So after a long hot summer I have finally produced a design and printed it out. My first effort was a complete mess because I didn’t add any supporting structure as it was hollow. So the second attempt I added this from Creality Print. I left it overnight to print as it was 9 hours to complete.
The result is OK but only as a trial prototype ….it can’t be used as it is too flimsy, the layers haven’t bonded together and there are gaps is some places. I used the PLA that came with the machine that I bought a while back.
Do I need to use a different material, change the parameters in Creality print or something else?
Not sure how to upload a video to this message which I have taken of my 3D model result
printing speed too high or too low (rather too low speed, filament has a lot of time to get too cold for bonding)
too cold temperature of the filament/nozzle (cooling fan/model fan may be at 100%, i never use it at 100%, usually 4%~20%, max 30%; some filaments like TPU may even require the model fan to be turned off completely)
values for layer height etc. may be set to minimum for some rason
It’s best to find the right nozzle temperature, as well the right speed for the model fan, i would set the model fan to 4% (which should be the minimum speed) and nozzle to the max temperature for your filament (PLA i think max nozzle temperature is close to 250°C? there should be a label on the PLA filament saying what specifications it has, you may exceed the specifications slightly)
there is definitely thousands of videos on YouTube of how to solve problems that you have observed.
Thx Kris for this info…..I need to play around with Creality print to see how to adjust some of these parameters then. And I also need to find a manual for my machine to also see what I can do to adjust some of the things you suggest. It will probably be in a few weeks as I’m away for about month but I will be looking into it.
i almost forgot one of the most important things. An enclosure! Ender V3 and other 3D printers which do not have an enclosure are not good with most of the filaments, except maybe TPU and PLA.
With enclosure and a heater, you can print ABS, carbon fibre and glass fibre reinforced filaments too, also PC and PET(same material plastic bottles are made of). All that will produce very weak layer bonding without the environment of at least 40~60°C , some filaments will require 100~120°C. So unfortunately, your choice of filaments for projects that will be actually successful is limited. I bought for my printer a cheap enclosure, and DIY electrical heater , it’s not perfect, but it works well, enclosure can reach up to 60°C, which for ABS and PC or PET is good enough, carbon fibre may work if the projects are small in dimensions.