You start a print, everything looks fine, walk away for a while… and when you come back, your model is either sliding around the build plate or has turned into a lovely pile of plastic spaghetti.
If you’re new to 3D printing, prints coming loose from the build plate is one of the most common problems you’ll come across.
The good news is that it’s usually quite easy to fix.
1. Clean Your Build Plate
This is always one of the first things we check.
Even if your build plate looks perfectly clean, oils from your fingers can get onto the surface every time you touch it. That can be enough to stop the first layer sticking properly.
Remove the plate and give it a good clean with warm water and dish soap, then dry it thoroughly.
Try not to touch the printing area afterwards. Hold the plate around the edges when putting it back onto the printer.
Sometimes the simplest fix really is just clean the plate.
2. Check Your First Layer
Your first layer is probably the most important layer of the entire print.
If the nozzle is too far away from the build plate, the filament doesn’t get pressed onto the surface properly. Instead, it can sit loosely on top.
If the nozzle is too close, you can have the opposite problem.
Modern printers with automatic bed levelling make this much easier, but it’s still worth watching the first layer go down.
Don’t just press print and immediately walk away.
Spend a minute watching it.
Those first few lines can tell you a lot about whether the rest of the print is going to succeed.
3. Check Your Build Plate Temperature
Your slicer normally chooses sensible temperatures for the material you’re using, but they’re not always perfect for every filament and build plate combination.
If the bed is too cool, your print may start perfectly well but gradually begin lifting at the corners.
Different materials also behave differently.
PLA is generally quite forgiving, while materials such as PETG, ABS and ASA can require different temperatures and printing conditions.
Always check the recommendations for the filament you’re using.
4. Slow Down the First Layer
Speed isn’t always your friend.
Printing the first layer more slowly gives the filament more time to make good contact with the build plate.
Once you’ve got a solid first layer, the printer can speed up for the rest of the model.
So if you’re having adhesion problems, check your first-layer speed in your slicer.
5. Try Adding a Brim
Some models simply don’t have much surface area touching the build plate.
Imagine printing a tall object standing on a tiny base. There’s not much holding it down.
This is where a brim can help.
A brim adds extra lines of filament around the bottom of your model, increasing the amount of material touching the build plate.
Once the print has finished, you simply remove the brim.
It’s a very useful trick for tall, narrow models or prints that keep lifting at the edges.
6. Watch Out for Drafts
This one can be surprisingly easy to miss.
If cold air is blowing across your printer from an open window, door or fan, parts of your print can cool at different speeds.
That can cause the plastic to contract and the corners of the model to lift from the bed.
This is particularly important with materials that are more sensitive to temperature changes.
Sometimes moving the printer away from a draft can make a big difference.
7. Is Your Build Plate Worn Out?
Build plates don’t last forever.
After hundreds — or thousands — of prints, surfaces can become damaged or worn.
Before replacing one, though, give it a really thorough clean.
We’ve seen plenty of build plates that looked like they needed replacing when they actually just needed a proper wash.
Don’t Reach for the Glue Straight Away
Glue sticks and other adhesives certainly have their place in 3D printing, but they shouldn’t necessarily be the first solution every time a print won’t stick.
If PLA suddenly stops sticking to a plate that normally works perfectly, something else has probably changed.
Start with the basics:
Clean the plate. Check the first layer. Check your temperatures.
Then work through the problem one step at a time.
That’s much better than changing ten different slicer settings at once and having no idea which one actually fixed it.
Still Having Problems?
One of the biggest parts of learning 3D printing is understanding why something went wrong.
Failed prints happen to everyone — including people who have been 3D printing for years.
The difference is that eventually you learn to look at a failed print and start recognising what caused it.
At Gift & Receive, we run hands-on 3D printing lessons from our studio at Emporium M33 in Sale. We cover the printer itself, filament, slicing, troubleshooting and how to get from a digital model to a successful finished print.
And if your printer is driving you mad, bring your questions with you.
We’ve probably seen the same problem before!
Gift & Receive – Making 3D Printing Easier to Understand.
