So I thought upgrading from my very good A1 to a new P2S would make my prints still better.
However…
Today I printed 2 models with a large flat top layer for the first time and I can throw them all away.
Those lines are extremely visible. Tried other straight line top layers with equally bad results. Except for the central circle which printed as one line. The very center of that circle is even a little pit.
Black is S***U Matte PLA {Generic}, white is Bambu basic PLA. Printed with their standard settings. Both equally poor top layer.
The one printed on my old A1 is MUCH better with exactly the same settings. You can see a bit of difference between line groups but I can’t feel them. On the P2S there are sharp edges.
While watching the print in progress I see that all layers print perfectly, also those just below the top layer.
It’s obvious that your P2S has poor quality - I’ve never seen such a bad surface on an A1, either.
I’m constantly printing with black filament - whether it’s regular PLA or matte PLA - and it’s never looked this bad for me before on an A1. What does this statement help you now: If that’s your benchmark for quality, I’d say there’s something fundamentally wrong with both printers.
You say you’re using generic matte PLA? Did it get moist? Are your settings completely wrong? I know what you’re getting at - what’s wrong with the P2S - but I’d say:
Something is very wrong with how you’re your printers or filament. Perhaps, in rare cases, the 3D object itself or its settings.
I’m sorry to have to say this, but you have a fundamental problem. If the same problem occurs on both devices - admittedly more severely on one than the other, but still - the surface on your A1 is really terrible, too.
Just a guess: maybe your filaments have gone bad? Incorrect settings? Did you ever adjust the profile itself to match the filament you bought?
As for the P2S, if it’s new, check all the screws as well as the tension on the belt to see if it came loose during shipping. Pay special attention to the screws on the toolhead! Unfortunately, this is a problem that can occur quite often during shipping.
Did you try any calibrations? Obviously standard settings aren’t getting you where you need to be, run some calibrations. Probably can skip temp, but flow rate definitely needed. Maybe Pressure advance but thats hard to tell on top surface photos.
Also saying “same settings” on the p2s as on your a1 isnt really saying anything, the set of defaults are VERY different per machine, you can see for yourself via this control:
This makes me think your filament is wet too. A booger that gets deposited after a travel. Not the only cause, [could be downstream from too much flow] but in summer, it’s a likely one.
Both filaments have been drying in the AMS for 8 hours. Will double check anyhow.
When I said that the settings were the same, I meant they were all on PLA Generic and Bambu PLA defaults, except for the top layer. The pictures are of a simple test plate {modified dimensions from a cube created in Bambu Studio}
The A1 version looks not so bad as on the picture in reality: I played quite a bit with lighting and contrast to increase visibility of the problem in the photo.
Will start with a thorough calibration to start with.
So the print is rectangular and it is printing radius curves? Why are you doing that? I would think that printing radius curves would be problematic at the best of times because you are constantly trying to make just super tiny X and Y moves that might be down below the stepper motors resolution
When I first looked at the picture I thought You had cropped 3 different pictures but it looks like an outer wall all the way around each of the models. Can you show a picture of the model?
I have tried different brands of filament in the past and because I am lazy, for the most part I have just decided to stick with BL filament.
Bambu Labs seems to have pretty well dialed in the settings for their filaments. There is no guarantee that Sunlu PLA black is the same as Bambu Lab PLA black.
Here is where my laziness kicks in. Most other brands I have bought, you will see bed temperature as a range and same with nozzle temp. It is up to you to get from a range to a value.
You have to do that yourself by printing test models.
The white model IS Bambu Lab PLA and it gives exactly the same result.
That IS the model: a square of 150x50x2mm.
Why would one NOT print radius curves if that is more esthetical?
My original model is a gift box of which the sliding lid has a flower in the middle. Radius lines surrounding it give it that extra punch. I cannot show it any more as I tried to sand it, but that was not a great success.
This is the model that I ended with, with straight lines on top but you will notice that it has also flaws. Looks like a problem at end or beginning of lines. The perfectly flat circle in the middle of the model of my initial post, printed as one long line.
(The little half circle at the right where the flaw starts is a small indent to open the slide cover.)
If I were you, I’d start by checking the screws, as I mentioned in my first comment. Check the tension of the belt as well, while you’re at it. Also, whether the nozzles are positioned correctly. It takes less than 10 minutes and is time well spent.
Otherwise, if you’re unlucky, you’ll end up calibrating with loose screws.
You should tackle problems like this step by step; otherwise, troubleshooting can take quite a long time.
Next a bit larger but with settings close to one another. The automatic calibration was spot on (although 0.94 is nearly as good). It’s the only one where the top layer feels and looks perfectly flat.
