The clean vase mode cylinder primitive shows that this particular filament is likely not the direct issue, so that leaves us to pursue other factors such as the interior shape of the model.
Next try to perform the same test with a cube primitive since that now introduces corners into the problem. Do it twice, with and without vase mode. Without vase mode, also try printing a cube twice with 1 outer wall and then again with 5 outer walls. You’re looking for changes in shape and striping like you saw on your original model. What we are looking for that is if you use a smooth model like a cube and none of these artifacts are showing up, then we want to look at your internal cross section for interior artifacts that might give us a clue. If you can post a sliced model cross section screengrab, that might offer other clues.
Temp and Layer Heights
Since it’s a P1S, I’d rule out chamber temp as the least likely of problems.
To answer your earlier question about why the corners? That’s where nozzle flow can really be affected.
Picture in your minds eye that you are squeezing a ketchup bottle onto a plate and you’re being asked to draw circles with the ketchup stream. After you start getting the ketchup to flow, all you have to do is to keep a steady hand and make circles. Now try the same experiment but try to draw squares. As you come to the corners, it’s not so easy is it to keep the ketchup flowing smoothly? That’s the challenge in a nutshell with filament flow.
Changing the top speed won’t likely capture where the problem is. If you suspect that speed is the issue, then the quickest way to rule it out is to change the speed using the “Silent Mode” settings after the print has started. This will change “All” movements by 50%. If your problem is reduced or eliminated then yes, speed is a factor to be considered. Then you have to dig into what is happening to your filament flow as it relates to speed. If 50% Silent Mode has no affect, then you’ve successfully ruled out speed as a factor and now filament flow becomes a very big lead to the problem that has it’s solution elsewhere.
What troubles me in the photos supplied is that your getting this banding affect and at the very top layers your getting delamination. Just for giggles, I’d try stepping up the filament temp to 250c. There is no harm in doing so but it will ensure that a) your filament flow for PLA is at its lowest viscosity thus flowing freely. b) That your layers are not cooling too fast. Lowering the part fan setting or turning it off completely can also affect this. You’ll find that in the filament section and don’t be afraid to set the limits to absurd values such as no cooling for the first 1000 layers. Again, this is not permanent, just to see if you affect changes by setting these to extremes for testing purposes only.
While you are doing your testing, try different layer heights to see if the filament is struggling at certain layers. This too will tell you if you have a flow problem. Although can change this universally across the entire print in either the Process settings or the quality settings, I might suggest using the variable layer height tool and changing the layer height within the same model thus saving you printing time while you experiment.
Global Process Settings
Global Quality Settings
Layer height using the adaptive tool
How to tell what the layer height is for the entire model using the sliced drop down menu
Best Test Practices
To minimize filament and time usage, try this practice: cut the problematic model into smaller sections, including the corners, using the cut tool. Maintain the height for now. This creates a quicker, more efficient test model with reduced filament consumption. Print samples and progressively trim the model height until you isolate the issue. The aim for a small test subject so that you can print multiples that fills the plate, enabling multiple experimental settings on each model. This streamlines experimentation, saving time and filament. For example, If you have 4 models at five minutes each. You’re incurring a 6 minute overhead for purge and warmup. Thus, printing four samples individually takes at least 44 minutes, while printing them simultaneously reduces it to 26 minutes. This approach facilitates faster experimentation and minimizes waste.
