMEGA2560 still will be powered through the 5V voltage regulator. The voltage regulator (NCP1117ST50T3G) needs to be supplied with 6.5V to give out regulated 5V. So you will be powering the Arduino with some 4V, which might work, but it will be less reliable. But it is electrically safe.
Second option is to power Arduino through it's 5V pin. That is less safe, because the voltage regulator might have an over output-over-voltage-protection that will to load or short-circuit the 5V until it is 5.000V.
Regarding TMC2209. I have not seen any documentation that has any opinion on what order it shall be powered up and down.

Why not to just power Arduino via USB (5V), while the RAMPS itself is powered separately using 12V power supply? Doesn't it work this way, when we connect to Arduino from PC to sent G-code commands from a serial terminal? Connecting USB to already working printer is causing a board reset (at least in my case), and I always understood that it is ATMega switching the source of power. Please correct me if I am wrong.

The Arduino will use 5V from USB, but only if Vin is not used. Yes, that will work. I must admit that Ihave not tested what happens if you actually feed Arduino >5V on either USB or 5V-pin.

Reason for Arduino's reboot when USB is connected, is that most terminal programs set the pin/signal DTR high when connected. DTR and RTS are used to set the MEGA2560 in flash-mode. It is possible to avoid this, but reflashing will be more difficult.

Powering the Arduino through the regulator is desirable because it reduce noise from SMPS. This is the only source I've seen about the TMC powering sequence: https://learn.watterott.com/silentstepstick/pinconfig/. I never seen it anywhere else, which is partly why I asked the question

The link says that permanent damage can happen to the TMC2209 if you remove 12V/24V while the stepper motor is powered (electrical current goes through the coils, but the stepper does not necessarily need to be moving). I agree that this could be a problem. But in the real world I think you will have enough capacitors on the main board that will make the power-loss to be so slow (several milliseconds) that this is not a problem.

If you want to filter the noisy supply voltage from a SMPS through the linear voltage regulator, so that it outputs a clean 5.00V for the Arduino, you need to accept that it converts some energy to heat. I suggest that you supply Arduino Vin with >7V or leave it driven by the 12V.

It the second section in that page that I'm mentioning. The problem is separated from back EMF. It's have something to do with the internal regulator of the driver. Some heat is fine, I just want to "perfect" thing as I need a separated 5V source anyway, but you convinced me that 5V is not enough if I'm using the regulator. Need to think again about this, thanks for the answer

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Air printing/jamming midway through raft creation
For a school project, my teacher gave me a brand new Longer 3D printer to create parts with. After one good job, the printer cannot get past the raft creation without air printing. The thickness of the printed filament tapers down until no filament is coming out. I do not believe there is a jam in the hot end because if I remove the filament and cut off about 4 inches, the printer extrudes as normal.
I am using 1.75 mm PLA on a Longer 3D LK4.
When the problem occurs, the extruder continues as normal but prints out very little filament. The extruder drive gear also ticks backward as if it cannot supply enough force to move the filament forward.
I have tried decreasing the speed, increasing the temperature, turning off retractions, but none of those options seemed to have any effect on the problem.
If videos or pictures could be helpful let me know what to include.
My working idea of what's wrong is that heat creep is causing the filament inside of the heat sink to soften causing the filament to thicken and Jam. I could be wrong.

Figure one highlighting how the filament thins over the course of the raft creation until no more filament is extruded.

Figure two showing how random parts of the filament is thicker than others. The thickness is noticeable and once I cut this section off, filament flows freely through the Bowden tube without friction. With this section, the filament is difficult to remove and requires more force.
I have tried:

increasing the interface thickness to 0.4 from 0.27 mm and from 0.4 to 1.0 mm
increasing the print speed from 50 mm/s to 90 mm/s
allowing the printer to cool off.
decreasing the temperature to 190 °C

During the print, I have noticed that the heat sink is hot to the touch during the raft creation but cools off once the fan starts spinning.
The fan does not spin at all during the creation of the raft. But spins at full speed once the actual print has begun. Longer does not have a setting inside their software to change this.
I have gotten a few really small prints to work with print surfaces smaller than 2 cm wide
The prints themselves turn out great if they get past the raft stage (only for small prints). This additionally leads me to believe that heat creep is the problem and that the fan not being on is the cause.
Let me know if you have any ideas.

Here's links with heat creep and a Bowden tube: Here's links with heat creep and a Bowden tube:; https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8193/clogging-due-to-heat-creep-buy-new-cooler-or-new-hotend
:

People describing heat creep with a Bowden tube describe the filament widening at the end like your picture

huh... The filament might be uneven...

I have noticed that the heat sink is hot to the touch during the raft creation but cools off once the fan starts spinning.

The fan cooling the hot end should always be "on" when you start the printer, or at least cool the hot end when the print starts (it is possible if you use a Raspberry Pi and OctoPrint to control relays to have the fan switch on just before starting printing).
If not, the cold end (radiator) of the hot end gets to hot and your filament will soften way too soon. This phenomenon is called heat creep. Looking at the filament you pictured, heat creep is definitely a possible cause. Another good hint is the diminishing filament output.
It may be that the radiator cooling fan is accidentally connected to the incorrect port on the controller board. What you describe is a fan kicking in after the first layer of printing, this is typical behavior of the part cooling fan.

Your symptom sounds like heat creep might be stopping the extrusion.  See if this discussion helps you troubleshoot: Understanding all the ways to avoid heat creep
Note: decreasing speed and increasing temperature makes heat creep worse.
Your picture of filament shows what people with Bowden extruders describe as typical of heat creep.  The Bowden tube isolates the filament drive motor from the temperature of the extruder.  On well put together Bowden tube extruder, there is no place for softened filament to bunch up. So, heat creep occurs when the melted filament goes up the region of the heat break in the heat sink.  Thus, to determine heat creep one needs to ask, "Is the expanded part of the filament extending into the heatsink.

Thank you for the information. I believe you may be correct and that post is extremely helpful. I noticed that for some reason Longer does not run the fan at all during raft creation. That may be causing the issue. I also noticed that when I pull the filament out, the section near the hot end is noticeably thicker than the rest of the filament. Would this be a symptom of heat creep?

A thicker melted end can be normal, especially if you cold pull.  What can happen with heat creep is the normal gear marks pushing the filament through the hot end, then a notch where the gear spins and removes the softened filament instead of pushing it.  You may want to post a picture.

I added a picture to the link in the answer https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15629/understanding-all-the-ways-to-avoid-heat-creep

Thank you for all your help Mr. Webb, but this issue is still persisting. I have updated my post if you are available to give it another look.

The Bowden prevents heat creep from getting to the filament where the drive motor pushes it.  So, heat creep will look different on your filament.

As you can see on picture 1, on the left-bottom side there is extruded less material than on the right-top side. This, to me, is an indication that your bed might not be flat. When the left-bottom side is a few microns closer to the nozzle than the right-top side, the nozzle will push onto the bed and that prevents it from extruding. A sign of this will be extruder skipping.
As you mentioned, keeping the fan at least running slowly during raft creation is always a good idea.


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Unwanted texture at base of ABS print
I'm getting close with this print, but I'm seeing some rippling at the base that I can't seem to eliminate (see photo at the end of the post). The model is here if it helps. It seems that the texture evens out above the floor of the box.
I think these are the relevant settings:

Extruder temp: 240 °C
Bed temp: 110 °C
Infill outline overlap: 20 %
Infill: 40 %, triangles
Layer height: 0.1 mm
First layer height and width: 200 %
Speed: 40.0 mm/s (first layer: 40 %)
Bottom solid layers: 3
Top solid layers: 6 (I was getting a lot of pillowing with any less; still
am even with 6)
Perimeter layers: 6
Retraction: 1 mm
Retraction speed: 20 mm/s

The printer is a Flashforge Creator Pro.

Perhaps this answers your question?

Elephant foot. That's an Elephant foot.

Interesting. I've seen elephant foot before but not with this kind of texture. So it's probably a combination of first layer width and my Z stop / bed level?  The only thing I'd note is that, while I can't confirm it, it seems like the texture doesn't show up until later in the build. Is that from the extruder pushing down too hard on the print? Anyway, thanks. I'll give it a try tonight.

It used to happen to me when the Z probe distance was not calibrated properly (too close or too far, cannot remember which one). When I calibrated it it went away. However, the cause of your problems might be different.

That was it! Re-leveled the bed with a business card rather than a sheet of printer paper, and then reduced the first layer width to 125% and all good.


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PID Autotune not working and M92 calibration not saving?
I have a Witbox 2 running Marlin that I got second hand and it seems like nothing is able to be calibrated on it. I have tried many times to get the nozzle calibration to save but it never seems to save my values, even with the M500 command.
Also, when I try to run PID autotune the temperature just stops reading (only reads 0 °C) and then gives me a timeout error and disconnects me from the printer.
I am new to 3D printers and have no clue what is happening here. The printer prints almost perfectly. I just want to hone it a bit more to make it as good as possible, but it seems like it's not an option for some reason. Can someone offer an idea as to what is happening? Did I get a bad printer?

Hi welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! To be sure, what do you mean by "nozzle calibration"?

What firmware version do you use? Did you compile it yourself? Is EEPROM enabled?


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MKS / Bigtree Closed Loop stepper the same?
Is the MKS and BigTree closed loop stepper the same? I see more responses to BigTree question. I read BigTree was plug and play and seems to be getting good support from them.  I'm using the MKS product and trying to go from a standard Nema17 to the MKS Closed Loop. Using PlatformIO C++, Arduino Nano, DRV8825 with the expansion bd. When using the MKS42b the driver is removed and replaced with the adapter and cable to the MKS. I can run the simple code provided in GitHub but can't get beyond that.
I'm stuck for now, I'm just trying to move the stepper to a given position (degrees) when ACS712 senses an AC current. If I can accomplish that I can move on to the array set up.
Over view of project:
AUTO GATE PROGRAM C++
Description:   For use with vacuum system for dust collection in a woodworking shop.
Consists of one stationary round disk with holes arranged every 45°, 8 “ports” total each leading to a specific tool.  Mated to this is a secondary disk that rotates with one matching port that aligns with the stationary ports 1 at a time as rotated. This assembly can be operated manually or automatically via this program.
Using an Arduino Nano Microcontroller, ACS712 current sensors, and a Closed Loop stepper motor.
In simple terms,

Each current sensor is connected to an analog port and detects when that tool is turned on.
Each port is assigned a specific position that the stepper is programmed to 45, 90, 135, 180 ... 360°.
The digital output from the Nano would tell the stepper to go to that position. The Closed Loop stepper remembers its current position and would remain in that position if it is already there. “Using same tool repeatedly”

Sorry, but this question is not clear what the problem is. Please rewrite the question. E.g. what top question is meant? Why mention BigTreeTech? Who is you? All that is not relevant and distracting from the problem. How do you run code in GitHub? You mention NEMA17 and later AC? This almost qualifies for those automatically generated posts that technically describe something, but in the end are SPAM posts. Please rewrite the question to make it more understandable so we know this isn't a SPAM post.

Sorry I wasn't more clear,  Was trying to get question about earlier post I read. I edited the post and hope that helps.  Not a Spam Post.  The only AC I see is reference to ACS712  Current sensor.  Was trying to explain my project, guess not doing very well at it!

We get spammed frequently with questions that look like questions but are not. Thanks for the update. I don't see the benefit of the closed loop stepper driver, once powered off, it will forget the position anyways. I would turn the selector disk on startup of the controller, using a mechanical endstop or an optical. From that point you'll know the position, I don't think the disk is that much stressed to require a closed loop controller.

0scar is exactly right. Use a single endstop switch connected to a digital port on your Nano, for the secondary disk, and you'll know where it is when the switch is tripped. Then it;s just a matter of counting the steps to the correct hole alignment.

Thanks for the input.  I did think I would need a homing routine when the system is turned on.  After that, my thought was that the closed loop stepper would be easier to code since it would keep track of its own position.  Staying with the degree setup, I may use a tool that would go from 90*, then to 180* and then to 45*.  Plus was thinking of adding code for the shortest Direction to the next position. I guess this is possible with steps and starting over if it past home?ec


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What is the difference between tuning the speed on the Ender 3 panel, and the Cura Print Speed setting?
I'm printing a lot of draft parts so I don't care if they fall apart in my fingers, I just need the shape. I can scroll to the Tune menu on my Ender 3 Pro console and set the speed to 200% and it doubles the speed. But when I set the Print Speed setting to 100 instead of 50 mm/s in Cura, it doesn't save much time, even if I adjust the individual first layer speed, wall speed, top layer speed, etc. What is the difference?
Ideally, I would like the first layer to print normally, and then print at 2x speed.

I figured it out.
Feed rate, in general, is the speed of a single print move, from point A to point B. It is specified with every G1 command that commands a move. Setting the feed rate on the printer console will scale the feed rate of every move the printer makes. The Cura "Print speed" setting is used as a basis to set the print speed (Feed rate) of different line types. Eg. Infil is 100% of this speed, walls are 50% of this speed, etc.
There are several other settings that will make Cura will decide not to use the speed that you set.

Minimum layer time. In my case, this prevented the walls of the calibration cube from reaching the maximum speed. They were slowed down until so that each layer took at least 10 seconds.
Lines that overhangs are scaled to a percentage of what they would normally print at.
Bridge speed settings are found in the experimental settings, and if enabled they will override the speed for bridges.

In addition, the printer's acceleration setting may prevent it from reaching the maximum speed. You can see this if you issue this command during printing:
M201 X50 Y50 ; Set max acceleration

The print will slow down a lot until you set it back to the default. The printer will accelerate and decelerate slowly and simply never reach the maximum speed over short distances. The default in the Marlin firmware (for Ender) seems to be:
M201 X500 Y500 ; Set max acceleration

You can look under Cura setting to set ' Initial Layer Print Speed ' and ' Initial Layer Travel speed ', you may appropriately set you print speed as you required


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How to 3D print a shopping cart
I need to find a way to design and build a real shopping cart for my project. I have not idea where to start from but I'm thinking maybe I can 3D print the shopping cart which will allow me to quickly iterate on the design. How could go about with 3D printing a project like this?
Please I will appreciate other suggestions better than 3D printing

Do you want a model or real sized one?

If you plan to print full size, be aware that we are talking about DAYS if not WEEKS for each print. It's not so "quick" iteration...

@Trish The real one

@FarO Thank you, i was not aware of that. I wonder if there are other options.

Also print beds are commonly in about  200-300 mm. Shopping carts are in the one meter area.

You need a very large printer with a large nozzle.  Not only will the printer be expensive, but also the material.  Printing in pieces is probably the best way.

Do they expect you to weld metal?  I don't think they expect injection molding.  Polycarbonate sheet are strong enough, but you're talking about $1000 of material.

If you need a real shopping cart, please think about actual requirements.
Carts are sturdy devices, build on very consistent frame, because they are meant to carry heavy loads. The built must be focused on good jonts and durable wheels, otherwise forces from load or streatching would quickly damage the construction. Some parts of frame are normally under strain, and a direction of load forces is not always downwards, therefore frame has to be robust.
Cheap additive manufacturing technologies of standard printers are not suitable to produce objects of this size in one piece. If to follow this idea, one chellange would be to design pieces of the print, which could be connected or glued into a ready cart. 3d prints have tendency to snap along layers of print, therefore frame would need to be carefuly built from parts designed to be printed horizontally, rather than vertically. Construction of wheels carrying the cart with assumed load could be not possible, because load forces could mangle them very quickly.
Only the amount of material needed to print the whole thing could exceed cost of the cart. And the same would be about more expensive printing techniques, like printing of metal. The shopping cart is a good example of thing which is not worth printing (at least in 2021).
BTW: Shopping carts have some plastic parts, and printing these could be indeed possible. I suppose they are only protectors, not a part of cart construction frame.
I would advice to look to get a ready cart. Check locally for used, worn out or reconditioned shopping cart for your project.  Maybe even try to rent it somewhere. It would be much easier and quicker then trying to 3d print the cart, even if it is possible to do it within some reduced requirements.

Just the labor of drawing and printing is usually more expensive that something that is mass produced.  The advantage of 3D printing is custom and prototype.  Titanium alloy might be an exception because it must be machined.  Buildings are also an exception because they aren't mass produced in the sense of injection molding. They heavily involve labor.


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Options for making Ender 3 v2 fans quieter
I have had my Ender 3 v2 for just over two months and have had a blast working with it. I have printed some mods to personalize it.
One of the things that I have done to help mitigate the vibrational noise is to place my Ender 3 on a concrete paver that sits on top of 3 inches of upholstery foam. This has made a huge difference.
With the vibration noise down, now I can hear the fan on the extruder like never before.
Both fans are listed as "brushless" EFS-04D24L; of course, they look different in the pictures below:

What options are there to help reduce the fan noise? I wasn't sure if a baffle or enclosure would help. Or would it be easier to replace the fans with quieter ones?

There are companies making fans with blade design based on owl wings to make the blades quieter. Here's an example https://www.moduflow.co.uk/owlet-fans/ and I've seen other designs.  I don't know which design ended up being the quietest.  First, you would need to find out who makes these fans the right size and flow rate for you, then try to find out which is quietest.
Here is another example: https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/718

I saw lot of mods out there, but after study the problem I can say that I've resolved with not much effort.
The stock fans are good, but they are 24v due to PSU that is 24v and add a dc-dc converter make everything more complicated and rise costs.
So those are my mods easy and effective.
On hot end a Sunon MF40202V2-1000C-A99 DC 24V 0.68W 40x40x20mm
still 24v but rated for 21db. You have to build a custom fan holder to achieve 4020 fan.
On motherboard and PSU I've left stock fans but added two mianiture Mini-360 dc-dc bucks. You can regulate the voltage between 12-15v and choose the noise you prefer. The fans are still fast to move good airflow inside PSU and mainboard.
PSU on Ender 2 V2 Neo has a black cover with small holes, it's way restrictive, it's better to remove this cover or enlarge holes or cut a big hole with 50mm cupsaw.
If you remove the whole cover you can print my small cover for the high tension cables.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6015148

Fans driven by brushless (BLDC or BL) motors1 are the quieter option (when compared to cheaper brushed motors).
Mounting the fans using rubber anti-vibration standoffs/mounts2, instead of bolts, would also reduce vibration (and hence noise).

Or, failing that, if using bolts, at least use rubber washers/grommets, between the fan case and the frame/mount (maybe on both sides - frame side and bolt head side).
A baffle or enclosure would reduce the noise, but would also reduce airflow, which may not be desirable, and even detrimental to the cooling, and longevity of the electronics (assuming your fans are cooling a RAMPS board, or whatever).
Alternatively (and I don't necessarily recommend these courses of action):

Put up with the noise. After a while, you'll get used to it, or become sufficiently deaf, so as not to hear it so much;
Try to reduce the number of fans somehow. Maybe use passive cooling more - using larger heatsinks on active electronic devices maybe remove the requirement for a fan altogether.

Footnotes
1 Also known as electronically commutated (EC) motor  and synchronous DC motors. Source: Wikipedia
2 Also known as pin, rivet, nipple, peg, etc.

I don't think anyone makes "real" brushed DC motors in those sizes. All small electronics fans I've come across in the past couple years - especially on 3d printers - have been brushless.
An easier solution is getting fans that just aren't horrible, e.g. Sunon, Noctua etc.
Getting larger fans, where applicable, is also very effective (4020, 5015 radials for part cooling, 4020 axial for the hotend).

Ok, interesting, thanks. It was certainly the case, ten years ago (and more), when building PC cases, that noisy brushed fans were the norm, and you had to pay a little bit extra for brushless. Times have changed I guess.


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Irregular adhesion on Creality glass bed
I have an Ender 5 pro and upgraded from the magnetic bed to the glass version. I print with Prusament PLA on 65 °C bed temp and 220 °C extruder temp. I measured that the glass surface has ~58 °C in the center and ~56 °C on the corners. That should be in the specs of the spool which has a printed recommendation of 50 +- 10 °C for bed and 215 +- 10 °C for extruder temps.
Now I also have a BLTouch and use the TH3D firmware so Z offsets should work correctly and are done with the Z offset wizard present (nozzle touching the bed).
The problem I currently have is that the first layers have "lifts" in them. Also, it seems that the layer itself is not 0.2 mm everywhere. It's close to 0.23 mm on the edges but on the inner there are variances up to 0.36 mm.
Currently, I slice with Cura 4.8.0 on Standard Quality 0.2 mm
How do I get rid of the lifts and irregularity in the layer? Is it a problem with the bed?

Are you using anything else to help the print adhere to the bed like blue tape, glue stick, etc.?

No, only the pre applied structure ( https://www.amazon.de/Creality-Glasplatte-Verbesserte-Drucker-Plattform/dp/B0836PMMZ5/ )

Is the surface that the glass bed sits on thoroughly clean? Also, it is usual to put the clips on the edges, maybe 3-4 cm in, not on the corners.

The only time I've seen lifting, away from the edges of the part like this, is when the bed is contaminated with something which will stop the print sticking, like fingerprints and such.
A thorough wipe-down with IPA on the heated bed is usually enough to stop it.

I did wipe it two times with isoprop now and i got a print from it. Also i have seen that my bed (from the autolevel bltouch) is not flat (but i guess thats due to the frame not beeing level): https://drive.google.com/uc?id=10y4tr6eWzHM_oLES5mwY-sMNB66Q4M7K - So i have ~1mm difference over the whole bed

@geNAZt Have you got a straight edge, like a steel rule, that you could use to check the flatness of the glass when it is and isn't on the printer, at room temperature and heated up?

I haven't seen lifts that aren't on the edge of the print, such as warping, or the entire printed surface lifts.  When I get something like in your photograph, it's because the print surface isn't flat and the first layer matches the surface topology.  If the second image shows the print surface, it looks like blobs on the surface that may be keeping it from being flat.
The first layer thickness greatly depends on how high the nozzle is above the print surface.  If this distance varies, the first layer thickness will vary.  Also make sure your print surface is free of any substances that the hot extruded material might cause to boil.
Any chance you are removing the print from the bed before it cools down.  This can distort the print if the material is still soft.

This is my printing surface: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RkxSiQkVyq8JlBp2BxNuzcTi7kkkcTtM/view?usp=sharing
I clean it with isoprop every ~4-5 prints and wait until it fully evaporated. Also i thought that the BLTouch should take care of variance in the print bed itself? According to the bed it should have a variance of 0.15mm in itself


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How to code for the BTT expansion board?
Does anyone know how to adjust the firmware for the BTT expansion module?
I am going to be using this(https://github.com/bigtreetech/BTT-Expansion-module/tree/master/BTT%20EXP-MOT) to add three additional motors and I know that I have to edit the code somehow to add the three extra drivers?
I'm not quite sure where or how but I'm guessing it has something to do with the pins.h file?

This is probably what you are looking for: User guide. From BTT-Expansion-module/BTT EEPROM.

Hi and welcome to SE.3DP btw...! :-) Sorry that your question was closed, I'm not sure exactly why it was closed. However, if you could [edit] and expand upon your question, by adding some details and explaining what you want to modify the EEPROM for, what you have tried and what didn't work, it might be possible to reopen the question. Were you having trouble understanding the user guide? The instructions in the PDF are rather terse, I must admit, and could do with some better steps and examples..


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File too big to open in Tinkercad. How can I shrink it?
I need to shrink an STL file below the 25 MB threshold, so I can open it in TinkerCad. I don't care about quality, I just need it shrunk.
How can I do this?

We can't perform any services for you I'm afraid, so please don't ask. We can only suggest methods and solutions. I have appropriately amended the question for you. Also, please don't link links that require login as this could be construed as spam/phishing/etc.

a model that large will be a nightmare to edit using tinkercad....

If you have 3D software like Blender you can import your model and use the decimate modifier to lower the number of vertices and then re-export.
Here is a link to how you can do this: Simplify Geometry with the Decimate Modifier in Blender 2.9.

Meshmixer will also decimate models, if one finds Blender to be overwhelming.

You can use Microsoft 3D Builder if you're under windows. It's a surprisingly powerful application that has basic but useful features. From there you can either resize the model to make it smaller or simplify it by lowering the triangle count.
Don't be fooled by the notion of it being a stock app, it's honestly the app I use the most when editing STLs.
Here's an example of an STL after being simplified alongside the original model:


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Levelling issue with Anycubic Chiron
I can't get anything from my printer since I change filament (I always use PLA from SUNLU). I changed the nozzle, redo the leveling... Every time now, the nozzle seems way to close to the bed and the PLA just stick to the nozzle and not the bed. I was wandering if I need to change the hot end.
This is me leveling each corner and center of the printer using a flyer from a shoe store.
and this is the result when I try to print stuff (actually square to refine the leveling):

How do you level your bed? can you provide a photo? Do you have an endstop on the rails or some sort of mesh-bed-leveling sensor?

Usually I do a manual leveling then I print square in each corner for refining. Unfortunately I can't perform the later because I can't print anything,

please share a photo of your setup. What do you use to determine the distance to the bed?

please don't open a new question but [edit] your questions in the future.

I actually tried but the issue was loading the photo. The button doesn't exist when commenting a question. No idea how Ingur works without the button to load the photo..

@Benji_90210 You cannot add images in a comment, and you shouldn't add info  into the comments, you just need to update the question by [edit]. This isn't a forum, people ask for additional information in the comments, the question poster edits the question with requested information. Thanks for more info being edited in by Trish, but I'm afraid this is still not enough to diagnose the problem. If you think it is too close, add a G-code line to raise the nozzle in your G-code file.


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Can 3D printer models be used in video game engines and vs versa?
If someone creates a 3D model of a character for 3D printing can I import that model into Unreal engine or Unity 3D for use in a video game? Also is the inverse true? Can I get 3D model of Mario and send that to a 3D printer?
Specifically, it’s more important to know if I can pull a 3D printer model into an unreal game project

Yes. You can import it into Blender, but it will need "bones" and "armature" if you want it to move at all.   In Blender, you can manually add armature and "Rig" it, if you want animations.
You can probably convert whatever file type the 3D model is (probably STL) to fbx with Blender
For animating, start with a super basic 2-bone rig YouTube tutorial, then learn about vertex weights or automatic weighting.
But you'll have to UV map it too. The UV map tells textures where to go on the model, STL doesn't have those.
Your time is 100% better spent finding a model that's ready and moving on with your project.
Check Unreal Marketplace.
Also,
https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-model/free/low-poly/character
https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/character?polygons=lt_5k

Regarding the second question: "Can I get 3D model of Mario and send that to a 3D printer?" meaning successful print, the answer depends on the model and the printer. Basically you can send any model to print, but each technology has its limitations of quality, size, physics. For figurines, resin printers (SLA or DLP technologies) seem best choice.
Printed figurines would be non-movable and empty inside (to some extent), unless are specifically designed as mechanical toys. I think this is the key difference between mechanical movement ability and modern 3d object animations.
As you already noticed, the mesh files could be reused here or there. So static objects like furniture pieces could be suitable for both purposes.


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How to make it so that multiple motors respond to
I want to make it so that the E1 and E0 do exactly the same as the Y motor and I was wondering if anyone here knew how to do that?
I basically just want to make it so that when the Y motor is triggered, so is the E1 and E0.
I'd really appreciate any help, thanks!

Do I understand you correctly, that you want to use the outputs for E1 and E0 as a second and a third Y-stepper?

Not really. Because I realise that I could just change the config.h file. What I am actually wanting to do is make E1 and E0 the same. I assume there must be some way I can edit the pins.h file I just don’t know how?

One way to have two E-steppers to do the same work should be to enable MIXING_EXTRUDER in Configuration.h. I have no experience in this myself, but it is a good starting point.
A second way is to actually connect the two identical steppers in parallel. That trick is sometimes used for Z-steppers. I don't expect the current consumption to be an issue. This will require soldering, unless your mainboard has two Z-stepper outputs and you only use one of them. Then move connectors and reconfigure pins.h (or similar file) to use the correct steppers for Z and E.
A third way is possible if your mainboard has removable stepper driver modules. Remove the E1 stepper driver from the socket and cut off the EN, DIR and STEP pins. Solder thin but insulated wires between the solder-pads on this one to the E0 stepper. These are all inputs, so now the second stepper will follow the first perfectly. Soldering shall be done while the stepper driver modules are removed, otherwise the heat might ruin the sockets. (There are more precautions)


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Wouldn't a higher flowrate for 2nd outer wall increase the print quality?
I mostly print mechanical parts and thus need dimensional accuracy.
When calibrating my printer I stumbled over the fact, that some people calibrate flowrate with single wall prints which would give you a good measurement for your new flowrate. Doing this will on the other hand lead to underextrusion as you print perfect circular lines that only touch in a single point/line, leading in worst case to delamination. So you'd have to crank up the flowrate at least for the internal walls to fill out the "square"-corners (Cross section image B) you want to fill up as well.
Doing this is already better, but could lead to a poorly connected outer wall to the rest of the print. Thus an idea (which isn't supported by Cura slicer):
For a dimensional print without air gaps, shouldn't the:

1st outer wall be printed to be the perfect diameter
2nd outer wall be printed with higher flowrate, to fill what the 1st is missing and fill up square corner
rest of inner walls fill up the missing square corners

Probably the best fill up will be reached by printing the second outer wall after the outer and inner walls as it wouldn't go under the 1st walls cavity on its own.
Image (Simplified cross section of a single layer and its printed geometry):

A1: Print with all the same flowrate, each line is printed with the nozzles diameter (Danger of delamination)
A2: Print with 3 different flowrates. 1st outer wall with nozzle-sized lines. 2nd outer wall with highest flow to fill cavities under 1st OW and to fill up corners (air gaps), inner walls with medium flow to fill corners
A3: ideal flow into corners and cavities
A4: perfect result to aim for

Now some questions:

Is this already possible with other slicers?
Do you have done that and can share thoughts?
Are there any drawbacks you see doing this?

Deposition of filament is not according to the sketched image under 1. A printer should never deposit round lines, they are pressed down, so you get more flattened lines. The question on underextrusion is a valid question.

Thx, you are absolutely correct. I forget to mention the image is highly simplified to keep the eye on the main question/problem i want to address. I think the point of "the second outer wall is actually requiring more flow than the very outer and the other inner walls" is still valid thus the question if someone tried it out etc.

Did you ever figure this out?

Unfortunately I don't have deeper insight in how different slicers handle this. So far I didn't see a slicer, which offers that degree of freedom, to change the 2nd wall to a different extrusion rate. Nor have I found the time to manipulate an open-source slicer to do that.
I hope someone with deeper slicer knowledge comes across this post and is either having a point why "there is no underextrusion" or is inspired to test it out, and maybe add it to the code to improve print quality.


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Should center point of G29 matrix always be zero?
Questions:

Should repeated applications of G29 (auto-level) result in the same matrix as long as nothing is loose or has otherwise mechanically changed?

Should the center of the G29 matrix normally be very close to zero since the center of the auto-level probing  sequence usually occurs in the same X, Y location as the location where the "home" Z reference height was measured?

Background details:
I’m using a CoreXY type printer with Marlin 2.0.3 software installed on a Robin Nano control board and I’m trying to get a BLTouch to work correctly and consistently.
When I issue successive G28, G29 sequences, I get alternating results for the center point of the matrix:
1st G28, G29 sequence, center point = 0.00 (+/- 0.01 mm),
2nd G28, G29 sequence, center point = +0.21 +/- 0.01 mm,
3rd G28, G29 sequence, center point = 0.00 (+/- 0.01 mm),
4th G28, G29 sequence, center point = +0.21 +/- 0.01 mm,
Results will continue with this alternating pattern indefinitely.
I expected the G29 matrix to be consistent with successive measurements as long as there was no physical change made to the bed.
I also expected the center of the G29 matrix to be consistently very close to zero since both the “home” and the center of the auto-level matrix are usually at the same X, Y location (I circled it with a marker on the bed to be sure).
For troubleshooting:
I have replaced the probe (I was using a clone, but I’m now using a genuine BLTouch) with no change in behavior.
I have replaced the cable with no change in behavior.
For consistency, all tests are run without heating either the bed or the nozzle so there is no influence from thermal expansion.

Do you have anti-backlash nuts on the lead screws/enough weight of the bed?

Thank you for your response.  I don't know if the nuts on the bed are anti-backlash or not.  I don't "feel" any backlash, but I'm not certain I would feel 0.2mm.  As far as the weight of the bed itself, I have a spring steel surface on a magnetic base, so the weight would at least be considered "typical".

Also regarding backlash, since both the home and auto-level measurements are performed during travel in the same direction, and since that travel is about 10mm which is much greater than any backlash, I think that backlash wouldn’t affect the measurements (even though it could affect an actual print.)

I wasn’t able to find or fix this problem, but I was able to work around it.
I was able to prove that the matrix where the center point was zero was, in fact, “correct” and the offset one was “incorrect”. So as long as I save (M500) the correct and then recall (M501) and activate (M420 S1) it before a print, everything works ok.
I would rather do an autolevel before each print like most people do, but I’d have a 50% chance of getting the “incorrect” one and either losing the print or gouging the bed.


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Why is support printed over shell if layer preview doesn't show it?
When I check the Cura preview, then there isn't support over the shell, but when the part is printed, then there is support over the shell and it makes it look ugly. It happens only for front and back but the left and right sides are without support over the shell.
When you open the .gcode file in Cura then you also can't see support over the shell.
What could cause this problem?

Added view from "Line Type"

mind turning on the "type" of line?

@Trish added view from "Line Type" and they are "Travel" lines, but why material is printed during travel?

Ahhhh! ok now I know what you mean!

The picture of the line types and the accompanying comment helps to clear this up:

they are "Travel" lines, but why material is printed during travel?

Yes, the dark blue is travel. But if material is deposited during them, then that is not printing, that is material oozing out of the nozzle - which is called stringing most often. Usually, this is an issue with retraction: your length is possibly a little short. However, retraction also only is turned on for moves over a given length, so there might be no retraction happening. And, in Cura support structure generally is printed without retraction due to toggle Limit Support Retractions. Toggling that off can help.
You might also turn on one of the two Avoid modes in the movement (Avoid Printed Parts when Traveling & Avoid Supports When Traveling) to get the movement paths in a way so they don't go over the model and prevent any stringing/oozing onto it or knocking off delicate parts. Possibly increasing retraction a little might help, and so might Z-hop to try to "rip" the strings.

Then it is very strange, if material is oozing only in that area. Tried changing "Combing Mode" and nothing changed for those lines, but then tried to uncheck "Avoid Supports When Traveling" and travel lines disappeared over skin in that area. I remember when I printed with "Avoid Supports When Traveling" unchecked then nozzle hit supports.

@MārisL Have you tried "Avoid Printed Parts when traveling"?

This is the answer, but you missed the biggest Cura options causing it. By default Cura does "Limit Support Retractions" which basically means "ooze uncontrollably all over the place while printing support". Turn that off and most of the problem should go away. Turning off the "Avoid ..." options should not be necessary, and only helps by reducing the length of the unretracted travel paths.

@Trish - yes, "Avoid Printed Parts When Traveling" is active.

@R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE when I turn off Limit Support Retractions and I turn on Avoid Supports When Traveling, then in preview I can see that nozzle again will travel over shell

@MārisL: It will still travel over it, but the travel will now be with the filament retracted so that it's not extruding material there as it moves.


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OpenSCAD render (F6) fails with "ERROR: CGAL error in CGAL_Nef_polyhedron3()"
I built a model and it previewed correctly.  When rendering for STL export (F6), I got an assertion error:

ERROR: CGAL error in CGAL_Nef_polyhedron3(): CGAL ERROR: assertion
violation! Expr: e->incident_sface() != SFace_const_handle() File:
/mxe/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32.static.posix/include/CGAL/Nef_S2/SM_const_decorator.h
Line: 329

Most of the model rendered correctly, but one component disappeared.
Moving the object didn't change the problem, but isolating just the disappearing part gave me a correct render of that part.

I had the exact same error yesterday! I assumed it was a bug in the library I was using, but maybe there's more to it?

Reading between the lines on other forums, I found that the GCAL renderer will render a malformed object, but it will fail when a binary operator, such as union or intersection, is applied to that object.
There was a discussion about degenerate points (two points in a polygon list that were the (nearly) the same values.  I had this situation, but fixing it did not solve the problem.
I rederived the face lists, and found that for one face the vertices were listed in the opposite order from the others.  Rather then using right-hand-rule, I had used left-hand-rule.
Reordering the vertices for the one face fixed the problem.  There was no way to see the problem from the preview.
A more useful diagnostic message would have been helpful, or a tool for checking polyhedra for being manifolds could have saved me hours of experimenting and failing.


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What type of 3D printer is this?
I have found a video about Invisalign. I saw a 3D printer in the video but I did not understand its type. Can you help me? Do you share a brief piece of information about its type?
Below is the video on YouTube.

this is an industrial machine, not a "desktop" machine, but it's a good question!

In the video, there is this still from 0:32:

The labeling is iPro 8000, which is a 3dSystems resin printer using SLA technology.

Good eye, Trish!

If you look at the video at 37 seconds, it appears to be SLA or DLP.
Further reading: https://www.solidprint3d.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SLA_vs_DLP.pdf


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Stringy first layer (possible extruder issue?)
This is my first 3D printer so I'm not entirely sure what could be the cause of this issue.
I recently got a SUNLU S8 3D printer and have been trying to print the first test file, however, the layers end up stringy (for lack of a better word -- if anyone knows whether this is called something else, I'd appreciate the knowledge because Google searching for stringy layers does not yield similar results).
Anyway, I tried to increase the nozzle temperature from 205 °C to 215 °C and that seems to help slightly (filament is PLA and came with the printer). I also noticed that the extruder's feeder gear is grinding on the filament so I suspect that may be part of the problem.
Before I purchase an extruder kit, I figured I'd reach out and ask this community what they think could be the problem.
Does anyone know what might be causing this issue?

Edit
I cleaned the tubing and nozzle, and then releveled the bed. The filament was still stringy and whispy, however, I decided to let it print for a while. Although the picture is a top-down view, the walls of the print are also holey.

Could you elaborate more on "the extruder is grinding on the filament"? Do you mean that the hotend is rubbing against the filament already extruded onto the build plate?

@agarza sure, I mean the extruder gear and bearing. Before the filament reaches the nozzle, it travels through a tube, and the mechanism that feeds the filament into the tube is what I mean by the extruder.

First clean the nozzle, you can do hot or cold pulls, if clean and still no normal extrusion, try to look into the path from extruder to nozzle, there might be some extra friction that causes the filament to be ground.

@0scar I cleaned the nozzle out and releveled the bed, but the filament still appears to be thin and whispy once on the bed. I can see the extruder gear is still grinding along the filament.

underextrusion... often, the filament coming with the printer isn't very good...

@Trish any recommendations for a filament? I thought Sunlu being a filament manufacturer would have provided a decent spool for the test print.

It's not Sunlu PLA in general that is bad, but I have experienced that rolls of filament or samples that come with printers might have been exposed to unfavorable conditions - One sample spool I had wasn't protected at all but for a ziploc bag and was rather wet. If you have a proper vacuum sealed spool, that would give a better look. Also, please check your slicer if you have 1.75 or 2.85 mm filament set up.

@Trish the setting was set to 2.85 mm so I changed it to 1.75 mm but that did not solve the issue. I ordered a spool of PLA, which should be here tomorrow, so I'm hoping that's the issue. Also, order an extruder gear kit in case that needs to be changed too.
Do you know how brittle PLA is supposed to be? The sample spool seemed vacuumed sealed, but I find the filament broken usually around the extruder gear after I shut the machine off and walk away for a while.

@Trish thank you for your help. I've updated my posting with a solution.

@0scar thank you for your help. I've updated my posting with a solution.

Because troubleshooting is often tricky, Me and 0scar often wait with answers where many factors are possible to await your steps before making an answer.

@Trish Indeed, and to give others an opportunity to answer.

Now that you have found the problem, and an answer has been posted, don't hold back and add your update in a separate answer. The format of SE requires questions to be questions, not containing answers. As a bonus you will be able to receive reputation from the answer also, you can even accept it after 48 hours. Thanks!

Thanks again for the help and suggestions. I removed my solution and posted it as an answer, but I feel a bit odd accepting that as the solution considering the solution to my problem came from the community.

0scar and Trish both had correct solutions to my problem.
0scar suggested that I clean the nozzle, which I thought I had because the needle that came with the printer was able to slide through the hot end and out the nozzle without any issue. Turns out the hot end was clogged though. This particular hot end has a bowden tube that's separate from the actual bowden tube connected to the extruder gear, and that separate tube was clogged.

Trish was correct about the slicing profile being incorrect and that the problem was under extrusion. The filament provided by Sunlu with the printer seems to be fine. I let the printer run for 25 minutes and only had a slight issue with the filament on the spool not being tight enough when printing the raft. I'm currently running another print and haven't had any issues -- only 15 minutes in.
Anyway, here's the 25 minutes print I was referring to (in the bottom left there's a glob of PLA because that's where the nozzle was when I stopped the print):

The first photo shows under extrusion. This could indicate either a bad filament, a massive clog or the wrong filament diameter in the slicer.
I have experienced, that small demo-reels of filament that come with printers come damaged from the shipping: I have experienced some of them having been exposed to moisture in their zip-lock bags and one time I had no clue what kind of filament that was supposed to be, but it was not PLA, as it didn't properly melt at 200 °C. That might not be the case with your printer, but it leads me to caution towards those 20 g demo reels, so I always test with a known good reel of filament with a known melting point. If it was the wrong material (e.g. ABS), under extrusion due to a too low temperature would be normal. Damaged or bad filament can create several problems: non-uniform thickness can result in random stops in the extruder or underextrusion, waterlogged ("wet") filament can print stringy, hissing, or even with underextrusion, brittle filament might break and result in aborted lines.
A clog in the nozzle could lead to under extrusion but should also show clicking in the extruder (the motor moving the filament). Checking the whole filament path (nozzle, heat break, liner & Bowden tube) for clogs should be done. However, that would be a massive clog to get your depicted prints. It might be a factor impacting it though.
Sometimes, setting up a printer in a slicer is not perfect: You need to make sure the filament diameter fits! 1.75 mm might be the de facto standard, but most slicers are set up with 2.75 mm as filament diameter in the presets for a self-configured printer! That means you only extrude about a third of the filament you actually want! That would be super consistent with your picture but doesn't need to be the only factor.


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Cura Sequential Printing
I'm trying to get a sequential print going (first time trying this) and Cura won't slice due to build volume issues. From the graphic shown, it looks like this should be sufficiently spaced out but I'm not sure what the problem is. Any tips? I've moved the objects around all over the build volume and it never changes back to "allowable".

My Ender 3v2 has a build volume of 220x220x250 but if I try an object greater than 210 mm height or width, Cura will not slice the model.

Aren't the printable objects too high with respect to the available gantry Z height. What printer is this and what are the settings for the head dimensions?

The printer is a CR-10. The Z height in the build volume is 400 mm, but when I choose the sequential print "one at a time option" it decreases the max Z height down to the top of the object (which makes sense). With the 300 x 300mm bed size, I feel like the grantry easily has enough room to maneuver and print one without any interference from the other (I assume the granty keep out zone is what the shadow indicates)

Please add a screenshot of your printer settings and report the height of the model.

If the height of the object is larger than the free space between the gantry and the top of the first printed object, you will not be able to slice the object. The maximum printing height will reduce to the maximum available distance between the gantry rods and nozzle.
Note that the correct Gantry Height needs to be set in the printer properties. For instance, the UM3 I use has 60 mm free space between the gantry and the nozzle:

If you have a smaller height specified, or a taller print object os depicted in the image below, you will not be able to slice the prints (note that a 100 x100 x100 mm is scaled to 20 x20 x70 mm prints, which exceed the 60 mm):

When properly scaled below the 60 mm, i.e. to 20 x20 x50 mm print objects, you'll see that you are able to slice the objects:

Slice preview:

Thanks! It turns out the model height was 25 mm, which was exactly equal to the gantry height and if I shave 0.1 mm off the model it works.

@Asterlux Glad it works! Note that shaving it not necessary, you can also lower the print through the plate, or scale the Z.


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How to get less Z-seam?
I printed this Curvy vase from Thingiverse and it came out pretty well on my Chiron.

However, I am not happy with the Z-seam that is very large. When I look at other people's problems with this, they often seem to have too little filament at the seam, but I have too much. What setting should I change to make it less visible?

Printer: Anycubic Chiron with Marlin 2.0.7
Material: PLA
Slicer: Cura 4.8.0.
Nozzle: 0.4 mm

All Cura settings are here (except that I lowered printing temperature to 200 ºC while printing).
All files used and some pictures are here.

2021-03-07 Addendum after I made 19 test-prints of a small portion of the vase's neck. Below are some of my notes:

Combing Mode=All is better than Off
Speed=60 is worse than 40
Retract Before Outer Wall=On is worse than Off
Outer Wall Line Width 0.45 to 0.35 gave a Z-seam on the outside with more build-up
Inner Wall(s) Line Width 0.45 to 0.35. Some places has less contact between layers, so less appealing and less robust. Also less material use.
Outer Wall Wipe Distance 2.0 spread ot the seam (too much), and also made a ditch before the Z-seam (on the outside of the ring).
Coasting tripled to Vol=0.588 and Wipe Distance 5.0 is more appealing. Two changes at once make it impossible to know which one helped. 5 mm is not enough to completely wipe.
50% printing speed improved Z-seam and surface smoothness

In the future I will use slower speed for Outer Walls, test Wipe distance=2*Line Width, use Combing (turned Off because of some advice to do so when LIN_ADVANCE is used) and experiment with faster retractions and Z-movement.
Pictures and complete notes are available here.

You might want to look into your retraction settings. Also look into the preview in Cura what happens at the seem, e.g. look for retraction and moves prior to the seem printing start. Note that overpressure in the nozzle can cause bulging out of filament at printing the end (up to) the seam.

Overpressure seems a reasonable explanation to me. I retract 6 mm at 40 mm/s and prime the same length at 30 mm/s. Slower priming because I read somewhere that too fast priming cause some problem, but I don't remember what. My Bowden tube is as short as possible and new. It moves ~1 mm when doing these retractions.  And then there is a Z-hop happening. I guess the best thing would be if the nozzle left the "crime-scene" as soon as possible. Would it be better to skip retraction or Z-hop to save time?

For such a short Bowden tube, 6 mm might be a lot. Z-hop can also be disabled. Furthermore, PLA can be safely printed at higher speeds than e.g. PETG; you haven't mentioned the print speed.

Just a guess, but I would check to make sure retract on layer change isn't set, to make sure you don't have unnecessary retractions.

The Bowden tube is as short as possible, but the Chiron printer is large, so the length is ~500mm. Retract on layer change is not set. Print speed was 55 mm/s. The place where the bulge is, is not the first nor last thing that is printer on each layer. I will test different retractions and disabling Z-hop in a day or max 2.

A bulging seam is caused by a mix of factors, especially:

Material oozing while dwelling too long at the point of layer change (including the time spent in the Z move). This can be mitigated by ramping up the max Z speed and acceleration and/or enabling retract at layer change with a very fast retract and unretract speed (without doing it very fast, the time spent retracting has the same effect as the time spent on Z move).

Excess extrusion due to pressure remaining at the nozzle when decelerating. This can be mitigated by enabling Linear Advance and tuning the K factor for your printer's bowden tube and material properties. A value around 0.5 is probably needed for PLA on your printer. Increasing your acceleration limit to reduce the time spent accelerating/decelerating can also go a long way to mitigate this.

Ozing is the problem, as 0scar also has written.

Regarding time spent on Z move; Cura has a normally hidden setting called "Z Hop Speed" that was set at 10 mm/s. I raised it to 30, and hopefully it will do good.

@dotswe: This isn't a Z-hop. Z-hop is an optional temporary Z move done together with retraction before travel. It makes oozing/stringing worse but mitigates colliding with the previous layer when you have warping or overextrusion problems. The relevant thing here is just the normal Z movement speed.

There is a Cura option to choose a random seam alignment in the shell menu:

Z-seam alignment
This setting allows you to choose where each new layer in the Z direction starts and affects where the seam of the model will be. This is useful for models with consecutive equal layers as the seam can be visible. By changing the Z-seam alignment you can decrease the visibility of the seam. The options available are:

User-specified: Set a coordinate for the X and Y direction of the Z-seam. This coordinate is absolute by default. Example: X 100, Y 200 will move the seam to the center back of the model.
Shortest: The next layer starts at the endpoint of the previous layer. This is the fastest way of printing, but also creates the most visible seam.
Random: The next layer starts at a random point of the previous layer, which eliminates the chance of a seam. Print time will increase due to the necessary travel moves.
Sharpest corner: This puts the seam in the sharpest inward or outward corner of the model, when available. This is the best method to completely hide the seam.

Indeed, but unless the over-pressure is not fixed it will give you bulges at many positions.

@0scar true, but it dissipates the error on a larger area, making it appear more uniform.

This Cura support page lists the options for Shell settings, specifically:

Seam corner preference
The Z-seam is hidden as much as possible by default. However, for some projects, specifically those that require post-processing, exposing the seam can be necessary for the post-print processing. To do so, you can adjust the following settings:

None: The seam will remain on the Z-seam alignment location.
Hide seam: The seam will be hidden as much as possible.
Expose seam: The seam will be exposed as much as possible.
Hide or expose: The seam will be hidden when possible and exposed when there is no other option.

In your setting, you have "None". You may need to set it to "Hide seam".

I have tried many settings for this one and I believe that it will not make any difference since the object is round. I don't want to print the object again, so I just sliced it using both settings and compared the images (of layer 326) in GIMP using "Difference", and all I could see is a slight change of where the seam is placed. Everything else was black. There must be a better way to compare two G-code files.

Use Cura's "Vase Mode" (known as Spiralize Outer Contour) for seamless printing.

Welcome and thank you for your contribution. Could you elaborate a little bit more on how "Vase Mode" would help this situation. Also, when you get a chance, please take the Tour to understand how the site works and how it is different than others.

That is not optimal, it would get rid of the seem, but with a small nozzle you will get a single wall vase, this might work better when the nozzle is replaced for a larger nozzle.

I've worked with a few slicer software. They all have a "Vase Mode", which does a continuous spiral print pattern. This allows the filament to overlap where the seam would be. I would experiment with this before I'd try to replace the printer nozzle, which would cause you to have to recalibrate extrusion flow and layer height and probably print speed

Hi, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! The answer is a little short. In Cura, the vase option is known as Spiralize Outer Contour, this is valuable information as you cannot find it in the options under "vase". I've rolled back the edit that contains this information. Note that SE sites work different than normal forums. Good that you commented on my comment, but you should edit that into the answer, comments can and will sometimes be deleted.

Vase mode or spiralized contour does not work for all designs and they are incredibly weak in comparison to massive several shell prints.


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UV degradation of UV curable resins
I needed to know if typical UV curing resins, such as the ones from Anycubic, can withstand solar radiation over extended periods of time with little to no degradation. It has been quite difficult to find information about the subject online, so I'm wondering whether anyone here has experience here to share.

Are you asking about the stability of cured or uncured resin?

cured resin of course

Yes, it is actually pretty hard to find that information. First thing is that the resin never stops curing. Additional exposure to UV will continue to degrade the material over time. This is true of even plastics (and human flesh), however, in the case of UV resins we're talking about years not weeks. Each manufacturer of resin, even from different batches, will exhibit different performance characteristics with their formulation. As a general rule of thumb resin prints should not be used as an end product. They are used to either create a mould for the final object or used as a fitness test where the dimensions and tolerances are tight. The cured resin is typically not 100% safe to handle, and as such should not be used on bare skin or inside the human body or as any form of eating or cooking utensil. Colour degradation of resins (they become cloudy) will also occur for resins that were once colourless.
EDIT: (Didn't want to expand this but it seems I have to) Companies that release 3d printed with branded resins have custom formulas to match their printers. This is perhaps to ensure that the customer keeps coming back for the consumables. These custom formulations are most undoubtedly patented, however, it seems that they are keeping the formula a secret (until you reproduce it and they claim you've breached their patent). Due to the fact that the formula is unknown to the end-user no one can certify that the cured resin is 100% non-toxic and safe for contact with skin; either on the outside of the body or the inside ;) Speciality dental adhesives have different formulas (and are perhaps more expensive than) 3d printing resins.

Do you have a reference for your "cured resin is typically not 100% safe to handle" claim?  I have seen plenty of information about uncured resin, but nobody saying that finished prints were in any way unsafe to touch.

the resin will stop curing once there is no photoactive monomer left. But before that point, other spectrums of the UV will start to break polymer bonds, especially in the color molecules, which can degrade the plastic. Those are different processes.

Nope, no references. There is simply no way I can find that dude's video after so many years.

UV-cured polymers are used in dentistry as fillings, sealants, and glue, and the dentists seem to feel that it’s 100% safe for contact and that it’s completely cured after about 60 seconds of intense UV exposure. Those compounds aren’t printing resin, but they’re probably work the same way. Without some reference to an authoritative source your answer based on an unknown, years-old video isn’t very convincing.

Well, that's a -1 from me.  Saying that fully-cured resin isn't safe for skin contact is just fearmongering, and bad info, unless you can find some kind of useful reference about it.

What seems to be a difficulty is the stabilizers for plastic absorb UV.  So if added to UV resin, they probably greatly increase the exposure time needed.
The following show characteristics of some plastics, taken from https://www.coleparmer.com/tech-article/uv-properties-of-plastics

Unmodified types of plastics that are regarded as having unacceptable resistance to UV are POM (Acetal), PC, ABS and PA6/6. Other plastics such as PET, PP, HDPE, PA12, PA11, PA6, PES, PPO, PBT and PPO are regarded as fair. Note that a PC/ABS alloy is also graded as fair. Good resistance to ultraviolet rays can be achieved from polymers extruded by Zeus such as PTFE, PVDF, FEP, and PEEKTM. The only plastics found with excellent resistance are the imides, Polyimide (PI) as used in the Hubble Space Telescope and Polyetherimide (PEI).

PTFE has particularly good UV resistance because of its very strong carbon- fluorine (C-F) bond [almost 30% higher than the carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond], which is the common side bond that surrounds the carbon (C-C) backbone in a helix and protects it. Most fluoropolymers also do not have the light absorbing chromophore impurities in their structure that can act as an initiator for photo-oxidation.

Sunlight contains the full spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, including the wavelength to photoinitiate your resin. Most UV-curable materials are kept in opaque containers for this reason. The extent to which your material is crosslinked will depend on your material and how much sunlight it receives.


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Screen stays black on new Ender 3 V2 after power-on
I decided to finally purchase an Ender 3 v2. It arrived today and after a few hours of making sure everything is straight, I tried to power it and do a test print...
I was disappointed to see that the screen stays black after more than 10 seconds from power on.
I did not insert any SD card in the printer or anything that could interfere with the presumably stock firmware on it.
Because of this, I opened up the power source and the motherboard case and checked the voltages/checked LEDs. The motherboard blue led is on, the power source green led is on as well. I did a few measurements - I get 24 V to the motherboard with a small spike of 35 V when it starts.
The hotend fan is always on.
I checked the display connection and I am sure it is placed correctly.
I tried to upload firmware onto the mainboard first by clearing the SD card (8 GB given by Creality) using diskpart. I wrote the 4.2.2 (same as motherboard version) firmware version (stock) onto the SD attempting to upload on the mainboard. I tried renaming it, unplugging the power cable, unplugging the screen cable, etc and nothing would work.
I tried rewriting the DWIN_SET files but the screen would not turn to black/blue/orange colors. I tried more or less everything suggested here.
Is there anything I didn't do? What do you suggest? I already contacted the company where I bought it from, but I don't want to go through the assembly process twice - maybe I can make it work?

The correct voltage for the power supply is set at 230 V (Europe) and was set to this all the time. I tried switching it back and forth without power too. No result.
I've contacted the supplier yesterday.

Please confirm, that you have checked that the power supply voltage switch is right? How do you know your mainboard is working ok? Did you connect to it via serial terminal? (btw. Yes, the hotend fan is always on, which drives me crazy. I will install silent fan. But I also think of adding an extra switch or potentiometer just for this purpose.)

Sounds like the screen might be damaged

This is most probably a DOA, you should not tinker too much (checking if the cable is connected is fine, but don't do anything to radical) and get a replacement from your supplier.

I solved this by having Creality send me a new main board and new screen.
Sorry if you are experiencing this. Please contact Creality. They were happy to also upgrade my main board to v4.2.7!

I had the same issue.  I think I flipped my display cable around and it worked.  Maybe I got lucky and it was simply reseating the cable.

Perhaps the V2 is different, but on my Ender 3, all the cable connectors for the control panel have keyed connectors -- can't be connected the wrong way.


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Z offset not working after flashing TH3D firmware
I had the BLTouch (3.1) working with stock firmware on an Ender 3 v2 but wanted to get a 5x5 mesh instead of the 3x3 so I installed the TH3D firmware. With the stock firmware my Z-offset was -2.95 mm.
After installing TH3D firmware, my Z-offset has to be in excess of -6 mm to reach the same nozzle-to-bed height. I've tried setting the Z-offset via LCD and through G-code, saving to EEPROM. I'm having 2 problems with this that I assume are connected:

Z-offset seems to not be applied when setting Z axis position. When I autohome and then set Z axis to 0, even the extended probe from the BLTouch does not touch the bed (it's actually 1-2 mm away from touching). And this is with the Z-offset set to -6 mm.
I tried running a print, which includes an ABL request (G29), the print head crashed into the bed immediately after finishing levelling. My hunch is that when starting to print the -6 mm Z-offset starts being correctly taken into account.

Could this be the result of something I did in the Configuration.h when compiling the firmware?
I made the following changes:
CrealityV42X/Firmware/Marlin/Configuration.h

Line 24: uncommented #define ENDER3_V2_V422_BOARD
Line 43: uncommented #define CUSTOM_PROBE
Line 66: changed #define EZABL_POINTS from 3 to 5
Line 124: changed #define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET from { 10, 10, 0} to { -44, -6, 0 }
Line 233: uncommented #define BLTOUCH
Line 235: uncommented #define SERVO0_PIN PB0
Line 636: commented out #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN
Line 636: added #define USE_PROBE_FOR_Z_HOMING

In Configuration_backend.h the only change I made was increasing Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MIN from -5 to -20.

It could well be a configuration problem, but having no access to the configuration it is impossible to assess if that is the case. You could post a link to your configuration in comments to  a file put on PasteBin or your own Github repository fork. Regular users can look into it and copy the relevant parts into the question for you and base their answer on this. Hope this helps!

@0scar I've added the configuration changes I made, confirmed with a diff between the files. Thanks!

You can simply change the dimension of the probe grid in proper Marlin with the "GRID_MAX_POINTS_X" setting. No need to use TH3Ds obsolete copy.

I'm pretty sure something is wrong with the firmware I downloaded. I flashed the 3/5/21 version of Marlin firmware from https://marlin.crc.id.au/ and it is somehow working better with the LCD firmware (which I got from TH3D), the Z offset is working as it should, and the leveling process has more points and goes faster.

Please don't forget to mark your answer as the accepted answer (if it is indeed the correct answer). Thanks

A friend and I ran into this problem with TH3D and this was the workaround for our situation. Pretty sure I know what's causing it, but I haven't had the chance to rebuild the firmware yet to test it.
Autohome, update your bed mesh, either through the menu or via the terminal with G28 & G29. Store settings via menu or M500 via terminal.
Reboot/power cycle the printer, autohome/G28, and insert M420 S into your print file G-code after G28.
Let me know if it works.

Have you found the cause of this issue by chance? I am running into same results with the TH3D firmware and your solution using the M240 S instead of G29 has been my only working solution.

Do you still have this issue? My Ender with a BLTouch won't respect the Z-off set setting in Motion > Control > ZOffset. You can change it to -10 and it will still start printing about 1 cm above the bed.
All of this started to happen after I used Bed Leveling from the prepare menu. To work around the issue, I reset the settings Initialize EPROM in the control menu.

Reset All settings Initialize EPROM
Set the Z-offset (In my case -3.3)
Store settings in the control menu
Switch off the printer (settings won't take effect even if you select to load settings)

Then start printing. This doesn't solve the issue because it defeats the purpose of having a BLTouch in the first place. but at least I'm able to print again.
In a nutshell, avoiding auto bed leveling does the trick (or at least in my case)


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Ender 3 Pro will not auto home correctly after mainboard & BLTouch upgrades
I made two updates to my Ender 3 Pro: Silent Mainboard and BLTouch.  My printer head is way out of sync now. After I Auto Home, it moves along the X-axis to the left, hits the stop switch & moves back to the right. It does not move at all on the Z-axis and remains 3 - 4" above the bed during and after Auto Homing.
Here's the detail :
I installed a Creality Ender 3 Pro New Upgrade Motherboard Silent Mainboard V4.2.7 with TMC2225 Driver Marlin 2.0.1 & bootloader pre-installed & then a Creality BLTouch 3D Printer Upgraded Auto Bed Leveling Sensor Kit (the kit that comes from Creality with everything you need to install). I imagine I attempted too many upgrades without verifying the printer worked properly when I did the first upgrade which was the mainboard?
I purchased this Ender 3 Pro back in April 2020. It was working great until I decided to make the upgrades. I assume it came with an 8-bit board but not 100% sure. The new board is 32-bit and not sure what that would negatively impact besides maybe the LCD screen which does work fine after the upgrade.
Here's a video of the printer attempting to Auto Home :

Note: Disregard the unhooked cable under the printer bed in the video.  It is totally disconnected and leftover from the BLTouch install.
Here's how I did the upgrade :
First, I simply replaced the new mainboard, and with the mainboard cover and fan back in place, I powered the printer on. The only thing I did here was to verify that the printer would power up ok.
It powered up just fine. The nozzle head did not move I don't think when powered on.
Next, I followed the instructions for the BLTouch that came with the kit.  I followed the instructions for the Creality V1 Mainboard 32-bit. Here, I upgraded the firmware via an SD card as suggested. The firmware I upgraded to is the Ender-3 Pro_4.2.7_BLTouch_Marlin2.0.1_V1.1.2_TMC2225.bin.
Finally, I powered on the printer with the BLTouch plugged in and new firmware installed. The BLTouch lights up and the touch sensor clicks out and in and few times.
Now, when I hit auto home the nozzle head moves like I described above & remains in a position that I can not attempt to print from. I attempted to follow step #6 Platform adjustment 32-bit, working through the screenshots in the instructions.  This did not work.
If helpful, here are the positions of the nozzle head during the two upgrades :

Position of the print head before install: 3-4 inches above the bed and maybe a little off-center on the X-axis.

Position after install mainboard upgrade: remained the same as before.  I just remember it powering on ok and then I turned it off / unplugged power to start installing the BLTouch.

Position after install of BLTouch: remained the same. BLTouch lights up and the sensor tip moved in and out as if it was checking something or verifying it was working.
I'm a bit lost on this issue. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I'm using 3D4LYF's wiring scheme as I'm using the same set up I believe he is using. The two wires (white & black) on the red connector go in the Z-axis endstop port on the mainboard. For the three wires on the black connector I have: blue=Ground, red=V, yellow=IN that goes in the other 5 pin port on the mainboard. I rearranged the wiring from red/blue/yellow to blue/red/yellow as suggested by 3D4LYF again because I am using the BLTouch Creality Kit. Adding photos of 5-pin port and the connectors:

Could be as simple as a controller board that arrived broken, hard to tell. Maybe you could go back to the old board first, then test the BLTouch on that and finally move to the new board.

Unfortunately I fried my old board trying to follow Teaching Tech on youtube.

The video shows typical behavior of a sensor that: A) is not properly connected or setup, or, B) is not properly functioning because of a hardware failure. Install the new board without the BLTouch first.

@wallwalker How did you fry your board? I installed BLTouches on both my machines following Teaching Tech's video and have had no problem. It is unusual to fry a mainboard with firmware changes.

@0scar I completely disconnected the BL Touch, reinstalled the Z limit switch, & installed  firmware version Ender3-v4.2.7-Stock-20210307.bin from https://marlin.crc.id.au/.  The printer now auto home's as expected. Perhaps the BL Touch is wired incorrectly then?

@0scar > BL Touch wiring used : Using 3D4LYF's wiring scheme as I'm using his same set up I believe : For the two wires (white & black) on the red connector that goes in the Z-axis end stop port on the mainboard.  For the three wires on the black connector I have blue=Ground, red=V, yellow=IN that goes in the other 5 pin port on the mainboard.  I rearranged the wiring from red/blue/yellow to blue/red/yellow as suggested by 3D4LYF again because I am using the BL Touch Creality Kit. Adding photos of wiring and 5-pin port above.

Photos here as well : https://imgur.com/a/uJAU0ne

Please don't link to photos externally, SE has their own Imgur photo server which retains the photos as long as SE sites exist. I've added the images for you. Is it a genuine BLTouch? I don't think so, I've read the fake ones give problems on this board.

Resolved : connected the white & black wires to the 5 pin output on the board.  This solved the homing issue.

I had the same issue and thought I bricked it, so thank you for getting me on the right path! For Ender 3 Pro v4.2.2 motherboard, no Pinboard A, ISP Pinboard, or Burner required! In my case, I had used the provided pins (white housing) that were on the v4.2.2 motherboard itself.
In doing so I had to switch the positions of the red and blue wires in the 3-pin connector (glad I pay attention to those types of things), connected white and black connectors right beside it as the OP has figured out (the connector my BLTouch came with was a little big so I had to cut a wall of the white housing a little; it fits really well), and re-connected the original Z-axis cable (did not need to remove to start with, but still unused as the BLT pretty much replaces it).

Welcome to SE.3DP! We're glad to see that you've fixed your problem! However, It may be better to add this as a comment on the answer that helped you, as Answers are only for solutions to the question!

@craftxbox - I think that the answer is a bit too long to put as a comment. Plus we don't want to encourage people leaving comments that look like answers - for a number of reasons: (1) Comments can not be voted upon; (2) Comments should only be for clarification requests, not for holding information (3) Comments are ephemeral in nature and tend to get deleted. It is better that solutions are self contained in one post, and not spread out through comments, as it makes it harder to extract all of the info, if people have to trawl through comments to get the full picture.

@craftxbox - Admittedly, this answer may not be answering the question itself, and may be answering another (as yet unasked) closely related question. It is unclear if Charles's issue was the same as the OP's. Nevertheless, it is a useful and informative answer and may help other people in the future.


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Not moving on X and Y axis
TL;DR
I moved the printer head slightly without turning off the system and now only the Z-axis stepper motors work.

I recently purchased an Ender 5 Plus. I managed to get three prints done and then one print went bad. The nozzle scraped against the glass plate (causing me to have to replace the nozzle). For some reason my home coordinates changed and caused the plate to eventually press all the way against the nozzle. During this my BLTouch also bent and needs to be replaced.
The big problem now is that none of the motors are working (except for the Z-axis steppers). I had an air headed moment and moved the printer head while the machine was on (but not printing). Now the BLTouch is static red and only the Z-axis motors works. I've tried every bit of advice I could find. Any chance anyone has a possible solution?

Hi. If you tried every bit of advice you could find, it would be really hard to give another better advice. Maybe if you describe what you have already tried and what you already checked? Just few sample questions: are X,Y stepper motors powered (you could hear it)? Are stepper cables ok? Disable the power, and try to connect X motor instead of Z (its slot on the mainboard) - will the X work then? How strong had the nozzle crashed into the bed, so that you "have to replace the nozzle"? I can't imagine that. This sounds like your motors had been powered so much, that they won't skip any steps?

I do not think moving the head or plate with you hands, while the system is powered will ruin anything.
What will ruin things is if you disconnect any cables to the motors while the system is on and the stepper motor is enabled (stiff or moving). Then that stepper driver will go bad. I googled the mainboard for your printer and it look like the drivers are soldered directly on the mainboard. If any of them are bad, then I guess best thing is to replace the mainboard.


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Ender 5 Pro - Breaking sound when z axis moves down (away from hotend)
I got this printer literally yesterday, at first it was fine but after a few test XYZ cube prints it started making a breaking noise when the Z axis moves down! Please see the video!

I'm about to return it, but thought maybe I have misconfigured something!
I'm not 100 % sure where exactly the noise is coming from, the motor itself or the connection of the pole with the bed!
Note this only happens when the z axis is moving down, the other way around it is fine!
Also this might be helpful: it stops making the noise when it is 2/3 of the way down then it becomes smooth!

Have you looked into binding? You could check the linear guides and lead screw if the printer is correctly assembled, or that those parts aren't bent.

I did but couldn't find anything related to this model, tried to loosen the screws on the round cylinder but no difference! Maybe I'm doing it wrong!


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Prints fail to adhere to build plate
I have been using an Anycubic i3 Mega for about a month now and it worked fine. But when I designed a simple model in Fusion 360 and sliced it with Cura it started to have issues sticking to the bed. I thought the problem was the model so I tried to print a Benchy, but the same problem occurred. I readjusted the bed but it's still not working. I'm not sure how I can trouble shoot this.

Hi, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! I removed reference to Fusion files in the title, that appears not to be the issue from the question body. Basically, your filament fails to adhere, this can e.g. be caused by not enough temperature of the bed, not clean but greasy or dusty bed surface, incorrect nozzle to bed distance, the filament type or the geometry of the print.

try hair spray or a glue stick on a clean surface

The proper answer could be not related to Fusion, as you already noticed.
I suppose the issue is that the Ultrabase surface (or any other glass surface you have installed) was not cleaned during the first month? So it should be cleaned from grease and possibly dust. The general cleaning method is to use isopropyl alcohol (IPA) from time to time (btw. I am curious if it is advised in a printer's manual). If it does not fully help, I suppose using a dish soap with hot water prior to IPA is good step. Though I do not own this bed, so could not be 100 % sure of impact. (Definitely do not use any extra adhesion helpers for Ultrabed, because it has some specific microstructure which will get stuffed.)
You could want review other threads like this How to get Sunlu PLA to adhere to the printing bed? to get other hints and supplement your checklist. One thing to check first (and regularly) is proper bed levelling at current moment - and compare to initial layer settings in Cura (thickness, width, flow percentage).

Thanks for the advice! I found that slowing down the first layer helped it to adhere better. But I will also clean the bed more regularly

Keeping the print bed clean as mention in other answers is key. Dish soap (without any additives) and water to wash away oils from your hands the printer itself is the first step. Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) is also good to keep the bed clean between prints, but when you run into adhesion problems, wash with soap first. IPA in many cases just move the oils around the bed instead of removing them. Also, always wipe from the centre of your bed to the outside.
The next step is to also ensure the bed is level (unless you have auto-levelling). If the bed is level, then you need to make sure your z-offset is correct. The first layer must be printed with the nozzle low enough to press the first layer into an oval shape onto the bed so that the surface area in contact with the bed is increased. If the z-offset is too high the first layer filament is going to have a round shape which means the printer is basically printing in the air.
Be careful not to decrease the z-offset too drastically because the nozzle should never come in contact with the bed because damage to the bed, nozzle or heat-break is possible.

Image source

A "hack" I used was to print with a raft. I decreased the width of the raft in Cura so I'm not printing with excess plastic and the raft ensures my print always sticks.
Another thing to look at is to look at the print speed, a slightly slower speed might help with the build plate adhesion. This is something I noticed from printing with a raft
For reference, I print with a glass bed and the plastic failed to adhere to the bed even after washing it and using sanitizer to clean it off. IPA is the real deal though but I didn't give it a try.

I have reverse experience with sanitizer, in my case it made things worse. But some other hint: I read once to use slaty water. For few weeks I continue to do it on my old printer with clean glass bed: after soap-washing I heat the bed, and then apply strong brine. Quickly formed crystals have form of dust, which I loosely wipe with hand tissue. (And slowly, because I am afraid of this salt dust against linear barrings.) In my opinion it helps with adhesion, though I am not sure why.

I'm guessing the rough surface that the salt creates on a microscopic level provides adhesion points for the plastic. That sounds like an "if all else fails" type of solution though since that might scratch the glass surface

A raft should be the final resort if everything else fails, e.g. with high shrinkage, high temperature filaments. An adhesive is usually a better solution, nowadays there are specific print adhesion sprays. The bottom layer finish will benefit from it.


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What happened around 2012~2013 in 3D printing field
Comparing trends show that 3D printing stepped over to another level around 2012~2013. Why?

A great story on the history of 3D printing is published by 3DSOURCED. It shows that the patents for FDM and SLA expired a few years earlier and the RepRap 3D printer self replicating project became very popular. Also, 3D printer manufacturers emerged and electronics, software and parts became available at a larger scale, so that it was more affordable for a hobbyist to dive in.

Could the same happen to 3D scan field? I mean, regarding patents for example.

once the patents run out, possibly, but I don't think to the degree of 3D Printers, as there is less "fun" application in scanners - and sharing scanned items might come with a legal backlash that sharing self-made designs might not because you much easier violate copyright.

It’s not even just fewer ‘fun’ applications for a 3D scanner, there are arguably fewer practical applications as well. 3D printing slots into the usual engineering development loop rather nicely as a way to speed up prototyping, and that’s a large part of what helped make it so generically popular, but 3D scanning is far less universally useful in such a setting.

History, Anthropology and Archaeology use 3D scanners, merged with 3D model generation it slots in nicely there (as in re-creating damaged artifacts etc)

Another opinion received:

That’s the result of MakerBot and others promoting the tech to the general public for the first time after the patents expired. They were just running up stock prices to make a lot of money


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Printer thermistors read completely wrong after changing firmware
I recently installed Marlin 1.1.9.1 onto my Creality CR-10S. After doing so, the temperatures for both the bed and hotend now read -14 °C. I have changed the setting in the Marlin configurations.h to several different thermistors, and it either reads 0 or -14 °C.
I have now installed several different versions of Marlin and with each one I experience the same problem.
Is there some tuning setting that I am missing or has installing the firmware somehow fried something on my board?

Okay, to anyone who is looking at this post, I am an idiot. I have spent the last 4 or more hours sifting through youtube videos and forum posts to figure out this problem. I have reinstalled firmware modifications dozens of times. All of this, to just now discover that I never had the bed or hotend cables connected. That's right, I never even considered the fact that I had yet to plug in those cables after transporting my printer to a new location.
Don't be like me. Check the simplest solutions first.

MINTEMP! no connection is Mintemp -14!


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Issue crashing Z-axis when I home X or Y axes
I'm just getting started in 3D printing by rebuilding an old machine from scratch updating firmware etc. It is all wired up and I am calibrating and completing tuning before a first print.
I am having a weird problem in that when I click "home X" button in Pronterface, my dual Z axes steppers move in the +Z direction and crash. If I home Z via Pronterface, the Z-axis behaves correctly (moves in -Z direction until it bumps off the limit switch). I am using an MKS GEN L V1.0 board and Marlin v1.1.9
If I move thr Z-axis via Pronterface in the +Z direction, it moves as expected. Both Y and X axes also seem to work okay and respond to commands normally via Pronterface.
Sending a G28 X command also results in a Z-axis activation and crash.
Sending a G28 Y command has the same result.
Any ideas on how to resolve this?

Most likely a firmware issue. Marlin 1.1 is quite old. I'd suggest getting the latest Marlin firmware on it. I have a the same board as you and it came shipped with old firmware. It will also help to post your Marlin Config.

It is normal to have some Z-activation when homing X and Y. This is to protect the nozzle from hitting the bed or anything printed on the bed. But a centimeter should be enough, like #define Z_HOMING_HEIGHT  10

Maybe you could post your configuration file on PasteBin and share a link in comments. If wrongly configured, others can copy relevant parts into your question and answer the question.

Found the issue with help here! My Z-axis homing height was not set - I set it to 4 mm but found that the Z movement is way off (actual Z movement is more like 15 cm!).
I will update to the latest firmware as suggested.