All3dp.com - 16 Common 3d Printing Problems and Their Solutions 2015.11.12

8/19/2019 All3dp.com - 16 Common 3d Printing Problems and Their Solutions 2015.11.12

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16 Common 3D Printing Problems and

SolutionsNovember 12, 2015 Franz Grieser 3D Printing Tutorial Filament

Looking for a 3D printer troubleshooting guide to avoid common 3D printing

issues? These are the 16 most common 3D printing problems and their solutions.

Read how and when they occur and what you can do to avoid them in the future.

3D Printing Problems #1: Warping

Warping: The front corner of this pyramid has lifted up.

What’s the problem? At the base of the model, one or more corners lift up so they

are no more level with the print platform. This can also result in horizontal cracks in

upper parts.

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What’s the cause? Warping is a common 3D printing problem, it happens when

the plastic of the first layers cools down and thus starts to shrink. This causes the

edges of the model to bend up.

What to do about it? There are several things you can do:

Even if your printer has a heated bed, we recommend you use glue and level the

bed.

Image source: Rudor on Flickr

3D Printing Problems #2: Elephant Foot

Not easy to spot in the photo: the bulges at the base.

What’s the problem? The base of the model (i.e., the first layers) is wider than

wanted.

Use a heated print bed to keep the plastic at a temperature just below the

point where it gets solid – this is called the “glass transition temperature”.

This way, the first layer stays flat on the print bed.

1.

Increase adhesion of the first layer to the print bed by spreading a tiny film

of glue evenly on the bed.

2.

Make sure the print bed is levelled perfectly.3.

You may consider adding a raft or pads to increase platform adhesion.4.


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What’s the cause? To avoid warping, users often increase first layer squish. This

may result in the base bulging out – that’s why this effect is called „elephant foot“.

This ungainly effect can also be caused by the weight of the rest of the model

pressing down the first layers, when the lower layers haven’t had time to get solid –

in particularly, when your printer has a heated bed.

What to do about it? In 3D printing troubleshooting guides, this is probably the

most-discussed 3D printing problem. It’s not easy to find the right balance between

getting rid of warping and avoiding the elephant foot effect. To minimize bulges at

the base of your model we recommend levelling the printer bed and moving the

nozzle a little further away from the bed (but not too far, otherwise the print will not

stick); additionally, lower the bed temperature slightly.

If you create the 3D model yourself, put a small chamfer at the bottom of the model.

Start with a 5mm and 45º chamfer and experiment to get the best result.

Image source: Walter Gordy at Flickr

3D Printing Problems #3: More First Layer Problems


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Right: Uneven first layer; left: warping because of the small footprint.

What’s the problem?

What’s the cause? These 3D printing problems are typical signs that the print bed

has not been levelled properly. If the nozzle is too far away from the bed, the

bottom surface often shows unwanted lines, and/or the first layer does not stick. If

the nozzle is too close, blobs may be the result.

Also, the print bed has to be as clean as possible: Finger prints on the plate can

prevent the first layer to stick to the plate.

What to do about it?

Image source: Richard H on Flickr

3D Printing Problems #4: Lower Parts Shrink

What’s the problem? The lower part of the model caves in.

What’s the cause? This happens when the temperature of the heat bed is too

high.

Plastic being heated and extruded behaves like a rubber band: First, it expands,when cooling down, it shrinks. The heat from the bed only rises to a certain height

(depending on the temperature). Up to this height, the extruded plastic stays warm

The first layer does not stick properly; as a result some parts come loose.

There are unwanted lines at the bottom.

Use your printer software to re-level the print bed.1.

Clean the bed of finger prints.2.

Apply a fine film of glue before printing.3.


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– and malleable – longer than the plastic layers above the height. This way it may

yield under the weight of the upper layers and cave in.

What to do about it? Here’s 3D printing troubleshooting 101: Reduce bed heat! In

some printers, the default bed temperature is 75ºC, the recommended temperature

for PLA, however is 50-60ºC. Additionally, set the fan in the printer to fully blow atthe lowest height.

When printing small models, we recommend you print two copies or two differenct

objects. This way the print head will take more time to print one layer after the

other.

When printing models with a large footprint, do not reduce bed temperature –

otherwise the edges may warp.

3D Printing Problems #5: Skewed Prints – Shifted Layers– Leaning

Shifted layers in Fred Kahl’s „3D printer hangover“


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What’s the problem? The upper layers are shifted.

What’s the cause? This is caused by the printer:


Image source: Fred Kahl on Flickr

3D Printing Problems #6: Layer Misalignment

The head does not move easily on the X or Y rods.

The rods are not aligned correctly, i.e., they are not 100% square.

One of the pulleys is not fixed properly to the axis.

Turn the printer off and check whether you can move the head easily along

the rods with your hands. If the head moves stiffly or it moves more easily in

one direction, apply a drop of sewing machine oil to the rod (or the rod along

the head moves more stiffly).

1.

To see, if the rods are correctly aligned: Moving the head to the left and the

right side of the printer and check that the distance between the sliding

blocks and the pulleys are equal on both sides. Repeat this for the

front/back of the printer. If you notice misalignment, loosen the screws onthe two pulleys of the rod in question. Nudge the sliding block a bit until the

rod is aligned again, then tighten the screws. Repeat for the other rod.

2.

Check to see if the screws that hold the pulleys in place are tight. If

necessary, tighten them.

3.


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Flawed layer alignment.

What’s the problem? Some layers in the middle of the objects have shifted.

What’s the cause?


This is our 3D printing troubleshooting suggestion:

Image source: Sladuuch on Flickr

3D Printing Problems #7: Missing LayersWhat’s the problem? There are gaps, since some layers have been skipped (in

The printer belts are not well tightened.

The top plate is not fastened and wobbles around independent of the

bottom plate.

One of the rods in the Z axis is not perfectly straight.

Check the belts and re-tighten them, if necessary.1.

Check the top plate and fasten it, if necessary.2.

Check the Z axis rods and replace those that are not 100% straight.3.


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part or completely).

What’s the cause?


3D Printing Problems #8: Cracks In Tall Objects

What’s the problem? There are cracks on the sides, especially on tall models.

What’s the cause? In higher layers, the material cools faster – because the heat of

the heat bed does not reach that high. This way, adhesion in the upper layers is

lower.

What to do about it? Increase the extruder temperature – a good start is

increasing it by 10ºC. Also increase the bed temperature by 5-10ºC.

For some reasons the printer failed to provide the amount of plastic

required for printing the skipped layers. This is called (temporary)underextrusion. There may have been a problem with the filament (e.g. the

diameter varies), the filament spool, the feeder wheel or a clogged nozzle.

Friction caused the bed to temporarily get stuck. The cause: The vertical

rods are not perfectly aligned with the linear bearings.

There is a problem with one of the Z axis rods or bearings: The rod could

be distorted, dirty or had been oiled excessively.

Check the rods and bearing for problems and fix them. If there is too much

oil, for example, remove it.

1.

If you suspect misalignment of rods and bearings, consult your printer’sdocumentation to see how to correct that.

2.

Finding the cause for underextrusion is more cumbersome. See 3D Printing

Problems #11.

3.


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3D Printing Problems #9: Pillowing

Pillowing: The top surface shows bumps and/or holes.

What’s the problem? The top surface shows bumps or even holes.

What’s the cause?


Image source: Ultimaker

3D Printing Problems #10: Stringing

The typical cause for this 3D printing problem is improper cooling.

The top surface is not thick enough.

Set the cooling fans to top speed when the top surfaces are printed.1.

Make sure the top surfaces are at least 6 layers thick.2.


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Stringing: Unwanted strings of plastic between the parts of the object.

What’s the problem? There are unwanted thin strings of plastic between parts of

the model.

What’s the cause? When the print head moved over an open part (so-called travel

move), some filament dripped from the nozzle.

What to do about it? Most printers have a feature called retraction. When

retraction has been enabled, the printer retracts the filament in the nozzle before

travel moves. This way, no surplus plastic can drip from the nozzle and produce

strings. So: Make sure you enable retraction in the slicing software for your printer.

One of the easier 3D printing problems.

Image source: Ultimaker

3D Printing Problems #11: Underextrusion

What’s the problem? Underextrusion means that the printer cannot supply the

material needed (or as fast as needed). Underextrusion results in thin layers, in

layers with unwanted holes, or in missing layers (see 3D Printing Problems #7).

What’s the cause? There are several possible causes:


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In Simplify3D, you set the filament diameter in the Edit Process Settings dialog.

The diameter of the filament used does not match the diameter set in the

slicing software.

The amount of material that is extruded is too low because of faulty slicer

software settings.

The flow of the material through the extruder is restricted by dirt in the

nozzle.

Check the filament diameter and the diameter setting in the slicing software

– correct the software setting, if necessary. The filament diameter is printed

on the spool or on the package: if not, measure it using calipers.

1.

If there is no mismatch between actual filament diameter and the software

setting, the extrusion multiplier (or flow rate or flow compensation) setting

may be too low. Increase the setting in 5% steps and restart printing. In

Simplify3D open the Edit Process Settings dialog and go to the Extruder tab

– the Extrusion multiplier setting of 1.0 corresponds to 100%; in Cura

open the Material tab and increase the Flow setting (you may need to

enable the Flow setting through the Preferences dialog).

2.

Check to see if there is a partial blockage in the nozzle and remove it.3.


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3D Printing Problems #12: Overextrusion

A Flow setting way over 100% in Cura may result in overextrusion; the Flow setting (right) is only visible when you

check the Flow option in the Preferences (left).

What’s the problem? Overextrusion means that the printer supplies more material

than needed. This results in excess material on the outside of the model printed.

What’s the cause? Typically, the Extrusion multiplier or Flow setting in your

slicing software is too high (see the section above)

What to do about it? Correct the Extrusion multiplier or Flow setting in your

printer’s software.

3D Printing Problems #13: Gaps in the Top LayersWhat’s the problem? There are holes or gaps in the top layers.

What’s the cause? To save print material and to speed printing, the interior of a

model is not printed 100% solid. Instead, some kind of infill is printed, typically only

30% of the material, the rest of the model remains hollow. Only the top layers (and

the walls and the bottom) are printed 100% solid. The are gaps in the top layers can

have these causes:


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3D Printing Problems #14: Visible Lines in the BottomLayers

What’s the cause? The gap between the nozzle and the printbed is too big. So

what can you do for 3D printing troubleshooting?


There are too few solid top layers.

The infill percentage (for the interior) is too low.

Underextrusion (see 3D Printing Problems #11).

The first corrective measure when you notice holes or gaps in the top

surface: Increase the number of solid top layers in the slicing software.

There should be at least 0.5mm of solid layers (how many layers that means

depends on the layer height). The additional solid top layers do not add

height to your printed model. When you increase the number from 3 to 5, for

example, the last 5 layers are printed solid (instead of 3).

In Simplify3D, you increase the number of solid layers on the Layer tab in

the Edit Process Settings dialog. In Cura, use the Shell Thickness setting

on the Quality tab to increase the solid top layers (plus the solid bottom

layers and the outside walls).

1.

When the hollow gaps in the model are too wide, because the infill

percentage is only – say – 10 or 20% – the solid layers may sag. If addingmore solid top layers does not correct the problem, increase the infill

percentage in the slicing software. This will increase the filament

consumption.

In Simplify3D, the infill options are found on the Infill tab in the Edit

Process Settings dialog. In Cura, you’ll find the Infill Density setting on the

Infill tab.

2.

To correct underextrusion: see 3D Printing Problems #11.3.


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In Cura, you can increase the thickness of outer walls and the top and bottom layers.

See All3DP’s guide on how to get better results in 3D printing to learn how to level

the printbed and adjust the gap between the nozzle and the printbed.

Make sure your printbed is levelled correctly.1.

Reduce the height of the very first layer – depending on your printer and the

filament used, you may go down to 0.1mm (this, however, requires that the

printbed is absolutely level).

2.


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3D Printing Problems #15: Scars on the Top Surface

What’s the cause? The marks are caused by the nozzle that moved across the top

surface.


They are actual scratches as the nozzle scrapes over the surface.

These marks are plastic oozing caused when the nozzle travelled across

the surface (but did not touch the surface).

What looks like scratches is in fact oozing of the filament when the printhead travelled over the piece.


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For the example above the, the Retraction Vertical Lift value in Simplify3D was too low.

3D Printing Problems #16: No Print Material is Getting OutOf the Nozzle

What’s the cause?

To avoid scratches and reduce oozing: Increase the vertical lift (or Z-hop)

setting for your printer. This setting controls how far the nozzle is lifted up

above the last layer printed when travelling (without printing). In Simplify3D,

you change this setting on Extruder tab of the Edit Process Settings

dialog; make sure the Retraction option is enabled and increase the

Retraction Vertical Lift setting. In Cura, set Enable Retraction and

Retraction Distance (in the Preferences dialog) and increase the

Retraction Distance value on the Material tab.

1.

To reduce oozing more, force the printer to do a retraction before a travel

move. In Simplify3D, disable the Only retract when crossing open spaces

and Minimum travel for retraction options on the Advanced tab on the Edit

Process settings dialog. In Cura, set the Minimum Travel Distance to 1

and Minimum Extrusion to 0. Please note that this will increase print time.

2.

The nozzle is clogged by carbonized material from previous print


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The text of "16 Common 3D Printing Problems and Solutions" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative

Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

processes.

There is a problem with the feeder. The feeder motor may be defective, the

pressure the feeder puts on the filament is too low or the filament has

ground.

If the nozzle is clogged, clean it according to the printer manufacturer’s

instructions.

1.

If the motor is defective, have it replaced.

Consult the printer’s documentation to see how and where to change the

pressure settings – and check whether the settings are correct.

If the filament has ground, replace it.

2.

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