I’ve started getting very poor first layers with what appears to be under extrusion. Why is my first layer so bad? I’ve run Bambu calibrations on the machine and the filament calibrations within Bambu studio but still getting this under extrusion. The material is eSun pla but happens with other brands and has just started happening. The plate is Panda cryoplate pro-glacier and has been well cleaned with boiling water and washing up liquid
Any time someone says things used to print well and now don’t, it limits the possible causes. It’s either a printer that has gone out of adjustment, a software update, dirty build plates, or water in the filament has crept in.
If the printer is low time and you haven’t adjusted things, and haven’t installed an update, and your build plate is clean, are you drying your filament?
It is clean. I scrubbed with hot tap water and washing up liquid using the scrub side of a scrub mommy sponge, then used hot water off the boil to clean away any remaining soap before wiping with kitchen roll. I don’t use IPA on this plate as it’s not recommended for the cryogrip plate
It’s not a new printer but I did swap in a 0.2mm nozzle recently to try it out and then switched back to the 0.4mm. Maybe something could have been shifted then but I’m not sure what. If this was my old Ender I would be thinking I need to level the bed.
Pretty much anything that changed between when it worked and didn’t work could be your culprit then. If you had the extruder out, sometimes even loose screws can cause print issues.
I’m going to try this model to see if adjusting the first layer flow makes a difference Enhancing Bottom Layer Print Quality - First Layer Flow Calibration by Tshine - MakerWorld
If you’ve ruled out contamination, then surface damage is the most likely explanation. Filament either sticks or it doesn’t, and adhesion inconsistencies in isolated spots strongly suggest contamination or damage. A uniform failure would point to a bed heating issue, but your case suggests the former.
By the way, cleaning isn’t just about scrubbing—the right solvent (like dish soap) is key. If you used an abrasive pad too aggressively, such as the rough side of a Scrub Mommy without softening it first in very hot water, that could also cause surface damage. However, I’d expect that to result in first-layer removal issues rather than adhesion problems.
To be honest, your wasting your time downloading models. There is no rocket science to these models and nobody has a magic bullet, of that that I can assure you. All these models are for folks who don’t know how to use their slicer but your example shows you did it right the first time.
Simple first layer test is exactly what it is, a single layer of filament. Your photo isn’t very clear as it only shows light transmissivity not surface texture. However, from what I can see, you successfully produced a single layer of filament so downloading a model isn’t going to change this fact, you got it right the first time!!!
This is what a contaminated plate looks like with deliberate fingerprints. Look familiar? The smooth plate makes those fingerprints obvious.
Now repeat that on a texture plate and one cannot see the fingerprints but the single layer of filament is unmistakably detached in the areas that the contamination occurred.
Clean
Contaminated
This isn’t a contaminated plate issue. I’ve scrubbed the plate clean regularly and I’ve done it again before these first layer tests just for good measure.
There are gaps between layer lines on these first layer prints. Is that not a classic case of underextrusion? Maybe these photos will show clearer.
Yes, those photos tell a very different story.
What I might suggest as a quick test is to go into your filament profile and boost the flow ratio to an extreme limit. The default is 0.98 typically but try 1.10 just to see if you get a different result. If you do, then just start backing off on the flow rate.
One question. From your earlier message it looked like the location of the sparse fill was repeatable. That’s what made me lean into the interpretation that contaminants were at play. If that is the case, then try changing the angle of your layer by 90 degrees. This is what you would see. Click to zoom.
By lowering the layers to only 1 bottom shell layer and zero top shell. The slicer gives you control over the angle. By shifting from the default 45 degrees to 135 degrees we shift the stroke in a completely different direction. If the pattern shows up in the same place, this again points back to a plate issue and not a filament setting.
Have you tried another plate BTW?
Switching to the original PEI plate has given me a perfect first layer. My cool plate must be damaged somehow
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Possibly a dirty build plate or wet filament?