I want to call out and thank YouTuber MM’s PropShop for their recent assistance with my 3d printers. If you have any interest in Star Wars, droids, or 3d printing, they are an inspirational source, frequently posting videos on the creation of numerous life size models, with professional level painting. If you haven’t subscribed to them, do so with haste.
Their work inspired me to previously print the B1 Battle Droid, which is sitting nicely in a corner in my basement, and then recently the IG-88 “Nursing Droid” (all models are available from DroidDivision – AKA Bob’s 3D Printable Droids and Props). This was a possibility given my Anycubic Kobra 2 Max, and its oversize print bed.
Unfortunately, the large printer had for me, never really worked cleanly. I can print fast (one notable feature of the printer), but all the prints ended up with warts on the surface, or I can print slow (same speed at the Prusa MK3s), with flawless surfaces. I spent several months tweaking settings, trying options, and ended up with passable settings that were definitely on the faster side with a smooth finish – but then the infill was near trash with lots of gaps and no real support.
With some prompting from my wife, she suggested I reach out to MM since they use the same printer and had very successful prints, asking for some assistance and if possible, a copy of their printer profile. Quite happily, they not only responded, but readily shared their profile and a handful of suggestions on slicers, options, and general advice. Very useful and helpful, and conveniently we both use the same slicer (PrusaSlicer).
I plugged the new profile into my software, and ran a compare, and for the most part I was close. The differences were mainly in the speeds and then some other minor preferences (internal structure format, etc). The biggest differences were the printing temperature (200 degrees for PLA when I was using 210), the number of walls (4 instead of the 2 I was using), and several adjustments in the support separation settings.
Once I entered the profile and re-ran my prints, the difference was night and day. The warts are gone, the internal support is solid, and the parts are far stronger even with a reduction in infill from 30% to 10%. And the prints run much faster. Once complete, the support material is quick and clean to remove, which in itself is a major improvement.
Already I have printed several pieces of the model, and I am now considering going back to start over for some of the worse pieces. The project is now well on its way towards completion.
Again, my thanks and appreciation to MM’s PropShop, and their assistance.
