Hi all, my issue is very simple: I cannot get, for the life of me, PLA to stick to the bed. As simple as that. Here’s some more details:
- Printer: Bambu Lab A1 FW version 01.01.01.00 + AMS lite FW version 00.00.07.89
- Bambu Studio slicer latest version
- 0.2mm and 0.4mm nozzle, doesn’t change anything
- Bambu Lab blue and white PLA filaments
- This is the model I’m trying to print. Never had issue due to its geometry on other printers, such as Ender 3 Pro and Prusa MK3S+
- printing temperature: 220°C nozzle, 65°C to 80°C bed
- Here’s what my print looks like 10 hours in
- Ambient temperature between 20°C and 25°C, with no drafts or cold air coming in
If I print one or two copies at a time, they do print correctly, the issue starts when printing a few of them at the same time, at least 10-15 (I need to fill the entire bed, which means 50 copies at the same time).
So far, here’s what I’ve tried:
- Used both high temperature smooth and textured PEI bed
- Cleaned beds in soapy water and 99.9% IPA
- Used a brim (you can see that in one of the pictures)
- Turned off cooling for the first 3 layers (by default it’s on at the second layer in Bambu Studio)
- Re-run the first calibration
- Calibrated flow, pressure advance (or whatever it’s called on a Bambu Lab), color changing flushing amount
- Used Orca Slicer
- Increased first layer flow
- Decreased first layer flow
- Used glue stick
- Used hair spray
- Increasing bed temperature to 70°C, 75°C and 80°C
- Re-run the first calibration multiple times
- Turning off the bed levelling before a print starts
- Manually trammed the bed as per the wiki article
I am at my wits end here. I have opened a ticket 3 days ago, and I’m yet to receive any answer. Any input here will be greatly appreciated, as I genuinely have no clue on what to try next, if not just sending the printer back as defective.
Thank you all.
EDIT:
I’ve scrubbed the bed once again with soapy water, and dried it with 99.9% IPA. I’ve changed to gyroid infill and disabled “reduce retraction on infill”, and increased retraction from 0.8mm to 1mm. Started another 50 pieces print, let’s see if this makes any difference.
Turn the cooling off altogether, I’ve got one model that goes 161 layers before I turn it on to stop lifting. Possibly slow the print and acceleration down, you got most done and it’s only a few odd bits that have failed by the looks. Oh and change from Grid to Gyroid.
Thanks for the suggestion. While I can try slowing down and changing to gyroid (I will), turning off cooling for PLA would be more of a bodge than a fix. If the model had overhangs or steep parts, cooling would be necessary to avoid drooping.
PLA doesn’t like being in an enclosure, open the door.
I never mentioned an enclosure…? 20°C ambient is a perfectly reasonable temperature to print PLA at. By ambient, I mean the room the printer is sitting in.
That’s interesting; when it fails does it fail consistently on one of the pieces? e.g. if you print 10 pieces, piece 3 or 4 is the one that always fails after X layers. Or is it kinda random?
Also from your pic, I’m assuming those are two copies of the print? the top left is successful and the bottom right is the failed one? (For a sec I thought it was two halves of one print)
It’s half random, half not. I’ve noticed it tends to be the pieces on the back failing first, so I loaded 20 models instead of 50 and placed them on the front of the bed. No dice, they still lifted. Also yeah, those are just the same models, you’re simply seeing the top of one and the bottom of the other.
Oooh here’s a thought; try printing it by object. Before I continue; I’m making an educated guess (aka an assumption haha) but by default it prints by layer. I’d be curious to see if you see the same issue when you print by object.
I say this because I wonder if maybe the first few pieces are cooling too quickly (or something like that) and so by the time the print head comes back to it after all those other pieces, it’s too late? So printing by object would test this theory since it would go one piece at at time (sort similar to what it does when you only have a few)
Now the big downside is that you won’t be able to fit nearly as many together; but I’d guesstimate you can fit 9 in? Hopefully not a long term solution because I would love to see you print 50 of those bad bois in one go; just a quick test to see what happens if that makes sense and sounds good to you
Yes, I could try printing by object. You’re right in saying that I’m printing by layers, as I’m expecting this to, you know, just work. Right now I’m in the middle of yet another test, but if this one fails too I can try by object.
Keeping in mind though, this is definitely not a solution (as you said, I can only print a handful this way, I think 5 or 6 at a time), but merely a troubleshooting step.
You might want to try and give it a 45 deg chamfer around the edge instead of a fillet. That might do the trick.
That won’t be possible I’m afraid. Also no offense, but I don’t see how a 45° chamfer could help when the issue is not because of the part geometry. I’m trying to get a solution to the PLA not sticking, working around the issue is not a solution but just a bodge.
The smooth transition of a fillet makes for an easy starting point for pulling it off the bed. Also the relative big overhangs on a fillet in the beginning cause bigger stresses in the part making it more likely to lift up.
A chamfer is an abrupt transition that does not allow an easy point for lifting up and it has much less overhang also.
What you might also do is use a fillet but with a starting angle of about 45 deg. So not a smooth one. Like this:
That would give you the benefits of a chamfer with the esthetics of a fillet.
But hey, you do you, this is just my advice.
Hello,
Based on the information you have shared, it sounds like the PEI Textured plate might be dirty. Please remove the plate and follow these steps:
- Wash the plate with hot water and detergent. When you do this, ensure that you are using detergent that does not contain any moisturiser or oil. The main focus of this operation is to de-grease the surface
- Wipe the plate with a clean lint-free towel
- Place the plate back on the printer, and perform a full calibration.
- Start a new print, and ensure you have selected the Textured PEI Plate in Bambu Studio.
- (optional) - Increase the heatbed temperature with 10C if the environment temperature is low, and ensure there are no drafts of air next to the printer.
Please AVOID using any cleaning solutions like IPA after you have washed the plate. Also ensure that you do not touch the surface after washing it.
This procedure should help you solve the adhesion problem. We also have a Wiki article available to guide you with more information:
https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/general/textured-PEI-plate-not-working-as-expected
Regards
Bambu Lab
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Yeah sorry, all advice is welcome of course, didn’t mean to knock yours off or anthing. Due to unrelated reasons I actually cannot use a 45° chamfer (AKA it will look ugly); would getting rid of any chamfer/fillet be the same? What if it was just a perfect 90° angle edge?
Thanks for the suggestion, however I have tried all of that, multiple times. Interesting that you mention not to use IPA on it, why would it be the case?
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No problem. I know it might seem unrelated at first but there is a huge interaction between object shape and bed adhesion.
Yes,that would work even better. If you can live with not having a fillet at all it would actually stick much better.
Mh ok, I can see the correlation between the object geometry and the internal stresses when printing, even though I’m not an expert in CAD design or a material engineer (or any kind of engineer if that matters). Yes I can get away with having no chamfer at all, as soon as the current test print finishes I’ll remove it, give it a straight 90° edge and try again. Hopefully I’ve been wrong this whole time and it’s because of geometry and not something else.
Great, let me know how it turns out!
If the bed is clean and the printer is working correctly it should make a big difference compared to the fillet geometry.
It’s not the geometry I’m afraid. Changing the model to have no chamfer at all and it still lifted. Printed the chamfered model on my Ender 3 with the exact same filament, and they printed just fine, no signs of lifting. I’m seriously grasping at straws here.
That is just the weirdest thing…
Can you check your actual bed temperature? I know you set it to different temperatures, but did it actually reach those temperatures?
Can you check the distance of your nozzle to the bed? If that is to high it might also come loose.