Problem Description:
I am facing printing difficulties: the first layers are perfect, but gradually, the layers flatten out until they are of very poor quality on the left side. I have already contacted Bambu Lab technical support via a ticket, which provided me with instructions to follow, but without success. I have conducted complete calibrations of the printer and filament, changed the print bed and filament, but with no conclusive result. The printer is just over a month old, so I am currently stuck. The support team does not seem to be very responsive.
Printer Model Used: Bambu Lab P1S
Slicing Settings Used:
Increased bed temperature to 65°C, added an outer border
Are you adding a brim to keep corners from lifting? Lifting corners also lead to top surface issues because the model can move up and down slightly.
If so, extra thick walls and high infill can cause print curl and lifting. Chamber temperature can help and so can a hotter build plate by a few degrees.
It can also be print plate cleanliness. Touch it with your hands where models print and oils can reduce the ability of plastic to grab the plate. Also, glue and glue stick can help with adhesion and release even on textured plates.
Last, filament moisture can help cause models to not stick and lift in corners and cause bad surfaces. Are you drying it?
Hello and thank you for your response. As mentioned in my first message and as seen in the photos, I indeed have a raised edge all around, especially pronounced in the corners. To address this, I used a fairly standard infill for the print file. Initially, I thought the issue might be with the print bed. This is my seventh attempt, and I have been seeking help from support for five days without success. I have cleaned the print bed multiple times, applied glue, but to no avail. In the photos, you can see that I am using a brand new print bed received less than five hours ago. Furthermore, the print bed temperature is now higher than it was during my previous attempts. To rule out any filament issues, I also purchased new filament at the same time as the print bed, five hours ago. I have successfully printed medium-sized objects without any issues, but this large print is facing major challenges. I would like to add that the print is not detaching from the print bed at all; it is well adhered.
Upon closer inspection, it is unlikely but indeed the print is detaching for the seventh time despite various different parameters, including having a border. Do you have any advice to prevent this issue in the future? You can see the result in the photo.
Use a really, really, really clean build plate (water, dishwashing liquid, clean brush even if the plate should be clean being new, but you do not know how it was when it went in the bag and how much jostling it experienced in transportation),
dried filament,
keep the brim but maybe lower the gap even down to 0mm,
keep the chamber warm (closed lid and door except for layers which may receive ironing),
only the first layer with 5°C increased temps (nozzle and bed),
halve the layer height if getting desparate and …
hope…
PS: You could also increase the number of layers without cooling to say 10mm worth, but that may backfire badly depending on local geometries, print sequence, etc
Hello, thank you for your response. I will try your advice. To be honest, after 7 failed attempts, I cleaned the original plate with a brush and soap, but it was still the same. So, I even ran it through the dishwasher for an hour, which convinces me it’s clean.
I’ve tried multiple filaments, and the issue only happens with this BIG print.
I raised the temperature by 10°C following the previous issue, always keeping the door and lid closed.
Currently, I’m printing with a 0.05mm brim, and in some places, it literally touches the piece. If that doesn’t help, I’ll switch to a 0mm brim.
I must say, you provide genuine solutions and advice compared to the Bambulab support. I reported my issue to them exactly 1 month and 2 or 3 days after the purchase, and since then, they have been doing the bare minimum.
I am extremely disappointed with the level of support provided, especially for such expensive products. I believe they have the means to offer a more responsive support system. Currently, we are getting a response once a day, even if I reply instantly.
The most significant change I have just made is reducing the distance between the nozzle and the bed from -0.04 to -0.02 to squash the first layer a bit more, but not excessively. Even at -0.04, it’s evident that it needs to be slightly more squashed, so this adjustment should hopefully work. Despite already discarding over 1.5kg of plastic, buying two additional beds, and now purchasing two glue products, I am also considering getting the “Bambu Cool Plate SuperTack.”
They have everything figured out to make us spend more, Bambu Lab
Warping happens due to the shrinkage of warm layers being deposited on cooler layers. While that is a percentage, a percentage of a large number gives a more significant shrink than a percentage of a small number. So the bigger the print, the worse the problem.
It may come as a surprise, but that is the much improved customer service. When my X1 died earlier this year, it took 5 months to resolve. But in the end, I got a replacement under warranty.
This issue is different though as there are limits to the technology. Without a heated chamber, there’ll always be warping.
That should help slightly, but do not forget that you did that as it may affect your next filament calibration result.
Now this may be important as there’s one point I forgot to mention: I get slightly better bed adhesion with the Smooth PEI using a very thin coat of PVA glue (apply glue stick, use a moist to wet paper towel to create a thin film, let dry).
Also give the lower layer height a go as it helped me many times where curling destroyed my prints.
With hot layers cooling on colder layers being the root cause for warping and curling, you want to have as even a cooling as possible. However, you only need to cool in each layer what was actually put into the print in terms of heat. Since heat input is linked to volume deposited, a halving of the layer height reduces the heat input per layer by a factor of 8. Takes longer, but you have a better chance of actually getting a good print.
You said “fairly standard” infill. What pattern and infill amount, and how many walls?
Thick walls can exacerbate the warping. I had a project where I needed extra walls and ceilings/floors to make it air tight as I could but was limited because it started trying to lift corners.
Can you cut back on walls? That also decreases print time and effectively makes big prints “smaller” by reducing time between passes.
Listen, I’m going to wait for another glue because I literally have a corner which has come off much more than usual while I have much more edge and much closer which should minimize and not accentuate the problem
I have found a solution to my problem, and here is the solution for those facing a similar issue:
In my case, I discovered that the “Smooth PEI Plate” provides better adhesion than the “Textured PEI Plate”.
Initially, I tried using stick glue, which worked, but the first layer did not look nice. Therefore, I purchased “3D LAC Stick,” which completely resolved the issue.
To summarize, for large PLA prints in my case:
Plate: Smooth PEI Plate
Plate Temperature: 65°C
Auxiliary Fan: OFF
Border Margin: 0 mm (I even believe that it could work without a border now)
