Two bad prints

General Software
1

Received my Taz 5 last week and still getting to know the printer… had my first bad print, actually two bad prints trying to print this from thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:919475 using esun pla from lulzbot using “high” profile.

Both prints failed at the same level which makes me think it’s a problem with how it is sliced.

There is a picture of the second failure:
https://owncloud.maverickserver.com/index.php/s/hhgQwFvP21hIw4t

https://owncloud.maverickserver.com/index.php/s/1MhBHCB9oUMvVYH

Any ideas on how to correct?

Thanks in advance!

2

You are using Cura, printing over USB? Maybe your computer was going to sleep? I can’t see an error in your print, so I guess it was simply stopping mid print.

For long prints, I would always recomend to print from SD card and disconect the printer from USB. Choose File-Save gcode in Cura and try again.

3

Thanks for the tip, but I was printing from SD card.

It looks as if the print head hit the model and leaves a cone of plastic. I will post a close up of the model after work.

4

Here is a picture of the model:

https://owncloud.maverickserver.com/index.php/s/uesAsMGZpDwEAho

Do you think it just stopped or did it hit the model?

Would looking at the gcode help?

I had two failures in a row near the same spot which makes me thing it’s a gcode problem.

Edited to correct link

5

That cone is what normally happens when the printer stops getting commands to move and extrude. With me this normally happens due to USB issues (like the host computer taking a vacation from reality.) :wink:

I suspect that when you copied the g-code to the SD card you didn’t get the whole file copied. Did you recopy the file on the second attempt or just re-use the same file on the SD card?

Did you slice the g-code directly to the SD card or did you save it on the computer then copy it to the SD card? If you saved it to the computer first, compare the size of the files.

I sometimes have a problem with lack of patience and exit my slicer before file writes are complete. :astonished: I suggest that you re-slice the model and make sure that the g-code is completely written before exiting your slicer. Same thing when copying the g-code. If on Windows, make sure to “Eject” the SD card via the OS before physically pulling the SD card out of the system.

6

For both attempts, I saved the gcode directly from Cura onto sdcard.

For the second attempt, I deleted the gcode off the card, moved the model a bit in Cura to force it to slice again and saved it to the same card.

I am trying it again for a third time. This time I a rotated 90 degrees and saved it to a different sd card in case there was something wrong with the first. I did notice it saved to the sdcard much more quickly than the first. Made sure to hit “eject” button in windows.

I’ll post back after the estimated 18 hour print job is complete!

7

If you are printing from the SD card and the computer is still connected with your USB cable the computer going to sleep or otherwise can shut down the printer.