I’ve recently started my first build of the OpenFlexure v7. After getting the leg_test print bridges looking ok, I decided to do a couple test prints of the condenser and stage clips. While they seem to have printed well, I have noticed some pillowing of the top layers. If these were aesthetic prints, I would normally simply increase the amount of solid top layers, however as this is a microscope, I’m a bit hesitant as am not sure if this could mess with how everything fits together.
Has anyone had such issues with pillowing, or alternatively, is this even a problem I should worry about?
I’ve included some pictures of what I mean. Apologies if the pillowing is not super obvious as the PLA is white and the lighting is not the best!
P.S - I used a layer height of 0.1 mm and 15% infill
Hi @engpol what printer and settings are you using?
From the print it looks as though there is only one top layer. I don’t actually know what is normal. I just use the default. I think it would be three layers.
For that part it does not matter much, but for the top of the stage on the main body you will certainly need a good top layer.
Also a layer height of 0.2mm will print everything fine and will be faster.
I am using the Anycubic Kobra 2 Neo. For the most part I am using the default settings of the printer imported into Prusa slicer from their config file bundle somewhere on their website.
I’ve actually checked, and according to the Prusa Slicer settings for this print, this was printed with 3 solid top layers. I guess because I’m printing in 0.1mm thickness, the top layers are thinner than what you would get at 0.2 mm (0.3 top layer for me vs 0.6 for you?).
Lastly, the reason I’m printing at 0.1mm is because it seems to greatly improve briding on my printer. My initial test prints of the leg.stl test file exhibited sagging/stringing of the bridges. I first tried all the suggestions online of turning down nozzle temp, decreasing bridge speed, putting fan cooling on max etc. However decreasing the layer height seemed to work the best for me. I’m wondering if it’s because at a lower layer height the SA:Vol ratio of the extruded PLA is lower meaning it can cool and solidify faster?
Hi @engpol I would run a calibration test on your filament (not the leg test, but a general printer filament calibration to ensure you have that optimised.
Then I would consider increasing your infill to say 20% so there’s a bit less bridging needed. I personally avoid Grid infill and go for almost anything else, as Grid can cause issues with nozzle collisions on some machines).
But the main thing, as @WilliamW suggests, is to add more top layers, which will even things out more.
