Seam 3d print

12 Ways How to Fix Z Seam in 3D Prints – 3D Printerly

Z seam is common to see in many of your 3D prints. It’s basically a line or a seam that is created in the Z-axis, which creates a slightly unusual look in models. There are ways to reduce and minimize these Z seams, which I’ll explain in this article.

To fix and reduce Z seams in 3D prints, you should improve your retraction settings so there is less material in the nozzle during movements. Changing the Z seam location in your slicer is another great method that works for users. Reducing your print speed as well as enabling coasting helps with controlling Z seams.

Keep on reading through for information on how to fix Z seams in your 3D prints.

What Causes Z Seam in 3D Prints?

A Z seam is primarily caused while the printhead lays the outer layer and moves up to print the next layer. Right, where it moves up, it leaves a little extra material, and if it stops at the same point each time while going up, it leaves a seam along the Z-axis.

Z seams are inevitable in 3D prints. At the end of printing a layer, the printhead stops printing for a split second so that the Z-axis stepper motors can move and print the next layer across the Z-axis. At this point, if the hotend experiences high pressure due to over-extrusion, a little excess material oozes out.

Here is a list of some causes that might cause bad Z seams:

Bad retraction settings
Not using the right Z seam alignment settings in Cura
Printing speed too high
Not using linear advance
Not adjusting wipe distance
Not enabling coasting
Excessive Acceleration/Jerk Settings

In some cases, the Z seam tends to be more visible than others. This depends on the object’s position and structure, and extrusion settings.

How to Fix & Get Rid of Z Seams in 3D Prints

There are quite a few ways to fix or reduce the presence of Z seams in your 3D prints. Some methods help you to hide the Z seam by changing it’s location on your model, while some of them will get fade the seam.

The pressure from the material in your hotend can contribute to how noticeable the Z seam is.

Let’s look into some of the different ways that users have fixed Z seams in their models:

Adjust Retraction Settings
Changing Cura Z Seam Alignment Settings
Reduce Print Speed
Enable Coasting
Enabling Linear Advance
Adjust Outer Wall Wipe Distance
Print At Higher Acceleration/Jerk Settings
Lower Layer Height
Disable Compensate Wall Overlaps
Increase Outer Wall Line Width
Enable Retract at Layer Change
Enable Outer Before Inner Walls

It’s a good idea to test these settings one at a time so you can see what settings are actually making a positive or negative difference. When you change more than one setting at a time, you won’t be able to tell what actually made the difference.

I’ll go through each potential fix in more details.

1. Adjust Retraction Settings

One of the first things you can try doing is to adjust your retraction settings within your slicer. Many users have noticed significant changes to their Z seams after finding their right Retraction Length and Distance.

One user who experimented with retraction settings found that after changing their Retraction Distance from 6mm to 5mm, they noticed a difference in how much the Z seam appeared.

You can increase or decrease your Retraction Distance in small increments to see what works best for your 3D printer and other settings.

Another thing this user did was to define a location for their Z seam (back) which can be done through your slicer settings. We’ll look at that setting next.

2. Changing Cura Z Seam Alignment Settings

By changing Z seam alignment settings in Cura, you can decrease the visibility of a Z seam. This is because it allows you to select the starting point of every new layer that your nozzle travels to.

This is very useful for models which tend to have consecutive equal layers and are very susceptible to a very visible Z seam.

Here are the options to choose from:

User Specified – you can choose which side the seam will be placed on your print
- Back Left
- Back
- Back Right
- Right
- Front Right
- Front Left
- Left
Shortest – this tends to place the seam in the exact same spot because it’s ending the perimeter where it began. This is not so good for hiding the Z seam.
Random – this starts each layer in a totally random spot and thus ends in a random spot as well. This can be a great option.
Sharpest Corner – this can be a great option for angular 3D models as this places the seam right at the inward or outward corner of the model.

There is also an extra option known as the Seam Corner Preference in Cura which shows up for the above options except for Random. With the help of this setting, you can have more control on where to set the Z seam. There are 5 choices:

None
Hide Seam
Expose Seam
Hide or Expose Seam
Smart Hiding

I’d highly recommend doing some of your own testing so you can see how the different settings affect where your Z seam will be. A cool thing you can do in Cura is to check your model in Preview mode after you slice it to see where the seam will be.

Here’s an example of the difference between choosing a Seam Corner Preference of None and Hide Seam at the front. For a miniature model like this, it makes more sense to have the Z seam at the back rather than the front so it doesn’t affect the front aesthetic of the model.

Some users have gotten great results by using the Random setting with the Z Seam Alignment. An example is the model below of the chess piece that has a noticeable Z seam on it. After changing their alignment they said it did the trick nicely.

Is there a setting to avoid the Z line? from Cura

Another user managed to reduce print imperfections by keeping their Z Seam either in the Sharpest Corner or relative to a specific Z Seam X & Y co-ordinate that you can set in Cura. You can play around with these to see where the Z Seam will end up.

Adjust your Z Seam Position will automatically adjust those X & Y co-ordinates, so you can basically choose a pre-set location or get more precise by inputting numbers.

Check out the video below by CHEP on controlling the seams through Cura.

3. Reduce Print Speed

Another potential fix for reducing Z seams in your 3D prints is to reduce your printing speed. When you have a print speed that’s too fast, your extruder has less time to retract the filament between the printing movements.

The slower your printing speed, the more time that the filament has to extrude at the transition of each layer. It also reduces the amount of pressure that’s in the hotend, which leads to reducing how much filament comes out.

One user who was experiencing blobs near the Z seams of his model initially tried calibrating his retraction settings. After tweaking many settings, he figured out that the main fix came down to reducing his Outer Wall Speed to 15mm/s.

Cura gives a default Outer Wall Speed of 25mm/s which should work pretty good, but you can test out slower speeds to see if it makes a difference. Many users who fixed this issue do recommend printing the walls slowly, at the cost of a higher printing time.

When you have a lower maximum speed, it means there’s less time taken to accelerate to and decelerate from, leading to less pressure in the nozzle and reduced Z seams.

4. Enable Coasting

Another useful fix to reduce Z seams is to Enable Coasting. It is a very helpful feature to get rid of those zits and blobs in your Z seam. Coasting is a setting that slightly stops the extrusion of material as it gets to the end of closing a wall in your model.

It basically tries to empty the chamber of filament at the last part of an extrusion path so there’s less pressure on the nozzle for less of a Z seam and stringing.

One user who tried enabling coasting to reduce Z seams got great results on his Ender 5. He also suggested reducing your Travel Speed and Print Speed to get better results.

Another user got even better results after enabling Coasting. He also suggested reducing your Outer Wall Flow to 95%, as well as reducing your layer height and setting the Z Seam Alignment to the sharpest corner.

There are Coasting settings that you can adjust to get even better results, but make sure not to overdo the settings since it can lead to holes in the layer transitions. The default settings usually work pretty well.

Here is a great video by Breaks’n’Makes which can help you get your Coasting settings on point.

Coasting is technically a lesser version of Linear Advance as it tries to approximate what Linear Advance does, but can lead to print imperfections. Let’s look into Linear Advance itself.

5. Enabling Linear Advance

There’s a setting called Linear Advance that has helped many users reduce bad Z seams. It is basically feature within your firmware that makes compensations for the amount of pressure that builds up in your nozzle from extrusion and retractions.

When your nozzle moves fast, stops, or moves slow, there is still pressure in the nozzle, so Linear Advance takes this into account and does extra retractions based on how fast the movements are.

One user that enabled Linear Advance said he used to constantly get bad Z seams on all his 3D prints, but after enabling it, said it worked wonders for him.

You need to enabled it within your firmware then calibrate a K-Value which depends on your filament and temperature. The process is pretty simple to do and can significantly improve your 3D prints.

He also mentioned that once you enable it, you can decrease your Retraction Distance by quite a lot which can reduce other printing imperfections such as blobs and zits.

Check out the video below by Teaching Tech to learn how to setup Linear Advance properly.

Do keep in mind, you don’t want to have coasting on if you are using Linear Advance.

6. Adjust Outer Wall Wipe Distance

The Outer Wall Wipe Distance is a setting that was specifically created to reduce Z seams in Cura. What it does is lets the nozzle travel further without extrusion at the end of every outer wall, to wipe the contour closed.

One user who was experiencing Z seams on his Ender 3 Pro suggested adjust your wipe distance to fix this issue. Another user who tried this setting said you can try a value of 0.2mm or 0.1mm to see if it fixes the issue. The default value in Cura is 0mm, so try a few values and see the results.

You can even try increasing it to 0.4mm, the same size as a standard nozzle diameter.

After a week of calibration it looks better but not 100% yet. Details in comment from ender3v2

Check out the video below for more details about Z seams, wiping, combing and coasting. They get to a point where their Z seams are almost invisible, along with better print results.

7. Print At Higher Acceleration/Jerk Settings

Some users have got good results for reducing Z seams by increasing their Acceleration & Jerk settings. This is because the printhead gets less time for the residual pressure to drive out more material, leading to a cleaner Z seam.

Printing at higher acceleration and jerk settings can reduce Z seams to some extent. These settings actually make acceleration or deceleration much faster.

It seems as though some of the previous fixes would be better to implement than this one.

One user recommends to increase the X/Y acceleration and/or Jerk limits to let motions start and stop quicker, leading to a shorter time for the uneven level of extrusion to occur. Going too high can lead to layer shifts or bad vibrations though, so it needs testing.

They mentioned that their Ender 3 could handle Accelerations of at least 3,000mm/s² in the X & Y, along with 10mm/s for Jerk, though you could probably go higher with testing.

8. Lower Layer Height

Using a lower layer height for your model can also help to reduce the visibility of Z seams as some users have found.

Many users have got great results by using a lower layer height, at around 0.2mm and below, mainly if you are experiencing gaps and are using a higher than usual layer height.

If you are doing prototypes, a layer height of 0. 2mm or 0.28mm are good choices, but if you are looking for details and a good aesthetic, 0.12mm or 0.16mm works well for relatively smaller models.

9. Disable Compensate Wall Overlaps

Compensate Wall Overlaps is a print setting in Cura that, when disabled showed good results for a lot of users for reducing Z seams.

One such instance is a user who was getting defects all over his print model. He disabled Compensate Wall Overlaps and it helped their model look better. They did also mention that after changing to PrusaSlicer from Cura, they got better results, so this could be another potential fix.

Just discovered the ‘compensate wall overlaps’ setting and that helped with my skin finish but still getting lots of artifacts in the skin. Outer wall prints at 35mm/sec and jerk is currently at 20 from FixMyPrint

Another user was getting zits on his model. He was suggested by another user to completely disable the Compensate Wall Overlaps setting. In Cura, this has 2 sub-settings, Compensate Inner Wall Overlaps and Compensate Outer Wall Overlaps. Make sure to disable both the sub-settings.

This can help to smoothen out your Z seams.

10. Increase Outer Wall Line Width

Increasing the Line Width can be a good solution to smoothen out Z seams. You can specifically adjust your Outer Wall Line Width in Cura.

One user who was initially getting rough Z seams on 3D printed cylinders found that a key setting was to increase his Line Width. He ended up finding the Outer Wall Line Width setting and increasing it from the default 0.4mm to 0.44mm and noticed an instant improvement.

This was after printing several cylinders. He also suggested disabling Compensate Wall Overlaps as mentioned above. He got much smoother walls and an improved Z seam as well on his prints.

11. Enable Retract at Layer Change

Another potential fix for reducing Z seams is to enable Retract at Layer Change in Cura.

This works because it helps to prevent extrusion from continuing during the move to the next layer, which is where Z seams happen. Do keep in mind that this setting works best when your Retraction Distance is very low.

When your Retraction Distance is fairly high, the time it takes to retract allows the material to ooze to the point where it counteracts the retraction.

12. Enable Outer Before Inner Walls

The last setting on this list to help fix or reduce Z seams is to enable Outer Before Inner Walls in Cura. This is off by default and has worked for some users after enabling it.

It’s supposed to help by ensuring that your layer change happens on the inside of the model rather than on the outer surface since the outer surface isn’t the last or first thing printed on that layer.

Best Z Seam Tests

There are a few Z seam tests from Thingiverse that you can try to see how well your Z seams are without doing a full 3D print:

Z-Seam Test by kuhnikuehnast
Z Seam Test by Radler

You can simply download one of the models and test out the changes you make to see if it makes a positive difference to your Z seams.

Z Seam | How to Hide & Avoid

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Martin

Besides many test devices, Martin now has his fourth own 3D printer running and prints as a hobby for friends, family and himself. He is happy to share his experience with each new article.

Z Seam Causes

In principle, every 3D print has a Zseam. In some prints, it is more visible than in others. How visible it actually is depends on its position, the structure of the object and the extrusion settings.

A visible Z seam is caused by too much pressure in the hotend. When the printhead moves to the next layer, the pressure is released by an unwanted extrusion of filament. If the starting points of each layer are on top of each other, a visible seam is created along the Z axis.

At the end of each layer, the printhead stops for a very short time and tries to stop extruding as it is moved across the Z-axis to the next layer to continue printing. If over-extrusion occurs during this transition to the next layer, there will be a small blob of excess material.

This over-extrusion is due to too high pressure in the hotend. And this is exactly where the prevention of a visible Z seam lies. If you adjust the extrusion correctly and avoid over-extrusion at the transitions of the individual layers, you will get a less or hardly visible Z seam.

But even if you have set the extrusion perfectly, a Z seam can remain visible on very smooth objects. You will see a line that is no longer accompanied by blobs, but a tiny gap between the beginning and the end of each layer.

If you’re disappointed that you can’t completely avoid a Z seam (except with Vase Mode – see end of article), there are still a few ways to hide it. Further down in this article I’ll introduce you to the options Cura

Printing Temperature in Cura
The nozzle temperature is one of the most important factors in extrusion. If it is too low, under-extrusion occurs. If it is too high, too much material will be extruded as the filament becomes more fluid.
So if you see a Z seam where there are blobs, it would make sense to lower the temperature a bit.
Retraction
Retraction in Cura
Retraction is another setting that can greatly affect the extent of Z seams.
Retraction controls the negative movement of the filament at the end of a print motion. So when the printhead reaches the end of a layer and moves up the Z-axis to the next layer, the retraction causes the filament to be pulled slightly into the nozzle.
This way you can avoid over-extrusion at the layer transition.
Retraction is also a critical setting to avoid stringing. Don’t overdo it though, or you could produce a filament jam.
Extruder Calibration & Flow Rate
Flow Rate in Cura
In order for the extruder to output the desired amount of filament, it must be calibrated. For example, if the slicer or G-code wants 1 mm of filament to be extruded, it should actually extrude exactly 1 mm of filament.
If the extruder extrudes more filament than it should, there will be a visible Z seam with filament blobs.
After the extruder has been calibrated, you can determine the flow rate. The flow rate determines the rate at which filament is extruded.
Print Speed
Print Speed in Cura
The print speed also affects the visibility of a Z seam. If the speed is too high, the extruder has too little time to retract the filament between two printing movements.
So the slower you set the speed, the less likely you are to over-extrude at a layer transition.
Wiping
Wiping in Cura
With this setting you don’t prevent the excess pressure in the hotend, you just release it at a different place than the layer transition. Wiping removes the excess filament from the nozzle before moving on to the next layer.
While this is not the most elegant solution, it can be effective in avoiding a Z seam.
Coasting
Coasting in Cura
If you can’t avoid over-extrusion, you can deal with it better with coasting just as you can with wiping.
With this setting, the 3D printer stops extruding just before the end of a layer. With the correct settings, the excess pressure in the nozzle is sufficient to extrude enough filament to complete the layer.
As you can probably imagine, this setting is quite inaccurate. The only thing that helps here is trial and error. If you set too much coasting, you will get small holes at the layer transition.
Z Seam Hiding – Cura
With “hiding” I don’t mean that you should simply place the finished object so that the Z seam is no longer visible. You can use certain settings in Cura
User Specified: This selection allows you to place the Z seam at a location of your choosing. You can specify exact X and Y coordinates or predefined locations (front, back, right, left and 45° in between). This setting makes sense especially for objects where you know which side is mostly at the back and is rarely or never looked at. Also, if you can’t get the extrusion under control, you can place the seam where it is least noticeable.
Random: Just like in Cura, this setting will randomly distribute the Layer transitions along the Z-axis. This means that the start of the next layer is always somewhere else, which means that no seam can occur. However, this can cause randomly distributed print defects over the whole object. This setting only makes sense if you have a round object, have optimized the extrusion setting and the object has to be viewed from all sides. For objects with edges, other settings are always preferable.
Vase Mode in CuraVase Mode in PrusaSlicer
In vase mode, you can print objects that consist of a single layer wall quickly and without a visible Z seam. The layer transitions are not abrupt as in a normal print, but occur as a smooth transition from one layer to the next.
The printhead does not stop at a layer transition, but simply continues printing while it moves upwards in the Z-direction to the next layer and continues moving in the print direction.
The prerequisites of a Z seam are therefore no longer given. With very coarse prints you can see the slight change of direction in the Z-direction on closer inspection, but no blobs of over-extruded filament.
The extrusion always remains the same in Vase mode and therefore cannot produce a visible Z seam.
In Cura, you can activate an additional setting in the vase mode to smooth the movements of the print head even more.
No Seam
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(There is a solution) How to get less Z-seam?

ultimaker-cura anycubic-chiron

I printed this Seductive Vase from the Universe of Things and it came out pretty well on my Chiron.

However, I am not happy with the Z-seam, which is very large. When I look at other people's problems with it, they often seem like too small threads in a seam, but I have too many. What setting should I change to make it less noticeable?

Printer: Anycubic Chiron with Marlin 2. 0.7

Material: PLA

Slicer: Cura 4.8.0.

Nozzle: 0.4 mm

All Cura settings are here (except I lowered the print temperature to 200 ºC while printing).

All used files and some photos are here.

2021-03-07 Addition of after I made 19 proof prints of a small part of the neck of the vase. Below are some of my notes:

Comb Mode=Better Than Off

Speed \u003d 60 is worse than 40

Retract In front of Outer Wall=On. worse than Off.

Exterior wall line 0.45 to 0.35 wide gave a Z-joint on the outside with a large extension

Line width of interior wall(s) from 0.45 to 0.35. Some places have less contact between layers and are therefore less attractive and less reliable. In addition, less material is used.

Wipe the outer wall 2.0 cm from the seam (too much) and also make a ditch in front of the Z-seam (on the outside of the ring).

Roll forward has tripled to Vol=0. 588 and the 5.0 wipe distance is more attractive. Two changes at the same time make it impossible to know which one helped. 5 mm is not enough to completely wipe.

50% printing speed improved Z-seam and surface smoothness

In the future I will use a slower speed for the outer walls, test wipe distance=2*Linewidth, use brushing (disabled due to some advice to do this when using LIN_ADVANCE) and experiment with faster retractions and Z-movement. Photos and full notes are available here.

@Dotswe, #5

Discussion

4 Reply

Best answer:

▲ 2

Convex seam is caused by a number of factors, in particular:

Material. layer change point (including the time spent on the Z-travel). This can be mitigated by increasing the maximum speed and Z acceleration and/or enabling retraction when changing layers with a very fast retraction speed and non-reaction (not doing this very quickly, time spent retracting has the same effect as time spent to move Z).

Excessive extrusion is caused by pressure remaining on the nozzle during deceleration. This can be mitigated by turning on Linear Advance and adjusting the K factor to match the properties of the Bowden tube and your printer material. A value around 0.5 is probably what you need for PLA on your printer. Increasing the acceleration limit to reduce the time it takes to accelerate/decelerate can also greatly mitigate this issue.

4 Mar 21 , @ R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE

▲ 4

This Cura support page lists shell configuration options, specifically:

Seam angle preference

By default, the Z-seam is hidden as much as possible. However, for some projects, especially those that require post-processing, seam exposure may be necessary for post-print processing. To do this, you can configure the following parameters:

No: The seam will remain in place of the Z-seam alignment.

Hide the seam: The seam will be hidden as much as possible.

Expose the seam: The seam will be exposed as much as possible.

Hide or show: The seam will be hidden when possible and revealed when there is no other choice.

You don't have "Nothing" in your environment. You may need to set it to "Hide Seam".

Mar 1 21 , @ agarza

▲ 6

Shell menu has Cura option to select random seam alignment:

Aligning the Z-seam

This setting lets you choose where each new layer starts in the Z direction and affects where the model's seam will be. This is useful for models with successive equal layers, as the seam may be visible. By changing the alignment of the Z-seam, you can reduce the visibility of the seam. The following options are available:

User defined: Set the coordinate for the X and Y direction of the Z-seam. By default, this coordinate is absolute. Example: X 100, Y 200 will move the seam to the center of the back of the model.

Shortest: The next layer starts at the end point of the previous layer. This is the fastest way to print, but also creates the most visible seam.

Random: The next layer starts at a random point on the previous layer, eliminating the possibility of a seam. The printing time will increase due to the required strokes.

Sharpest corner: This places the seam at the sharpest inside or outside corner of the design when available. This is the best way to completely hide the seam.

2 Mar 21 , @ Trish

▲ 1

Use Cura's "Vase Mode" (known as Spiral Outline ) for seamless printing.

Mar 3 21 , @ markcosmic

Problems, defects, 3D printing errors and solutions

Often during the operation of a 3D printer, problems may arise due to which defects appear on the finished model. Or instead of a neat product, plastic noodles suddenly appear on the table.

In fact, the causes of defects can be conditionally divided into 2 types - these are physical and software.

Physical ones are those that arise due to problems with the mechanics or any other causes that can be eliminated physically. These include problems with printer mechanisms (belt tension, backlash), clogged or deformed nozzle, incorrect table geometry, etc.

Software - these are defects that occur due to incorrect slicer settings or, less often, errors in the printer firmware. For example, incorrectly selected print speed, retract settings, incorrectly selected temperature for plastic, etc.

Very rarely, the problem may lie in the wrong or “flying” printer firmware (although usually the printer simply will not start then), overheating of some boards during printing, etc. These are rather special cases, so we will not consider them.

Model peels off or does not stick to platen

This is the most common 3D printing problem. Every 3D printer has had a case when the first layer treacherously rolls, clinging to the extruder, or the most offensive - when it tears off a partially printed model from the table. The first layer must stick tightly otherwise nothing will be printed.

Gap between table and nozzle 9 too large0027

This is the most common reason. You just need to set the correct gap between the table and the nozzle.

Modern printers often use an auto-calibration (auto-leveling) table system or an auxiliary table leveling program. To calibrate such printers, use the instructions. If there is no manual, it can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website.

If you have a simple printer without auto-calibration, a self-assembly or KIT kit, use a probe or a piece of paper folded in half to calibrate. The probe should be slightly pressed against the table by the nozzle. Before calibration, the table and extruder must be heated. Align the table surface over each adjustment screw (there may be 3 or 4) in turn, and only then check the center point.

If you're having trouble getting your table surface perfectly level, try raft printing. Raft is a thick substrate in several layers that is printed under the model. It will help smooth out the slight curvature of the table.

A small cheat sheet to determine the correct gap on the first layer

Plastic with poor adhesion

Some types of plastic, due to various reasons, such as large shrinkage, do not adhere well to the surface of the printing platform. In this case, try using stickers or special 3D adhesives to improve adhesion between the table and the first layer of plastic.

In the early days of 3D printing, there were experiments with different homemade 3D adhesive recipes. ABS diluted in acetone, BF glue, sugar syrup and even beer. Some experiments have been successful. Until now, some enthusiasts use some types of hairspray or glue sticks as 3D glue. But still they are inferior in their properties to industrial 3D adhesives.

Some types of high temperature plastics with a high percentage of shrinkage (ABS, Nylon, etc.) may peel off the table during printing. This is due to uneven cooling and “compression” of the model (the lower layers have already cooled down, but the upper ones have not yet). For such plastics, it is imperative to use a 3D printer with a heated table and a closed case.

Plastic temperature too low

The hotter the plastic is when it exits the nozzle, the better it will adhere to the print platform. It is better to print the first 5-10 layers at a higher temperature (+ 5-10 degrees) and turn off the blower fan.

Wrong first layer settings (speed and thickness)

A thicker layer sticks easier, so the standard first layer is 0.3mm thick. With an increase in print speed, the heating block may simply not have time to heat the plastic to the desired temperature and it will stick to the table worse. Before printing, check the speed and thickness settings of the first layer in the slicer.

A lot depends on how the 3D printer prints the first layer. Try to control the printing of the first layer and only then leave the printer to work alone.

Plastic does not choke from nozzle

The printer has already begun to print, but the print table remains empty. Or part of the model did not print.

Clogged nozzle

In 3D printing, a nozzle is a consumable. The nozzles are clogged or worn out (frequency depends on the type of plastic). The simplest thing is to replace the nozzle. But if there was no spare at hand, you can try to clean the old one. To do this, there is a whole set of thin needles. Or you can heat a clogged nozzle above the melting point of the plastic and “burn out” the blockage. But later it is still better to replace the nozzle.

Low temperature nozzle

You need to increase the temperature of the extruder in the slicer settings or check the thermistor and heating block. Sometimes the thermistor may not read the temperature correctly due to a malfunction or incorrect 3D printer firmware settings.

If the problem occurs after replacing the thermistor - contact the manufacturer or read articles about PID tuning.

Empty extruder

As the extruder heats up, plastic begins to ooze out of the nozzle. Because of this, the extruder may start printing half empty. Because of this, part of the first layer is not printed. You can push the plastic manually by simply pushing the bar into the nozzle. Or solve this problem programmatically - in the slicer, add a contour print around the model (one line).

Some manufacturers and 3D enthusiasts add a line print on the edge of the table at the beginning of each GCode. This is done so that there is plastic in the nozzle by the time the model is printed.

Feed mechanism does not push through plastic

The plastic pushes the feed mechanism to the extruder - a motor with a special pulley put on the shaft. If for some reason the plastic is not pushed through (nozzle clogged, extruder temperature low, etc.), then the pulley “gnaws” through the bar. You need to push the plastic bar with your hands or cut off the damaged piece.

Elephant foot

The first layers of the model are wider and protrude beyond the boundaries of the model. This is due to the fact that the upper layers put pressure on the first ones that have not yet cooled down and flatten them.

Table high temperature

Due to the too high temperature of the table, the lower layers remain soft for a long time. Try lowering the table temperature. It is better to reduce gradually (in increments of 5 degrees). You can try to turn on the blower when printing the first layers.

Small gap between nozzle and platen

If, when printing the first layer, the nozzle is too close to the table, then excess plastic will be forced out. After a few coats, this will not be as noticeable, but can lead to the effect of an “elephant's foot”.

Plastic overextrusion

When too much material is squeezed out of the nozzle, the walls of the model are not smooth, but bumpy, with sagging.

The solution is software - in the settings of the slicer, you need to set the material feed rate (fluidity) to a lower value. The average value is 95-98%.

It is worth checking the diameter of the rod. If its size is greater than 1.75, then the plastic will be squeezed out more than necessary.

Plastic underextrusion

The plastic is squeezed out too little, because of this, gaps may appear between the layer. The finished model will be fragile and fragile.

Wrong thread diameter

Check the filament diameter in the slicer settings. Sometimes, instead of the popular 1.75, the default is 2.85.

Incorrect feed rate settings

Check the fluidity settings in the slicer. The average should be 95-98%.

Clogged nozzle

Something could get into the nozzle and partially block the exit of the plastic. Visually, the plastic will choke from the nozzle, but in a smaller amount than necessary for printing.

Hairiness or cobwebs on finished model

Thin threads of plastic protrude from the outer wall of the model (most often on one side). The defect appears due to the flow of plastic from the nozzle during idle movement.

Insufficient retract

A retract is a slight pull of a plastic filament from an extruder. Due to the retract when the extruder is idle (from layer to layer or from model to model), heated plastic does not drip from the nozzle. For some flowable plastics (eg PETG) the speed and amount of retraction must be increased.

"Hairiness" can be easily removed by grinding or cutting off the threads with a sharp scalpel.

High temperature extruder

The higher the extruder temperature, the more liquid the plastic becomes. It is important to find a balance so that the plastic is not too liquid and sticks well in layers.

In the selection of the optimal extruder temperature, a test model - a tower - helps a lot. It clearly shows how plastic behaves when printed at different temperatures.

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Temperature test

Top "perforated" or uneven

The top of the model is bumpy or with holes. The problem may arise if the top of the model is flat. For example, like a cube.

Insufficient airflow

When printing the top plane (cover), the plastic does not have time to cool down and remains too liquid. Because of this, the threads are torn and holes are formed. Increase the fan speed on the last layers.

Few top layers

The top of the print may be too thin and deform as a result. Check slicer settings. The number of upper layers is not recommended to be set less than 6.

Fill percentage low

If the infill percentage is too low, then the top layer will simply have nothing to rely on. Increase the fill percentage in the slicer settings.

Model deformation

Some parts of the model seem to have melted in some places or on one side. The problem most often occurs when printing with PLA plastic. The defect appears due to the fact that the plastic does not have time to cool and deforms.

Insufficient airflow model

Turn the fans on to maximum. If their power is not enough (in some printers, the fan is located only on one side), you can put a regular desktop fan and direct it to the 3D printer table.

Small model

Small models are difficult to blow well. Try to print small items alongside larger ones, or place several identical models in different corners of the table. So the plastic will have more time to cool.

Layer offset

Layers shift along the x or y axis during printing.

Print head jam

Turn off the printer and try to move the extruder along the x and y axes with your hands. The extruder must move freely. If there are jams, check the mechanics of the printer. Bearing wear or the curvature of the shafts may be to blame.

Electronics overheating

Sometimes electronics problems can be to blame for misaligned layers. The most common cause is overheating of the drivers or too low current exposed to them.

Table top is loose

This is most often seen in 3D printers with glass. During printing, the nozzle may hit the model and move the glass slightly. Before printing, check if the glass or other printing surface is well fixed on the heating table.

Skip layers

Small holes are visible on the print, or the shell of the model is not continuous.

Teflon tube deformed

There are 2 types of thermal barriers - all-metal and with a Teflon tube. If overheated, the Teflon tube may deform. Plastic will pass through it, but in a smaller amount.

Low extruder temperature or high print speed

If the extruder is not heated enough, then the plastic will not be liquid enough and simply will not have time to be forced through the nozzle. The higher the print speed, the higher the extruder temperature should be.

Sometimes the outer walls print well, but the infill is “torn”. In this case, slow down the infill print speed in the slicer.

Model bundle

Cracks form on the surface of the printout during or after printing. Cracks can be large or very small. Most often, this problem occurs with plastics with a high percentage of shrinkage - ABS or Nylon.

Sudden temperature difference (if model delaminates during printing)

With a sharp temperature difference (for example, a draft), part of the model cools down faster. This leads to uneven shrinkage and incorrect distribution of internal stress. For plastics with low shrinkage, this is not critical. But if the shrinkage percentage is more than a few percent, the model may burst in layers.

For printing with such plastics, it is recommended to use a printer with a closed housing. If this is not possible, try to avoid drafts and sudden temperature changes in the room where the 3D printer prints as much as possible.

Print temperature

Due to too low printing temperatures, the layers may not “stick” well to each other. Raise the print temperature in the slicer settings.

Hardening (if the model cracks after printing)

Sometimes cracks appear on the model a few days after printing. This is due to uneven distribution of internal stress after cooling. You can try to “harden” the finished product.

For hardening, the model is placed, for example, in an oven, and heated to the softening temperature of the plastic. After that, the heating is turned off and the oven is left to cool slowly with the model inside. Due to this, the stress inside the print is distributed more evenly. But accuracy is very important in this method - if you make a little mistake with the temperature, the finished product can “float”.

Ringing

In places where the extruder changed direction, ripples are visible. Most often it looks like a shadow around the “sharp” protruding elements of the model.

Mechanical problems

Sometimes the problem occurs due to extruder play. Check if the extruder mount to the rails is loose. Be sure to check the tension of all belts.

High print speed or high accelerations

Moving the extruder too fast can cause vibrations that cause ripples on the wall of the model. The lighter the weight of the extruder, the less noticeable the ripples will be. To get rid of ringing, simply reduce the print speed in the slicer settings.

Slots for thin-walled models (not solid shell)

The thin wall of the model is not solid, but consists of two thin walls with a narrow gap between them. This problem is often faced by fans of printing "cutting" for baking.

Left model with wall defect, right without

Wall thickness and nozzle diameter mismatch

If the wall thickness is 1 mm, and the nozzle diameter is 0.4, it turns out that for a solid wall, 2 nozzle passes are few, and 3 are already many. The result will depend on the slicer algorithm, but most often you will get 2 walls with a thin slot in the middle (the slicer cannot change the wall thickness). The solution to the problem may be a slight refinement of the 3D model or the use of a different slicer.

Algorithms for calculating 3D models are constantly being improved and refined, and now this problem is less common.

When modeling, take into account not only the thickness of the nozzle, but also the percentage of “overlapping” of lines on each other. If you have a nozzle with a diameter of 0.4 - make the wall in your model not 0. 8, but 0.7 - 0.75.

Wrong model geometry

When instead of a circle you get an oval, and instead of a square you get a semblance of a rhombus.

The main reason is malfunctions in the mechanics of the printer. Be sure to check:

Belts

Check belt tension in x and y. Belts stretch over time and may need to be tightened or replaced. Each 3D printer has its own way of tightening the belt. If the belts are slightly stretched, you can tighten them with the help of a "spring".

Loose pulleys, etc.

Check if all bolts and nuts are tight. Are there backlashes. Pay special attention to tightening the pulleys located on the motors along the x and y axes.

Sagging of some parts of the model

Some parts are not printed, broken, or instead of a neat surface, a swollen plastic snot is obtained.

No support for overhangs

A 3D printer cannot print in the air, so if the model has overhanging elements, you need to set supports - supports. The slicer can set the necessary support itself, you need to check the corresponding box in the settings.

When printing with soluble support, you can set the gap between the model and support - 0. This will make the surface smoother. If the support material and the model are the same, you need to add a small gap. Otherwise, it will be difficult to separate the support from the model.

Split model

Sometimes the supports can take more plastic than the model. In this case, to save material and time, it will be more convenient to cut the model. If you have more than one 3D printer, then the model will print several times faster.

When cutting the model, you can leave grooves or mortgages so that the pieces of the model are connected without displacement.

Totals

In this article, we talked about the most popular 3D printing defects and how to solve them. Don't be intimidated by such a long list.
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