I’m new to printing. I have mini and this is what it’s doing.
It printing with esun hips. Any help would be welcome.
Your z offset is wrong, that means your first layer starts too far above the print bed. You can change this in cura under "machine settings ".
Second, you are over extruding. Measure your filament diameter precisely and enter it in cura. If your value is already set correctly, you need to do an e steps calibration.
Like Seb said -measure your filament. If you don’t have one, invest in a digital caliper. They are very inexpensive and a “required” tool for 3D printing. Measure every time before you print in a half dozen places along the filament until you get a feel for how consistent it is. Expect every reel to be different. The reel may say it’s 3mm, but that usually means around 2.85mm. What temperatures and fan settings are you using? I started off keeping a log book of my settings and then just saved Cura Profiles for each color and type of filament.
Best regards,
PCH
Thank you. Is there a measurement or a reference dimension on how far the extruded should be away from the print bed?
Looking at your pictures you look to possibly have a mechanical issue with your mahine. You look to have sudden direction shifts in the extrusion that are causing filament to pile up in spots and have gaps in other places.
Kman
I purchased my mini as an open box on eBay. I had to replace the y axis stepper motor. Any thought on what other mechanical issue there might be? Lulzbot support suggested the z offset as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.
I don’t have a Mini, but the setup instructions (probably available on Lulzbot site if you didn’t get them) should cover setting/checking the Z offset.
https://download.lulzbot.com/Mini/1.0/documentation/quick_start_guide/QuickStart_Mini_8.5x5.5_PAGES.pdf
You also didn’t mention what Temperatures you are using for the Extruder and Bed with your HIPS filament.
I like HIPS, it’s a bit easier to work with than ABS IMHO. Yes you do need to measure at the very least every roll of filament. The colors also “act” differently even in the same formulation.
To Summarize -
- Set your Z-Offset to the correct amount (and level your bed)
- Get accurate Filament diameter
- Get the correct Extrusion and Bed Temperature
- Get the correct Cooling Fan settings
- If you are still having issues - calibrate your e-Steps
I had lots of issues at first (particularly with dimensional accuracy), but these basic setup steps were what got me rolling.
I did check my e-Steps and they were really good. It’s a bit more complicated, but there are some good resources you can find with Google.
Print a “torture” test like Benchy to help fine tune your machine -
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622
An un-opened box should be pretty close to setup correctly. You will probably need to go through everything to ensure the box-opener didn’t do something stupid. Embrace the extra work. It will help you understand your machine and produce better prints.
Best regards,
PCH
If you print a single perimeter line with layer height x, the resulting height must be x ±0.01mm. Adjust it until you hit it 
Thank you
Looking at the model you printed. As long as you did not rotate it before printing, it looks like you have a X axis issue. You will see places on the arms of the Octopus that are straight/(squared off) when they should be curved on the X axis of travel. So you seem to be losing steps on your X travel. It is also causing over extrusion in places due to not stepping correctly on curves. You can see it on the bottom layer of your print where there are gaps, and lines that stop before the external perimeter is reached. That will cause plastic to build up since it is not getting laid down in the correct spots.
The Mini auto-levels and adjusts the nozzle height in the process. Make sure your nozzle is clean of residue as well as the discs in the corners for probing. Any residue will affect the auto level results… usually resulting in a nozzle height which will be too low initially.
Did you slice that or did you use the calibration gcode file from Lulzbot? The pre-sliced version would ensure its not a setting in your slicer.
There are other things wrong besides the auto-level. Print some 20x20x20 calibration cubes and post pics.
Thank you to everyone. I am using all the knowledge each of you gave me.
Mechanical was part of the problem. My X axis pulley was loose! Unfortunately one of the screws was stripped so I will order a new or try to fix it at work.