<p>I have an Ender 3 Pro with a 3D printed direct drive extruder on it. After switching to the direct drive, I noticed weird lines and patterns forming. I've tried everything imaginable, besides it getting well slightly better at hiding the imperfections with black filament, it really hasn't gotten any better.</p>
<p>I have double-checked all bolts, calibrated E-steps, flow, X- Y- Z-axes, tightened all the belts, dried out my brand new filament, etc., and it is still there. I've also noticed that this pretty much only happens on straight walls or smaller models. For example, my mask printed just fine, while these test cubes look like trash. Here are a few pictures of the problem:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/MN8Ry.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Example print#1"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/MN8Ry.jpg" alt="Example print#1" title="Example print#1" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jEt9Z.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Example print#2"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jEt9Z.jpg" alt="Example print#2" title="Example print#2" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/SDwMT.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Example print#3"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/SDwMT.jpg" alt="Example print#3" title="Example print#3" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/G4Lx0.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Print settings - Quality"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/G4Lx0.jpg" alt="Print settings - Quality" title="Print settings - Quality" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ctqfI.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Print settings - Wall"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ctqfI.jpg" alt="Print settings - Wall" title="Print settings - Wall" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/te1Ql.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Print settings - Speed"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/te1Ql.jpg" alt="Print settings - Speed" title="Print settings - Speed" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-06T19:00:08.000Z
Can you be more specific about your "printed direct drive extruder"? Is it just a bracket to move the original extruder to sit on top of the toolhead, or are there new mechanical (gear, idler, etc.) parts involved in actually moving the filament?
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-07T03:02:59.303Z
Its just a bracket and thats it
AngeryAnimal
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-07T03:20:40.583Z
See if this looks like what you are seeing and if the test pieces (sliced with single wall and no infill) give you anything interesting: https://mihaidesigns.com/pages/inconsistent-extrusion-test
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-07T16:08:30.577Z
Thats exactly what im experiencing only problem is i do not have a dual gear extruder. Im gonna read through this one more time though ive only seen the video by mihai
AngeryAnimal
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-10-08T00:07:21.127Z
I don't have an answer sorry, but want to say Thank You for a well-written and illustrated question.
Criggie
<creality-ender-3><print-quality>
Weird wall patterns on Ender 3 Pro
AngeryAnimal
# Weird wall patterns on Ender 3 Pro

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-10-06)

I have an Ender 3 Pro with a 3D printed direct drive extruder on it. After switching to the direct drive, I noticed weird lines and patterns forming. I've tried everything imaginable, besides it getting well slightly better at hiding the imperfections with black filament, it really hasn't gotten any better.

I have double-checked all bolts, calibrated E-steps, flow, X- Y- Z-axes, tightened all the belts, dried out my brand new filament, etc., and it is still there. I've also noticed that this pretty much only happens on straight walls or smaller models. For example, my mask printed just fine, while these test cubes look like trash. Here are a few pictures of the problem:

[![Example print#1](https://i.sstatic.net/MN8Ry.jpg "Example print#1")](https://i.sstatic.net/MN8Ry.jpg "Example print#1")

[![Example print#2](https://i.sstatic.net/jEt9Z.jpg "Example print#2")](https://i.sstatic.net/jEt9Z.jpg "Example print#2")

[![Example print#3](https://i.sstatic.net/SDwMT.jpg "Example print#3")](https://i.sstatic.net/SDwMT.jpg "Example print#3")

[![Print settings - Quality](https://i.sstatic.net/G4Lx0.jpg "Print settings - Quality")](https://i.sstatic.net/G4Lx0.jpg "Print settings - Quality")

[![Print settings - Wall](https://i.sstatic.net/ctqfI.jpg "Print settings - Wall")](https://i.sstatic.net/ctqfI.jpg "Print settings - Wall")

[![Print settings - Speed](https://i.sstatic.net/te1Ql.jpg "Print settings - Speed")](https://i.sstatic.net/te1Ql.jpg "Print settings - Speed")

**Tags:** creality-ender-3, print-quality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you be more specific about your "printed direct drive extruder"? Is it just a bracket to move the original extruder to sit on top of the toolhead, or are there new mechanical (gear, idler, etc.) parts involved in actually moving the filament?  
> **username_0**: Its just a bracket and thats it  
> **username_1**: See if this looks like what you are seeing and if the test pieces (sliced with single wall and no infill) give you anything interesting: https://mihaidesigns.com/pages/inconsistent-extrusion-test  
> **username_0**: Thats exactly what im experiencing only problem is i do not have a dual gear extruder. Im gonna read through this one more time though ive only seen the video by mihai  
> **username_2**: I don't have an answer sorry, but want to say Thank You for a well-written and illustrated question.  

---

## 0 answers

