3D Printing Stack Exchange
3D Printing Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
17
votes
6 answers

Prints are now sticking too well to the bed. What to do?

I'm a beginner. I've a Printrbot Play with a heated bed add-on. I'm using it exclusively with PLA. It worked great initially, but then I took the nozzle out and put it back in, and the Z calibration was lost (and I didn't know the calibration was a…
Florin Andrei
  • 271
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
17
votes
2 answers

Why is a 3D Benchy considered a good test print for FDM printers?

the 3D Benchy is everywhere. It is one of the top test prints if you look away from a simple cube. But what makes the Benchy a good test print at all? It does have almost no critical dimensions that would be measurable to see if the printer is…
Trish
  • 21,915
  • 12
  • 50
  • 101
17
votes
2 answers

Differences between moving build plate vs. extruder

What are the differences, and pros & cons, between 3D printers with varying layouts for moving head vs. moving build plate? Example layouts would include: X Head; YZ Bed; XY Head; Z Bed; XYZ Head; etc. In particular, what are their…
agent provocateur
  • 273
  • 1
  • 3
  • 7
17
votes
4 answers

Resolution Drawbacks

With an ABS or PLA extrusion 3D printer, are there any potentially negative quality differences that could occur if I try to print at a higher resolution? I am not concerned about print time as the equipment is not under high demand. I am, however,…
kaine
  • 986
  • 1
  • 10
  • 21
16
votes
9 answers

First 3 mm prints poorly, then fine after that

I have an Ender 3 that I have been pretty happy with so far, however it recently started an odd behavior and I can't figure out what's causing it. What happens is that the first ~3 mm of the print comes out "sloppy". After that, everything clears…
Steve In CO
  • 907
  • 3
  • 9
  • 18
16
votes
8 answers

Good (preferably free) Beginner Software for Part Creation?

What software is best for the basest of n00bs when it comes to 3D parts creation? I have a heavy math background and know how to create explicit functions of volume, surface area, center of mass, etc. Ideally, I'd like a program that uses those…
Cerberus
  • 163
  • 3
16
votes
4 answers

Why is it conventional to set line width > nozzle diameter?

I recently became curious about the Line Width setting in Cura and why one might change it if they aren't using different size nozzle. Since I've gotten my Ender 3, I've always kept the line width equal to my nozzle size (0.4 mm). I've looked around…
ifconfig
  • 911
  • 4
  • 13
  • 29
16
votes
5 answers

Serious safety concerns with living in same room as PLA 3D Printer?

I have an Ender 3 which I primarily use for printing with PLA. I haven't branched out to other materials yet. :) I've done some research into PLA fumes and airborne particulates which seemed to mention that PLA is mostly safe, but ABS is rather…
ifconfig
  • 911
  • 4
  • 13
  • 29
16
votes
3 answers

Ender 3 nozzle homes off the bed in the Y axis

I just received my new Creality Ender 3. I was going through and checking/adjusting everything for alignment, and I noticed that when you "auto home" the print head, the nozzle stops off the front of the print bed by 5-10 mm. Is that normal? Is it…
Steve In CO
  • 907
  • 3
  • 9
  • 18
16
votes
5 answers

Print only part (fraction) of a model

I've made a 9H-printing model tonight, and only a little part of it failed (because a support dropped off). I want to reprint only that little part. How can I do that in Cura? How can I tell Cura to generate a gcode file so only that little part…
Xenos
  • 363
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
16
votes
1 answer

Which is the difference between MK6 and MK8 and even MK10?

I made and assembled my own 3D printer two years ago and I notice that some extruders are MK6 and MK(*whatever). Some of them has the block fuser horizontal and others vertical, then uses a nozzle longer. The block heater that I made was an aluminum…
Fernando Baltazar
  • 1,510
  • 3
  • 15
  • 21
16
votes
1 answer

How to improve face that are printed on support?

Is there anything I can do to improve the bottom side of surfaces that are printed on support? I always try to rotate the model so that surfaces that need to look nice are on the sides or top, and, if possible I divide the model into smaller parts…
Nir
  • 2,511
  • 8
  • 20
  • 32
16
votes
7 answers

Would 3D printing multiple copies at once saves time?

I am wondering - of course if the 3D printer's bed big enough - printing multiple copies of the same print could save me significant amount of time in a small production line, excluding minor wastage such as setup time, post-processing time,…
Mehrad
  • 263
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
16
votes
1 answer

What is the purpose of asterix (*) in Gcode?

Doing some low level monitoring, the following sequence is sent to the printer: N0 M106*36 N1 G28*18 N2 M107*39 This sequence just turns the fan on, homes the printer, then turns the fan off. Question: What is the purpose of the asterix/star/(*)…
Mtl Dev
  • 629
  • 2
  • 7
  • 20
16
votes
6 answers

What is stopping us from mixing 3D filament colors in an Extruder?

This came up in one of my groups today. That we could not color bend, or mix 3d printing filaments. I have researched but I am not finding anything talking about Plastic mixing in an extruder. Why is it that we cannot take say a Diamond hotend, or a…
StarWind0
  • 3,073
  • 3
  • 13
  • 29
1 2 3
…
99 100