First layer not sticking on Ultimaker 2+

maxxiiboyy · February 10, 2016

Hi, I'm very new to 3d printing and I got myself an Ultimaker 2+, printed a couple of things with the standard PLA fillement you get with the Ultimaker and used some colorFabb XT Sky Blue and I got PERFECT prints all the time. Got one failed print but that was my fault only. Then I tried to print a dragon head, quite complex and large. The problem didn't occure with the size or the complexity. It was the problem that the first layer didn't stick right. I printed Frostmourne sword from world of warcraft a few days ago and one of the freestanding SMALL horns didn't work as intended, i thought nothing of it and just continued printing awesome prints. But ever since the first attempt at the dragon head I can't get the first layer to stick properly. I've tried everything I can (i think), lowering the temperature, raising it both with the bed and the nozzle. Tried different materials, tried raising the extrusion speed, lowering it. Tried to use the fans in MANY different setting with the first layer (and without fans). Tried glue on the print bed, the blue masking tape. And I re calibrated the print bed a few times, trying to low, to far up. Used another slicer. I Can't seem to get it to stick. Please help! Sorry for the bad spelling

gr5 · February 10, 2016

Is it sticking at first but coming up too easily? If so then read below. Or is it never sticking in the first place? If never sticking at all, increase the bed temperature (sometimes the edges of the glass aren't hot enough for the first layer), also remove the glass and clean it very well - it may have some oil on it - also lower the nozzle - the nozzle might just be slightly too high. Much more likely though it sticks at first but peels up too easily. For that here is my standard response:

lifting corners, curling corners, part sticking to glass

1) Make sure the glass is clean if you haven't cleaned it for a few weeks. You want a very thin coat of PVA glue which is found in hairspray, glue stick, wood glue. If you use glue stick or wood glue you need to dilute it with water - about 5 to 10 parts water to 1 part glue. So for example if you use glue stick, apply only to the outer edge of your model outline then add a tablespoon of water and spread with a tissue such that you thin it so much you can't see it anymore. wood glue is better. hairspray doesn't need to be diluted. When it dries it should be invisible. This glue works well for most plastics.

2) Heat the bed. This helps the plastic fill in completely (no air pockets) so you have better contact with the glass. For PLA any temp above 40C is safe. I often print at 60C bed.

3) heat the bed (didn't I already say that?). Keeping the bottom layers above the glass temp of the material makes it so the bottom layers can flex a bit (very very tiny amount) and relieve the tension/stress. For PLA 60C is better than 50C. 70C is even better but then you get other "warping" like issues at the corners where they move inward but if you are desperate it's worth it. For ABS you want 110C (100C is good enough).

4) rounded corners - having square corners puts all the lifting force on a tiny spot. Rounding the corner spreads the force out more. This is optional if you use brim.

5) Brim - this is the most important of all. Turn on the brim feature in cura and do 10 passes of brim. This is awesome.

6) Squish - make sure the bottom layer is squishing onto the glass with no gaps in the brim. The first trace going down should be flat like a pancake, not rounded like string. don't run the leveling procedure if it is off, just turn the 3 screws the same amount while it is printing the skirt or brim. Counter clockwise from below gets the bed closer to the nozzle. Don't panic, take a breath, think about which way to move the glass, think about how the screw works, then twist. This may take 30 seconds but it's worth it to not rush it. You can always restart the print.

If you do all this you will then ask me "how the hell do I get my part off the glass?". Well first let it cool completely. Or even put it in the freezer. Then use a sharp putty knife under a corner and it should pop off.