If there are issues with your print adhering to the build surface of your printer there are several steps you can take to help the adhesion along. Please note that most of these recommendations would be for PLA, which is the standard filament included with most of our Printers.
- Always make sure the bed is properly leveled first. The most common issue with build plate adhesion is that the bed is uneven and it is not able to evenly lay out filament. Following the instructions in our video will help you get an even building surface. This is only for printers with manual leveling features. However, the same ideology applies to auto-level printers.
- Double check the Filaments recommended filament temperatures. For example, the standard bed temperatures for PLA are 40 to 50 Degrees Celsius. Higher temperature would not necessarily mean better adhesion, however some filaments may request higher temperatures at the bed for better use. An example of this being ABS or PET-G filaments, which both require temperatures well above 50 Degrees Celsius.
- Insure that you are printing with a brim or a raft. These can be added in the Cura software and will greatly increase your adhesion. Both can be found under the Build Plate Adhesion option in Cura. A brim is a narrow strip of plastic that is formed around the base of the object you are printing. The default width of this strip is 8mm but can be adjusted to whatever width you choose. A raft is 3 to 5 layers of filament that are laid underneath the object. The object you are printing would be printed on top the raft and would not touch the build surface.
- If the printer has been in use for a while, then there may be a chance the stock build surface sticker is worn down and would need to be replaced. These are available from Monoprice.com for many models of our 3D printers. Blue or Green Painters tape can also be used in place of the build surface sticker if you have this available.
- Use a standard white glue stick directly on the build surface. Glue sticks will also help in terms of adhesion to the build surface. All that should be needed is a thin layer coating the entire space your object will be printed on. If more glue is necessary, apply at your own discretion.