I just got the 3D printer, when I print, after few layers the printed design will start bending. Do you have any idea how ?
Thank you
It’s warp. What material are you printing? PLA, ABS? What’s your bed temperature, bed surface material (blue tape, kapton, etc.), hotend temperature?
I’m using ABS, the bed surface temperature is 115C°
It’s a yellow tape
@Tony_Olivo you can see the bed in the previous uploaded photo in the community
I haven’t printed with ABS, so this is just speculation. Have you tried putting plexiglass up on the sides to prevent the print from cooling unevenly? I had to cover the sides of my MakerBot Replicator 2 with blankets (that’s all I had) and that fixed the problem for me. But I’m also using PLA.
@Edward_Gonzalez_II my printer is solidoodle it’s fully cover like an oven.
Ah, well, there goes that theory.
Make sure if you have a fan it is not running with ABS. Try blue painters tape it works real well. You can also print a couple of rings around the first layer to help with curling. Depends on your slicing software.
@Brigham_Valdez that’s going to be a monster if a printer… how the heck are you going to be able to offer it for only $2500? Is the resolution going to be lower?
I was going to say that ABS is more temperamental than PLA. Once you’ve got the hang of printing with it you’ve got far more options in terms of color. That’s the biggest down side to PLA not as many colors yet.
Hairspray all the way. I use it with ABS on bare glass. And then every once in a while i clean the bed with acetone. Raise the X carriage away from the bed before you spray, as you don’t want to get hairspray on it. Sometimes parts stick too well and i have to scrape them off with a razor blade.
ABS does not suck, but it is more finicky in terms of problems like this warp you’re seeing (the thermal constriction is one reason it’s used in molded parts) compared to PLA. It is, however, more springy and temperature resistant, making it more appropriate for many parts on RepRap style printers.
I am not aware of blue painters tape working well for ABS, only PLA.
I hear good results with hairspray, but haven’t tried it. I personally use an ABS slurry, which is ABS dissolved in acetone, then spread onto the print surface. The bed temperature may be too high. I usually do a bed temp of 90-100C, and nozzle temp around 230C.
Blue Painters tape does indeed work quite well for ABS, but it’s not a replacement for a heated bed.
I run my ABS at 210c with the bed at 110c on Kapton.
@Ahmed_Zargoun no one has stated this so i will. even when using polymide tape you must clean the surface use pure acetone on the bed when cold. scrub with cotton ball and acetone. oils prevent sticking. even from fingers. i recommend bulldog clips a glass plate and a thin acetone abs juice applied with a cotton ball. take a glass jar (or i use a nightquil bottle) put about 8 inches of 3 mm abs filament or 12 in if 1.75 then fill the bottle 7/8 with acetone. let dissolve and shake well before each use. apply in a circular buffing motion on cold bed. i go left to right rows from top to bottom then top to bottom rows left to right keeping the cotton wetted with the solution let evaporate and heat your bed make sure you are level and correct height from bed. print when the glass cools you’ll hear cracking that’s normal. when all the way cool the piece should pop loose easily.if nut run cold water on it. if that fails put the glass in the freezer a few minutes.
Ok, I’ll throw in my 2 cents…
The common term for this is “Warping” and is caused by uneven cooling of the print. ABS shrinks as it cools and if not firmly adhered to the printbed, will do exactly this. On larger prints, it will cause cracks and layer separation.
A couple of good resources…
- http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2011/06/23/12-ways-to-fight-warping-and-curling/
- http://reprap.org/wiki/Print_Troubleshooting_Pictorial_Guide
I have been printing with ABS for about 6 months on my (heavily modified) Cupcake.
My house is cold ~60F and any light breeze would cause this type of warping. I had to enclose all sides of my printer with Plexiglas to minimize it. I recommend using Kapton tape and a spritz of hairspray now and again. I can get about 20-30 prints between changing the tape.
I have never used acetone to clean the printbead, but it is not a bad idea. I think the hairspray trick has the same final effect.
I can reliably print down to 0.15mm layers and up to ~150mm/s. So I think I am fairly accurate with my information. Next week I get my first spool of PLA, which is supposed to be much easier to use and does not warp as much as ABS.
Good luck!
@Brigham_Valdez I actually spend less than a minute before each print, and that is done while the bed comes up to temp. I just do a quick rub down with abs juice on a cotton ball. No different than cleaning the oils off of the print surface. Abs juice does 2 things cleans the oils and dust off the glass and in essence lays down a raft for the prints to adhere to. I loose practically no time with this “ritual”. Now I agree nylon is a good material, but you shouldn’t make fun of others wanting to use other materials. Each plastic has its own virtues and flaws. There is a place for all of them. We post here to help each other not belittle others.
Thank you very much guys, I really appreciate your help