3D Printing Book?

[bostonman]

I have an Anet A8 and periodically use it for various printing with PLA.

For the most part, I use generic settings, however, I'm wondering if a book/PDF exists that lists settings for various printing with different filament.

I'm thinking maybe something exists that would provide settings for different filaments, different size objects, etc... Does anyone know if something like this exists?

[beanflying]

You won't find anything more than 'guidelines or ranges' as machines vary in Temperature the report back to the board and filiments vary by 5-10C in what is good or bad and if you like a stronger print with a bit more heat or a more cosmetic .... So you get a range of maybe 20C for PLA for example.

Start with this one from Tom as a guide to dialing in YOUR printer and beware of A8 fires

[Whales]

There too many filaments out there for a single book to make sense.  Every man and his dog has turned some plastic into a filament roll.  Lots of other variables affect what settings you need to use too:

 * Ambient temperature & airflow
 * Moisture content of your filament (eg fresh vs exposed to air for months)
 * Batch number (sometimes the same model & make varies between batches by a notable amount)

The manufacturers of the filament will suggest some settings, but you have tune these to suit your particular problems.  There are simply way too many variables and far too little good solution space to generalise everything into a single solution/guide/suggestion of settings:

 * Extrusion speed
 * Extrusion nozzle material (affects how often filament sticks to it & starts bundling up on it instead of the bed/workpiece)
 * Extrusion nozzle chamfer, shape & size
 * Desired tradeoff of bridging performance + loop reduction VS layer adhesion (temperature)
 * etc

[bostonman]

Start with this one from Tom as a guide to dialing in YOUR printer and beware of A8 fires

Think I have this covered. The only fires that I know of are the connector for the hot bed (now fixed with the MOSFET - also using a second MOSFET for the extruder), and the firmware needs updating to monitor the thermistors and turn off the system if they change value.

Oh, and the connector for the hot bed. Mine only has two wires for the heater, however, they are soldered directly to the board (I plan to install four wires - two positive and two ground - soldered directly to the board).

As for a printing book, thanks for the input. I thought maybe something more direct exist that could at least get me close. An example is if I plan to use PLC, from reading, they run hotter and the Anet A8 can't handle it unless the extruder is changed. Thought maybe a list existed that would help with this stuff.

Obviously no one document exists.

Thanks for the feeback

[CatalinaWOW]

All of the above is an excellent reason for picking a brand of filament and sticking with it.  It reduces the number of variables you have to deal with though it doesn't eliminate lot variation and filament aging.

I don't endorse any brand, I have found several good ones and believe there are many more I haven't tried.  But I want my 3D printer as a tool to do things, not as a never ending tuning project, so anything that gets me printing more things is a good thing.  Same story for bed materials and adhesion enhancers.  You will find advocates for many things.  In my experience they all work when tuned properly, so figure out how to make what you have work and stick with it.

[bostonman]

But I want my 3D printer as a tool to do things, not as a never ending tuning project,

I hate to go against anyone who has taken time to fine tune their printer, however, I fully agree with you. Some people print the same object a few times with different settings just to see which one is better. Personally, I don't care about minor flaws providing it doesn't interfere with the function of the item. If the edges aren't 100% smooth, I'm not too upset.

I've noticed tightening the Y axis belt help tremendously. Before my round holes were elongated, now they are perfect.

I'm sure at some point I'll come across a PDF someone put together as a reference with the understanding (from the input from everyone) that there is no exact science.

Not to deviate, but per the safety measures put in place to reduce fire risks, is everything I listed above correct? This Anet A8 seems like a never ending project as for upgrades.

[hindenbugbite]

I'd imagine a 3D printing book will spend a good portion of chapters on method/best practice to test/tune a new filament to a generic printer. That's good knowledge for anyone even if given specific settings for a specific filament on a specific printer.

Having said that, I don't think it is futile to try compiling a recipe book on filament settings. Maybe the requirements should be to cover well known or reputable brands both in terms of filaments and printers. All the clones can be ignored for the most part. It should also be expected that the book will need revision at least once a year as the landscape changes. In the end, this effort is not an easy lift for any one group unless some open standards can be employed to leverage community contributions.

[Brumby]

I think this is approach to a book is taking it from the wrong direction.

What I would suggest is to take examples of all the PROBLEMS one can encounter - give reasons why they occur and suggestions as to what sort of remedies to try.

For example;
 - On the topic of xxxxxxxx provide a description of what the problem is, so accurate identification can be made, with a photo(s) showing example(s). 
 - Identify what the source is - such as slicer, settings, hardware, filament - or maybe the design of the model - or a combination of these.
 - Then give suggestions as to what you can try to remove or alleviate the problem - try different slicer, use different slicer settings, hardware adjustment or upgrades ... or even design changes of the model. 
 - Include specific examples of this as a weakness in some slicers or hardware or as a strength (where the problem is lesser or non-existent) in others.


This is what I would try.

[bostonman]

This all makes more sense.

I just thought a general list would exist on filament speed, nozzle size, etc... for a general list of various part sizes.

Although it makes sense that different printers have different performances, I thought a list would exist for general settings between something like a tiny gear and a large object.

[CatalinaWOW]

I think this is approach to a book is taking it from the wrong direction.

What I would suggest is to take examples of all the PROBLEMS one can encounter - give reasons why they occur and suggestions as to what sort of remedies to try.

For example;
 - On the topic of xxxxxxxx provide a description of what the problem is, so accurate identification can be made, with a photo(s) showing example(s). 
 - Identify what the source is - such as slicer, settings, hardware, filament - or maybe the design of the model - or a combination of these.
 - Then give suggestions as to what you can try to remove or alleviate the problem - try different slicer, use different slicer settings, hardware adjustment or upgrades ... or even design changes of the model. 
 - Include specific examples of this as a weakness in some slicers or hardware or as a strength (where the problem is lesser or non-existent) in others.


This is what I would try.

There are some fairly good examples of this available on line.  One example is here

https://rigid.ink/pages/ultimate-troubleshooting-guide

[Brumby]

Since this is a maturing technology, I would expect such resources to be out there.

[Brumby]

This all makes more sense.

I just thought a general list would exist on filament speed, nozzle size, etc... for a general list of various part sizes.

Although it makes sense that different printers have different performances, I thought a list would exist for general settings between something like a tiny gear and a large object.

I understand where you're thinking is coming from but, unfortunately, there is such a variation between machines, filaments, settings, working environments, etc. that it is going to be next to impossible to produce a single reference.

Certainly, check out the resources that are available so that you have a better idea on how to deal with your own setup - and write your own book on what works for you.