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  • Plastic: Same Matterhacker PLA (filament I use every day)
  • Printer: Anycubic i3 Mega (the one I use every day)
  • Slicer: Ultimaker Cura 4.2.1

I don't know what's causing it, I haven't changed any slicer settings to my knowledge, I haven't changed anything on the printers end, and I'm using the same filament I've always used. But for some reason, the first layer is simply not sticking. At first I noticed when doing a print the nozzle seemed a little higher than normal for the first layer, but then it started having problems where 0 % of the filament would stick to the bed and it would all just come off and turn into a mess. I've checked and checked, but I see no reason the printer would just start doing this now all the sudden when it's worked perfectly for a year now.

EDIT: Something I've noticed since posting this is that older sliced models seem to print just fine, which means there's something about the newser slicer settings that's causing it. I don't know what I would have changed though and/or how to restore to my original settings.

Ultra Gamer
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2 Answers2

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There are 3 general factors about print adhesion you always have to keep in mind:

  • Have a sufficient surface for the print to stick. A pyramid printed on the tip can't print properly.
  • Check the leveling of your bed occasionally and relevel the bed. By removing prints, one can easily unlevel it over time without noticing it.
  • Clean your print bed from fingerprints and grease every so often. Fats are good separators between the print and the bed. Getting them off with Isopropyl alcohol or other solvents can restore print surfaces in an instant.

In this specific case, there are some hints that make the general things less of an issue though: Old sliced items print fine, newer not. This hints that you changed something in the print settings. Among the settings that are good for adhesion, check your old G-code for the following three:

  • Bed temperature. I use 60 °C bed temperature for PLA and have good results on bed adhesion. Others print with 50 °C. However, going too low can make the plastic not stick well anymore.
  • Extrusion temperature. When the plastic extrudes, it has to be molten enough to push out enough and cold enough to solidify within moments and stick to the surface of the bed. If it is too hot, it would be dragged along, if it's too cold it doesn't get to stick either. I use 190-200 °C for PLA.
  • The first layer height might be different. I usually use 0.2 mm for this setting, no matter what the actual layer height is, and get good adhesion and not too much trouble with tiny unevenness.
  • The reason might be a mechanical issue, in that the Z-endstops (in an Anycubic i3, there are two, hidden in the frame sides) might have bent, moved or misaligned over time. Check its positioning. If the mount is broken, there are replacement part designs.
0scar
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Trish
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This seems like a long-shot, but I've noticed at this time of year many 3D prints fail. We noticed 4 printers all went dead and had massive non-stick issues last year about this time. Turns out it was mostly around changes in temperature and humidity - the outside temperature changed inside AC settings/wind-flow, etc.

So, you might think through some of the meta-causes of where the printer is, and if temp/air/humidity might be just enough chaos to not make the material stick. Right in September, I start putting a light layer of glue down on the glass bed under each print or increasing the use of rafts...

JayCrossler
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