It was printing fine except I was getting clogged nozzles. I purchased new Snapmaker .4 nozzles and recalibrated. I also ran an extruder e-step calibration and updated the machine from 212.21 to 235.78889. Now it prints the first layer (I think) fine and then appears to get a clogged nozzle and printing in thin air. This has happened on two different prints multiple times. I even switched out to another new nozzle with the same result. I can see little bits of filament inside the feed mechanism where it is grinding a grove in the filament. When I go into the controls and unload and then reload the filament it then extrudes fine. The filament can easily and freely feed off the spool so that isn’t the issue. On the last print that failed it looked like the nozzle might have been picking up material from the build plate and gunking it up. I ran it with the Normal print settings and only changed the layer height to .24 and 235 print temp.
Your first layer is a bit too close and it’s dragging the nozzle through it and creating a back pressure that’s likely grinding the filament. Also try upping your temps to 240-250.
Thanks for the reply! I’ve had my printer for a long time but have never messed much with the settings. Ideally, I’d like the layer height to be .3. For the first layer being too close, do I just need to change the Bottom Layers setting? What would be a good value to increase it to? I’ll try the higher temp. Would I change all of these temp settings?
Yes, up them all. I don’t think that settings is the initial layer thickness, but the total thickness of the layers, so at 1mm thick bottom, at 4 layers, that’s 0.25mm bottom layer.
Layer height should not be more than 80% of nozzle diameter; in this case, 0.32 is the largest layer height you should use, but you can use it for all layers.
From your photos, the issue is not the layer height, but what is caled the z-offset (the height between the nozzle and the print sheet not including the layer height). PETG prefers having a larger z-offset compared to PLA. You can most easily change this on the touchscreen when you first select the file you want to print.
As for clogs, this is the info you need to read up on, esepcially if you are going to be printing PETG or any other high-temp filament (ABS, ASA, Nylon, etc):
Z height is one of those things you just need to easily and quickly try yourself. Start your print, and make the adjustment on the fly, you’ll see immediately when it’s right.
PETG will generally be about 0.15 -0.25 higher than with PLA, but you have to find the exact number on your own since it is entirely dependent on how accurate the bed levelling mesh was.
Haha, too bad the sarcasm was lost on you. But you did repeat EXACTLY what I posted prior… soooo pot calling the kettle black. Which seems to be your MO.
As they say, turnabout is fair play. Usurp my concise answer to the OP with your screed, that’s what will happen again.
PETG also has a tendency to absorb moisture more than most other filaments, which will quickly ruin prints, so you need to make sure that the filament has been dehydrated.
That could be an issue because my machine is in my garage and it is cold and wet in the PNW. But that said, I was printing PETG ok (not perfect) up until I ran the extruder e-step calibration, switched to a brand new roll of PETG and replaced the hot end.
Just look at majority of your your posts… someone will post an answer, then you immediately post a reply with exactly the same answer only reworded. Nasty habit, that doesn’t help anyone and only creates animosity and noise. Thankfully there’s a user mute function… welcome aboard.
I still can’t get a good print. I left the temp at 245 and layer height at .3 for all prints. I ran prints with the z height set to 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25 and they all failed. Something else must be going wrong. It must be that the nozzle is getting clogged. After I stop the print, clean up the nozzle, unload the filament, snip off the bad part of the filament and reload the filament it flows fine through the hot end.
The last failed print was with these settings.
Layer Height: 0.3
Initial Layer: 0.3
Z Height Adjustment: 0.25
Temp: 245
What brand of filament is it?
How old is your nozzle?
Have you dried the filament?
Have you thoroughly cleaned the print sheet with soap & water?
Other things to try:
Increase bed temp to 80C
Set Initial Layer Print Speed to 15 (PETG like to go slower than PLA)
Set all other print speeds to max of 40
Set all travel speeds to max of 80
Reduce cooling to 20%
Reduce retraction distance to 0.2
Reduce retraction speed to 30
Additional option:
Switch to using Cura for your slicer instead of Luban.
HATCHBOX PETG - Green
Nozzle is brand new
I Have not dried the filament, it was a new roll when it started doing this but has been on the machine for a few days now.
The last print was on a new never used print sheet.
I’ll start testing the “Other things to try”. What would be a good plan of attack for those items? I think I’ll keep the layer heights at 0.3, Z height at 0.2, temp at 245 and then start working down your list of suggestions. If I try a setting and it fails should I change that setting back to what it was or keep it and then change the next setting in the list?
