NONMANIFOLD 3D MODELS MAKE SLICERS GUESS (SOMETIMES INCORRECTLY)
Symptom: Your resulting 3D model does not look as it does on the screen. (Figure 5-17)
Reason:
There were errors in your 3D model that the slicer tried to repair, but did not repair well.
“Non-manifold” models refer to 3D models which are not fully “enclosed or sealed together
in their 3D form. Manifold models can be thought of like a perfect sphere made from a black
plastic. Non-manifold models would be that same sphere but with a small hole cut out of the
“skin” of the sphere, allowing one to look inside and see the interior geometry.
Solution:
Unless you are supremely confident in your modeling skills, it is good to run your model through
the Analysis → Inspector tool in Meshmixer to clean up any disconnected pieces and fill in any
holes in your model. If you really want to be sure, follow up that operation with the Edit → Make
Solid tool in Meshmixer. Please see Chapter 11 for a tutorial on Meshmixer.
FIGURE 517: A slicing error caused by an error in the 3D model (highlighted in red).
FIGURE 518: The aftermath of an improper Z-height highlighted in the red circle. The nozzle burned a channel into the PEI build
material.
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FIRST LAYER NOT APPEARING
Symptom: The first layer is not extruding any material, and the extruder is clicking (Figure 5-18)
Reason: The Z-height is set improperly.
Solution:
This happens when the height of the nozzle is not properly set in the 3D printer, and the nozzle
is completely blocked by the build plate. Run the calibration method for your printer to make the
height of the first layer enough to allow material to flow.
FIGURE 517: A slicing error caused by an error in the 3D model (highlighted in red).
FIGURE 518: The aftermath of an improper Z-height highlighted in the red circle. The nozzle burned a channel into the PEI build
material.
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INCONSISTENT LAYER SURFACES
Symptom: Some areas of the print are uneven and thinly printed. (Figure 5-19)
Reason: That area of the print is getting too hot during printing.
Solution:
Remember, the filament is heated to around twice the boiling point of water. If heat cannot
escape from one layer of your print before another layer is deposited, over time, that heat will
build up and cause your model to partially melt. Make sure that you enable your cooling fan on
your prints (unless your specific filament’s manufacturer recommends running without a fan),
and some slicers also have a setting that will purposefully slow down a print if a layer print
time is below a certain amount of seconds. In rare cases for very small objects, even that is not
enough, and you might have to print one or more copies at a time just to give the print head some
place to go while your print cools.
FIGURE 519: The print is wobbly in some places. Note the jaws and teeth of this poor T-Rex print. Those areas were printed too hot,
and suffer from heat build-up.
FIGURE 520: Example of a model of a hand that was printed hollow inside. The tips of the fingers needed support material underneath
but did not receive it, thus there was drooping and an inconsistent surface finish.
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DROOPING OR MISSING AREAS
Symptom: Parts of the object have drooping loops, or do not print at all. (Figure 5-20)
Reason: Support structures are needed under those layers because gravity makes things fall!
Solution:
If parts of your model are drooping (as in Figure 5-20 above), then those parts need support
material enabled in your slicer. The support structures are there to create a base from which
those areas of your model with severe overhangs can be supported. Make sure to enable sup-
ports in your slicer. Some support material is removable and some support material remains
hidden inside the model.
FIGURE 519: The print is wobbly in some places. Note the jaws and teeth of this poor T-Rex print. Those areas were printed too hot,
and suffer from heat build-up.
FIGURE 520: Example of a model of a hand that was printed hollow inside. The tips of the fingers needed support material underneath
but did not receive it, thus there was drooping and an inconsistent surface finish.
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HAIRY PRINTS?
Symptom: There are thin “hairs” sticking out from the side of your prints causing stringing. (Figure 5-21)
Reason: Too much filament is coming out of the nozzle when the nozzle moves to a new place, leaving a
small trail of material behind.
Solution: There are usually two interconnected reasons why this happens. If you are printing your
filament at too high a temperature, the filament will ooze out of the nozzle too quickly, leaving a trail. The
solution to that would be to decrease your temperature. There is also a setting in most slicer programs
that is called “retraction.” This reverses the filament back into the nozzle a slight distance before moving
the nozzle to a new place, thus helping to prevent stringing. Either enabling retraction or choosing a slightly
longer retraction distance can help eliminate this hair-effect. (Unless you like that look:)
Hopefully these common errors discussed in this chapter will be the majority of what you might encoun-
ter in trying to troubleshoot your failed prints. If you need more information, we encourage you to watch
our online educational videos, reach out to people in the user forums, seek advice from the online printing
groups and watch videos on YouTube about your specific issue. Keep reading to learn more about resin
printers and how they work!
FIGURE 521: Thin hairs appearing between the peaks of this small mountain
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