How to Tune Your 3D Printer - Getting the Best out of Your 3D Printer and Material
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- Опубликовано: 14 июл 2024
- 3D Printing is a far more complex and involved process, especially for high-temperature applications with advanced materials.
When you move on from PLA to industrial, high-performance materials such as ABS, Nylon, PEEK or PEI, you’re entering a category of functional materials that require more time and attention to get the perfect part you desire. This is because higher-grade materials melt and adhere at specific temperatures under the right conditions, and those temperatures are generally much higher than normal -- in the 400ºC (850ºF) range. The essentially makes for a smaller window of processing, with shorter tolerances and more finicky material behavior.
The tough reality is that there are no universal settings, as each machine will require a different setting to fit different part geometries, different material types, even different geographic regions. Even in the instance of PLA, two different filament rolls of PLA can differ on age, brand, and moisture. When you move onto higher-temperature plastics like PEEK or PEI, this disparity increases.
In this video, we’ll cover the basics of tuning, i.e. getting your printer to get as close to those ideal conditions as possible to get the perfect part.
Here at Vision Miner, we recommend starting by tuning for the specific material as each is going to have a different melting point, ideal bed temperature, printing speed, etc.
To tune for the material, we follow the five-step tuning process, and it starts with establishing a baseline.
Getting your material’s baseline means finding out the recommended head temperature, bed temperature, and printing speed. These can be found either online via our website, the manufacturer’s website, or even on the material roll.
1. Input your baseline settings into a slicer program of your choice.
2. Select a small test print that gives you results in a short amount of time. In the past, we’ve used simple cubes, string-tower tests, and overhang tests to see how our material is impacted by different part geometries.
3. Simply examine your part. What you will want to look for is layer adhesion, especially for higher-temperature materials. You can examine layer adhesion by close-up visual inspection, bending/flexing, and snap tests. These let you see if layers are fusing properly. Feel free to look for gaps, holes, and blobs as well to evaluate aesthetic features and as structural properties. Most of the time, you can research using online guides to address specific issues you see with your test part.
After you’ve examined what you want to change, you can move on to adjusting your settings. At Vision Miner, we like to make a change significant enough to check for major differences, but small adjustments are usually sufficient.
The final step in the tuning process is to repeat steps 1 through 4 until you’re satisfied with the quality and strength of your calibration part. This process is highly iterative and relies on your ability to make changes to each run-through until you reach a place where your machine will print the real part with ease. Part complexity and material choice will normally affect how many times you will need to adjust your calibrations.
Once you have completed the tuning process, your printer should be dialed in for the material with which you tested. Now, you can go and print almost anything.
On occasion, you will need to go more complex for more complex geometries, but the tuning process will give you the foundational settings needed for your specific printer, part, and location.
Keep in mind: if you change your material, your temperatures, or your surrounding environment, you will most likely need to re-tune.
If you’re interesting in learning more about tuning, check back on the blog for more updates and visit our RUclips channel for more videos!
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - The Part and Its Purpose
3:14 - Starting the Tuning Process
8:14 - Advanced Tuning
11:22 - The Settings to Tune
12:16 - End
At Vision Miner, we specialize in Functional 3D printing, especially high-performance plastics like PEEK, ULTEM, PPSU, PPS, CFPA, and more. We also have extensive experience with 3D scanners, and a whole array of solutions available for purchase. If you're interested in using functional 3D printing and materials in your business, feel free to reach out, and we can help you make the right choice for your application.
Call 833-774-6863 or email contact@visionminer.com, and we're here to help!
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A while back I took my extrusion calibration to the next level. If the slicer calculated 10 meters of filament required I measured out and cut 10m of filament plus a known length of extra. I then dialed the multiplier in so I'm withing 1-2%. For me that is .82. Since doing this 99% of my print issues are gone. I now cut the required amount of filament for the job plus a few hundred mm more. Cutting the required amount also gives the added benefit of not exposing the entire roll to excessive moisture uptake.
Wow! It's very encouraging to see that even the pros don't get it always right on the first try. Thanks for sharing!
These videos are always helpful. Just hearing you guys speak about the process helps us determine if we’re on the right track. I finally am getting some amazing prints with CF PA6 and went through a lot of the same tuning steps you talked about.
Thanks for sharing this detailed advice. I am new to 3D printing, and I am also more interested in functional printing over making trinkets.
Thanks again for the content you create and I am officially a huge fan.
Glad I stumbled across this video today. I'm just starting with nylon, nylon PC and high temp nylon PC. Extremely helpful information. Patience is key here, and a lot of testing! Thanks so much for this video.
Thanks for the chat, and reference to the video!
This channel will be a game changer for me, I appreciate all you guys do and the content you create👌🏼!
Any time! Thank you so much!
How this channel is only at 18K subscribers I'll never understand. Thank You so much for you're continued effort!
because its vague learnings
Thank you for your awesome videos! I am excited to see what you do with sls!!
Big things coming soon!!
Great video! I am actually in the process of tuning to print CF Nylon (PA6). Have the CF HTN as well, after I get this to work. For the moment i am struggling alot with layer adhesion. Looks like i am at the first steps of the process you are showing, so a long way to go. Looking forward to the next video.
Same here, except my issues are just flow related.
Modified a Mega Zero 2.0 for colorfab CF nylon and other generic brands
I recently feel like I cracked the code with 3DXT CF PA6 with my printer. Enclosing the printer and raising the bed temp to 110 is getting me a chamber temp of 60-65 C which has massively improved the layer adhesion. That and getting rid of Magigoo and going back to good old glue stick has pretty much eliminated any warping I was battling as well.
@@tristanscott4118 Sounds great! What nozzle temp are you printing with? And what nozzle? I have hardened steel which is supposed to have lower thermal conductivity and needs 10-15C higher temps. I’m having trouble at 260C and thinks it needs a little higher temps.
@@Jarlefinken I’m using a slice vanadium nozzle. I have them in 0.4 - for smaller parts and 0.6 - for larger parts.
270C on my printer is my go to. I could probably fine tune it a bit more but even at 260 I have issues with strength. 270 I take a slight hit in accuracy but the parts are SOLID.
coming from the milling apps engineer realm. slicer tuning is fun.
Might be overkill but just printed some CF nylon fidget cubes, came out perfect first try lol
thx for sharing the experience😊
11:48 you are talking about the length of time that the filament is being heated as it goes through the extruder, right? Because the temperature of the heater doesnt necessarily mean that the filament has enough time to heat up that much?
My only wish is that these videos are longer, thanks.
How to print like a pro… Step 1: start by not knowing what nozzle size your machine is using.
Mr.McKnight, you forgot something:
Step 2- don’t forget, you need to be perfect and never make mistakes- especially if you’re a RUclips content creator. Heaven forbid your human nature leaks out and normal (non pro ) people can relate to you. 🙄
…..
Step 3: keep being transparent and sharing info like this- I nearly sliced something with the wrong nozzle size just the other day. Shit happens.
It happens even to the best of us, sometimes!
Have you experimented with nylon vapor smoothing? We are just about to start down the path at our shop. We have a smother we use for MJF nylon pa12 and we are looking at developing some pa 6 and pa 12 parameters.
How is the production of the new 22 idex machine going. wasn't it made in Ukraine or only designed there. Just seeing if your partner are safe.
Going great! finally shipping out of Ukraine again, the team is safe, and there are a lot of new developments, new videos coming soon!
Would love to hear more about the evolution of materials in 3d printing. Something that is easy to print with, has good heat resistance, toughness, chemical stability, and can be printed within 300C. CPE is closest i can think of and would love to hear your ideas.
I use Atomic CF-PETG and Prusament CF-PC blend (3D Xtech has a ezPC CF product as well). If I need lubricity of a vibrant color (i.e. can’t use carbon fiber) then I use my printer with a heated chamber. I haven’t found a non-fiber functional FDM material that can be printed at high infill (or 100cm+ length) in a hotplate design.
Y'all should do a video on your ezPC filament. Haven't seen any videos of it and only a few people have posted about it in general.
I feel a little better about my printing now. On complex prints with difficult materials I go through lots of material before I get it to a level I find acceptable.
great videos! Im fairly new to 3d printing and i also have a unique position where my family owns a printing shop. So i was just wondering if it would be a good idea to incorporate 3d printing into the buisness.
It's a totally different trade, but I'm sure with the customers and marketing you already have, you could make some good business doing 3D printing as well!
What are your thoughts on PA12-CF parts that will be exposed to the outdoor elements with no post process coatings?
This is definitely doable, post processing is great but not necessary. :)
@@VisionMiner thank youfor the feedback. These will be end use parts on heavy AG equipment.
Im currently working with taulmans nylon bridge. Was given to me by a friend but i have dried that thing for 24hr and still getting warp. Im also using the vision minor nano adhesive
Drying will not prevent warping with Nylon -- that's almost definitely due to you printing too thick, too sharp of a corner, in too cold of a chamber, or simply in open air. Bed adhesion only goes so far, but nylon warps by nature, you really need a heated chamber to make great parts!
Good to know im printing on the E2 from raise3d so its enclosed. Ill make some changes to see if i can get this down. My print layer hight is .2 from a .4 nozzle at 40mm speed
tip: PP thin layer os b7000, phone screen glue, apply at 80C on the bed, cool down the bed, print on cold bed, heat the bed at 60c and you can remove the part
Going to try this one out......
Hi I’m trying to print with a 1mm nozzle on a modix 60 , and having real problems
I’m using PETG
Can you give me some settings to try
Thanks dean
Go suuuuuuper slow, and increase the heat :) Start at 5-10 mm/s
@@VisionMiner we tried hotter and the materials were bubbling
Great Video! One thing that I suggest is keeping a log.
An absolute, tedious PITA...that really needs to be done.
Looking at the cost of high temp graphite/ nylon/ composites can cause major sticker shock in itself. Just saw some at $ 380.00 per 500grams ( half kilo). Testing needs be as efficient and practical as possible.
did you try lisa?
Printing with it now :) :) Lisa PRO in the shop, Lisa X on the way!
is Josh hawley your effin bro..hahaha?
Glorified robotic glue gun, brilliant!
YES! hah! :)
"it's sooner than you think"
They will seek forgiveness but they will not recieve it,
anybody that forgives them will be put to death.
Wait, what?
Ngl I found this v unhelpful 😅
Just in my Honest opinion, which I know you guys won't care. But "then they did this" "they changed this setting" saying those sturr is not even helping. The most uninformative and useless video about how to "TUNE LIKE A PRO"video.
Here's the brass tax, though -- giving you actual numbers from whatever machine was adjusted in whatever amount wouldn't necessarily help -- since every machine is a bit different, and it's about the principle of change.
Realistically though, I didn't include those numbers, because they weren't fully documented, and the guys were out of the shop when I shot that video.....
So -- to understand your comment, would you like to see more specific details of exactly how each thing was changed? Cheers and thank you!
@@VisionMiner despite my comment, I dont intent to disrespect. Sorry. Also just to clarify, I am not asking for numbers. obviously even two machines with the same setup will still have a slightly different setup, settings or profile so I am not actually about the numbers. What I wanna know is when your team was experiencing those problems (under extrusion, gaps, etc) What are the exact settings you guys changed. Because saying that "they changed some settings" or somethig is giving me more questions (wait so how did you guys fix it?). How would we know what you guys tweaked, howd u fixed the problem. Yes yes there are some tutorials on other videos or some article on google about how to fix a certain problem but there are also people who are having the same problems you guys did, so how did you fix it? again not about the numers but what setting/s did you guys touched or changed in order to fix the problem you guys had. We wanna know how you guys tune your machine/s (even the most basic way) because that is the title of your video.
Understood! I think that would be more of a video where we follow along the process, and/or document the entire thing better. I'm sure we'll do more stuff like this in the future, thank you for the suggestion!
totally agree, its very vague, i get it, every rig is different, but you didnt even state EXACTLY what YOU did. who cares what machine i have, tell me what exactly you did to correct the wrong doings, doing be vague where its "i think we did this or that". i LOVE your videos, but after watching this video, it just makes me need to watch another video elsewhere bc you just made my questions more profound. thanks.,
honestly mediocre, i can print better parts than these on my ender 3
Did you see the part where I mentioned we could have made it better-looking, but specifically stopped tuning because we didn't need to? It's definitely not the prettiest part, we agree with you there :)