pieces coming off print bed while printing
I have a problem where the pieces will come off the print bed while printing.
I use glue stick on the bed but it still come off.
this often happen to small pieces.
anything else i can do to stop this from happening?
Please show us a picture of a failed print; top and underside.
What filament are you using?
Cheerio,
RE: pieces coming off print bed while printing
2 main causes for "lift off":
- Dirty steel sheet. Wash with hot water and dishwashing soap, and between prints clean with 90+% isopropyl alcohol. Don't touch with fingers.
- Badly calibrated Live Z. The in-built method is okay but many prefer https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-assembly-and-first-prints-troubleshooting/life-adjust-z-my-way/ because it's a larger square that's easier to interpret, and you can check out multiple live z settings in one print run.
Of course, small parts also don't have much contact surface, and a good live z will be particularly important. I would also slow down first layer speed, and maybe you need to put a rim around your parts.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: pieces coming off print bed while printing
Fuchsr has provided good advice, a nice clean surface plus a proper z-offset helps a lot. I'll take it a step further. I get better adhesion with the smooth steel bed than with the textured one, so if I have a print that starts with many small parts I'll use smooth over textured. The textured one works well when I have a lot of surface contact between the first layer and and the bed.
When your first layer parts are very small, a few mm or so, it's helpful to put a brim around them. 3mm to 5mm can be a good choice for this. Another thing that helps are supports. Supports can be a PIA to remove so use them judiciously but using paint on supports or support enhancers in critical areas can increase the surface area you have to keep the prints fixed to the bed until the parts can join together and provide support for the whole model.
Take a look at your plating, it may be there is another way to plate the model to get better contact. You may also find a different plating orientation can improve your print while giving you better adhesion.
Beware of glue stick, it's a double edged sword, too little is often better than too much. If you have too much glue stick it's like trying to print on a puddle and can make things worse. learning to clean your bed well is a better choice than glue stick. I use a spray bottle that contains 50% distilled water and 50% high proof (91% or better) isopropal Alcohol. The 50/50 mix came about as a sort of home made sanitizer for Covid but works well to clean print surfaces. Use pure IPA to clean the glue off that bed.
Prusa I3 Mk2 kit upgraded to Mk2.5s, Ender3 with many mods, Prusa Mini kit with Bondtech heat break, Prusa I3 Mk3s+ kit
RE:
Dry your filament. It is almost as stock of answer as reboot your PC- and it solves a lot of problems. Stringing, popping, general extrusion are all affected by moisture. I live in a dry climate and often forget to dry my filament. It is amazing how many problems it solves. PLA, PTG, especially nylons.
on bed adhesion I’d say that the general extrusion properties of the filament are important, and undried filament can cause goops, nozzle drool and other issues on the nozzle which can exacerbated adhesion issues.
PLA on smooth or semi, PETG on semi or textured. No glue or other surface aids needed.
Using known filament and prusa profiles?
bed adhesion problems are frustrating, but with prusa machines Prusa filament and Prisa profiles you should be able to get what you need.