Wall turbulence and surface quality
Status v0 — drafted from customer-chat evidence, pending human review.
Some prints show a rough, wavy, “turbulent” wall surface — the perimeters look disturbed rather than smooth. In the chats this is discussed as a flow/material symptom, distinct from mechanical layer shift.
What the chats show
Section titled “What the chats show”- Ginger observed “turbulence on the printed walls” and asked customers for photos of it to diagnose.
- It is material-linked: “I didn’t have turbulence on GF10 but I have turbulence with a recycled PLA.” → a clean glass-fibre grade printed smooth, while an irregular recycled grade printed turbulent.
- Distinguish from bubbles/foaming, which is a moisture symptom (steam bubbles starting ~100°C) — see PETG foaming and moisture.
Likely causes and actions
Section titled “Likely causes and actions”| Cause | Action |
|---|---|
| Irregular / recycled feedstock (uneven particle size → uneven melt) | Sieve fines, try a more uniform grade, recalibrate Rotation Volume for the batch. See Recycled flakes and regrind |
| Wet material (bubbles/steam mistaken for turbulence) | Dry it — Dryer best practices and PETG foaming and moisture |
| Flow / pressure not dialled in | Tune Rotation Volume and Pressure Advance |
| Over-temperature degradation | Check zone temps aren’t cooking the melt — Multi-Heating Zones |