Hello everyone, I really need some help.
I have a P1P for 1,5 years. And it was working perfectly since now. Suddenly surfaces of prints has weird horizontal lines.
I thought it would be hotend and changed it.
I lubricated Z screws.
I did some belt tensioning.
Lastly, I did calibration tests. K factor, flow ratio and everything.
None of it helped. What could be the problem? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Have you tried a different filament spool?
It looks like the spool is being caught/snagged while feeding and the lines are the result of not enough filament getting to the print head until the snag frees.
Wild guess I am sure.
Yeah I’ve tried different brands of PLA. Fuzzy skin prints come off normal looking. But smooth prints are always like this.
At 1.5 years you have kept up with all other maint right?
Carbon rods cleaning, steel rods cleaning? When you tensioned did you really move the head around a lot back and forth, front and back, again and again before tightening them back up?
And mostly I would want to open up the head and make sure everything is properly tightened and that the extruder is clean and doesn’t look worn.
Check some things…
Like the scarf seam settings and ‘smooth speed discontinuity area’.
These two are the usual suspects if you changed to a newer Studio version or exported old 3MF files that worked fine in the past.
There is also the flow ratio and k-factor to consider, again especially when old print files suddenly produce unacceptable results.
How a layer line starts or ends is affected not just by the first mentioned bit but also the k-factor, acceleration and flow calculations.
Bambu implemented quite a a few fixes and changes in newer Studio versions affecting these things.
Hone in to the best printing temp first, then get the flow ration calibrated properly - confirm with solid infill and top layer tests using a small test cube of only a few mm height.
Then do the k-factor calibration, if you have using a smooth plate - pay attention to the plate selection and change it from textured to smooth.
When importing older files and they won’t print as expected try to load the actual model file and to process it again in the newer Studio version with settings you know work already.
Easier and faster than trying to go through all possible settings changes…
Honestly, I didn’t do monthly maintenance or something. I did it once or twice before.
I did move head back and forth yes.
My next step is looking at extruder and I am suspecting it too. What should I look at when opening extruder?
Thanks for your reply. I have been using the same 3mf files for some time. I am going to try loading original stl files and print them as you suggested. When I try to print a benchy or a basic cylinder everyting looks perfectly fine. But when I try printing something complex like this vase, bottom and side surfaces are problematic like the ptoho shown.
I will try printing from original file and load an update photo.
Well, I have tried your suggestions and the result is still the same 
My next and last solution is try and check extruder. I hope it works
3MF only saves a representation of the model and settings but no G-code.
Means what worked in the past was a combo of your settings and the Studio version used 
Before you go overboard check the print preview.
If those surface defects are where lines start or end you have settings issues.
The extruder would only be a problem if those transport wheels are badly clogged up and slipping.
That would look different in the print though.
After downloading your pic and checking it on the big screen it seems your layer lines split up.
So how about a simple test of increasing the nozzle temp by 5 degrees?
If those defects also appear in small scale it would be easy and quick to check.
That could maybe be wet filament. You could consider drying the filament and try again.
Print preview doesn’t show it. And layer gaps aren’t connected to seams. They appear anywhere.
I print normal pla with 220-225 degrees.
I testes a small cylinder and benchy. They printed pretty good. Big models always have this problem.
I also tested freshly opened filament but moisture doesn’t seem to be the problem
Freshly opened filament can still be wet. It depends on a variety of factors, and filament isn’t dried from the factory.
In my case, drying filaments helped a surprising amount, especially given I live in an extremely, extremely dry area. You’d think wet filament wouldn’t be an issue, but you’d also be wrong.
You can use the P1/X1 bed as a dryer, although obviously during the drying you can’t print. Alternatively, you could buy a dedicated filament dryer which will usually work faster and much more convenient than drying with the printer itself. A lot of people recommend the Sunlu S2, although I personally recommend the Creality Space Pi, which is potentially the only good product Creality makes lol.
