I’m having a very confusing issue with top surface quality I really need help with if anyone would be so kind as to put me out of my misery. I’m really pulling my hair out…
I’ve been printing variations of the same file, with the same filament (eSun matte PLA) non stop for the last month or so, using the the default bambu 0.20mm PLA profile without issue, previously getting amazing quality, until suddenly last week out of the blue that changed - despite changing absolutely nothing with my process, machine or settings.
See the pics for an example of the sudden drop in quality. Pictured is the same part, one printed last week, one this week. Same settings. Same filament. Walls & infill still seem to print perfectly well, but the top surface is horrible.
Tried other filaments, all calibrated & dried, and found the same issue
Full factory reset of slicer and printer
Full disassembly and clean of extruder
Installed a replacement nozzle
Rerun calibration of machine, and filament flow rate calibrations (K value and flow test produced identical results to the previous profile, test sample rectangle was perfect quality)
I’m very confused as to what could be causing this. I feel like I’ve eliminated common sources of problems but admittedly I’m a novice at this so I may have missed something obvious.
The surface pattern of what I’m getting now doesnt even match what it should be… It’s cross hatched and bumpy, rather than a smooth monotonic linear pattern.
I’ve also tried planar cutting off a small piece of the same file which for some reason seems to print fine. I’m currently testing whether the size of surface printed has any bearing on the issue but I’m not hopeful that will help me diagnose the problem.
I assume this has to be a hardware issue, since nothing has changed with my filament, settings, or file printing, but now I’m completely at a loss what to try, and getting very frustrated.
I’ve got in touch with Bambu support but its been days without response. Can anyone in the community help me figure out whats changed please?
I really wish that Bambu would not call this calibration. Call it something else such as Harmonic Analysis or Precision Bed Leveling but the term calibration gives the user the mistaken impression that they’ve calibrated the filament.
You’ve stated that you are getting these with other filaments after doing troubleshooting. That’s a good first step but did you recalibrate your filament. I’m willing to wager that you didn’t.
Rather than go through the technical details here, I recommend two things.
Use Orca Slicer. It has baked-in filament calibration features that Bambu Studio does not.
Follow the advice of these two videos. There are plenty more out there but this one hits all the high points.
Part 1
Part 2
With Orca, you get this addition menu feature among other more esoteric quality of life enhancements.
With Bambu Studio, you get this and don’t even bother with the calibration function unless your changing plates and suspect that the build plate may be throwing off your first later.
You can find Orca install programs at the bottom of this page. Don’t worry, the two slicers can peacefully coexist on the same computer so there is no downside to having both. Orca is derived from Bambu Studio so the underlying code is nearly identical.
Thanks for this. I have rerun every calibration that comes with bambu slicer, but I’ll run through the process with Orca and see if I get any better result.
The main thing that makes me think its nothing to do with filament is I distinctly remember running a test print of these files after getting the printer brand new, and just using default settings with Bambu PLA, then thinking “wow, is there any point spending more time calibrating? this is fine”
I’ve done the exact same print after starting with this issue and the results are the same poor quality as in the picture. Doing the same thing twice you should expect the same results right? It’s not even ballpark where it started when the machine was factory new on default settings, which leads me to think something mechanically has gone wrong.
Not necessarily, false assumptions can lead to incorrect diagnostics. If you’re getting consistent results across multiple filaments, consider what’s changed: machine wear, seasonal temperature and humidity differences, and possible firmware updates. Any one of these or a combination of these could be a factor.
It’s important to prioritize software adjustments over hardware fixes like belt tensioning unless you’re certain they’re the issue. Software changes can easily be reversed, whereas adjustments to screws or belts are harder to track and correct. If you don’t fully understand why a hardware change is necessary, you’re likely to make things worse. I’ve seen too many old-timers here break out the Allen wrench before they even know what the problem is. Don’t fall into that trap, because until you have a crystal clear idea of what went wrong, adjusting hardware will more likely make it worse. Calibration via slicer software can provide insights as to a correct diagnostic which may potentially lead to a hardware remedy.
Assuming you’ve done the monthly maintenance recommended by Bambu, here’s the link to ensure all preventative measures are covered.
I want to stress that I’m not saying that defect is due to filament but what Olias said - filament can change on you. As temperature and humidity change seasonally, your filament can change too depending how you store it. If you keep it in air tight containers with fresh desiccant and hygrometers you can monitor, you are probably fine. But if your rolls are open storage or you aren’t meticulous with filament humidity in storage, your filament may indeed change.
For anyone reading this in the future encountering the same issue - Bambu helped diagnose this, and it was due to excessive resistance on the carbon rods the head slides along - a thorough clean with IPA fixed the problem.
That’s why I posted the wiki. The answer was in that guide. As is usually the case with human kind “Failure to read the manual at your own peril”.
I often am the first one to criticize Bambu’s egregious policies, stature and customer service. But their wiki is world-class and I must give credit where credit is due. In fact, it was one of the things that sold me on getting the device in the first place.
