Lulzbot Taz Bro Makerbot Filament Issue

General Hardware
#1

Hi All,

I am printing with a Lulzbot Taz Pro Dual Extruder. I am currently trying to print a 4 inch .STL model. The first extruder (left side facing looking from the front) currently has White PLA 0.3mm loaded. The second extruder has Makerbot Dissolvable Filament. I have never printed using this dis solvable filament however I need it for structural support on the model I wish to print. My first issue is the filament is not feeding well through the extruder no matter how I adjust the idler levers that adjust the pressure against the filament during the feed. I can get it to feed through steadily during the “continuous” process under “Changing filament” however during printing, it does not seem to feed the same. Is it recommended for secondary support to be on extruder 1 or 2? Secondly, where can I find recommended settings for basic .STL prints for different filaments?

Thanks,

Starr Kramer, Victor

Visualization Technology Specialist
Contractor, Medical Science and Computing, Inc.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch (BCBB)
NIH/NIAID/OD/OSMO/OCICB
Phone Cell: 202-748-2878

#2

Printing with PVA or any dissolvable filament can be challenging. I don’t believe it should matter which extruder you use, but it is likely that the settings for that extruder will be different. You may need a different nozzle temperature, different retraction settings, even different printing speeds.

I’d use a small object (because the dissolvable filament is more expensive) and print with just PVA. You can adjust the settings until you get can get a decent result. You can then move on to a small object that requires supports. I use this one:
SupportTest.stl (12.9 KB)