Hi, I’m a beginner in 3D printing and could use some help and advice on how to improve the quality of my prints.
The issue is that I can’t get the curved part to come out fully smooth and round—it ends up slightly angular and uneven. The automatic supports generated in Bambu Studio don’t seem to help. The part also needs to be a single solid piece, as it has to withstand weight.
So what should I do—should I lower the print speed, create custom supports myself, or try something else?
From what I see in the image… you item should not even need support. Do you have a picture of your build plate as is right now + of your slicer when the model is sliced?
From what I am seeing, you need to sync your filament with your printer. Do you know how to do this? I think you are doing everything right… but I notice the filament looks off. When is the last time you cleaned your bed?
Sorry, the printer was turned off when I took that screenshot, but the filament is fine now? Doesn’t it sync the filament with the printer every time you change it? I clean the bed after every print with IPA spray and roughly once a week with dish soap. I had cleaned the bed thoroughly just before printing.
I don’t know the total scale of your object, but those rounded ends are more than 45° overhangs
I’d try taking a 45° tangent line rather than trying to build out 2.5 mm walls into free space.
I’d also consider whether you need such thick walls and, from what it sounds like, solid infill. You should also consider what material you should be using. PLA is generally very brittle and does poorly with heat, UV, and weather exposure.
Thanks to everyone who replied! I just performed the filament calibration and the K-value changed significantly, so thanks for that tip. The curved section looks much better now.
In addition to the calibration, I increased the wall loops, top/bottom layers, and infill density, and switched the sparse infill pattern to Gyroid. I believe PLA will be sufficient for this purpose since it won’t be exposed to the outdoors or temperature fluctuations.
Also, the overhang isn’t quite 45 degrees—it’s intentionally a bit steeper to ensure the bottom of the hook doesn’t hit the frame, while keeping the tip of the hook as wide as possible."
On the textured plate, I never use anything (except maybe a brim). On the smooth and engineering plates, I always use glue.
As for the original issue, printing truly round holes is challenging. Especially, if they have to achieve a particular diameter in the end. So far, I am stuck with some degree of trial and error.
I’d enable the “precise wall” and “hole compensation” options in the slicers quality settings and print with supports if not happy with the girst trial. If that is still not satisfactory, I’d load a spool of PETG (for a PLA print) to be used as a support interfaces material. But ensure that you use a generous purge volume (800+).
+1 on the CAD being not ideal. Anywhere you see a “Bottom of a softly rounded shape” touching the build plate you will have a problem - it creates worst-case overhangs.
Try to seperate that into two lines, one with a easier to print 45degree angle, then transitions into the arc
With this specific model, you may even be able to make the slicer do this for you all by itself. By selecting “Make Overhangs Printable,” but you really need to inspect the rest of the model in preview to ensure it didnt change anything unexpected.
No glue with PLA, PETG, PCTG, just a scrupulously clean plate. The stock Bambu plates are “stupid easy” for those materials, to the point that you may need to drop the bed temperature to keep them from sticking too much. I use purple glue stick on the Bambu plate with TPU as a sacrificial release agent, not to adhere the part to the plate.
Whatever you do, do not use a metal scraper if you have too much adhesion. Far too easy to either scratch the plate or gouge a hole in your hand or leg if you slip. Try freezing the plate with the part on it and then flexing it to get it to come up. Brims can be challenging to get up as they are very thin. If freezing doesn’t work, try overprinting it with a shape from the slicer (disc, cube shrunk in height) using the same material. The thicker part won’t flex as much when you bend the plate and often pulls off the offending bits when it comes free.
Cleaning – a nylon bristle scrub brush that hasn’t touched food or grease of any sort and Dawn (preferably unscented) or Palmolive Ultra Free and Clear dish detergent. Do not use anything that is “gentle on hands” as they often include oils or other unhelpful additives. Lots of hot water. Rinse well and pat dry with a reasonably lint-free towel, like Scott (blue) Shop Towels. Keep your fingers off the build surface.
Between deep cleaning, you can use IPA (90% or better) to reduce some of the residue from the prints with a lint-free towel. IPA doesn’t degrease effectively so, for me, it isn’t a replacement for deep cleaning.
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