Hoping for some guidance here. So i have x1c, 2 friends have p1’s. We all print same file. theirs turn out perfect. mine, not so much.
It seems my prints seem to be failing in the following areas:
on top layers (wonky patterns, rough edges)
around any (circle) hole areas, distorted and non symmetrical
Now having said that, you mention that you calibrated the filament. Did you also dry it? Even PLA can have moisture. Make sure you weigh it before and after to ensure the presence and then the absence of moisture, otherwise it’s guesswork.
The other thing that would be worth doing is to print a temp tower for both the yellow and black filaments and posting the picture. Orca Slice is best suited for this since it has the utility baked into the slicer. Let me know if you need a quick tip on how to get there. What we’re looking for is differences at-temperature to ensure that the two filaments are behaving the same.
What methods did you use to calibrate? If you’re relying on Bambu Studio, well… that’s like using a pocket knife when what you need is a scalpel. Orca is the scalpel and Bambu Studio? That’s like using an ice cream stick to cut bread.
Check for any resistance of the spool it does look like an under extrusion problem but I don’t think the slicer has anything to do with it, if you really want to check slicer, open up a completely new project as calibration object property’s are able to carry over to the final product. I still think check for resistance tho move print head and check in eash corner.
1st, thank you so much for taking the time to write me back. We are totally perplexed here.
for context this model (clip) is for a product we sell, its an enhancement to the visual and functionality of said product.
i have 2 ams. last night i printed 8 “clips” one in each color. no issues. (all one color prints) As soon as i painted the text and printed, the print went to ■■■■.
we thought it was a file issue but doesnt seem to be. any suggestions on how this can be happening?
im rather new to 3d printing but have watched plenty of vids. do you have any recommendations for yt channels or tips for me to learn more in an easily digestible way?
thanks again in advance for your assistance. btw, running 10% humidity in all ams units. dont think its a humidity issue.
If I had a dollar for every time someone came to this forum and insisted, “My environment is dry, so therefore…”
Bambu does a disservice to its users by emphasizing the AMS having desiccant. That only helps prevent moisture buildup; it does nothing for removal. But they don’t tell you that in the brochure, do they?
Sure, if a spool were left in a climate-controlled office with less than 10% humidity for months on end, eventually, entropy would allow the water molecules to migrate out of the filament. The operative word here is eventually.
If you search this forum, you’ll find numerous instances where people resisted checking their filament’s moisture levels, only to later discover that was the issue all along. At the very least, it should be a diagnostic step to rule out moisture as a culprit, given how common the problem is.
If you’ve never seen a video on how filament is actually made, check this one out starting at 53 seconds. You’ll wonder how filament is ever dry in the first place. The answer is that there are air knives at the end of the cooling process that are supposed to blast water off the filament. If they aren’t properly calibrated or the filament isn’t properly cooled, moisture is retained—but that doesn’t stop the manufacturer from sealing it in a bag with a desiccant pack. The only thing the desiccant does is keep any captured moisture from migrating to the spool.
BTW: I’ve experimented and found that a paper spool can contain as much as 3–5g of moisture on its own.
hahha. def appreciate the meme. so to be clear, all new bambu rolls, unopened need to be dried prior to use and being put into AMS with the desiccant packs? - This could make sense as i have had this problem a couple months back, then after a teardown and finding no issues seemed to just “fix itself”.
Could it be bad rolls from factory that happen here and there? for context, i BURN thru black compared to any other color 30 to 1.
Thanks for the share on the video. Helps drive the point home.
New variable: seems the prints are only affected when i try to print a version in 2 colors. its then that i see the jagged edges on the sided (what are these called btw) and the inconsistent top layer that seems to not “connect” to the sides as the single color prints do.
Not exactly. I wouldn’t go so far as to say “every spool”.
What I would emphasize is the importance of performing an inbound quality control inspection, especially for bulk purchases, to check for incorrect packaging. If multiple spools of the same color have the same date code, they likely came from the same filament extruder line or were at least packaged on the same day. Measuring one spool will quickly indicate whether further inspection is necessary.
Note: The best-practices method of determining moisture content is to do a before and after weight. Rather than rely on time in the dryer, it’s also useful to weigh the product intermittently to determine when it stops losing weight. This will save a lot of time rather than assuming that let’s say 8 hours is enough. It may not be needed if after 2 and 4 hours the filament isn’t losing any more weight. Or it may require more time if the heat is set too low or there is more moisture or the dryer isn’t venting humidity efficiently.
If you’re running a business, depending on your volume, this is one of the very rare cases where I might suggest using a bulk food dehydrator. Check out this video from YouTuber Samcraft—he runs a robust print farm and has a down-to-earth approach. However, be cautious with his advice, as he often gets things wrong and doesn’t seem to watch many YouTube videos, leading him to reinvent the wheel when better solutions exist. That said, this particular video is one of the few instances I’ve seen online that justifies using a food dryer for bulk drying.
If you could share your file as an uploaded 3MF. I might have some more observations. But before you do. It must be the same 3MF as you were just about to send it to the printer.
However, I might also suggest one change to your print. I noticed that you were printing the model with the letter up. Have you tried printing the model so that he letters are flush and facing down? This can give not only a very clean appearance but you can take advantage of the plate texture to hide any blemishes. It also is more durable because the lack of raised lettering makes it less likely to abrade off.
Here’s an example of a face down print. I don’t own an AMS but here’s an example of where one can lay down a single layer of text and then pause the printer, then change the filament manually and then proceed with the next color. With a single layer of high high contrast pigment, the second layer just moves over the first and the nozzle is none the wiser. This gives it that “embedded” look as if the plastic itself was molded together.
