So I am printing ABS with soluble supports, and I see a lot of elephant foot on the part, even over the supports. For some reason, the first model layer above soluble supports (zero gap) is too close, creating the elephant foot. I see it on the raft and all other supported areas.
What material are you using as support?
An image would help also.
Can you chamfer the edge of the part ?
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Dried your PVA to avoid post-nozzle expansion? If you’re using limonene dissolvables like HIPS or the Support for ABS, then just ignore me.
Using PVA with ABS is generally not recommended. PVA begins to degrade above 220 °C, while ABS requires extrusion temperatures of 230–260 °C. This mismatch leads to nozzle clogging, material breakdown, and poor layer adhesion. HIPS (soluble in limonene) is a far more compatible support material for ABS.
I don’t think he’s using PVA he might be using Xioneer VXL. I do have some high-temp PVA myself, but it’s no longer being made and was $180 per roll. It works well, but I only use it when absolutely necessary now.
Bambu breakaway support filament for ABS is super cheap.
Yes good price option for interface layers.
I’m not particularly fond of limonene, and there were also some situations where I couldn’t use it for other reasons.
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You’re probably right – if it’s VXL or a modified formulation, that would explain the higher temperature tolerance. Standard PVA, as you know, degrades quickly above 220 °C, so it’s great to hear there are engineered alternatives out there, even if they’re rare and pricey. Appreciate the clarification!
I just assumed it was regular PVA – I use it for making bait cages for fishing, so my brain is wired to think “if it doesn’t dissolve in water, it’s useless.” Probably jumped to conclusions a bit too fast… blame the fish!
Note to self though: next time I’ll just buy plain PVA instead of the “support material” version – it’s basically the same thing, only with a fancier label and a price tag that makes you question your life choices.
Totally get that – limonene might be natural, but it’s still a solvent with some toxicity, especially to aquatic life. That’s actually one of the reasons I stopped using resin printers too. Even though there are less toxic resins available now, the whole handling and disposal process just wasn’t worth it for me.
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Thank you for sharing some ideas. I am using SR30 (the absolute best ABS soluble support). Of course, I could add a chamfer, but I was not expecting the issue. I have been printing for over 10 years, and it has never happened to me before in any other FDM printer. I will keep tuning the material, play with the gap, and let you know what I find. Thanks.
You using the texture bed plate ?
They do have a negative Z offset in the start G-code.