Practical 3D Printing: Common Issues & Troubleshooting

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Common Issues & Troubleshooting

05.48

00:00	Unfortunately, 3D printing doesn't come without its headaches, and while certain printers and the use of quality materials and good preparation can make our lives easier, we should still expect to encounter some issues.
00:12	This module won't be an exhaustive list of all the problems you might encounter, but more the key ones for the FDM process that we thought would be important to discuss, and more importantly, how you should go about addressing them.
00:25	Although it's important to properly understand all the common problems discussed in this module, we'll save you the trouble of remembering them as we've prepared a troubleshooting cheat sheet that you can easily refer back to.
00:37	You can find a link to this underneath this module.
00:40	Let's start with bed adhesion, as it's maybe the most common struggle for FDM users.
00:46	This is where the adhesion between the first layers and the bed are too weak, and either the first layers won't lay down to the bed, or as the part builds up, it can come unstuck and be dragged around the bed by the hot end.
00:58	There are a lot of potential causes for this, but the most common are temperature related, or a result of poor bed levelling.
01:05	The bed levelling issue should be self explanitary.
01:08	If you are having any issues with bed adhesion and laying down the first layers, the first thing you should do is level the bed.
01:15	But, we need to be confident the bed is level before all prints if we want good results.
01:20	In the same mindset, everything we discuss in this module assumes your machine is in good condition and not damageed in any way.
01:29	On the temperature side of things, bed adhesion issues are often the result of the print bed being too cold.
01:34	Be sure that the settings reflect those recommended by the supplier of your filament.
01:39	Some experimentation might be required here; try bumping up temperature in smaller increments, say in the region of 5 to 10 decrees celcius or so, until you get it right.
01:50	Check back to the printer temperature settings module in the previous section of the course if you are hazy on the details.
01:56	Past correcting these settings, it can help to try what's known as a PEI build plate, which is designed specifically to promote adhesion, or alternatively some form of adhesive like a 3D printing glue stick.
02:08	Like bed adhesion issues, we can also experience adhesion issues between the layers of the 3D print.
02:14	Some materials are more prone to this than others.
02:17	For example, PLA is almost always trouble free, whereas something like ABS might be a bit more tricky.
02:24	This is mostly related to the nozzle temperature, so again be sure to check these settings vs the suppliers recommendations and also review the print speed settings.
02:34	Sometimes we just need to slow things down a touch.
02:37	Bed and layer adhesion issues are strongly related to the issue of part warpage.
02:42	As we know, this is caused by uneven cooling, leading to thermal stresses that deform the part.
02:48	Essentially, it's creating stresses between each layer and the print bed.
02:51	We don't want the part to cool too fast, but there's a balancing act here because we still need it to cool enough to solidify as we're building up the 3D structure.
03:00	This balance is mostly achieved through the cooling fan and enclosure temperature.
03:05	On that note, if the printer doesn't have an enclosure, then adding one or improving your control over the ambient temperature are both good starting points.
03:13	Lower fan speeds and higher ambient temperatures will generally help minimize warpage, but if we go too extreme, then our print quality will likely suffer and we'll end up with issues like ringing and oozing from the nozzle.
03:25	These issues are commonly a result of excessive nozzle temperatures, print speeds, or flow rates.
03:31	Hopefully by this point you're getting a good understanding of just how important it is to get our print settings right.
03:37	What can be tricky to determine is if the poor print quality is a result of incorrect print settings or excessive moisture absorption in our filament.
03:46	Like leveling the printer and completing proper maintenance, keeping our filaments dry is a prerequisite to quality prints.
03:54	Materials susceptible to taking on moisture, as shown on the HPA filament cheat sheet, should be kept in sealed containers with desiccant and dried before use.
04:03	As we discussed in the previous section of the course, check back if you need a refresher.
04:08	The last thing to cover in this module is blocked nozzles, also known as nozzle clogging.
04:14	This can be caused by inadequate nozzle temperatures, excessive flow rate settings, or simply not cleaning or replacing the nozzle as recommended by the manufacturer of the printer, and the material used at the given intervals.
04:25	The other factor to consider here is printing carbon fiber reinforced filaments.
04:30	These materials are extremely abrasive, and if we're not using specifically designed hardened nozzles, then we can eventually run into blockages.
04:39	What's important to understand from this module is that the issues we've discussed could be the result of multiple factors, and it takes some experience to really be able to differentiate between the symptoms.
04:50	There's also an extremely long list of potential problems we might be encountering in FDM 3D printing, but again, these were just some of the most common ones.
04:59	Regardless, here's a quick summary of the key points.
05:01	Bed adhesion, layer adhesion, and part warpage issues are often linked and caused by incorrect temperature settings of the nozzle, print bed, and enclosure or ambient temperatures, as well as the cooling fan speed.
05:14	Another cause for bed adhesion issues is poor bed leveling.
05:18	Good printer setup and maintenance are a must if you want quality results.
05:22	Poor nozzle temperature, print speed, and flow rate settings can also lead to oozing and stringing, however these issues can also be caused by excessive moisture in the filament.
05:32	Dry filament is another prerequisite for good prints.
05:36	For the settings, start by reviewing the filament supplier's recommendations, and then expect some amount of experimentation to achieve the best results.