First layer issues, uncertain of the cause

I’m still pretty new to 3D printing, i’ve printed a lot of things in the past month but I’m having random printing issues with the first layer with different filaments, I’m not entirely sure what the source of the issue is. Some prints work fine right away, some need 2-3 tries, some just won’t work, with the same filament. I tried playing with nozzle and bed temperatures in custom filament profiles, can never really make it work properly, unsure if it’s a nozzle issue or an adherence issue.

In certain cases I’ll be able to print a single model fine, but if I want to print multiples at the same time, it just goes to hell.

Pictures below, I’m using Polymaker and Polyterra PLA filament, dried in my dryer, using the default bambu profiles for Polymaker and Polyterra. Also using default printing profiles for these examples through Bambu Handy. Printing on the Bambu Textured Plate with the default 0.4 nozzle.




Any leads / ideas welcome, this is somewhat annoying.

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Hi. Usually the first thing to do is clean your printers PEI sheet with soap like Dawn and hot water. It sounds like a broken record as a lot of people will tell you that but it works in most cases. Next would be to try some other filament or just use the Bambu default profile for Generic PLA. And I see some stringing so you could cool down the hot end by 5 or 10 degrees.

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Hey, I currently have the same problem, like exactly the same. For the past week my printer just manages to print one single objekt ata time with no problem, lager ones or even more than one at the time lead to failures like on the pictures. I currently don’t have a solution…sadly. It’s not adhesion, not the filament (not dry e.g.), it’s not the bed temperature, it’s not the flow ratio of the filament…I am clueless. Sorry, that I can’t help you, I suffer with you. (Cleaning did not help me too)



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:+1: on @Voltage proposal.
Use a clean dishwashing brush to get deep into the valleys of the textured plate. Really use some elbow grease. You may want to do this several times. And please, do not clean the plate and then turn it over. Clean both sides thoroughly and repeatedly.

The other typical remedy regarding stringing is the other frequent bit of advice: Do not assume new rolls to be dry! Dry them. Especially new rolls and (@Creatix3D) especially silk PLA.

@Creatix3D A printed benchy is no indication of these issues as it does have a larger footprint than the individual spots of your print. In particular when considering putting ones hand on the build plate after cleaning. Even with a piece of kitchen roll. A full first layer test (add a primitive cube, size it to cover the entire build area, 0.2mm high) would be more sensible. But first you do need to clean your plate (again and thoroughly to get into the valleys) and without touching the print area afterwards.
There are some further things to try after that, but it is neccessary to really cover the basics first. There’s no point in trying to address layer ripping edge curling if a silk filament has not been dried.

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Thank you @EnoTheThracian, for your advice. I will try to print the 0.2mm high cube now.(after cleaning again) Regarding the silk PLA, it worked fine for me like this till now and like I already mentioned, it’s every filament that ends up like this, PLA, PLA+ and PETG, every filament with the settings that normally worked for me, now end up like this. Nevertheless, I will try to dry my Silk PLA.
And just out of curiosity, why would putting my hand on the plate with kitchen roll in between be a problem? I have the printer for a long time and I always just cleaned it with isoprpanol and the adhesion was never a problem. Most of the time I even had problems getting the print of the bed.

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Excellent :smiley: Since you are in the same time zone as me, did you also have a lot of rain/humidity recently? That can explain a lot regarding a degraded print performance. Once PLA is affected, chances are PETG is long saturated.

I essentially assume quite a risk there from conjecture as you have used a readily available but unfortunately unsuitable method to try to get more insight into the heat question. You’d need a contactless thermometer and first use it on the heat bed rather than the build plate. So chances are high that during the handling, etc fingerprints ended up in unexpected places. Ask me how I know :rofl: :joy: :rofl:

And this may just be the heart of the matter. Using Isoprop usually means dissolving oils and dirt, wiping them across the plate and then the Isoprop dries off … leaving the oils and residue on the plate. That can be mitigated by taking the liquid off with a paper towel. Except, it does not work that way on the textured plate. With the liquid (carrying oils and residue) filling the textured plates valleys, the towel brushes across its peaks. So the valleys fill up, eliminating its main mode of action, the larger surface area. That is why the dawn & water approach works best. Lots of water will allow the dishwashing liquid to take away any dirt from the valleys.
If you have used the Isoprop only method for a while, I can only suggest to get a clean dishwashing brush and really work on the valleys. Don’t be too gently. And be prepared to do it several times. There may just be a lot of grime in those valleys.

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I will go ahead with your and @Voltage 's suggestions, I’ll re-dry my filament another 8 hours to be certain, clean the plate properly with a clean brush and try again from there. Can I dry the plate after washing with simple paper towels? I’ll get back to you guys with the result, thanks a lot for your help.

@Creatix3D I feel your pain, don’t give up, I’m sure you can figure this out!

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All of that actually makes a lot of sense :cry: first test cube is finished and I can clearly see my fingertips all over the plate. Thank you for the detailed description @EnoTheThracian (and yes I actually had a lot of rain in the past days)
I feel pretty dumb now, but at least I know the main problem :slight_smile: . You should have seen the way I treated the plate. It had no chance to resist, my rough, emotional disruption with the sponge. My girl standing next to me looking at the plate with jealousy in her eyes :joy:

Here is the picture: (kind of looks pretty gross)

and I can already see the results of my hard work rubbing the plates prains out.


sooo cleaaan thank you a lot :slight_smile:

PS: I find it very interesting that I did not have that problem earlier… I am now 3D printing for about 6 years… never had that before

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Excellent :smiley: Even if the issue remains afterwards, troubleshooting of more complex issues is only really possible when these points have been well and truly eliminated.

I would not recommend paper towels for drying though as the textured plate rips them quickly. Yep, learned that myself quickly :joy:
I usually give my plates a mild shake and take a fresh (!) dishwashing cloth when I am really impatient.

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There’s absolutely no reason to feel dumb. I love the personal learning 3D printing enforces :smiley: And we all take more or less the same path.

With the high speed printers, we did see a much needed evolutionary step. Interestingly, that brought with it previously unforeseen effects. Just the number of prints and amount of filament deposited… I now print more in two weeks than I did in all the years I had my 1st Gen Tarantula :joy:
And the interplay between speed/acceleration and cooling for overhangs and bridges while keeping curling amd warping in check can be quite a challenge.

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I know exactly what you are speeking of. My first printer was the creality cr-10s.
Same with me, I used my first printer only a couple of times a year and now it feels like I am printing non stop. The play with the settings is one part but the worst thing in my eyes was the leveling, with a SHEET OF PAPER. I could not imagine doing that again :joy:

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:))))))

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That’s what we want to see :smiley: :clap:

For your print, the sharp turns for th 1st layer infill are an additional challenge. With curling reduced by a thoroughly dried filament, it should be much better. If it still locally rips off though, you may get better results with a concentric 1st layer pattern.

:crossed_fingers:

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saved that thank you a lot :slight_smile:

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Stupid question but, how do I print a 1 layer sheet like that easily?

I created mine in fusion 360 in like 30 sec. Here is mine
adhesion test 0.2mm height.3mf (28,0 KB)

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Another way is to right click on the build plate and “Add Primitive”/“Cube”

Then use the scale tool (Press “S”), uncheck “uniform scale” and key in your values. X - 200 Y - 200 Z -.2

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After a few months of use, its worth doing a bed tram.
After few months everything has started to wear in and needs to be calibrated.

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Quick question for you, I washed my plate in warm soapy water with a brush, brushed vigorously for 5 minutes, dried it and put it back on my printer. I then went ahead and printed a test cube like Creatix3D. Although I had no printing issues per say, I could see the shape of my previous big print “through” the filament, I’m guessing it means there is still residue on the plate and I should clean it again?

How often should I clean the plate? After every print?

Thanks for all your help so far.

Running a full calibration as we speak :+1: