Is your 3D printer filament not sticking to bed?
The common root of this problems are:
- Bad first layer print
- Poor bed leveling
- Poor print bed temperature or material
- Incorrect nozzle to bed distance
- Print speed too fast
- Poor material
Solutions To Each Problem
Always Start With A Good Bed Surface
Always start with a clean surface free of dust, oil and other residues. Clean it with some water or isopropyl rubbing alcohol is a good starting point.
Different materials have different sticking performance. Many printers have their own special bed platform optimized for that material.
There are Painter's tapes, Borosilicate glass, aluminum bed, glass bed and others.
Improve First Layer Print - Bed Leveling
If your printer has an adjustable bed, you can use the screws or knobs to change the position of the bed.
This will help to make sure that the first layer of your print sticks to the bed across the bed plane.
If it is not level, one side of the bed may be too close to the nozzle while the other side is too far away.
Learn more about bed leveling here
We highly recommend using an automatic leveling system over manual to save you time.
Adjust Nozzle To Bed Distance
Make sure the nozzle is at the right height. You want to find the perfect distance between the extruder and the build plate to help the filament sticks to the build plate.
The user can change these settings by modifying hardware, but it is typically much easier.
The user can also adjust the G Code offset along the Z-axis to make small changes. Be sure to only make small incremental changes to prevent overcorrection.
Slow Down First Layer Print Speed
The user should make sure that the plastic can stick to the build platform before printing the next layer.
If you print the first layer too quickly, the extruded filament may not have enough time to bond to the build bed. This is usually a good idea to print the first layer more slowly, so that it has time to bond properly.
Setting the right print speed can also prevent oozing
In addition, understand what you're printing and select the right base layer is also important, which we will talk about next.
Improve Bed Adhesion - First Layer Pattern
There are 3 different types of base layer pattern a user can start the 3D printing process to ensure good bed adhesion.
- Skirt
- Brim
- Raft
Each has its own benefit based on the object size, shape and what part of the object the printer starts printing.
Header | Bed Surface Area | Adhesion | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Brim | Thicker round the part | Good | Long |
Raft | Large | Very strong | Medium |
Skirt | Very small | Better for smaller parts | Short |
Learn more about their pros and cons here
Temperature or Cooling Settings
Plastic shrinks as it cools down, and it's important for the material to cools slowly at a constant temperature. If it cools down too fast, it can separate from the print bed.
If the material sticks in the beginning, then separates. Usually it's the problem with the cooling rate.
To combat this issue, the bed temperature has to be heated typically around 110 C for the entire print to keep the first layer warm to prevent shrinking.
Different materials have different preferred temperature rating.
PLA is good around 60 - 70 C, ABS is good around 100 - 120 C, and you can check out these specs here.
Disable Cooling Fan Or Use Enclosed 3D Printer
The user can disable the cooling fan for the first payer then program the fan speed appropriately throughout the print.
Yes you can do that or use an high-end 3D printer with enclosed design to keep temperature consistent without outside influence such as wind, room temperature affecting the print.
Check out these newer 3D printers with enclosed design here