Practical 3D Printing: Printer Temperature Settings

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Printer Temperature Settings

08.40

00:00	Loading a model into a slicer and creating a toolpath is relatively simple, but choosing the best settings for a print can be the most difficult part of a project and an area that requires the most experience to get right.
00:14	Most slicers will automatically apply default settings depending on the printer and material being used.
00:20	Sometimes these will do a good job, but often they'll leave room for improvement and can be dialed in for a better result.
00:27	There are also some settings that just simply need to be adjusted to suit the application or design of our component or even external factors like project deadlines.
00:37	So, what are these settings and what impacts do they have? Or more importantly, what do we need to know to get the best results? We'll look at this over the next two modules, splitting things up for clarity and to keep the information digestible.
00:51	We'll start by discussing the temperature -related settings in this module, and these are dependent on the material that we're going to use.
00:58	In the next modules, we'll come back to discuss the different structural features like infill and supports.
01:05	We'll need to assume all printers are equal when making these generalizations, but of course each model of printer will likely benefit from slightly different settings.
01:15	Other factors like ambient air temperature can also have an impact here.
01:19	The nozzle temperature might be the single most important setting in FDM 3D printing and is responsible for melting the filament as it passes through the nozzle.
01:28	This also goes hand-in-hand with the flow rate of the material from the nozzle and print speed that the print head moves, both of which at first glance may not seem to be temperature-related.
01:40	While temperature values will naturally be expressed in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit, the flow rate is mostly a percentage, where 100% is the default rate set by the slicer for that particular setup.
01:52	The print speed on the other hand will usually be expressed in millimeters per second , and ideally, we want to print fast, but not at the expense of quality.
02:01	If the nozzle temperature is too cold, the flow rate is too low, or the print speed is too high, this can result in under-extrusion.
02:10	Essentially, the layers won't be fully printed.
02:13	This can also lead to clogging and blockages in the system.
02:17	If the nozzle temperature is too hot, the flow rate too high, or the print speed too slow, then the opposite will happen, being over-extrusion.
02:25	This results in bulging of the printing layers, stringing of the print material, and blobs or pimples in the print.
02:32	Again, each material will have a recommended range for these values, and the slicer will most likely be able to automatically apply these for us.
02:40	But if we want to find the ideal settings here, then we'll need to experiment.
02:45	One example of this would be a temperature tower, which is a basic model where the nozzle temperature is changed after a specific number of layers, or a set distance on the z-axis.
02:55	Each segment of the tower will include a few specific geometry features to test the print quality, like overhangs, flat surfaces, or small cones.
03:06	Once printed, this will allow us to review how the nozzle temperature affects the layer adhesion, something that we want to be as strong as possible, as well as the print surface finish, which we want to be as uniform as possible with no blobs or pimples.
03:20	Nozzle temperature also affects stringing, where small strands of material are left behind on the model, which is of course something we want to avoid.
03:29	Another example of an experiment is printing cubes with relatively large, flat top surfaces, sometimes with a detail like a letter included.
03:38	From this, we can clearly see the printed passes on the top layer and identify under -extrusion from gaps between the printed lines, or over-extrusion from bulging of the printed lines and the layer.
03:50	Either of these examples will help us find the optimum nozzle temperature for our material and printer.
03:56	The print bed temperature is a different story.
03:59	This is less about the material flow during printing and more about bed adhesion and part cooling.
04:05	During the actual printing process, more bed adhesion is ideal, although we still need to be able to remove the part from the bed at the end without breaking it.
04:14	A quick side note here, the print bed material and texture can be changed in the interest of bed adhesion, and there are also glue sticks and liquid glues to help.
04:27	Generally, speaking though, a hotter print bed will provide more adhesion, but if it's too hot it can also cause the part to deform.
04:35	This deformation or warping is the result of uneven temperature differentials within the part.
04:40	Clearly the material needs to cool to solidify after coming out of the nozzle, and it needs to do this relatively quickly to adhere to the bed or the previous layer and provide a surface for the next layer.
04:52	The CTE or coefficient of thermal stress of the material plays an important role here.
04:59	Materials with a higher CTE will generally be more prone to this.
05:03	Basically, as each layer cools it shrinks, so any non-uniformity in the internal temperature of the part will cause thermal stresses between the areas shrinking at different rates.
05:14	If this stress overcomes the stiffness of the part and the bed adhesion, then the part will peel off the bed and start to warp.
05:21	Obviously, if it's too cold, then the initial layers won't stick down, causing the print to fail, and the nozzle will drag the print around the bed as it moves, but the lack of adhesion to the bed clearly also allows the part to warp easier.
05:35	So, the part can warp if the bed is too hot or too cold.
05:39	How do we find the ideal temperature in between? A good test would be to print relatively low profile cube structures with varying bed temperatures.
05:48	With a range on either side of optimal, we should be able to see what's too cold or too hot, resulting in poor bed adhesion and warpage.
05:57	The fan speed also has a significant impact on the part cooling.
06:01	This fan is typically located on the print head assembly and helps cool and solidify material after it leaves the nozzle.
06:08	The speed itself is usually expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible value.
06:13	And as you can imagine, if it's too high and the part cools too quickly, it'll warp.
06:18	But if it's too slow and the part is too hot, this can cause stringing or oozing where the print surface quality is poor.
06:26	The fan speed is usually set lower on the first layer to ensure good bed adhesion, and then increased for some materials, although some materials actually print best without the use of the cooling fan at all, but we'll cover the different materials soon.
06:40	Lastly, we have the print enclosure or chamber temperature, if there is one, and if it features temperature control of course.
06:47	In reality, this is essentially just the ambient temperature that the printed part is exposed to, which again has a significant effect on how it cools.
06:56	It should be clear by now how controlling this temperature allows for influence over the resulting print quality and warpage.
07:04	High Performance Academy is located in Queenstown, New Zealand, and through our winter, our workshop gets fairly cold.
07:11	3D printing parts overnight without any form of enclosure usually results in excessive warpage as the part simply cools too fast.
07:20	We've found even running the printer in a heated room helps a lot, but not compared to our recent upgrade to a printer with a heated enclosure.
07:28	Being able to control the ambient temperature for certain materials between 30 and 60 degrees Celsius in most cases has been a game changer for the uniformity of our prints.
07:39	There is a limit of course, as we don't want to set the temperature too hot, which will also cause issues with warpage and poor print quality.
07:47	The upper limits of this depend on where you are and what materials you're printing.
07:52	Before moving on to discuss structural print settings in the next module, let's recap the main points.
07:57	The temperature settings of the printer determine the bed and layer adhesion, print surface finish, and deformation in the part.
08:05	This includes the nozzle temperature, which needs to be considered in tandem with the flow rate and print speed.
08:11	The bed temperature, fan speed, enclosure, and ambient temperature also need to be considered here, and there are various tests like printing temperature towers that can be used to find the optimal settings.
08:23	Too cold will likely result in underextrusion, poor adhesion, and warpage, while too hot can cause overextrusion, leading to poor print quality from blobbings, pimple, and stringing, but also warpage.