Your 3D printer is malfunctioning mid-project. How will you troubleshoot to meet your deadline?

I completely agree. Before starting a 3D print, I always check two critical things: 1) calibration and 2) ensuring there is enough resin or filament. While the slicer provides an approximate estimate of the required filament, it's essential to have extra on hand for safety.

I agree making sure all the wires connecting to the hot-end and other moving components can be helpful since there is a possibility of wires getting tangled or unplugged due to poor wire management. Checking the printer screen for an error message can be helpful although looking at the failed print can be most helpful as to where it went wrong. From there on re-tracing all the steps till failure and identification of the error is the form of flow I would recommend to try.

Most slicer software tell you how much filament is needed for the job. So it is also good practice to check if the spool of remaining filament could run dry, because there is not enough filament left for the job.

Examine common problems with your 3D printer, such as power supply problems, jammed filaments, and error messages on the screen, to begin troubleshooting. Common issues are frequently swiftly resolved by these preliminary inspections.

Install a run off detector so that if the filament breaks it stops printing, which is extremely important for cheap filaments in high humidity climates.

Make sure your slicing software is configured appropriately by checking and updating it. Check print parameters such as support structures and layer height. Try restarting the program or reslicing the model to fix glitches if the problems continue.

Having the correct official software or on open source printers like Creality, you can even make your own customizations to the code, like reducing the number of reference points or calibration before printing. As for slicing, I like using Ultimaker Cura, a tip, you can erase the skirt to save a bit of filament, and depending on the model ten tree style supports might work better. Now and the most important, spacing, never try to print different figures close by, and always select printing one by one, cause otherwise it will jump from one object to the other and fill it all with blobs and webs of filament.

With the wide variety of slicers available in the market, it's crucial to ensure they operate optimally. Here are my personal checks: 1. **3D Printer Details**: Add accurate details and the correct model of the 3D printer to the slicer. 2. **Configuration**: For FDM printers, ensure proper settings for support structures, heating, and bed adhesion to prevent warping or detachment. For DLP printers, verify the exposure settings and layer thickness as well as support. 3. **Format Export**: Confirm the required file format for export. 4. **Software Updates**: Regularly update the slicer software to the latest version. These steps help achieve the best printing results.

Sometimes we make errors on the slicing side of the process. The pre-production in the 3D printing process is often underestimated, the 3D printer is just a machine which will follow the instructions you provide through gcode but what instructions or slicer settings will be most suitable for your model can be learned only through practicing and gaining experience. Researching some reddit strings and other 3D printing communities for this purpose is one of the most optimal solutions.

It's helpful to get a feel of what a blocked or miscalibrated nozzle looks like so you can intervene before the print fails completely. Sometimes the print bed may need manual adjustment during printing, particularly if you've noticed issues printing the first few layers. In addition, if you are using gas as a pressure source, make sure that the tubing is well-connected and there are no leaks at the printhead. You can use PTFE tape to help with this. If using gas as a pressure source, always be careful, as gas canisters are under high pressure and can be very dangerous if handled incorrectly.

I have often failed multiple prints due to forgetfulness. Make sure you prep your printer correctly if your printer has an auto levelling option try using it before starting any prints clean the print bed make sure the temperature settings are working properly. If the auto levelling is not doing the trick buckle up and do some manual levelling with a paper sheet. Try printing some test prints so you know the condition of your printer.

leveling the bed, and making sure all cables are connected, and that the nozzle and heat sink and properly connected, or plastic will pour through even the smallest of gaps and ake a mess.

Make sure the print bed is level, check for wear on mechanical parts such belts and pulleys, and clean the extruder nozzle if needed. Parts should be handled carefully to prevent damage, particularly when they are hot.

In my personal experience, I encountered Z-axis issues and warping with my FDM machine. Here’s how I troubleshooted: 1. **Z-Axis Problems**: After inspection, I found no errors. I added lubricant and performed several "Z offset" adjustments through trial and error, which significantly improved print quality. 2. **Broken Belts**: Check for broken belts, as they can cause layer misalignment. Replace any damaged belts and tighten the knobs as needed. 3. **Calibration/Bed Leveling**: Proper calibration and bed leveling are essential. Ensure there's a 0.4-0.5 mm gap between the nozzle and the bed. Using an A4 paper as a gauge is a best practice. Regularly clean and calibrate the bed to prevent warping.

Before start using newly bought 3D printer or if you have problems during printing, try to calibrate your printing by printing a temp test model available online like Thingiverse to make sure which temp works the best. Low temperature can cause the nozzle to clogged due to the plastic itself not melting at the right temperature and too much temp causes the printed parts strings too much and drooping due to the plastic don't have time to cool down.

You will most likely use relatively similar temperature settings for most of your prints and sometimes you may even forget to change the default settings too or there's even a chance you will print it as given in the description of the model (if you downloaded it from any stl library). But in reality you need to consider your printers environment and temperature and moisture conditions too. If it's summer you may lower the temperature settings a bit if it's winter you may increase it a bit. I have given just a generalized example the rest depends on your understanding of the temperature and surroundings of your printer.

Printers are sensitive to the local environment, so you may need to tweak settings slightly if operating in different room temperatures, humidity, etc. Depending on the type of material and printer, it may also be helpful to use printbed cooling to allow material to set faster. We use this for hydrogels sometimes.

Sometimes it can happen that PLA produces small fine hairs when the heat sink wast assembled tight enough, and the end result can go from hose hairs end up breaking the cooling fan, or needing a new heatsink cause its full of overnight solidified plastic. Also, NEVER turn off the printer before it has had time to cool off or it will be blocked by the next bad by heat creeping up and melting the filament, causing an obstruction. After a couple years you might need to change the cooling fan on Chinese 3D printers, luckily they are cheap on AliExpress and it just requires unscrewing and screwing again two cables to the motherboard. A tip is creating a similar connection up near the end of your cables so changing the fan becomes easier.

In FDM printing, understanding how temperature relates to the mechanical aspects of the printer allows us to transition from slow printing speeds to increased speeds while maintaining quality, thereby reducing print time. Therefore, it is recommended to perform speed and temperature tests to find the balance that suits the printer being used

Be vary wary of old filament that was previously opened (moisture probably got to it). I always like to keep a fresh spool of filament on standby so that if something bad happens I can use it to troubleshoot and eliminate that issue.

Generally, the highest quality filaments on the market have quite high prices, but there are brands with affordable prices. The key is to find a brand that meets your quality requirements and fits your budget. One of the factors I have found to most influence print quality is humidity. It is extremely important to avoid exposing the filament to the environment unnecessarily, and if this happens, the best thing to do is to place it in an drying oven or something similar to remove its moisture.

First, never use cheap Chinese filament, cause there are actually cheaper ones produced in Europe, in my experience, a brand new PLA filament from China a 1KG roll, the filament broke more than 68 times in 4 months of printing things. I recommend Winkle filament PLA, even in high humidity conditions a roll of 1KG of while filament has never snapped even once in 6 months, a much better experience, as changing the filament after it snaps is quite disrupting, even more for large prints that most times need to be restarted.

My honest opinion is that if everything fails after careful inspection of both mechanical and software aspects and the problem persists, consider these steps: 1. Watch more tutorial videos on YouTube for additional troubleshooting tips. 2. Consider changing the printer.

There's only one way to go and that's a service level agreement with your equipment supplier. Or alternatively have people at your organization trained for full maintenance of the printers.

Printers are different from one type to another (FDM vs SLA printers) and from one brand to another (i.e. Bambu Lab vs Prusa printers). I own a Bambu P1S, so I'll share the common failures I had with my printer and how I fix them. 1?? Connection error. Occasionally (often before/after a software update), my printer fails to receive the sliced file (stuck at downloading). The solution is easy: reboot the printer - switch it off and on. 2?? Spaghetti failure, i.e. the object fails to form right shape and strings of filament fly around. This is commonly caused by some printing parameters being wrongly set. Increase 1st layer height and slow down 1st layer speed to increase cohesion between 1st layer and the build plate.

Different printers have unique configurations and settings, but three critical factors I've observed are support, infill, and bed adhesion. 1. Support Structures: For DLP printing, ensure support is added to the corners and slightly above the edges to prevent shrinkage. 2. Infill: Adjust the infill to provide the necessary strength and prevent breakage during printing. 3. Adhesion: - For DLP/SLA, ensure the bed is well-leveled, and set the initial exposure time between 30-45 seconds based on the material. - For FDM, use a skirt or raft to prevent warping. These practices help improve the overall quality and reliability of prints.

If the deadline is fast approaching, consider restarting the print on a different printer, if possible/outsourcing the print. While preliminary troubleshooting is necessary and good practice, diving further than necessary into the problem doesn't help one achieve their goal in a timely manner. Once the print is complete, one can always go back to figure out what went wrong the first time.

The first step in performing a 3D print does not lie within the printing process itself but rather in the CAD software where you will model your geometry. Before any drawing is made, it is necessary to understand the limitations and capabilities of your 3D printer. I always like to consider the finish: the more support the piece will need, the more difficult and expensive it will be to complete. Therefore, during the modeling stage, I always think about how the geometry will be printed before I start modeling. This makes the process easier. A great tip is to round off sharp corners whenever possible, as these areas tend to concentrate higher stresses, which can cause failures in your print over time.