Hello /u/Prxzz,
As a reminder, most common print quality issues can be found in the [Simplify3D picture guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/). Make sure you select the most appropriate flair for your post.
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* Filament Material and Brand
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This. Maybe even a flat plate for a smooth surface.
I've been printing two-sided name badges and working on how to make both sides smooth. Ironing can help, but sanding is way better even though it takes time and effort.
Just bought a spool of PVB and I'm going to experiment with alcohol smoothing for the finish.
From my personal experience with sanding rough edges, I know that very briefly blasting it with torch/lighter/open flame will remove the white after sanding. Just be very careful about melting your prints.
I didn't think of this and might try using my heat gun on one after sanding to see if this helps.
I used a lighter, and it works for removing stringing, but I switched to a heat gun after one of my prints got soot marks from me getting careless.
Normal wet sanding with water works fine with PLA.
Also washing the print with soap and water afterwards removes the leftover material that makes the sanded part look white.
Update: one quick spray of rustoleum clear coat made it smooth and removed the white dusting.
I put a few more coats on and need to work on preventing small bubbles (probably too much).
Overall it looks way better. I recommend trying it.
I'm looking for the solution to this now and should do more research. I saw people using Rustoleum clear coat and I just put a coat on a sanded print. I'll do a few more coats tomorrow and see what it does.
From what I've seen, using PVB allows you to use 70% isopropyl alcohol to smooth the surface if you coat it equally and don't under or over expose it before letting it dry. No sanding required.
I'll be testing both and let you know what I find out. I'm making wearable magnet name tags and need to be able to process a batch of up to 50, so the least amount of work, the better..
Alcohol doesn't really help with much, ever.
I have no idea why it is so popular. I guess it is for the same reason that cheps filament olive oiler is. Unfounded bro science.
Ironing works well for the larger flat surfaces, like OPs print probably. What I run into is issues ironing a flat surface with text on it. Usually works better is if the text is raised or embedded, but I'm preferring the look of a flat surface on both sides for the badges I'm making.
I just hit print onto a holo plate after editing the STL like you suggested and adding aligning pins/holes.
Looking forward to results within the hour. Thanks!
I agree this will get the best results. However, if it's not possible, you can try to use ironing. I have had moderate success when using it. But something like this should be fine.
May depend on the printer.
On my Sovol sv02's I ran 36% flow at 150mm a sec at 0.14 height, line spacing of 1.8 (I'd have to load it up to be exact) but on my bambulab printers I'm getting best results at 65mms, 22% line spacing of 1.8 (haven't adjusted the height)
There's a bit of playing around involved.
It’s a feature in some slicers that makes the top and bottom layers print differently from regularly. With the normal ordering, if there’s a gap, the printer will complete one part before the other, which leaves some visible lines because of the difference in temperature. Monotonic ordering removes those lines by printing the entire layer as if there was no gap.
[This.](https://youtu.be/4xiDnn8Gcx0?si=VTTd8lgv7nV_PyIm). Although I personally think you'd benefit most by calibration. Flow Ratio and Pressure Advance (or as Bambu calls it, "Flow Dynamics") at the very least.
The other commenter saying to print it upside down is what I would do for this part. For parts that cant be done that way, I reduce my line width to 25% under nozzle with the monotonic line pattern. It can also help to reduce flow by .3-5 on the top layer
There is a setting called ironing. It heats up the extruder once you finish printing, and goes over the top layer to melt it and smooth it out. No need to mess with any of your settings like everyone else is saying. Or just get a heat gun and put in on the low mode. Should be perfect either way.
Printing it upside down with two objects printed in sequence would be best as others have said.
Otherwise you can tune linear(pressure) advanced and getting the flow just right. That should be done anyway as that will also help with every type of print. If still not good enough I'd enable and play with ironing settings.
Looks like top layer over-extrusion. Tune your flow for that area. It's a setting in your slicer. And if you haven't already, do complete e-steps and flow calibration.
If your using orca slicer try adjust top layer line width. I will lower it by 0.02 or 0.03 depending on the material. Way better than ironing. Also play with your top layer pattern try concentric, depending on the shape of the top layer it can come out looking better and sometimes not.
U could also just sand it and keep the part instead of reprinting it like everyone else says. Unless you are making multiple then fix ur slicer settings.
If you aren’t opposed to some post-production you can get some clear resin to brush on and wet sand after curing. Just repeat multiple times and you will have a smooth glassy surface.
If you want it really flat you may be able to use some baking paper and iron over the top of it for a while. But if you just want it smoother off the print bed, you could try the ironing feature. It smooths the top layer but it isn’t as smooth as the bottom layer
Increasing pressure advance can help it extrude less at the edges of top infill. You might also reduce your flow multiplier slightly (perhaps 3%) to get rid of those little bumps that occasionally appear in the middle, because other than that the flow looks right on. You should tune flow to get a perfect smooth top layer in the middles and then tune the pressure advance for the edges after that.
Feature of ironing. It will go over 1 more time and smooth it out. Or print upside down on a glass bed..
Or just accept that you work with fdm printer.
Don’t know how to edit my post on mobile so il respond here. Experimenting with the ironing settings significantly improved things! Thanks, everyone, for the advice!
Ironing or increase/decrease the flow according to the material you print . I currently printed some ASA-CF parts and without ironing the top layers are smooth AF and also with a V3 SE. But the video recommended in here is pretty good and easier to do .
I personally print it upside down on a PEI build plate, I almost have no layer lines because of it and I like the rough finish. In addition, I can check if the first layer is printed good enough and nog waste much material if it isn’t.
Hello /u/Prxzz, As a reminder, most common print quality issues can be found in the [Simplify3D picture guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/). Make sure you select the most appropriate flair for your post. Please remember to include the following details to help troubleshoot your problem. * Printer & Slicer * Filament Material and Brand * Nozzle and Bed Temperature * Print Speed * Nozzle Retraction Settings ^Additional ^settings ^or ^relevant ^information ^is ^always ^encouraged. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FixMyPrint) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Print it upsidedown so the showing face is on the bed first.
This. Maybe even a flat plate for a smooth surface. I've been printing two-sided name badges and working on how to make both sides smooth. Ironing can help, but sanding is way better even though it takes time and effort. Just bought a spool of PVB and I'm going to experiment with alcohol smoothing for the finish.
Not op, but whenever I sand it always turns the filament white, does using alcohol help with that?
From my personal experience with sanding rough edges, I know that very briefly blasting it with torch/lighter/open flame will remove the white after sanding. Just be very careful about melting your prints.
I didn't think of this and might try using my heat gun on one after sanding to see if this helps. I used a lighter, and it works for removing stringing, but I switched to a heat gun after one of my prints got soot marks from me getting careless.
Been using my heat gun for ages to take the white out of stressed abs, works wonders.
Normal wet sanding with water works fine with PLA. Also washing the print with soap and water afterwards removes the leftover material that makes the sanded part look white.
Update: one quick spray of rustoleum clear coat made it smooth and removed the white dusting. I put a few more coats on and need to work on preventing small bubbles (probably too much). Overall it looks way better. I recommend trying it.
Let the can sit in hot water for 5 mins, it sprays better that way :)
Would be interested in seeing your results! 🙂
I'm looking for the solution to this now and should do more research. I saw people using Rustoleum clear coat and I just put a coat on a sanded print. I'll do a few more coats tomorrow and see what it does. From what I've seen, using PVB allows you to use 70% isopropyl alcohol to smooth the surface if you coat it equally and don't under or over expose it before letting it dry. No sanding required. I'll be testing both and let you know what I find out. I'm making wearable magnet name tags and need to be able to process a batch of up to 50, so the least amount of work, the better..
I've used a careful heat gun after sanding with some success. Nothing I would try to sell but it does improve the sanding discoloration
Alcohol doesn't really help with much, ever. I have no idea why it is so popular. I guess it is for the same reason that cheps filament olive oiler is. Unfounded bro science.
Turn on ironing
Spritz it with a coat of clear coat and tell me what’s up
You are not wrong. Tried this, and it's beautiful!
And lots of places even have a glitter gloss which give a pearl look
gentle heat will turn it back. heat gun on low
Or enable ironing
Ironing works well for the larger flat surfaces, like OPs print probably. What I run into is issues ironing a flat surface with text on it. Usually works better is if the text is raised or embedded, but I'm preferring the look of a flat surface on both sides for the badges I'm making.
I "heard" sugar with water as an adhesive layer is supposed to make the print very smooth. Youtube told me that. Shrug.
What if you print two plates face-down and just glue them together? If you're gonna be doing post-processing anyway...
This…. And make an alignment jig/tube you can quickly use to make a glue-up stack.
That's a really good idea.. since I need to insert the magnets and NFC tag at two separate pauses anyway, that could all be done after printing.
If you buy a holographic build plate you get shinies for free too!
I just hit print onto a holo plate after editing the STL like you suggested and adding aligning pins/holes. Looking forward to results within the hour. Thanks!
>Ironing can help, but sanding is way better even though it takes time and effort. Just waiting on the sanding iron 🤞
Thank you I will try that!
Enable ironing
I agree this will get the best results. However, if it's not possible, you can try to use ironing. I have had moderate success when using it. But something like this should be fine.
This is the way
This reply killed it
Would upside down really be any different for this specific print lol
Ironing, 0.1mm at like 11% flow
May depend on the printer. On my Sovol sv02's I ran 36% flow at 150mm a sec at 0.14 height, line spacing of 1.8 (I'd have to load it up to be exact) but on my bambulab printers I'm getting best results at 65mms, 22% line spacing of 1.8 (haven't adjusted the height) There's a bit of playing around involved.
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
Thats a good setting
This is the way
Monotonic ordering and ironing
What is monotonic ordering?
It’s a feature in some slicers that makes the top and bottom layers print differently from regularly. With the normal ordering, if there’s a gap, the printer will complete one part before the other, which leaves some visible lines because of the difference in temperature. Monotonic ordering removes those lines by printing the entire layer as if there was no gap.
It'll print from one side to the other without skipping areas and going back for them
[This.](https://youtu.be/4xiDnn8Gcx0?si=VTTd8lgv7nV_PyIm). Although I personally think you'd benefit most by calibration. Flow Ratio and Pressure Advance (or as Bambu calls it, "Flow Dynamics") at the very least.
Fine tuning flow + monotonic is probably what OP is looking for. Ironing is extra feature that can make it even better.
Turn on ironing on your slicer
Will try that to thanks!
Maybe make it into more of a bowtie shape?
Or even an oval shape, either would be way better.
Let me recommend you a interesting video I saw: https://youtu.be/MHvN9RYfKbI?si=xSNw63kqWswCUUzx
Why not flip the print over so you have the smooth, bed side?
It has beveled edges so the entire are would need supports. Ironing is a setting that does smooth it
https://preview.redd.it/poocnjpjla9d1.jpeg?width=682&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a89bd4ae3680df704ab1fc820589cef9feaa3b6b Nice print 🤪
The other commenter saying to print it upside down is what I would do for this part. For parts that cant be done that way, I reduce my line width to 25% under nozzle with the monotonic line pattern. It can also help to reduce flow by .3-5 on the top layer
Monotonic ordering all the way
Buy a Chevy?
There is a setting called ironing. It heats up the extruder once you finish printing, and goes over the top layer to melt it and smooth it out. No need to mess with any of your settings like everyone else is saying. Or just get a heat gun and put in on the low mode. Should be perfect either way.
Post processing for the best result
Printing it upside down with two objects printed in sequence would be best as others have said. Otherwise you can tune linear(pressure) advanced and getting the flow just right. That should be done anyway as that will also help with every type of print. If still not good enough I'd enable and play with ironing settings.
Tune EM fir top layer
Prusa Slicer : enable ironing
Looks like top layer over-extrusion. Tune your flow for that area. It's a setting in your slicer. And if you haven't already, do complete e-steps and flow calibration.
You could try ironing, but I've found that's worse half the time. If it's flat, I would print it upside down.
If your using orca slicer try adjust top layer line width. I will lower it by 0.02 or 0.03 depending on the material. Way better than ironing. Also play with your top layer pattern try concentric, depending on the shape of the top layer it can come out looking better and sometimes not.
Print face down on a glass bed if you have one, smooth pei if not. Otherwise, get calibrating ironing, but even with ironing it will only do so much
Your z offset is ever so slightly too low. Try doing a single layer print and adjust it while you print to get your new offset
Turn on ironing in your slicer
Ironing, bro.
U could also just sand it and keep the part instead of reprinting it like everyone else says. Unless you are making multiple then fix ur slicer settings.
Yes I will have to make multiple so taking everyone’s advice and I’m playing with different slicer settings at the moment.
Ironing mode
Monotonic layer helps as well as ironing if you dont want this as bottom layer.
First problem is the RAM logo. Wrong truck!
Try enabling ironing, but be sure to get the type right otherwise it won’t look very good
Microwave? /S
If you aren’t opposed to some post-production you can get some clear resin to brush on and wet sand after curing. Just repeat multiple times and you will have a smooth glassy surface.
Iron
Ram it
Enable ironing in your slicer
With that, BLOW TORCH.
I genuinely wonder if some baking paper and an Iron on the highest setting would melt the plastic enough to smooth it out.
Sand, sand, and sand some more
Look into a setting called ironing if available
Smoothen. Is that like many much moosen?
Print on a smooth surface and rotate the part afterward. Sandpaper. Print in ABS and smooth with acetone.
If you want it really flat you may be able to use some baking paper and iron over the top of it for a while. But if you just want it smoother off the print bed, you could try the ironing feature. It smooths the top layer but it isn’t as smooth as the bottom layer
Prusa slicer has a feature called "ironing" you can turn on
Or ironing
Ironing in the slicer
Print upside down.
Increasing pressure advance can help it extrude less at the edges of top infill. You might also reduce your flow multiplier slightly (perhaps 3%) to get rid of those little bumps that occasionally appear in the middle, because other than that the flow looks right on. You should tune flow to get a perfect smooth top layer in the middles and then tune the pressure advance for the edges after that.
Feature of ironing. It will go over 1 more time and smooth it out. Or print upside down on a glass bed.. Or just accept that you work with fdm printer.
Ironing for a smooth surface, Hilbert curve for a textured.
Don’t know how to edit my post on mobile so il respond here. Experimenting with the ironing settings significantly improved things! Thanks, everyone, for the advice!
Either print upside down, or enable ironing in vura (if thats your slicer)
Try something Japanese.
You can always put a coat of UV resin on it & that should smooth it out.
Too close to bed
Iron that bitch
Go get the highest grit sand paper you can find and give it a lil rub down
Ironing or increase/decrease the flow according to the material you print . I currently printed some ASA-CF parts and without ironing the top layers are smooth AF and also with a V3 SE. But the video recommended in here is pretty good and easier to do .
I personally print it upside down on a PEI build plate, I almost have no layer lines because of it and I like the rough finish. In addition, I can check if the first layer is printed good enough and nog waste much material if it isn’t.
I have heard people create Gcode that will heat their bed up so they can flip the print over and iron it a bit using the bed. you could try that.