Extruder Calibration

Hi, I have this issue when I'm extruding with my extruder.

I'm using Marlin v1 firmware and my printer is a Prusa I3

These are my settings in Marlin:

#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {17.5,17.5,200.0*8/3, 240} // default steps per unit for Ultimaker
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {30, 30, 5, 10} // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {200,200,200,1000}

I have a .5mm plastic, and a .3 nozzle. I set in Slic3r
Layer height=.2mm
Fill density=.4
Pattern: Rectilinear
Speed: 5mm/s for all settings

Then I use Repetier. When I tried to calibrate it manually, it works fine. The filament that was pulled down is exactly the distance I set.
But, when I run this test programme for the 5mm test cube, the extruder just doesn't to be able to grasp the plastic. The speed seems to have increased.

This is the test code attached.

Anyone knows how to solve this?

Is your printer a kit? Are the numbers you are using from the people who made the kit? They are a bit unusual for an i3.

Are you measuring the filament into the extruder or the filament out of the extruder? The calibration is supposed to be done based on the feed into the extruder.

No its not a kit.

these are my latest settings attached in the picture

.
I set the Travel to 60mm/sec and its extruding now.

The printer actually prints according to shape in the base. Its in fact a perfect hardened shape of a 5mm square at the end result. My test run was the test cube code I uploaded earlier. However as it goes higher, (after the base is completed) the tip of the nozzle seems to hit the upper layers and pulls them along as it extrudes. I think that's why it seems thicker up there. The tip is like pressing on the top layer before it hardens.

It's basically the tip of the extruder pressing on the top layer which is still soft. And when the extruder moves, it drags the soft layer along as well.
So let's say the cube has got 3 layers, after the first layer this occurs and it deforms the second layer and so on

What kind of motors, stepper driver settings (jumpers), belts (GT2?) and gears (number of teeth) did you use when you built the printer? What kind of extruder are you running?

The "travel" setting only applies when the printer is not pushing plastic. It's not something you need to fiddle with a lot.

It woulds like you do not have your extrusion width / layer height / flow rate / filament diameter (to 0.01 mm) / extruder steps settings quite right.

Nema 17, GT2, .4 extruder. Is there any sli3er config typically for a Prusa I3?

If you have normal gears, your settings suggest you do not have the micro stepping jumpers correctly installed on your Ramps or that your stepper drivers are defective. I don't know what sort of motors you have (step angle, resistance, inductance, torque) so that may be part of it as well.

The settings in Slic3r will vary depending on who you got your filament from, your printing temps, your printing speed, and how fussy you are about the results. Optimizing all of them is part of the fun of owning one of these printers.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2013 09:08PM by uncle_bob.