Not sure how to describe what’s going on so hopefully the pictures explain it better than I can. Slicing this part is causing the bottom right corner to be treated as a separate section (or so it seems). It adds infill through the whole part then it starts to add some more infill but then adds bridge material in the bottom right corner. This creates a noticeable ridge and lower top surface in this area as well as an aesthetic difference. If I rotate the part on the print bed the issue moves to the entire right edge between the 2 larger vertical circles and the right edge.
it looks like the top of that model is not parallel with the ground plane.
Like it is very slightly tipped in angle to the bottom right. A tiny fraction of an angle multiplied by all that space just needs to equal one layer height (0.20mm) to cause a stairstep on your top surface.
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Ok, I’ll take a look later tonight. It shouldn’t be tilted though as the rotation angles were all 0. The back of the part is not purely flat, hence the supports. Those 2 circles are extruded out the back and it’s this surface I used to align to the plate. But they should be a flat surface. Is there a good way to ensure the top surface is perfectly parallel with the plate?
So I changed the nozzle to .4 instead of the .2 and that seemed to fix the problem. Any thoughts as to why that might be? I also tried changing the Layer height with .2 nozzle. If I change it to .14 then no issues. But if using the .2 nozzle and leaving it stock at .1mm layer height the issue comes back.
There is a “Lay on Face” tool. Beside the scale tool, It let you choose the face you want to touch the plate., I agreee with Bullocks it kinda looks like it isnt parallel by just the amount of layer height you have found .14
Ok that’s what I use. Can’t find anything that would suggest it’s not level. I went back into solidworks to check and the 2 extruded circles which extend on the back of the plate which I used to lay on face on the plate are identical and mirrored features.
Can you intentionally tilt it the other way just a bit just to see what affect it has
Alright so you guys are definitely on to something. Tilting it in any direction a bit changes the magnitude and location of the same problem. The problem is it’s nearly impossible to find a combination of rotation angles that makes the top perfectly level.
I would go back to Solidworks, and constrain the front and back to ensure they are parallel planes.
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I checked. The surfaces are parallel. Its an extruded rectangle all referenced off a primary plane.
It’s not sitting on a rectangle though. It’s sitting on whatever plane is way down there below your supports, like a cutout post or something. That plane isnt parallel to the top one.
Something I would try. use the “lay on face” tool and select A different face, for example one of the narrow sides, then after, use the rotate tool and rotate exactly 90 degrees,
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I did as you suggested, layed it on the flat edge then rotated 90 and this was the result. I’ll keep messing around with it. In the meantime I printed it with the .2 nozzle at a .14 layer height and will see how that prints. If that prints well then I’ll accept the results and move on. Appreciate the help all. I also uploaded a picture of the part to show the circular extrusion on the back to which I am laying on face.
