Filament not sticking
I have a Dremel 3D printer that has worked well for the last year. This fall I offered a reward for finishing typing goals and now have 150 items to print. So I bought the Original Prusa i3 MK3 printer to help get things done. Most of my filament is made by Dremel or a couple generic brands. For the first week both printers were doing great. Then one evening the Prusa was printing an object in white. I went an hour without looking at it and found it broke loose from the plate and was a big gooey mess. The day before I had some not sticking well so I put some blue painter's tape on and that had seemed to work.
Since the mess, I have not been able to get it working properly. I have tried adjusting the live Z level while running some of the sample tests I found on this thread. I put in the original grey Prusa filament that came with the machine, hoping that would help. I cleaned the magnet sheet carefully with alcohol to make sure it was clean. Nothing seems to help. I even tried to lower the light element, but it didn't move easily so I just tightened it up.
I wish there was a reset button to get to the original state.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
RE: Filament not sticking
Often poor adhesion to the building sheet is caused by dirt and greasy fingers and it can be difficult to clean off the PEI coating so that it is completely clean.
It is recommended to use IPA (ISO Propyl Alcohol), but I personally use warm water and dish soap and a soft dish brush.
Typically I wash the building sheet (smooth, satin and textured) twice with soap on both sides, rinse off with clean water and dry in a clean wipe cloth. Be sure to only touch the edges from now on.
Then I dry the sheet on the MK3/mini printer at 60+ degrees (C) to prevent rust from forming.
Have a look at my models on Printables.com 😉
RE:
Btw, this post belongs in the MK3/S/+ troubleshooting forum, not general discussions.
Read the answer just below the question in this link. Follow the suggestions to the letter and you should be back to printing in no time.
Despite the official Prusa instructions, IPA alone is rarely adequate to remove all traces of slippery filament deposits and fingerprints from the print sheet. Soap and water are far more effective.
Cheers
RE:
I've found that the issue of prints not sticking is often times blamed on one and only one factor.
This forum is full of knee-jerk 'clean your plate and clean it my way' responses to this question. There are also a fair number of 'calibrate your live Z' responses.
Those two are most likely the most common, but I'm sure many cases of one are misdiagnosed as the other, or it may be something totally different.
Yes, the build plate must be spotlessly clean. Your Live Z must be well in the ballpark.
Your filament must also be good, your build plate and nozzle temperature must be appropriate for the filament, and all other print parameters must be realistic.
For those who may read the 'Brand U' forum, you may have seen a post I made where one print was not sticking because, among other things, it was trying to print in mid-air (a mm or so) above the build plate.
I've found that the Prusa will print properly with about any filament you give it. The Dremel filament is, IIAC, a very generic PLA and should print perfectly with the Prusa I3 series.
Also, don't be afraid to use an adhesion booster if you need it. (Glue stick, Layerneer, Magigoo, etc.)
RE: Filament not sticking
Occam’s Razor… 😉
Cheers
RE: Filament not sticking
So I have thoroughly cleaned the surface with dish soap and isopropyl. I ran the first layer test, the z axis test, and a sample print design.
What I am finding is that I am only getting a very fine line on these tests like the size of a hair. I have left the z adjustment at zero and worked my way all the way to 100. It still is just thin lines that don't stick well. My Dremel makes a much thicker line. Could it partially be clogged? Is that possible?
RE: Filament not sticking
Sounds like a clog. Have you done a cold pull?
Cheers