Part Quality Issue Recovery

Missing Jets:

Missing material in part (left to right)

Part has groove(s) of material missing often in the in the shape of a line from the left to right direction. If the part is across multiple lanes (front to back) missing material will occur across each lane in the same relative location and width.

1.  Perform Confirm Jets procedure (http://dddtechpubs-staging.3dsystems.com/projetmjp2500/user-guide/mainte...).
2. If the jets do not clear after three attempts, contact certified partner for service.

Dragging:

Missing material in part (left to right)

Part and verification wall look as if something has been dragged across the surface of the part.  There may be missing material in the part and/or extra material dragged or smudged outside the part in the areas of missing material.  

1. Look for material buildup on the bottom of the print engine by looking horizontally across the surface, see At a Glance section for print engine location.  Clean any material that is hanging down from underneath the print engine.  Use the Inspect Planarizer Blade routine to clean the planarizer access cover. See Inspect Planarizer section for assistance.
2. Wearing nitrile gloves, rotate the planarizer access cover so that the planarizer blade is accessible. Clean off the edge of the planarizer blade, See Inspect Planarizer section for assistance. If additional dripping and/or material buildup remains on the bottom of the print engine, contact your certified partner for service.
3. Clean any material off the bottom of the print engine including the planarizer waste trough, the printhead mount, the air plenum's, the UV lamp or anywhere else.  Always keep the printer clean.

Horizontal line or appearance of missing layer

The printed part has a horizontal line through the entire part or appears to have a missing layer of material.

1. A pause longer than 10 minutes during a print job may result in this defect. To eliminate, promptly remove full waste bag and load new part and support material cartridges when requested.

2. Email alerts can be set up to provide notification of close to full/full waste bags as well as low/empty material cartridges. See User Interface section for directions to set up email alerts.

Gap in material

The printed part has a gap in the material 1/3 and/or 2/3 of the way across the part (front to back when standing in front of the printer).

The printer is out of calibration, contact your certified partner for service.

Smearing:

Support material extends beyond part or is present on surfaces of part after post processing

Parts have observable support material extended beyond where the part should be in the left to right direction. Extra material described as "flames" or "spurs" of material.

1. Make sure the planarizer is clean. Perform the Inspect Planarizer Blade procedure found in this manual.

2. Look for material buildup on the bottom of the print engine by looking horizontally across the surface, see ''At A Glance'' section for print engine location. Clean any material that is hanging down from underneath the print engine.

3. The extra support material can often be removed with a nylon brush or by simply rubbing the surface with a soft cloth.

4. Print in UHD Mode if the option is available for the build material and print model.

5. Orientating the parts at a different angle can reduce or eliminate the issue until your service provider arrives.

6. If the problem persists, contact your certified partner for service.

Dripping

Material has dripped on the part or in the build chamber area.

1. Perform the Inspect and Clean Planarizer Ducts routine.

2. It is recommended to clean more frequently for M2E elastomeric and M2S specialty material families.

3. If the problem persists, contact your certified partner for service.

Snow:

Snow like material in the build chamber

The development of "snow" within the build chamber is normal.

1. To reduce the amount of snow within the build chamber, increase the frequency of printer maintenance. See the Troubleshooting and Maintenance Best Practices Section of this manual for information.

2. If the part has been damaged from a buildup of snow, contact your certified partner for service.

Bump

The part has a bump or a ridge of extra material 1/3 and way 2/3 of the across print platform (orientation front to back).

Contact your certified partner for service.

Blotches:

Clear or white material has yellow discoloration areas or spots

Clear material appears to have yellow spots.

1. Reposition the part so that tall sections and short sections of the print job are in different lanes (front to back when standing in front of the machine).

2. Position tall parts towards one end (left ot right) of the platform and shorter parts on the other end. This will avoid the shorter parts being over exposed to the UV Lamps during the build of the the taller parts.

3. For smaller parts, position the parts in the center of a printing lane. The UV lamp intensity overlaps at the edge of printing lane boundaries and can increase yellowing in these locations.

4. For smaller parts that did not take long to post process, yellowing can sometimes be reduced by putting the parts back into the oven at 65°C to 70°C for a few hours.

5. Always make sure the UV Lamp are clear of excess material.

Color mixing

The printed material appears to have small areas of lighter or darker color.

1. Inserting a different part material color can result in a small amount of color mixing which may show up on the printed part. This will clear on its own.

2. If you are concerned with mixing on your next printed part, perform a Material Change Wizard routine to flush the unwanted material.

Printed part changes shade

The top portion of the part does not have the same shade as the bottom portion of the part.

Part material has a small amount of lot to lot variation. Prior to printing, confirm that all part material needed for the job has the same lot code.

Part color fades

The printed part fades from clear to yellow (when printing with clear material or black to gray) when printing with black material.

Parts can fade or change color over time. To reduce the change in color, limit part exposure to light and heat sources.

Permanent marks on part after post processing

The finished part has an outline and discoloration in the shape of another post processed part.

Avoid stacking or overlapping parts when post processing.

Top surface shine and matte

The top horizontal surface of the printed part has some areas that are shiny (glossy appearance) and some areas that have a matte finish.

In 3DSPRINT, position the part at a slight right angle to the horizontal surface prior to sending to the printer.

Side surface vs. top/bottom surface

The top/bottom surfaces appears smooth while the side surfaces appear to be rough or have steps of material.

The printer encapsulates support (wax) material when printing which will cause the sides to have a matte finish. Horizontal surfaces may have a glossy appearance due to the print process. To eliminate gloss, position the part in 3DSPRINT so that horizontal surfaces are minimized.

1. Make sure the part has followed the MJP general designee rule: i.e., fine details are not too small (<200 microns).
2. Check if defects are associated with other failures such like 'Surface mottle, visual non-uniformity, or too hot' or 'the printer has a limitation when printing up facing engraved text or lines.'
3. It is recommended to print in UHD build mode in order to achieve better overall Part Quality if the option is available for the build material and print model.

Surface mottle, visual non-uniformity or too hot.

1. Check ambient temperature, optimal temperature range is 18°- 24°C (64°-75°F).
2. Verify that the particulate filter and the screen above the filter are not plugged. Replace as necessary.
3. Make sure the printer is not next to a window in direct sunlight.
4. Make sure the back of the printer is 12'' from the wall.
5. Print parts with large flat surfaces vertically on the print platform.
6. It is recommended to print in UHD build mode.

Upward part curl on flat surfaces relative to the build plate.

Part is bowed or curled and surface is no longer flat. Curling occurs in the z-axis (vertical direction) from the print platform. The curls occurs prior to post processing the part.

1. Check ambient temperature, optimal temperature range is 18°-24°C (64°-75°F).

2. Verify that the particulate filter and the screen above the filter are not plugged. Replace as necessary.

3. Make sure the printer is not next to a window in direct sunlight.

4. Make sure the back of the printer is 12" from the wall and has good ventilation. 

5. Rotate the parts 90°such that parts with large flat surfaces are 90° relative to the print platform.

6. It is recommended to print in UHD build mode if the option is available for the build material and print model.

7. It is recommended to print in M2G materials.

General part distortion during or after post processing

Part is bowed, curled or warped and/or surface is no longer flat after post processing the part.

1. Lower the oven temperature for parts with large flat surfaces.

2. Complete all post processing steps of the part.

3. It is recommended to lay the part flat everywhere at any time during post processing: oven, rinse,cleaning,cooling,drying. For irregular parts, it is recommended to use a fixture to hold the part flat.

4. After post processing and cleaning the part, clamp the part against or between a flat surface and place back in the oven to flatten. Once the part is flat, remove from the oven, keep the clamp on the part until cool. 

5. Consider using a more rigid material (Rigid Tan vs Engineering Armor) for thin features that tend to distort during post processing. Parts can be placed back into the oven after post processing and they will often return to their printed shape.

6. Additional supporting structures can be used for fragile overhanging parts that sag under their own weight. Cool the parts in their desired shape.

Dimensional accuracy

The completed part does not match the size desired.

1. See the Shrinkage Compensation Procedure to determine the Shrinkage Compensation values. See Shrink Compensation section of the User Manual for assistance.

2. Input new values into 3DSPRINT and reprint the part.

Part won't adhere to the print platform

The printed part is not building correctly on the print platform, the support (wax) material won't adhere to the print platform.

1. Never print with a cold print platform. When using a print platform where a part was just removed, allow the print platform to warm up to room temperature prior to starting the print job.

2. The print platform must be completely clean prior to use. Scrape any residual wax from the print platform and wipe with IPA prior to use. It is important that both sides of the print platform are clean.

3. Remove any debris from the printer prior to installing the print platform. Debris under the print platform may cause the print platform to sit at an angle resulting in a collision between the print engine and the part.

Verification wall tipped/broken near base

The verification wall has tipped/broken off near the base and fallen onto the printed part. Sprayed material appears on the right side of the build chamber. A pause in the print job may result in the verification wall cooling and becoming brittle. Upon resuming the print job, the planarizer contact may cause the verification wall to fall over onto the print job.

To avoid, do not allow pauses in the print job such as waste bag replacements or empty material cartridges.

1. Rotate the parts so that the part long dimensions is not directed in the z-axis
2. Rotate the parts to reduce the z-height and add more support for stability.
3. Place multiple thin parts close to each other so that they support each other during the build process.
4. Add additional sacrificial parts to the build near the tall parts for improved stability.

1. Print the same part with the engraved text or lines in a rotated angle against XY plane or facing downward(as printed).
2. It is recommended to print in UHD build mode in order to achieve better overall PQ if the option is available for the build material and print model.