I bought one on a whim about 6 years ago. I printed my first print shortly after setting it up and… the print failed. Plastic spewed from the nozzle and made a tangled mess. I looked into it some more, continued to try to get it to work. Next the plastic doesn’t sit on the bed. Once more plastic spewing from the nozzle and a tangled mess.

I kept trying over the years, bed levelling, nozzle cleaning, third party software patching, purchasing a level measuring device, new spools, higher quality spools, new bed covers. Over and over the prints failed and I ended up, every time, the owner of a freshly produced, still warm plastic spider web. Once or twice I managed to get a print that looked at least somewhat like what I was trying to print. But it’d still be marked by poor layer distancing, bumps, fucked up layers where it didn’t adhere properly, and just generally a poor, unsatisfactory quality.

Please understand that I’ve owned a 3D printer for 6 years and don’t know the first thing about them. I must admit I didn’t realise how much learning I’d have to do when I purchased one and I’m not the brightest when it comes to this kind of thing. I also have a learning disability that makes it hard for me to pick new things up.

I merely assumed I’d be able to print small items I needed or wanted for various purposes and pick up a part time hobby along the way. But my experience has just been miserable. I don’t have the money to purchase a better printer, more up to date one, or to really fix any major issues that might plague my current one. And it’s made me want to give up the idea of 3D printing altogether.

The printer I have is a monoprice maker select. It uses PLA. I’m not able to check right now but I’m pretty sure the temps I use are ~200 / ~60. The bed is absolutely destroyed by failing to use glue as an adhesive and the bed level being so off that the printer drove it’s nozel into it and leaving a permanent dent deep into the bed.

It’s in a pretty poor condition but theres not a lot I can do about it unless the solution is extremely cheap or free. This is kind of a last ditch effort to figure out how to use the thing before I either give it away or throw it out. I’m pretty disappointed by the whole affair to be honest. I really liked the idea of 3D printing.

So, I’m here to ask, how do I even begin to make this thing work? Or should I just give up?

  • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    4·
    8 days ago

    I don’t think I have the necessary experience required to properly diagnose your issue(s), but I troubleshoot hardware and void warranties for a living, so hopefully my general advice can be useful:

    The obvious part is to start troubleshooting from one end. And when “nothing” works and it never has, the correct end to start from is the end with the fewest variables, so we’re talking very basics here. And from that you can tackle each problem as you properly confirm them.

    So the first thing I’d do is to check that your temp settings are good for your filament. And can you verify that the temp shown is in fact the actual temp? Could be a busted thermistor. All checks out? Well, your hot end is probably fine.

    Next up, are you able to confirm that the extruded amount of plastic matches what should be extruded? I had a recent issue of overextruding myself, and if this isn’t dialed in correctly it can get really messy, especially with PETG.

    Are the steppers moving the correct amount of degrees? A stepper should move only a fixed amount of degrees per step. If it is unable to do so for a full rotation, it’s a bad stepper.

    Any chance the nozzle is damaged? If it’s out of shape in the literal sense, it will be unable to lay down plastic in a precise manner.

    And then there’s the part I always hated: Heatbed leveling. First, your heatbed needs to be level relative to your X and Y. The tiniest inaccuracy will make the whole project a nightmare. Precision calipers are your friend here.

    Now, heatbed temperature, check the same stuff as you did with the nozzle. Correct temp set for the material? And is this the actual temp?

    Now it’s time to ensure the Z offset of your nozzle is correct. Too high and it’ll just string instead of what it’s supposed to do. Too low and you end up with what I call nozzlesnot which can cause symptoms similar to a damaged nozzle, which might also have stringing as an end result.

    If you made it this far, your printer is probably mechanically fine, so it might be environmental factors such as ambient temperatures. Also, I remember back in the day that some had issues with various filament manufacturers being really sloppy when making filament, resulting in varying diameter.

    I don’t do PLA myself, so I won’t comment on print surface or your temperature choices. I think glass was popular back in the day, at least.

    Anyway, I hope this helps. Either way, I hope you get to the bottom of it.

    Oh, last addition: Sunk cost fallacy is a bitch. You’ve kept at it for six years, so I guess you really want to make printing work for you, but you might want to consider whether you should go for a different printer if you’re not getting anywhere. Prusa Core One was really fun (and easy!) to build if you want my personal recommendation, and it took away a lot of the calibration drudgery that made me temporarily step away from the hobby in 2012.

    • sweetgemberry@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      4·
      8 days ago

      Thanks for responding.

      I think the biggest issue I ever had was being unable to accurately level the z axis evenly across the whole bed. It uses four of these frustrating little metal circles each located on a corner of the bed you have to twist that give no real measure to how much you’re turning them at all. I’m attaching a picture of them with this comment. It’s the round part attached to a spring.

      I did check the temps and adjusted them at times based on the filament manufacturers suggestions and online comments. That only really was a problem when the nozzle clogged because it wasn’t getting hot enough.

      I wouldn’t know how to measure the steppers but I know the temps are quite accurate from measuring them externally.

      I’m not sure what you mean by the heat bed needing to be level relative to the X and Y.

      • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        4·
        8 days ago

        The XY axises (axii?) need to be parallell to the heatbed, meaning that no matter where the print head moves, it’s always the same distance away from the bed.

        A heatbed doesn’t have to be perfectly level relative to the earth, but it does have to be level relative to the print head.

        Move your print head to all four corners and measure accurately how high above the heat bed it is.

        EDIT: If that’s a bedslinger design I’m seeing, my point remains valid, you just have to move the bed as well.

        • sweetgemberry@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
          2·
          8 days ago

          Oh I understand now thanks for explaining. Yes this has been a consistent issue that I’ve had. I’m really having trouble making the levels consistent across the bed.

          • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            8 days ago

            Based on the picture and your explanation it sounds like this might be the issue, or at least one of them.

            So, if I understand that design correctly, you tighten the screws going into those washer looking things, and the spring pushes the bed up, causing it to stay in place?

            If so, here’s what I’d do:

            1. Use a glass pane or something. They’re cheap, heat beds and print sheets are not.
            2. Bring the head all the way down.
            3. Unplug power so you can move the print head by hand.
            4. Find the highest point on the bed.
            5. Adjust the opposite corners further up (presumably by tightening the screws) until the print head is at the same distance no matter where you move it.
            • sweetgemberry@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
              3·
              8 days ago

              That’s how it works yeah. The problem is measuring that distance is really hard to do, especially consistently. They used to advise putting some paper between the bed and the head but I never could do it right.

              • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
                2·
                8 days ago

                Start by approximates. Move the print head/bed so they’re only a few millimeters apart, close enough that you’ll be able to see whether the gap stays the same or not. Then find out where the bed is highest. Move to a different corner and tighten the screw there until it’s roughly the same height. Once all corners look the same, you might want to check the center just to make sure it’s not drooping. Afterwards, repeat the process closer for more accuracy.