Large Prints: Say Goodbye to Warping!

[MakerWorld]

How often does this situation happen to you? The printer has printed half of the model. The model’s bottom lifts off the print bed - warping. We need to trash the whole model.

Large prints tend to warp, like furniture parts. When we make 3D-printed tools and add more wall layers to make them stronger, they sometimes warp.

You can see how warping looks and where it occurs in the image below.

In our first Bambu Lab flagstore, you can see and experience the massive CyberBrick diorama (see the image below). It simulates the futuristic city landscape. The diorama’s case is built with many identical blocks. We use it for installing a power supply system. The diorama’s base is wide and tall.

During printing, when the bottom warps, it lifts off the print bed and changes shape. This makes the surface of the printed layer get closer to the nozzle. It may cause the nozzle to scratch into the printed layer, leaving ridges and making the surface look bad.

On top of that, warping may also weaken how strongly the bottom grips the print bed. In the worst case, the print starts peeling off the print bed, causing a failure.

The left image below shows that the bottom edge curls up and changes shape. The right image below shows scratches on the surface of the curled corner. This damage causes the layer to peel off.

Like many other designers and 3D printing hobbyists, warping must have bothered you, too.

What makes warping happen?

Let’s start with the filament: the extruded filament shrinks as it cools, getting shorter. The image below shows that the filament shrinks as it cools after extrusion. The values shown are examples only. Actual shrinkage varies by filament type and print settings.

Let’s look at a cubic model now: when looking at the toolpaths, a cubic model breaks down into a top surface, a bottom, walls, and infills. They all use similar print path patterns.

The stress from shrinking usually builds up at the bottom edges as the filaments cool. You may have noticed they particularly occur on edges and corners. At these spots, the shape limits the shrinkage. This leaves limited space for the material to contract.

The stress from shrinking passes through the layers to the first layer. The first layer is in contact with the print bed. The adhesion between the first layer and the print bed works against shrinking and the shape changes it causes. When the adhesion is not strong enough to withstand stress, the bottom begins to curl up and peel off the print bed.

You can see how the bottom, the walls, and the infills tend to shrink in the image below.

We have summarised these methods to stop warping for good. We sort these methods from easy to more advanced. You can pick one and use it in your model, or mix a few for a better result.

Now, let’s have a look at the methods for fixing warping together.

Methods

To avoid warping, the easiest way is to keep the printing environment stable. Place the printer away from open windows, air vents, or frequently opened doors.

Using an enclosed printer helps trap warm air around the print, allowing it to cool more gradually. This keeps the temperature consistent and greatly reduces the chance of warping. For filaments that tend to shrink a lot, like ABS, using an enclosed printer and maintaining a consistent temperature in the enclosure are necessary.

Besides choosing a printer, let’s check out these methods to fix warping.

1. Fillet outside corners.

2. Break the model into several zones.

3. Add brims around the edges, set the print bed temperature a bit higher, and clean your build plate.

4. Change the infill pattern and density.

5. Try cool plates and liquid glues.

Fillet outside corners

As filaments cool and shrink, the model’s walls work against the stress caused by this shrinkage. The outside corners shift the most. The stress from shrinking builds up on the corners (see the image below).

From every angle, it is easy to find that warping starts at the corners. It then spreads out towards the model’s center.

Fillet the outer walls’ corners (see the left image below). This method prevents stress from building up, stopping warping and changing shape (see the right image below).

Sometimes, we need sharp corners in the model’s upper part to get a smooth surface with smaller gaps. In this case, add fillets to the sharp bottom corners. Let the rounded corners gradually turn into sharp corners towards the top (see the image below).

Set the fillet angle greater than 45 degrees to avoid overhanging tips coming off.

When the model’s top warps a bit, you may notice that the surface of the previously printed layer may get too close to the nozzle. It may also scrape the nozzle.

As such, the extruded filaments won’t be evenly placed on top of the previous layer. The excessive filaments will stack, forming blobs and ridges.

To fix this issue, we can add a pillar at each corner. The pillars stand alone and reach all the way up to the sharp corners. They help to support and secure sharp corners.

The left image below shows how these pillars look. The right image below shows that the pillar is not attached to the outer wall.

Take a close look at the highlights along the top edges of the two models in the image below.

The left model has no pillar to support its top corner. You may have noticed its top edge changes shape slightly. The corner warps a bit.

In contrast, the right model has a pillar to support its top corner. Its top edge stays uniform.

When the pillar is too thin, in Bambu Studio, you can use the Auto Brim function or draw brims manually.

Draw the brims manually, set them to 0.4mm thick, and their edges to 4mm long.

Brims help increase the contact area between the pillar bottom and the print bed. This helps them stick better. After printing, the pillars are easy to remove.

Break the model into several zones

For large parts with thick walls and solid infills, the simple changes above won’t fix the warping.

Thus, we need to modify the design. The key is to break the model into several zones. It aims to shorten the length of filament that the nozzle extrudes in a single shot.

We can use these methods to break the model into several zones:

• Add a checker pattern to the model’s bottom

• Add slits within the infills and to the sidewalls

• Control the wall thickness and break continuous walls

Add a checker pattern to the model’s bottom

Add grooves to the model’s bottom to divide it into small zones, like a checker pattern (see the image below).

You can see how the print looks. Its bottom is designed with grooves. No warping appears at the corners.

This way, each small zone can bear stress on its own. You will see less warping at the corners.

Set the groove to 1 mm wide, 1 mm deep. Add a 45° chamfer to the bottom of the groove to avoid overhangs. Leave a space of 30 mm - 80 mm between grooves. (see the image below)

Add slits within the infills and to the sidewalls

When the infills are very thick, you may consider setting the slits longer (see the left image below). Longer slits help cut the infills apart. This method helps spread stress more evenly, preventing warping at the edges (see the right image below).

Please keep in mind: Cutting slits into tall parts or parts that need to bear loads makes them less strong in the vertical direction. They may tend to bend or crush easily. Thus, you can size the slits to fit your needs. In the image below, we can see that the slit sizes are adjusted based on different design needs.

We must keep their surfaces intact or ensure they do not bend when transporting or installing certain parts.

In this case, we do not need to cut the bottom. Instead, add slits to the sidewalls (see the right image below). It keeps the top and bottom intact. Or add negative parts to the model. It splits the infills into several zones (see the left image below).

They help spread stress from shrinking more evenly, preventing warping.

The image below shows how the printed model looks.

Negative parts form cavities inside the model. Please note: keep cavities more than 1 mm away from all walls. This helps prevent bridging from falling and the top from sagging.

Control the wall thickness and break continuous walls

We would add wall layers when we need to make the structure stronger or the wall of the screw hole thicker. However, thicker walls shrink more as the material cools. It makes warping worse.

The model in the right image below has more wall layers than the one in the left image below. Thus, the model with more wall layers shrinks more.

When the walls are too thick, they will shrink too much. To avoid this, keep them under 1.2 mm thick.

In some cases, we need to add wall layers to make the part stronger. If only certain areas need extra strength, use a modifier to adjust the wall layers where needed. Like the screw hole design, where we need to make the wall thicker. It may make extra work, but it helps save filaments and lowers the risk of printing failure.

The left image below shows using a modifier to adjust the screw hole’s wall layers. The right image below shows that the screw hole’s wall layers increased to 3. All other settings stay the same.

The image below shows the print result using the modifier.

In addition to controlling wall thickness, we can also design vertical grooves (along the z-axis) on the outer walls (see the image below). These grooves break the continuous wall path. The interrupted wall path helps to reduce stress on the walls.

To meet appearance needs, you can use grooves in various forms and adjust their spacing as needed (see the image below).

We can see the printed model in the right image below. Its outer walls have grooves built into the model. With this design, the walls do not change their shape.

When you need the top and bottom surfaces intact, set both to 1 mm thick and add a chamfer to the top.

A common practice is to create semi-circular grooves on the outer walls. Set the spacing between grooves to 30mm - 80mm. Keep the groove cross-section radius at 2 mm.

Add brims around the edges, set the print bed temperature a bit higher, and clean your build plate

Add brims to the bottom edges

Brims are a few lines placed around the edges of the model’s bottom (see the image below).

These lines increase the contact area between the model’s bottom and the print bed. After printing, it is easy to remove the brims.

We can add brims to corners or areas that do not stick well to the print bed. Brims are like suction cups. They increase the contact area between the model and the print bed. Brims also hold and firmly fix the corners to the print bed. They help to prevent the model from warping or peeling off (see the image below).

Source: Brim Ears. Retrieved on Mar. 02, 2026, Bambu Lab Wiki

Fix Warping with Brim Ears in Bambu Studio | Improve First-Layer Adhesion

You can add fillets to models with sharp corners. We can also use brim ears in Bambu Studio to make the corners grip the print bed even more firmly.

In Bambu Studio, when you turn on auto brim, it creates spots that generate brims at the sharp corners on the bottom edges. When the round corner is small, we can also add brims manually (see the GIF below).

See the WIKI page about Brim Ears for more information.

Set the print bed temperature a bit higher

To make the model’s bottom stick better to the print bed, try setting the print bed temperature a bit higher.

In Bambu Studio, go to Filament parameter settings > Textured PEI plate. Increase the print bed temperature by about 5～10℃. Click Save, check Preset Inside Project, then click OK (see the GIF below).

Clean the build plate

You can try this simple method: before printing, clean the build plate with a mild detergent (see the image below), like water or dish soap. It can remove dust and fat from the build plate. It helps make the model’s bottom stick better to the print bed and avoid warping.

Source: Identify and Fix First Layer Issues With a Simple Test Print. Retrieved on Mar. 02, 2026, Bambu Lab Wiki.

Change the infill pattern and density

Try using a different infill pattern for thick infills to reduce warping risk. You may also adjust the infill density as needed.

In Bambu Studio, the grid pattern is the default infill pattern. During printing, the printer produces criss-cross lines that form a mesh infill (see the image below).

As the filaments cool, the mesh infills shrink. They are like stretched lines, pulling and holding the walls steady. It stops the walls from changing shape and supports the top surface.

The grid pattern is the optimal option for print time, strength, and quality. But both ends of the filament directly connect to the walls on either side. This transfers stress from shrinking to the outer walls, and the outer walls have no place to release it. This stress from shrinking will pull the walls, causing them to change shape.

To reduce stress from shrinking and avoid warping, you may try a gyroid infill pattern (The green lines in the left image below mark how the gyroid infill pattern develops. The right image below shows how the gyroid pattern looks in the real print.).

The gyroid infill pattern will bring these benefits:

• Reduce stress from shrinking through curved lines. Thus, walls are unlikely to change shape.

• Does not add much print time.

• Keep the model solid.

Please follow the steps in the GIF below to change to a gyroid infill pattern.

Try lowering the infill density a bit if you need to save filament and further reduce shrinkage.

However, the least possible infill density is not the best solution. Low infill density might not support the sidewalls enough. So they could bend or change shape.

At the same time, a loose bridging layer makes it difficult to form a dense, solid top surface (see the image below). This makes the model look bad; for instance, the layers on the top surface come apart. It could also weaken the top surface.

To fix this issue, you can set the infill density to 10% or higher. Before printing, check whether the bridging across the top is even.

For parts with gyroid infill patterns and multicolor top surfaces, increase the top surface to 1.2mm thick as needed. This helps keep it from sagging.

Try cool plates and liquid glues

The coating on the PEI build plate may wear, or the surface texture may become smooth over time. Even after proper cleaning, it may still not stick well enough.

You can smooth the plate surface with 600-grit sandpaper. This helps the PEI build plate stick better to the print. But polishing takes time and does not save your work.

In comparison, liquid glue is a good choice to make your PEI build plate stick better.

When using a traditional PVA glue stick on the build plate, you may see white marks on the bottom of the printed part. But when you apply the right amount of liquid glue evenly on the build plate (see the image below), it won’t leave white marks on the bottom of the part.

This helps protect the surface of your PEI build plate. It also helps keep the plate sticky longer and makes it last longer.

If you want the print to stick better or the build plate to last longer, try using a cool plate. Cool plates are ideal for printing with PLA and PETG filaments.

The image below shows the model’s bottom sticking well to the cool plate.

Source: Bambu Cool Plate SuperTack Pro product page. Retrieved on Jan. 30, 2026, Bambu Store Asia.

Cool plates also have these advantages:

• Sticks better

• Lasts longer

• Easier to maintain

• Use less power

Most notably, the print quality remains stable even in these situations that occur on the cool plate. Like, leaving fat on the build plate when touching it by hand, or having some scratches on the plate surface. In the image below, we see that adhesion remains stable as print counts increase.

Try cool plates in your next buy if you usually print only with PLA and PETG filaments.

Source: Bambu Cool Plate SuperTack Pro product page. Retrieved on Jan. 30, 2026, Bambu Store Asia

Let’s wrap it up. In this article, we discussed common warping issues and the causes. We also learned how to fix warping.

Get to try these tricks! Share your ideas and tips in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Found this article helpful? Click Like and save it for your next design.

These articles might help you as well — take a look!

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In the comments, feel free to share 1 - 2 topics you’re interested in!

We’ll keep an eye on what everyone is most curious about.

[DWdesigns]

Great tips!

I have been used the following: break the model into several zones, and occasionally alos combine with increasing bed temp by 5 degree. I have also added fillets to outside corners. The combination of these three technique worked well for me.

I haven’t had to add slits to infills and sidewalls. But these ideas can come handy someday.

I am not using cool plates because the filament, particularly PETG, sticks too well and I will have to use glue and then will have to wash the plates.

I have this question though - do the following two contradict each other? I agree with the first saying, that if a textured PEI plate becomes smooth it can lose the “stickiness”.

@MakerWorld

The coating on the PEI build plate may wear, or the surface texture may become smooth over time. Even after proper cleaning, it may still not stick well enough.

@MakerWorld

You can smooth the plate surface with 600-grit sandpaper. This helps the PEI build plate stick better to the print

[SupportAssistant]

That might be a typo.

When a PEI build plate is used for a long time, its adhesion can gradually decrease.

The usual recommendation is to lightly sand the surface with fine sandpaper. This creates very small micro-scratches and slightly refreshes the surface layer, which can help restore the plate’s adhesion properties.

[JJTechPrints]

This post could have been a Bambu Lab Academy course. Good info!

[NeverDie]

You can also add this as an additional method:

Brute force slicer method to avoid warping

This improves upon my earlier post about using brims integrated into the print model: Consider a 8.25”x8.25” rectangle that’s 13mm tall. It’s large enough that with default slicing, some amount of warping/curling might happen. Starting with the integrated brim: [Screenshot 2026-03-10 065002] the idea is to break up any long lines in the print that might lead to warping/curling by breaking the model into two parts, one nested inside the other: [Screenshot 2026-03-10 065042] The final …

[MZip]

@MakerWorld

Try cool plates and liquid glues

The coating on the PEI build plate may wear, or the surface texture may become smooth over time. Even after proper cleaning, it may still not stick well enough.

…

In comparison, liquid glue is a good choice to make your PEI build plate stick better.

I’ve found over many prints that cleaning PEI really isn’t that difficult. I just use warm water, dish soap, and a dish sponge, rinse well, and pat dry with a clean paper towel.

But I’ve also gotten where I regularly use Bambu liquid glue on PEI. It holds small bits down and lets big pieces easily separate with no plastic transfer to/from the build plate.

I bought a tube of liquid glue when I got my printer but didn’t use it or try it until I started having minor adhesion issues on PEI. It really helped big time and now I just use it as a matter of course. I don’t like losing prints and the glue is cheap insurance.

I really recommend the Bambu liquid glue on textured PEI. It really makes a difference in my experience.

[EnoTheThracian]

Great post Many thanks for this which taught me a few good further design rules. Especially as some may also help, in a varied form, against that pesky Benchy hull line

I’d just like to add a few things from all the warping and curling troubleshooting here on the forum which may be of further benefit to people experiencing warping.

Moisture
Besides the plate adhesion described, another extremely frequent and often overlooked root cause for warping (and curling) is moist filament. Moisture alters both rheology and cool down behavior of filament. Also, new filament has travelled the seven seas and is not fully protected against moisture uptake (despite the bags).
==> So before doing anything else, clean the plate and dry the filament when encountering warping (or curling). At the very least, it will rule out these two very frequent root causes.

Warping with good bed adhesion and self-dried filament
Large prints are able to warp even with good bed adhesion. In rare cases, they are even able to pull the build plate edges of the heat bed.
A “simple” remedy woul be to buy a printer with a larger heat bed, but cheaper options may be more sensible.

Chamber/Environmental temperature
The next step in troubleshooting is usually to check for drafts and the print chamber/environmental temperature. With warping induced by shrinkage of a hot layer on top of a cooler layer, a few degrees in environmental/chamber temp can make a big difference. For PLA, the 30-35°C range is pretty good. Beware of heat creep above this range though!

These steps usually already take care of a large range of warping issues. In some cases though, this is not enough.

Reduced Heat input per layer
As explained very nicely in the What makes warping happen?* section by @MakerWorld above, the primary culprit of warping is material shrinkage on top of already cooled material. While it is quite challenging to get the cooling right, we are also able indirectly control cooling by simply adding less heat with each layer.
For this, we can use either lower layer heights or lower print speeds or both. They are quite effective at countering warping (but of course increase print times equally significantly).

Many thanks for this great post

[SupportAssistant]

We also released a video which covers some additional details about warping and how to use Brim Ears

[hotellonely]

@MakerWorld

Let’s wrap it up. In this article, we discussed common warping issues and the causes. We also learned how to fix warping.

Let’s warp it up!

Oh no, nonononono

XD

[MZip]

@EnoTheThracian

Besides the plate adhesion described, another extremely frequent and often overlooked root cause for warping (and curling) is moist filament.

I harp on it but truly dry filament cures so many problems. I use stock profiles and settings and get consistent and great results. Calibration can cure or minimize some water issues but if calibrating wet filament, it’s calibrating a variable which is unlikely to be consistent even between spools of the same kind of filament.

[user_3581613587]

I noticed that warping always occurs at the front on my Creality K2 plus. It is enclosed but has a glass front and sides and back are metal and double skinned. So I thought that the bed would be cooler at the front no matter what the setting is. So I started setting the cabinet temperature to no less than 10° below the bed temperature and haven’t had any problems since.

[3dEd]

I have been using the Bambu Lab SuperTack Cool Plates almost exclusively on my X1-C printers since they came out in November of 2024. I print on most days, mostly using a variety of PLA types. Soon after I started using the SuperTack plates, I read where someone had written that washing their SuperTack plates had greatly diminished their effectiveness. I had earlier looked at my PEI plates under a microscope after printing and decided they could be effectively cleaned with a dry cloth. I had taken to wiping down all my plates with a clean dry microfiber cloth immediately after every print. I have continued with that practice on my SuperTack plates. After 15 months or so, even with nicks and scratches, prints continue to adhere to the plates. I have only been printing on one side of the plates. The unused sides are still in pristine condition. The used sides have become more smooth, which makes it easier to remove difficult supports.

I think that adding a chamfer to the bottom edge tends to reduce lifting while giving the edge a rounded look. Not much, just 0.4 or 0.6 mm. The hypothesis is that the second and third layer overhang weighs down the first layer edge just enough. If a brim is still needed, the chamfered edge tends to clean up nicer than a squared edge.

I do my best to keep my filament as dry as practical becasue,

@MZip

…truly dry filament cures so many problems.

[watcher_skm]

Additionally, when applied thinly and evenly, the bottom surface doesn’t turn white—which I really appreciate, since I hate the white residue left by glue sticks.

[user_2925862394]

What’s the solution when the buildplate itself is curling from the model pulling on it?

[DWdesigns]

Read the article. Or at least these sections under Methods:

Fillet outside corners

Break the model into several zones

Change the infill pattern and density

[aleck]

This is fantastic post, many thanks for sharing

[Jacques_Premium]

Very good article, everything is there, well done.
Remember, if your base sits on the ground, there’s probably no point in being 5 layers thick!
A base of 3 layers is often sufficient, less material, less warping!!!