3D Printing Over Extrusion

Introduction

Printers are very common in printing houses, academic institutes, offices, and household purposes. It allows us to get the soft copy of a data in the hard copy format within seconds. Surely, a printer is a great tool as it has saved mankind time and futile effort to copy things as it is. One of the drawbacks was that it used to have some wires to connect with other devices for printing which made the printing work hard sometimes because of the dependence on data cables. This problem has been solved by the invention of the wireless printer.

Apart from wireless printers, there is another technology called a 3D printer. 3D printing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. Many 3D printers are available in the market for the use of people. 3D printers have paved their path not only towards offices but to homes as well. One of the major advantages of 3D printing is that it can produce very complex geometrical shapes of figures that would be impossible or hard to construct by hand.

Material extension 3D printing (aka fused deposition modeling  or fused filament fabrication) is a technology  for 3D printing that is being used in thermoplastic materials processing in filament form to create 3D objects. The filaments are being sourced from a large coil, then moved into a heated print head, which is then molten and squeezed out of the nozzle.

What is 3D Printing Over extrusion?

With every latest technology, comes the drawbacks as well. 3D Printing is a technology of comfort, but not free from errors. This problem not only wastes your energy but the material as well along with power and destroys your whole schedule of the day. Over-Extrusion is also a problem that occurs in 3D printing. When your 3D printer splotches material very much, then your printer has the problem of over-extrusion.

 It can destroy the quality of the prints and can create many other problems for you.  This problem immediately needs to be fixed for fast, clear, and good quality printing. Here are symptoms, through which you can know that your printer is having over – extrusion. Oozing, blobs, stringing, layer drooping, and dimensional inaccuracy.

Main Causes of 3D Printing Over Extrusion

To solve a problem, you must know the reason behind it. The causes of the problems help you to solve the issue so that you can work without much trouble. There are many reasons behind over-extrusion. Once you know the causes, you can fix it.

The Setting of Extrusion Multiplier

The extrusion multiplier keeps the check and balance of extrusion flow which is responsible for controlling the amount of the filament getting out of the nozzle. When there are signs like large layers and you find that nozzle jams too often then. This setting needs to be changed for proper functioning.

This over-extrusion can be controlled by stabilizing the extrusion multiplier setting in the slicer or the setting of the flow rate in the 3D printer firmware.

Extremely high print temperature

If the temperature of the printer is extremely high then more filament will be melted at a quick rate. And the result is quite clear in front of us, the over-melted thread flows unstoppable out of the printer nozzle which destroys the design and quality of the final draft.

The hotter filament gets, the more material it oozes out. The low temperature of the printer helps to use the precise amount of material to create thin layers with perfect contour.

But remember to stay within the limit because when it gets too cold it can lead to under-extrusion. In under-extrusion, the melted plastic that comes out of the nozzle would not be hot enough to do strong bonding with the prior layer.

The High flow rate of the printer

If the flow rate is too high, then it causes too much filament to come out of the nozzle. The high flow rate shatters the quality and detailing of your prints. This can also destroy the dimensions of the print that results in forming a large dimension of the upper layer and a low dimension of the bottom layer.

The high flow rate is directly proportional to the flow out of the filament from the nozzle.

The wrong diameter of the filament

If the measurement of the filament diameter of the slicer is wrong, then the printer will extrude the material which will lead to over-extrusion. 1.75, 2.85, and 3 mm are the standard filament diameters. The correct insertion of the diameter can resolve the problem of over-extrusion.

Huge nozzle size

The size of the nozzle is a matter of prime importance but most of the time, people overlook this thing. It plays an important role in the proper and final design of your print. The wrong nozzle size can destroy your dream of the incredible print.

It is highly advised to look for the perfect and accurate nozzle size so that you can get the exact print which you have imagined. 

The nozzle size is responsible for the width of the print. The wrong nozzle size and high print speed are a perfect pair of over-extrusion.

How to Fix 3D Printing Over Extrusion?

It is a matter of sheer importance to fix over-extrusion to get the best quality and design of your print. As we have described, several factors are responsible for over-extrusion and by controlling those factors, over-extrusion can be controlled.

Change the setting of the extrusion multiplier

You can find the extrusion multiplied by going to the filament setting in the slicer software. The default setting is 1 but you can adjust it, depending upon the type of filament you are using.  You can adjust the setting between 0.9 to 1.1 to get the best print.

Changing the setting is not a hard task. It is as simple as removing a value and then writing it again. You can go to the printer menu and find the tune setting. The value varies from 90 to 100, but that’s also your choice. You can adjust it according to the filament, slightly upwards and downwards.

You can use tools like calipers for the calibration of the extrusion multiplier. Another way is to deeply observe the features of your final print to prevent over-extrusion.

If you note any changes in the final print, then you can decrease the setting by the intervals of 2.5% augmentation. But always change their values carefully. If you change the setting by a big interval, then it can lead to under extrusion.

By lowering the printing temperature

This is the most effective step to control the over-extrusion. A scantiness decrease in the printer’s extruder temperature can show a positive result. It controls the amount of filament getting out of the nozzle because the material melts slowly because of the low temperature.

When you note extrusion, then immediately lower the value of temperature. Edit process setting has a temperature tab to increase and decrease the temperature. You can go to that setting to change the temperature according to your need.

The decreasing or increasing of temperature should be done gradually rather than immediately. When you are decreasing the temperature, start decreasing it at the intervals of 5°C till you see the difference in the extrusion.

The process is not as simple as it appears to be. The process is tricky because every filament has its temperature. So, you need to be very cautious while changing the temperature and observer the final print carefully. But After all this, extrusion persists, then the problem is not with the temperature.

Curtail the Flow rate

This process is tough and requires many attempts for its success. Every filament roll has its flow rate.  You need to set the best and the right flow rate in accordance with your filament roll in your slicer. This process demands patience and repetition. You need to check the different flow rates until you find the right one and the best for your filament.

This process demands steps that cannot be done immediately. Make sure to decrease the rate at intervals of 5%. For example, if you start with a flow rate of 105% and yet you observe extension, then you can select a flow rate of 100%.

Keep doing it, until you find an ideal flow rate for your filament for the best print quality. Moreover, if there’s under-extrusion, you can adjust it by increasing the flow rate until you find the right one.

Adjust the ideal filament diameter in the slicer software

Most of the filament manufacturers give dimensional measurements, but you can also get or measure the real one on your own. You can measure the width of the filament in different places and then calculate the average. It will give you the real value. You can measure the measurement with the help of a verifier caliper.

This may appear ridiculous, to measure even after the measurement given by the manufacturers but in the practical field, it is better to take precautions because there is a thin line between perfection and imperfection. This little thing can destroy your print quality.

This process requires cutting off a few feet of the filament. For example, you can cut the 60 cm of the filament.  Just make sure not to allow the length to get tangled. Next, you can cut off at intervals of 2cm.

To keep your measurements perfect, you can mark them with white and black for dark and light color filament respectively.

You don’t have to measure those marks by yourself, rather you can mark them by measuring them with the help of the vernier calipers. You can rotate the verifier caliper around the filament to measure. You have to add the value and divide it by 30 to get the exact measurement.

Feed the number that you have got through calculation into the slices software and then go to the machine setting and you can adjust the filament diameter setting. This will help you to control over-extrusion and enhance the quality of the final print.

The accurate nozzle size

There is a fascinating thing about 3D printing that you can change the nozzles. You just need a screwdriver to do this job. Nozzles packs are easily available and they are not very expensive.

The size of the nozzle is 0.4mm and that is a standard size because that is ideal for all types of prints. With the help of a thin nozzle, you can print the layer with a height of 0.1mm up to 0.3mm. The height of the thin layer is beautifully detailed. On the contrary, the thick layer heights are flat.

Some printers can allow the use of a nozzle of 0.2mm and 0.15mm for clarity and precision.

The extrusion of the 0.2 mm nozzle is different from the 0.4mm. The filament will have 25% of the extrusion in this nozzle in comparison with a 0.4mm nozzle.

If there’s too much extrusion, you are at a loss because there is much use of the material.

Final Words

3D printing has made life easier and fast. But with every technology, there are some problems that need to be solved for the perfect and the best result. Over-Extrusion is one issue in 3D printing which if not solved can destroy your print’s quality, texture, and form. Over-Extrusion is the problem when your filament extrudes too much and destroys the quality of your final print.

There are many causes of over-extrusion like too high print temperature, high flow rate, incorrect filament diameter, and the big size of the nozzle. But with proper observation and investigation, this problem of Over-Extrusion can be resolved as mentioned in the above for your ease. By following the instruction, that we have described for you, you can get rid of it and can get the exact result that you have imagined.

You may also want to check our article for 3D printing under extrusion