Small, repetitive objects (cylinders) not uniform

Support&troubleshooting
1

Hey there,

I have some problems printing small, repetitive cylinders. As it is difficult to explain, here are two images:
That’s what I want to print:

Unbenannt
Unbenannt1246×212 16.4 KB

And this is the result:
20210318_213703
20210318_2137034128×2322 3.12 MB

As you can see, the small cylinders, which are all the same size and diameter in the 3D model, are increasing in diameter in the actual printout, but I don’t know why.
This are my settings, any hints to solve this problem are welcome!

Application version: 2.12.3.0
Estimated print time: 0h 48m
Material usage: 3.24m (10g)
Printer: Zortrax M200
Profile: Last settings
Support type: Editable
Material: Z-PETG
Nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm
Layer: 0.19 mm
Quality: High
Infill: 30%
Fan speed: 20%
Seam: Normal
Outer contours: 0.00
Holes: 0.00
Surface layers Top: 6
Surface layers Bottom: 3
Support Lite: No
Smart bridges: Yes
Support offset: No
First layer Density: 100%
First layer Print speed: 100%
First layer Flow ratio: 100%
First layer gap: 0.40 mm
Raft Enabled: Yes
Raft layers: 6
Platform-raft gap: 0.20 mm
Raft Density: 100%
Raft Print speed: 100%
Raft Flow ratio: 100%
Support Density: 4.00 mm
Gap XY: 0.43

2

No one any not clue? Not even the Zortrax staff?!

3

Hi @tyllurius,

could you provide files (.zcode/.stl) of the model you are having issues with? We will have a look at them. However, please note that the cylinders are really small, whereas the nozzle size is 0.4 mm - thus, such a model might not be printed perfectly in FDM technology due to certain limitations. Also, it is recommended to increase the fan speed (even to 100% while printing small, detailed models).

Have a look at Zortrax Inkspire - the XY resolution is 50x50 microns with minimal layer height of only 25 microns, so apart from superior precision - Inkspire ensures consistent dimensional accuracy. If the model was printed on Inkspire - the result would definitely be much better.

Best regards,
Karolina