1
$\begingroup$

I noticed that when printing small teeth on a pulley that the angle is not matching the design angle. I am printing without any support structure.

Overview:

overview

Detail:

Detail in question

Printed:

enter image description here

The printed overhang incline angle under the tooth looks good (maybe not quite steep enough;) but the top angle of the reclining section looks too flat. It is as if the tooth is too perky.

(I have observed a similar behavior when printing overhanging corners. They build upward more quickly.)

What is causing this, and how to prevent it?

I reduced the speed for the outer layer to 30 mm/s, the infill is set to 40 mm/s. Layer (Z) is set to 0.1 mm. Material PLA 1.75 mm, nozzle 0.4 mm.

Cura layer detail:

Cura detail

Cura Prepare

Cura prepare

Cura Preview

close up

Improve this question
$\endgroup$

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3
$\begingroup$

I think the issue is unsupported overhangs. There is not enough material to support the first layer of each small tooth. Have a look at how your slicer slices the first couple layers at the bottom. It might be that it tries to reduce the angle to 45°, so that it can print overhangs, or the overhangs are drooping before the next layer can assist with support.

Looking at your first two images, I think the printed top part of the tooth is actually quite similar to your 3D design.

You can fix this by making the tooth profile from the side have a 45° slope to maximum height, and the same on the top if you want the teeth to appear symmetrical.

enter image description here

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I would like to have it symmetrical, and was considering adjusting my design to be asymmetrical so it would print more symmetrically. I added two side view (last 2 images) of Cura's Prepare and Cura's Preview. It looks like Cura accepted my angle just barely. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 20, 2021 at 16:45

You must log in to answer this question.

Start asking to get answers

Find the answer to your question by asking.

Ask question

Explore related questions

See similar questions with these tags.