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Speed VS Quality

I recently ran a small test with one of my Cetus printers. Speed against quality. No doubt (again) that high speed and best quality do not hold hands. 

I am saying “best” quality. High speed and “acceptable” are friends, they get no where close to “best” quality.

Printing FDM at high speeds is much improved with the new hardware I have seen released in year 2022. But the results are still not in the best category. 

It’s the quantum dynamics of the FDM process that are to blame. Heat transfer in the extruder and inertial vibration in rapid directional changes in moving parts.

Slower will always be “better” (in quality of the print) along with the lowest layer height possible.

I see newbies in the user forums buying printers for their speed. Then expecting outstanding print quality. I am certain they will be disappointed when the print results will be much better when running this new hardware at far lower speeds than the published maximum.

The high speed will get the print made. For most applications the quality will be adequate.

I have seen the example prints this new hardware has produced. The quality is far from perfect.

I have invested in some of the newer hardware. A Snapmaker F1 IDEX and the CETUS2 dual filament single nozzle. I have a prototype CETUS2 but the SF1 IDEX  and the production CETUS2 are still shipping.

I will have more experience after I use these new printers. But I don’t expect my opinion that “slower is better” will change.

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