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3D Print Troubleshooting, Calibration & Parts

Symptom diagnoser

What went wrong with your print?

Pick the symptom you can see on the plate. Every fix here is written against a specific failure mode, with the settings that actually change it.

3D print troubleshooting by symptom: a part that never stuck is an adhesion fault, gaps and thin lines are extrusion, and an offset part-way up is motion. 3D Print Troubleshooting: Find the Fault by What You Can See What to look for Three cheap things diagnose most of what follows. A tool kit with nozzle needles, tweezers and hex keys… Diagram of a layer stack showing the seam print defect. Blobs, zits and a visible seam line A small defect where each layer starts and stops, stacked into a visible line. Diagram of a layer stack showing the crack print defect. Cracking and layer delamination Layers separate under load or on their own. Weak bonding from cold plastic or a cold chamber. Diagram showing overhang angle measured from vertical, with the 45 degree rule of thumb and a drooping unsupported edge. Drooping overhangs and failed bridges Plastic sags before it sets. Cooling and slower perimeters do most of the work. Diagram of a layer stack showing the foot print defect. Elephant foot on the bottom layer The first layers bulge outwards. Too much squish plus a bed hotter than it needs to be. Build plate pairings for first layer adhesion: PLA on PEI with no glue, PETG on textured PEI or smooth PEI with glue, ABS and ASA on smooth PEI with glue and a closed enclosure, TPU on textured PEI at low bed temperature. First Layer Not Sticking: What 3D Printer Bed Adhesion Depends On Nine times out of ten the plate is contaminated with skin oil, not badly levelled. Wash it before you touch the Z offset. Diagram of a layer stack showing the shift print defect. Layer shifting partway through a print Everything above a certain height is offset. Belts, grub screws or a speed the machine cannot hold. Diagram of a partially clogged nozzle showing debris restricting the melt zone above the nozzle orifice. Nozzle clogged: partial and complete blockages A partial clog degrades quality gradually; a complete one stops everything. The cold pull handles both. Diagram of a layer stack showing the detach print defect. Print detached mid-print and turned into spaghetti The part came off the plate and the nozzle kept extruding into air. Adhesion, warping or a knock. Diagram of a layer stack showing the ring print defect. Ringing and ghosting on vertical surfaces Echoes of a corner repeating across the wall. Mechanical vibration the frame cannot damp fast enough. Drying temperatures to cure stringing: PLA 4 hours at 55 C, PETG 4 hours at 65 C, ABS and ASA 4 hours at 80 C, TPU 6 hours at 55 C. Stringing and oozing between parts Fine hairs across gaps. Moisture first, temperature second, retraction third — in that order. Diagram of support structures under a part showing the interface gap between the support top and the part underside. Supports that will not come off Supports fused to the part. Increase the Z gap and reduce the interface density. Diagram of a layer stack showing the gap print defect. Under-extrusion: thin, gappy walls Not enough plastic is arriving. Partial clog, worn nozzle or an uncalibrated flow rate — check in that order. Warping risk by material: PLA very low shrinkage with no enclosure needed, PETG low with an enclosure helpful for large parts, ABS and ASA high shrinkage with an enclosure required. Warping: corners lifting off the bed Plastic shrinks as it cools and pulls the corners up. Heat is the fix, not adhesion tricks. Diagram of a layer stack showing the band print defect. Z banding: repeating horizontal lines up the print Bands at a regular pitch. Measure the spacing — it tells you which part is at fault.
Not a print defect? Error codes  ·  Calibration  ·  Filament
T1 Print defects Stringing, warping, first layer, under-extrusion 15 articles T2 Error codes HMS, MINTEMP, thermal runaway, homing failed 126 articles T3 Calibration Z offset, flow, pressure advance, input shaper 9 articles T4 Filament Temps, drying, enclosures, PLA vs PETG vs ASA 55 articles T5 Parts & fit Nozzles, plates, hotends — and what fits what 86 articles T6 Slicer OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura, PrusaSlicer 10 articles T7 Upgrade & buy Which printer, which AMS, what fits your filaments 220 articles
HMS, MINTEMP, thermal runaway, homing failed

Error codes

All error codes →
HMS 0300-2500-0001-000B: right extruder nozzle not detected HMS 0300-2500-0001-000B means the right nozzle is not detected. Either it is missing, or residue in the seat is holding it proud. How to check for both. HMS 0300-0D00-0001-000C: heatbed levelling data abnormal HMS 0300-0D00-0001-000C means the levelling data is abnormal and asks you to look for debris. Where it hides, and why cleaning beats re-running the mesh. HMS 0300-9300-0001-0005: chamber sensor at the heater air inlet HMS 0300-9300-0001-0005 points at the chamber temperature sensor on the air inlet side. Why inlet and outlet sensors fail differently, and how to test it. HMS 0300-9000-0001-0004: chamber heating failed, heating fan too slow HMS 0300-9000-0001-0004 means chamber heating failed because the heating fan is too slow. Without airflow the element cooks while the chamber stays cold. HMS 0300-9100-0001-0007: chamber heater 1 sensor open circuit HMS 0300-9100-0001-0007 means the chamber heater 1 sensor reads as open. Where that sensor sits, what it should measure, and what replacing it involves. HMS 0300-2500-0001-0005: Z axis motor rotation obstructed HMS 0300-2500-0001-0005 means the Z axis motor is obstructed. What gets into the Z path, and how to tell an obstruction from a motor that is truly failing. HMS 0300-2500-0001-000A: nozzle offset calibration failed, filament on the nozzle HMS 0300-2500-0001-000A means offset calibration failed because filament is stuck to a nozzle. How to clean it warm, and why cold cleaning tears the sock. HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0003: left nozzle heater over temperature HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0003 means the left nozzle ran over temperature. What makes a hotend overshoot, and why a missing silicone sock is the common cause. HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0002: left nozzle heater open circuit HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0002 means the left nozzle heater reads as disconnected. The connector comes before the cartridge, and how to tell the two of them apart. HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0001: left nozzle heater short circuit HMS 0300-1E00-0001-0001 means the left nozzle heater is drawing too much current. How to measure the cartridge, and which hotend assembly replaces it. HMS 0300-0D00-0001-0003: the build plate may not be properly placed HMS 0300-0D00-0001-0003 means the build plate may not be seated. How to refit it square, and what to check when that message keeps coming back at you. HMS 0300-0D00-0001-0002: heatbed homing failed from vibration HMS 0300-0D00-0001-0002 means bed homing failed because of vibration. What the printer is standing on matters more than anything inside the machine here.
Z offset, flow, pressure advance, input shaper

Calibration

All calibration →
01 Temperature tower for 3D printing: use 5 degree steps, judge bands on bridging and stringing rather than surface gloss. Temperature Tower: How to Run One and What to Read From It 4 min read 02 3D printer test prints in order: first layer and flow first, then temperature and retraction, with speed and acceleration last. 3D Printer Test Prints: Which Ones Actually Tell You Something 4 min read 03 3D printer bed temperature: PLA runs 55 to 60 degrees and PETG 75 to 85, with the plate surface typically 5 to 15 degrees below the reported number. 3D Printer Bed Temperature: Settings by Material, and Why Yours Reads Wrong 4 min read 04 Order to calibrate a 3D printer: bed levelling then Z offset, extruder steps then flow rate, and finally motion tuning with pressure advance. How to Calibrate a 3D Printer: The Order That Stops You Going in Circles 2 min read 05 Calibration cube for 3D printers: a 20 mm cube, normal FDM deviation within 0.1 mm, and a caliper reading to 0.01 mm needed to measure it. The Calibration Cube: What It Actually Measures, and in What Order 2 min read 06 Key figures for Bed levelling and mesh compensation: 121 points on 420 mm, 16 points on 180 mm. Bed levelling and mesh compensation 2 min read
Temps, drying, enclosures, PLA vs PETG vs ASA

Filament

All filament →
Nozzles, plates, hotends — and what fits what

Parts & fit

All parts & fit →
01 How long to cure resin prints: small miniatures need two to four minutes, medium parts five to eight minutes, and large or clear parts about ten minutes with the part turned partway through. How Long to Cure Resin Prints: Times by Size, and Why Over-Curing Ruins Them 4 min read 02 How to paint 3D prints: the step that decides the result is filler primer sanded back, the most common mistake is one thick coat, and what lifts the finish is an airbrush rather than a spray can. How to Paint 3D Prints: Primer First, Thin Coats, No Layer Lines 4 min read 03 3D printer lubricant: synthetic grease on lead screws, a thin film on rails and rods, and nothing at all on belts, extruder gears or the build plate. 3D Printer Lubricant: What Goes on Rails, Screws and Nothing Else 4 min read 04 Heat set inserts for 3D printing: an insert that spins means the hole is too large, a split boss means too small, and one sitting proud means the iron is too cool. Heat Set Inserts for 3D Printing: Hole Size, Iron Temperature and Seating 4 min read 05 Sanding and priming 3D prints: knock down layer lines at 180 to 220 grit, level at 320 to 400 before primer, then cut the primer back at 600. Sanding and Priming 3D Prints: The Grit Order That Actually Works 4 min read 06 Cleaning a 3D printer bed: isopropyl alcohol handles oil, hot water and dish soap remove the polymer film, and acetone must never touch PEI. Cleaning a 3D Printer Bed: What Works on PEI, Glass and Textured Plates 4 min read
OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Cura, PrusaSlicer

Slicer

All slicer →
01 3D printer retraction settings: direct drive needs 0.5 to 2 mm, Bowden needs 4 to 7 mm, and retraction speed sits between 25 and 45 mm per second. 3D Printer Retraction Settings: Distance, Speed, and What They Cannot Fix 5 min read 02 3D printer layer height: the ceiling is 75 to 80 percent of nozzle diameter, about 0.3 mm with a 0.4 mm nozzle, and halving layer height roughly doubles print time. 3D Printer Layer Height: The Nozzle Sets the Ceiling 2 min read 03 Key figures for Importing Cura profiles into OrcaSlicer: 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layer, 0.42 mm width. Importing Cura profiles into OrcaSlicer 2 min read 04 Key figures for Max volumetric speed: the real limit on print speed: 40 mm³/s hotend, 0.2 mm layer, ~380 mm/s ceiling. Max volumetric speed: the real limit on print speed 2 min read 05 Infill pattern comparison: gyroid is isotropic with no self-crossing, grid is fast and strong in two axes, cubic is good all round, lightning uses minimal material. Infill patterns: gyroid, grid and when it matters 2 min read 06 Diagram comparing a brim, a flat ring of extra outline around the first layer, with a raft, a printed slab underneath the whole part. Brim vs raft: which one and when 2 min read
Which printer, which AMS, what fits your filaments

Upgrade & buy

All upgrade & buy →