Rick
Junior Member
Posts: 75 
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Post by Rick on Apr 16, 2016 6:44:56 GMT
Are you guys having problems with the layer cooling fan cooling the hot end down while printing? I have no problem heating up the hot end, but when the fan kicks on above about 60% the hotend will cool down. As soon as I turn off the fan it will return to the proper temp. No problems reaching 260c for petg.
I was thinking of wrapping some kapton around the heatblock?
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Post by rock75 on Apr 16, 2016 19:15:03 GMT
Are you guys having problems with the layer cooling fan cooling the hot end down while printing? I have no problem heating up the hot end, but when the fan kicks on above about 60% the hotend will cool down. As soon as I turn off the fan it will return to the proper temp. No problems reaching 260c for petg. I was thinking of wrapping some kapton around the heatblock? Hey Rick - I had not noticed any problem like this with PLA keeping temps in the 185-195 range. I recently tried printing with some Ninjaflex at 230 and sure enough I was having the same issue. Temp would drop down to 215-219 and stay there as long as the fan was on. Got me to thinking that maybe the 24 volt system others have been talking about might help with that? Hopefully some experienced users can chime in here and guide us in the right direction. Rock |
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Post by scottadams on Apr 16, 2016 20:46:26 GMT
I've had the same issue since the beginning, both PLA and PETG temps (~175-240C). I think my PID tuning could use some help, but from online research it seems like a core problem of having a fan cooling down your hot end should be solved before using PID controls to fix it, which it usually can't. I've been printing with PETG lately and just use much lower layer fan speeds, usually 10-30%, or even off. So I'm not working hard to fix the problem. But it seems like a redesign of the layer fan duct might be warranted. I know too that using a blower fan like we do gives way more air flow than standard fans, so simply reducing fan speed may help.
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Rick
Junior Member
Posts: 75
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Post by Rick on Apr 17, 2016 7:38:38 GMT
I've had the same issue since the beginning, both PLA and PETG temps (~175-240C). I think my PID tuning could use some help, but from online research it seems like a core problem of having a fan cooling down your hot end should be solved before using PID controls to fix it, which it usually can't. I've been printing with PETG lately and just use much lower layer fan speeds, usually 10-30%, or even off. So I'm not working hard to fix the problem. But it seems like a redesign of the layer fan duct might be warranted. I know too that using a blower fan like we do gives way more air flow than standard fans, so simply reducing fan speed may help. I ran the PID autotune at 230c with the fan running at 60% and it did not seem to make much of a difference. When I get back from my current trip I'll take a look at making some kind of new nozzle and see if that makes any difference. |
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Post by scottadams on Apr 18, 2016 5:55:24 GMT
Running the fan while PID auto tuning seems like a good thing to try. Easy too. I'll give that a shot. I forgot to mention that I'm using 24volts on my printer.
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Post by chiliarch on Apr 22, 2016 4:19:19 GMT
I'm having the same issue here too. Glad to see this isn't an isolated issue. I did a mod of the fan duct to lengthen the snout a bit, but didn't see a noticeable difference. Will try PID auto tune with it running and see what transpires.
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Post by chiliarch on Apr 22, 2016 6:28:44 GMT
Wow. I'm an idiot.
Read elsewhere in the Troubleshooting about checking the input voltage set on the PSU. Frankly hadn't occurred to me that it might be preset for 220V.
It's like a completely different printer. Hot end is now holding reliable temperature at 100% fan. LEDs don't dim when the heaters are on. Motor response is snappy and strong. Why I hadn't caught this simple error before is frustrating!
I performed a PID autotune with 100% fan, a heated bed, and the bed set 1mm below Z home. Temperature stability is great and so are the prints!
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Post by scottadams on May 5, 2016 4:21:14 GMT
That PID tune with the part fan on at 60% worked very well. Great idea, Rick. I also just added some ceramic insulation to the hot end taped on with kapton tape and that seems to have made a big difference too. Now even with the fan at 100% my temps don't fluctuate more than about 3°C! It used to fluctuate as much as about 20°C. I'd call it a success! |
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Post by animoose on Jun 16, 2016 2:57:00 GMT
I just noticed this thread as I was about to post something similar! My Eclips3d has been working fine for a while, but today it wouldn't hold the temperature: as soon as the fan came on after the print started, the hot end dropped from 195 to 185 and then slowly (5 minutes) came back to 195, then again dropped. Like this: goo.gl/photos/psu3NVvaUJXR16ax8. With the fan down to 50%, it held the temperature fine. And when I went back to 100% fan, I immediately saw the same problem again. scottadams , how have you found the ceramic insulation now you've have had more time to try it? Is it easy to attach? The Amazon page says it is not self-adhesive. |
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Post by rock75 on Jun 16, 2016 4:19:52 GMT
I just noticed this thread as I was about to post something similar! My Eclips3d has been working fine for a while, but today it wouldn't hold the temperature: as soon as the fan came on after the print started, the hot end dropped from 195 to 185 and then slowly (5 minutes) came back to 195, then again dropped. Like this: goo.gl/photos/psu3NVvaUJXR16ax8. With the fan down to 50%, it held the temperature fine. And when I went back to 100% fan, I immediately saw the same problem again. scottadams , how have you found the ceramic insulation now you've have had more time to try it? Is it easy to attach? The Amazon page says it is not self-adhesive. - have you done a PID auto tune with the fan at 100%? |
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Post by animoose on Jun 16, 2016 5:13:09 GMT
Yes, after print which gave the temperature graph I linked to before, I reran PID autotune with the fan on to make sure. Then I did one print with the fan at 50% (worked fine) and one at 100% (same problem with the temperature dropping).
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Post by scottadams on Jun 17, 2016 0:08:36 GMT
I've still been having good success with the ceramic insulation. I have it taped on with some kapton tape. Not the prettiest option, but it works pretty well. I still typically only vary about 3°C. Although, I'm mostly printing with PETG now so I don't use as much cooling as PLA. Here are a couple photos.What I'm really looking forward to is the silicone cover that E3D has said they're releasing soon. It should insulate well for the fan cooling problem, plus they cover almost all the way to the extruder tip opening so that extruded filament will be far less likely to stick to the tip and redeposit later as a blob. They talk about it here on Reddit. |
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Post by animoose on Jul 4, 2016 21:43:42 GMT
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Rick
Junior Member
Posts: 75
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Post by Rick on Jul 4, 2016 23:42:58 GMT
Hi all,
I just added a new power supply as I was using a converted PC Power supply. its one of the standard RepRap style with adjustable voltage. My old PC power supply wass only putting out 11.6v. I adjusted the new supply to put out 12.5v and I no longer have a problem with temp fluctuation on the hotend! if you have an adjustable PS try bumping up the voltage on the PS and see if that fixes the problem.
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