Filament tips - tkocou/V400-Files GitHub Wiki
Tip 1 Preparing a filament for deployment:
You will need a digital kitchen weight scale which can measure in grams. (suggestion - https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Stainless-Pull-Out-Display/dp/B079D9B82W/)
When you get a fresh roll of filament, before you use said filament, weigh it. Turn on the kitchen scale and set it to read in grams (or kilograms). Put the filament on the scale. You know you were sent 1 kilogram of filament. Simply subtract 1000 grams (or 1 kilogram) from the weight reading of the scale. With a marker pen, write the remainder somewhere on the spool.
In the future when you have used part of the filament and want to know how much filament remains on that spool, re-weigh the spool of filament using the grams setting. Subtract the spool weight which you wrote on the spool at the beginning. The remaining weight is the amount of filament left on the spool (in grams)
Tip 2 Humidity:
If the relative humidity in the printing room is above 30%, consider adding a filament dryer to the V400 filament feed.
In these images, I used Capricorn tubing Capricorn Kit and tubing unions Tubing Unions. The tubing inserts come with the kit. The Holder STL model uses the larger diameter inserts. I printed the holders (2 each) with PLA.
Tip 3 Setting up a filament profile in Orca Slicer:
Note: The calibrated values for the filament profile are dependent on the nozzle diameter. Example: Settings for a 0.4 mm nozzle will be different for a 0.6 mm nozzle.
Setting up a filament profile in Orca Slicer. The printer calibrations and maintenance must be up-to-date! Load the filament in question into the V400.
Choose a system filament profile which comes closest to the filament type (PLA for a PLA filament, etc.) Click on the edit icon to the right of the profile name. In the first tab called "Filament":
Set up the vendor's name and select a color to match the color of the filament.
If necessary, change the 'Recommended nozzle temperature' entries to match the manufacturer's suggested printing temperature range. Example: The system profile list the range as 190-230, however, the filament range is 200-220. You would change the range from 190-230 to 200-220
If necessary, reset the "Flow ratio" to the default value for that type of filament. The "Flow ratio" value will be calibrated later. Make sure to uncheck the "Enable pressure advance" box. The pressure advance value will be calibrated later.
Set the "Print temperature" for both 'first layer' & 'other layers' to the middle of the manufacturer's suggested printing temperature range. Using the above example, you would set both of them to 210.
Set the "Bed temperature" for both 'first layer' & 'other layers' to the bed mesh temperature which you calibrated the V400 to. Example, I had preheated the bed to 60c for the V400 bed mesh calibration. So, I set the "Bed temperature to 60 for both.
Set the "Volumetric Speed limitation" setting: for standard filament, use the default setting. For filament designed to run at a high speed, set the parameter to double the default setting.
Next, click on the tab called "Setting Overrides". Make sure all the boxes are cleared except 'Length' & 'Retraction speed'
Lastly, click on the save icon (just to the right of the name). Give it a new name. Examples: Ender High Speed PLA White or Elegoo green HS PLA or Polymaker black PLA. Doing this naming convention will group the filaments by manufacturer when you select from the filament list when doing a new project. If you change the nozzle to a different size, you will need to create a new filament profile as the parameters will be different for the same filament.
Tip 4 Calibrating a filament profile:
With the filament loaded, run the calibrations in this order: Flow Rate - Pass 1 and 2; Temperature; Pressure Advance; Retraction Test; and Max Flow Rate (located in the 'More' menu) When saving your filament profile, do not rename the filament profile.
Flow Rate after printing the calibration pieces
In Pass 1, find the piece which feels the smoothest as well as appears smoothest. If two pieces seem to match that criteria, use the highest value. Example: pieces 0 and -5 seem to be good, use 0 (no change). What the two pieces are telling you is that the correct flow calibration probably lies between 0 and -5. In pass 2, again find the piece with the smoothest surface. In both passes, any number other than 0, will need to be used in the proper calibration of the filament profile. More details can be found here Flow Rate Calibration - scroll down the page until you see the section labeled How to Calibrate Flow Rate using OrcaSlicer and follow the instructions. Make sure to save the filament profile and create a new project without saving the old one.
Temperature
Change the low and high temperature boxes to match the filament temperature range. In the printing profile, Click on the tab called "Others" and enable Brim (Outer brim only). Slice and print. Find the temperature which has the best 'bridging' and least stringing. Enter that temperature into the filament profile. Save the profile and create a new project without saving the old one.
Pressure advance
Make sure to select the PA line option. The PA line is a lot easier to determine the correct PA (Pressure Advance) setting. Pressure advance In the filament profile, make sure to check the "Enable presure advance" and enter the value found. Save the profile and create a new project without saving the old one.
Retraction test
Like the temperature calibration, make sure to enable the brim. If the determined retraction value differs from the profile values, update the retraction settings. Save the profile and create a new project without saving the old one.
Max Flow Rate
Accept the defaults. Slice and print. Reference this guide for determining the best Volumetric speed limitation value. Max Volumetric calibration If necessary, update the value. Save the profile and create a new project without saving the old one.