Stringing!!

If you are having problems with your 3D printer or have had a problem and discovered a great solution, then share your experiences here.
Post Reply
User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6477
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Stringing!!

Post by ge_rik » Fri Jan 27, 2023 4:03 pm

Can anyone advise?

I've suddenly started having problems with stringing on my FDM printer. I've not used it since before Christmas and it has been cold out in the workshop, just in case that's a factor. When I started it up and printed, it was fine at first ....
IMG_3147.JPG
IMG_3147.JPG (76.13 KiB) Viewed 2677 times
But then, I started having stringing problems
DSCN3268.JPG
DSCN3268.JPG (75.24 KiB) Viewed 2677 times
I have loo ked online and tried everything which was suggested:
  • Decreased print temperature
  • Increased travel speed
  • Adjusted retract speed and distance
  • Replaced the nozzle
I've then changed to a brand new reel of filament (in a vacuum pack) in case the old reel had absorbed moisture and the problem has persisted (as you can see above).

I've even wiped the filament with olive oil as suggested in one YouTube video.

I'm rapidly reaching my wits end with it.

Any further suggestions?

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
GAP
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 684
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:34 pm
Location: Bundaberg QLD Australia
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by GAP » Fri Jan 27, 2023 8:39 pm

ge_rik wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 4:03 pm Can anyone advise?

I've suddenly started having problems with stringing on my FDM printer. I've not used it since before Christmas and it has been cold out in the workshop, just in case that's a factor. When I started it up and printed, it was fine at first ....
IMG_3147.JPG

But then, I started having stringing problems
DSCN3268.JPG

I have loo ked online and tried everything which was suggested:
  • Decreased print temperature
  • Increased travel speed
  • Adjusted retract speed and distance
  • Replaced the nozzle
I've then changed to a brand new reel of filament (in a vacuum pack) in case the old reel had absorbed moisture and the problem has persisted (as you can see above).

I've even wiped the filament with olive oil as suggested in one YouTube video.

I'm rapidly reaching my wits end with it.

Any further suggestions?

Rik
I had similar problems and I adjusted the retract speed and distance that did help and when I switched from PLA over to PLA+ the problem went away.
Graeme
From the home of the Ringbalin Light Railway
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6477
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by ge_rik » Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:10 pm

Thanks Graeme
I've got a reel of PLA+ so, if nothing else works, I'll give that a try.
What I can't understand is why it happened so suddenly. The first print I did was fine, then suddenly I got stringing with the next one

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

Trevor Thompson
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 963
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:30 pm
Location: South West Wales

Re: Stringing!!

Post by Trevor Thompson » Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:52 pm

You have identified that your workshop is cold, but you didn't say if you had tried warming it up.

I have no special knowledge but just a hunch that even PLA might not like how cold it has probably got in a workshop.

I have been having to heat my workshop since before Christmas. In fact I have installed a wood burner out there to avoid using a fan heater. Neither of my printers will work unless I heat the workshop up before starting them off.

Trevor

User avatar
philipy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5000
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 pm
Location: South Northants

Re: Stringing!!

Post by philipy » Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:51 am

Stringing isn't a problem I've ever had to any serious degree until just recently. It didn't start until I started to use my first ever reel of PLA+ in early January, when I started getting rats nests of cobwebby fine strings very similar to Rik's white prints above. I had the problem for about 10 days and then it just stopped for no apparent reason.
Having read the posts in this thread, I'm wondering if it was indeed temp related, as Trevor suggests. I have my printers indoors and temp has never been a consideration before, however with the energy cost rises we have turned down/turned off the radiators in non-essential rooms and that includes the room I use for my printers. A couple of weeks ago, because I was working in there more, I increased the heat a little and thinking back, that could be when the stringing stopped.
Philip

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6477
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by ge_rik » Sat Jan 28, 2023 7:18 am

Trevor Thompson wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 9:52 pm You have identified that your workshop is cold, but you didn't say if you had tried warming it up.

I have no special knowledge but just a hunch that even PLA might not like how cold it has probably got in a workshop.

I have been having to heat my workshop since before Christmas. In fact I have installed a wood burner out there to avoid using a fan heater. Neither of my printers will work unless I heat the workshop up before starting them off.

Trevor
Hi Trevor
Yes, I've installed a convector heater in there which keeps it at a minimum of around 7C. I haven't told the missus but will have to when we get the next electricity bill! 😱
I've been thinking of installing a cheap wood burner but haven't got enough wall space for it and the flue without removing some shelving.

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
ge_rik
Administrator
Administrator
Posts: 6477
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Cheshire
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by ge_rik » Sat Jan 28, 2023 7:24 am

philipy wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:51 am Stringing isn't a problem I've ever had to any serious degree until just recently. It didn't start until I started to use my first ever reel of PLA+ in early January, when I started getting rats nests of cobwebby fine strings very similar to Rik's white prints above. I had the problem for about 10 days and then it just stopped for no apparent reason.
Having read the posts in this thread, I'm wondering if it was indeed temp related, as Trevor suggests. I have my printers indoors and temp has never been a consideration before, however with the energy cost rises we have turned down/turned off the radiators in non-essential rooms and that includes the room I use for my printers. A couple of weeks ago, because I was working in there more, I increased the heat a little and thinking back, that could be when the stringing stopped.
Hmmm ..... 🤔
I wonder if it's worth building an enclosure around the printer??
What I can't figure out is that the first print I did after the Christmas period was more or less perfect (the first photo) but all those since then have been whiskery. That doesn't seem to diminish whatever settings I change (temp, speed, retraction, cooling).

Rik
------------------------
Peckforton Light Railway - Blog Facebook Youtube

User avatar
philipy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 5000
Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:00 pm
Location: South Northants

Re: Stringing!!

Post by philipy » Sat Jan 28, 2023 10:25 am

Thinking about it some more, my prints that were stringing were fairly large open boxes which took about 8 hours each to print. I printed them overnight, for two reasons (1) because of the length of print time and (2) because we have recently switched to an Octopus tariff that varies in half hourly increments and gives cheaper rates overnight ( on a few occasions it actually paid US money to use electricity!). However, overnight it has definately been cold, even indoors, and in a closed room with no heating I'm pretty sure it could have dropped into (low?) single figures.

As a possibly similar illustration, we had a PV system installed in early December. The gubbins is all in the garage which is unheated and in the beginning the lithium battery wouldn't charge. By playing around in the various menu's I discovered the battery temperature readout which was down around 4deg and lower. Putting about 15mm foam insulation around it solved the problem and it has been happily charging and discharging ever since. So I'd say yes, try insulating your printer until the room temps rise to at least 10 deg.
Philip

User avatar
SimonWood
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 652
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2015 9:46 pm
Location: West Wales
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by SimonWood » Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:01 am

7C still seems pretty cold. I can't say what my prints are like in that temperature - the Adventurer 3 has a heated bed and a plastic enclosure so it's always a bit warmer than that. But I wonder if you could build quite an effective thermal box out of the solid polyurethane sheets used for insulation (Celotex/Kingspan or whatever) to enclose your printer?

Trevor Thompson
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 963
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2018 6:30 pm
Location: South West Wales

Re: Stringing!!

Post by Trevor Thompson » Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:17 pm

I think Simon is on the right lines - although my preference is for fire proof or at least fire resistant insulation.

As you will see from the photo on the tan-y-grieiau thread I am using wool insulation. It's what they use for the suites firemen wear, because it is fire retardant and of course it is a natural environmentaly friendly material.

I think 7 degrees is too cold. My printer works with PLA with its bed at 50 degrees, and I forget the exact extruder temperature but it is close to 200 degrees, so I think it is worth making sure it isn't the problem.

Trevor

PS I had problems finding a location for a wood burner and in the end found a place for it, which caused the least disruption!

User avatar
GAP
Trainee Driver
Trainee Driver
Posts: 684
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:34 pm
Location: Bundaberg QLD Australia
Contact:

Re: Stringing!!

Post by GAP » Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:09 pm

ge_rik wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 7:24 am
philipy wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:51 am Stringing isn't a problem I've ever had to any serious degree until just recently. It didn't start until I started to use my first ever reel of PLA+ in early January, when I started getting rats nests of cobwebby fine strings very similar to Rik's white prints above. I had the problem for about 10 days and then it just stopped for no apparent reason.
Having read the posts in this thread, I'm wondering if it was indeed temp related, as Trevor suggests. I have my printers indoors and temp has never been a consideration before, however with the energy cost rises we have turned down/turned off the radiators in non-essential rooms and that includes the room I use for my printers. A couple of weeks ago, because I was working in there more, I increased the heat a little and thinking back, that could be when the stringing stopped.
Hmmm ..... 🤔
I wonder if it's worth building an enclosure around the printer??
What I can't figure out is that the first print I did after the Christmas period was more or less perfect (the first photo) but all those since then have been whiskery. That doesn't seem to diminish whatever settings I change (temp, speed, retraction, cooling).

Rik
You could try building a hot box which is basically an insulated box (lined with polystyrene) that has a light globe in it to provide a bit of heat.
An auto head light (55W) or two running from a 12V power supply should give enough heat.
Graeme
From the home of the Ringbalin Light Railway
https://ringbalin-light-railway.blogspo ... -page.html

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest