<p>I'm new to 3D printing, I have printed the cat that comes on the SD card on my Ender 3 and it's amazing the level of detail. After that, I tried to print another figure and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't even know what to search for troubleshooting images because none of those seems similar to my problem.</p>
<p>I used Ultimaker Cura to generate the G-code, it's the same filament, good (I think) bed leveling with 50 °C and nozzle at 200 °C. Is something wrong with the printer? Or is it the configuration of my G-code and what parameters do I need to check?</p>
<p>The next images are:</p>
<ol>
<li>my first cat (nice print)</li>
<li>what I want to print</li>
<li>what I actually print</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBTwS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="3D printed cat model from SD card"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBTwS.jpg" alt="3D printed cat model from SD card" title="3D printed cat model from SD card" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qchXO.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="3D rendering of a skeletal monster model"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qchXO.jpg" alt="3D rendering of a skeletal monster model" title="3D rendering of a skeletal monster model" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t12Ce.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Failed print of skeletal monster model"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t12Ce.jpg" alt="Failed print of skeletal monster model" title="Failed print of skeletal monster model" /></a></p>

[{'answer_id': 19314, 'author': 'R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE', 'author_id': 11157, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11157', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>In principle you can re-extrude it with a somewhat simpler machine/setup than making filament from scratch, but controlling the diameter is the hard part of making filament - as you can see from how the manufacturer of yours botched it.</p>\n<p>I would first try insisting on a refund without returning the item unless they pay return shipping, and that they cover the original shipping cost. The product they delivered is not usable for the purpose it was advertised for.</p>\n<p>As for salvaging it - if that's what you really want to do, or if you end up stuck with it - as long as it's not too wide to fit through the filament path to the nozzle, an extruder that's spring loaded can <em>probably</em> manage to push it reliably. You will of course have pulsating under- and over-extrusion which will make it largely unusable for serious parts that need to be dimensionally accurate, strong, or visually appealing, but there are lots of things without these requirements it might be useful for. If your printer isn't capable of handling it, you could perhaps sell or trade it to someone whose printer can handle it.</p>\n<p>Getting more on the wild end of things, there are filament diameter sensors that can be integrated with your printer and firmware (I'm pretty sure Klipper supports this; not sure about Marlin and others) to measure the diameter and compensate extruder motor steps to keep the extruded volume per requested E-axis length constant. This would in theory make it possible to use the bad filament for serious prints.</p>\n"}, {'answer_id': 19315, 'author': 'Criggie', 'author_id': 12956, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12956', 'pm_score': 1, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>Personally I store all my filament waste in tubs for the day a recycling/reuse solution offers itself.  You can &quot;compact&quot; waste prints using hot air which also sticks the whispy pieces together.   Someone will eventually come out with a &quot;re-extruder&quot; that simply cooks old filament and then produces a consistent 1.75mm or 3mm output.  Cost is the limiting factor here, both in up-front equipment and ongoing electricity cost.</p>\n<p>Plain unused filament is specified as a pin for a hinge in some designs.  However that doesn\'t use very much.</p>\n<p>It can also be used as string, but tends to break at the knot if tied tightly.</p>\n<p>Filament could be platted into a rope, but that\'s going to be more decorative than useful.</p>\n<p>Last thought, I\'ve not tried it but filament has a low melting temperature compared to metals.  You may be able to &quot;cast&quot; a 3D shape in a metal mold an a hot oven or with a gas torch or perhaps even in a fire. Fumes could be an issue, and you\'d have to somehow stop the plastic from igniting.<br>\nI doubt it would be possible to cast a thin round cylinder; the top would be flat at best.</p>\n<hr />\n<p>I happened to come across a &quot;spring mandrel&quot; at <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:92266" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:92266</a> <br> One could soften the poor filament and then wind it around a structure like that, and when cooled you have a low-pressure coil spring of a length and diameter you chose.  Probably not that strong or robust, but worth a try if you need springs for other prints.</p>\n'}]
['https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19317', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/34004/']