Base Layer Problems...

What would cause this kind of issue on the first layer where it's laying down on the tape?

I've leveled the bed with a thin business card. It looks like it is too low but being pulled up at the same time.

But if I lower the build plate slightly, that has less of a squashed look but peels up away from the tape.

Can't seem to win either way.

A business card is much too thick to set the nozzle gap. Use a piece of 80gsm photocopy paper which is 0.1mm thick. Set the gap so the paper lightly drags under the nozzle when homed - you should do this with the heat bed up to temp and the hot-end at 200C or so. (I'll assume your build plate is level).
If you still have sticking problems, lower the nozzle height further - maybe 0.05mm. to press that filament into the bed

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/2014 05:43AM by waitaki.

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Waitaki 3D Printer

If you look at the picture, it looks like the filament is already smashed flat against the build plate.

In my experience, it's a trade off. You either squish it and reduce peeling, or you make it look pretty at first to watch it peel later.
But I'm by far not the most experienced.

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Realizer- One who realizes dreams by making them a reality either by possibility or by completion. Also creating or renewing hopes of dreams.
"keep in mind, even the best printer can not print with the best filament if the user is the problem." -Ohmarinus

Hi,

my experience is that it always comes back to some basics:

- has your extruder been calibrated
- is your heatbed level

Further, what kind of filament are you printing with (PLA, ABS, other) and at what temperature? I had similar problems the other day with a new PLA that eventually disappeared when I raised the temperature to 250 degrees Celcius.

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Prusa I3 | E3D hotend | RAMPS 1.4 | Printing PLA directly on glass
Eustathios | E3D Volcano hotend | RADDS 1.5 / Arduino Due | Printing PLA directly on glass

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turboproc
Hi,

my experience is that it always comes back to some basics:

- has your extruder been calibrated
- is your heatbed level

Further, what kind of filament are you printing with (PLA, ABS, other) and at what temperature? I had similar problems the other day with a new PLA that eventually disappeared when I raised the temperature to 250 degrees Celcius.

Extruder has been calibrated, and heatbed is level.
Its PLA at 210 degrees, the HBP is at 55

not so sure that isn't a heat issue. looks like it lays down ok, but spots are pulling up. I would play with the extrude temp, lower by 5's down to @185 and see if that cleans it up.

Was I wrong to think that more heat = more attachment to bed?

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MrDoctorDIV
Was I wrong to think that more heat = more attachment to bed?

I don't claim to be an expert, but withthe infill coming up, that is usally too much heat from the hot end. or maybe the bed needs to be turned up a little. but with the tape on the bed, I don't think you should even need a heatbed. I never did. The print seems to be sticking just fine, just the infill is messed up.
someone please correct me if I'm incorrect.

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OsiViper
Extruder has been calibrated, and heatbed is level.
Its PLA at 210 degrees, the HBP is at 55

55 is to low for my heated bed. I would raise that in steps of 5 degrees to a maximum of 70.

I have just built a mendelmax 1.5 and set it up.
I had all the problems you could imagine, including this one.
I found that my black PLA required a very high heatbed temp. around 110c to stick, where as red needed 60 to 65c to stick, any higher and it wouldn't come off the bed without damage. If you have another colour, or even another roll of green that is a different make, try it to see if you have the same problems, it could be a bad roll of PLA.
PLA also takes in moisture from the atmosphere, so you need to make sure it is dry.
Set your first layer height to the size of your extruder and your hotend 0.1mm from the table. I spent four weeks trying to sort out this problem and in the end it was changing the PLA that sorted it out.
Good luck!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2014 07:53PM by ksk.