When something looks like it needs support material....

[Brazz]

So for my first print after the two fan shrouds....I chose to make an Onyx for a friend. Sadly, I had not discovered the "generate support material" box.

This was the onyx: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:208399" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And this is how far I got before realizing this thing wasn't going to work without support material:[img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Brazzle88/3D%20Prints/20141210_1717531_zpsfb757a73.jpg[/img]
I'm pretty sure that I was printing at 40 mm/s and on a stock build with no enclosure, but at the recommended heat. This time I'm going to click the support material button and also I downloaded the material files for ABS and PLA so that I can revert to them if I change too many settings. I'm looking for suggestions on how to clean up the slop on the underside of the rocks in the picture. Also there was significant curling on the outer edges as I began each overhang.

Thanks!

[Brazz]

Well I managed to click support material this time!
[img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee44/Brazzle88/3D%20Prints/20141210_2356011_zps9157dcbc.jpg[/img]

Next time, I'll try and add a better base layer to the support material. It popped off the plate later in the print and I first hit it with glue stick on the seemecnc spatula. That worked for a bit, but the next time it popped off I hit it with a hot glue gun.

I didn't import any "quality" settings when I uploaded the Slicer PLA profile (don't ask why I didn't use the Rostock Max PLA profile...derp) so let me know if there's a way to clean up the overhangs without using support material on angles inside of 30 degrees. I had that feature set at 30 degrees, might go to 25 degrees.

Any thoughts?

[BenTheRighteous]

You shouldn't need support on overhangs of about 60 or less, right? I keep my setting at 60 and that feels just about perfect for my prints.

[Jimustanguitar]

I've changed mine to 50, because I've gotten sag in a few places where there isn't adequate cooling, but yeah that sounds about right.

[Brazz]

Okay then I really need your advice guys.

What you see in the first picture is a good example of the slop I was getting on overhangs. My settings were:

PLA@ 30 mm/s print speed, 210 head and 60 bed. I had the layer fan on.

I noticed pretty heavy curling on overhang edges, so much so that I often went int and pressed them down with the SeeMeCNC spatula that comes with the Rostock Max. One major note should be that I loaded the slicer PLA settings provided in the download section instead of the Rostock Max PLA settings. I don't even know if there's that much difference, but I figure it's worth noting and that I'll also be loading the Rostock PLA settings for my next print.

I ask you O' 3D printing masters

[BenTheRighteous]

the SeeMeCNC spatula that comes with the Rostock Max.

It comes with it now?! Oh man! I bought mine separately! Whatever, it was worth the money.

So I have a couple clarifying questions:
1. Are you sure you're printing with PLA? I ask because I looked at your photobucket album and all your prints so far are black. If they're all with the same filament, then... something's wrong, because your fan shrouds were supposed to be ABS.
2. It's hard to see the detail in your first pic, but if I see what I think you're pointing at, then that is a pretty extreme overhang. I'd guess between 70 and 80 degrees. I'm wondering if you're measuring your angle relative to the horizontal or vertical? I think the convention is to measure from the vertical.

[Brazz]

Ben,

I switched to PLA after printing the fan shrouds in ABS. Also, that convention makes more sense now, lol. Thanks for the clarification of where it is measured from. That said, I'm just assuming that my print wasn't allowing enough time for the overhangs to cool properly, and maybe I should have really dropped the print speed for the outer edges? I saw in the build manual that you could add two more layer fans for printing with PLA. Has anyone done that and does it help printing PLA with lots of drastic overhangs?

[BenTheRighteous]

Are you using MatterControl or RepetierHost? Cura or Slic3r?

I know at least somewhere in RH, there is a difference between "support touches bed" and "support touches everything." Maybe that is part of your issue - since your overhang is over something that's already been printed, perhaps your slicer isn't generating support for it?

You do want to have your layer fan on, and while you could add more than one I don't think it would be strictly necessary to get a good result. I only have one, although I don't print many overhangs either.

Also... is that hot glue I see in your pic with the support material? That would definitely be a technique I'm not familiar with...

[Brazz]

Ben,

Yeah that was my first foray into support material, as well as my first attempt at printing something other than the fan shrouds. You can see that it's some pretty tall support material. By the time it began to get printed on, the impacts of the printer and layer fan touching the curling pieces caused the support material to separate from the bed. I tried to use the spatula to place some of my elmers stick under the support material tower, which only worked for one tower but not for a separate section. When the separate section of support material came off after I had already used elmers glue stick to glue it back down, I went with hot glue. In the future, I'll just use liquid elmers, but I didn't have any. This print was almost 4 hours and I didn't want to turn back.

As for advice for overhangs, I'm specifically looking at how to make better unsupported overhangs. It seems to be hit or miss as to whether or not there will be dribble on the undersides.

[415porto]

Okay then I really need your advice guys.

What you see in the first picture is a good example of the slop I was getting on overhangs. My settings were:

PLA@ 30 mm/s print speed, 210 head and 60 bed. I had the layer fan on.

I noticed pretty heavy curling on overhang edges, so much so that I often went int and pressed them down with the SeeMeCNC spatula that comes with the Rostock Max. One major note should be that I loaded the slicer PLA settings provided in the download section instead of the Rostock Max PLA settings. I don't even know if there's that much difference, but I figure it's worth noting and that I'll also be loading the Rostock PLA settings for my next print.

I ask you O' 3D printing masters

Try 200 head 60 Bed and use hairspray as your platform bonding agent. I have gotten really good results with this. Also don't turn layer fan until after layer 2 for PLA. I use cheapo Radio Shack filament and have gotten pretty good results.

[415porto]

Are you using MatterControl or RepetierHost? Cura or Slic3r?

I know at least somewhere in RH, there is a difference between "support touches bed" and "support touches everything." Maybe that is part of your issue - since your overhang is over something that's already been printed, perhaps your slicer isn't generating support for it?

You do want to have your layer fan on, and while you could add more than one I don't think it would be strictly necessary to get a good result. I only have one, although I don't print many overhangs either.

Also... is that hot glue I see in your pic with the support material? That would definitely be a technique I'm not familiar with...

Its called "Support Everywhere" in RH advanced settings.