Ok. Will this work.... If I choose a layer height of .2mm, width over thickness of 2.0, and feed rate 20 mm/s. Then would I be able to keep these settings by only adjusting flow rate to give me the 2.0 width over thickness?

I updated to marlin firmware a few weeks ago, 1.75/.35 nozzle, skeinforge 45, mendel, pronterface, and PLA at 190 temp.

I have calibrated many times. I usually can get ok prints, but never decent and always only at low speeds (20mm/s).

One problem that just started recently was that my prints started lifting on the corners. I do have a heated printbed and use kapton tape on it. The only real difference is the black pla i just got. could this be the cause? I will try replacing the kapton tape tomorrow.

*EDIT*
Replacing the kapton tape helped a little. Then I just used a knife to cut a crosshatch pattern on the printbed, that fixed the lifting problem. Right now my biggest question is about the fact that the settings that usually work have a higher perimeter width than the fill width(mine is 1.8 and 1.45). This makes the pieces fit together (perimeter wt test object), but then there is a gap between the perimeter and the extra shell. Raising the infill perimeter overlap does not fix this though, it just brings the infill closer to the extra shell. The distance between the perimeter and extra shell does not change. Is there a way to scale the perimeter inward? This would make it possible to allow the perimeter width to be the same as the fill width.

I also had some printing problems in the beginning with my Orca 0.3. Printing at low speeds (25mm/s) went fine, but at higher speeds extrusion was failing.

I experimented a lot with different settings and software (including SFACT). At this moment I'm using Camiels settings in Skeinforge (see software pack at download page) and printing at higher speeds goes fine. One essential detail is that I had to set extruder (v9) temperature at 255 degrees for PLA. I measured with a thermocouple and it seems that this corresponds with an extruder surface temperature of 240 degrees. At lower temperature the prints fail; sometimes even after 4 hours of continuous printing. Setting the 255 degrees temperature solved all of my problems.

Hi, I have an Orca .20 and I set the temp to 255 as well; together with Camiel's (slow) settings.
I have a problem with starting a print; the first milimeters of the print are not fantastic, then it works out great. I use the manual extrusion option in pronterface, but then the head doesn't move and you get a blob, remove the pla, home it and start the print ...
In Skeinforge, the content of the start.gcode file is used in every gcode-file generated. I'd like to print a longer test-line before starting the real print.

So if I change the G1 X8 Y6 F1000 E2 to G1 X16 Y12 F1000 E2 would that be enough ? Or do I need to change the E-param aswell ?

Or maybe a nice zig-zag print before starting would even be better ?
Or any other patron to get the extrusion going ?



Chris

I found the solution: skirt-option in skeinforge; prints a track around the object to print ...