Don't use flush cuts or "pliers" as they are called in this video. They are high carbon steel and are NOT meant for prying. The tips will break very easy. #1 Tip, just let the bed cool. As the bed cools it shrinks. The plastic will shrink at a different rate, this will release the print.

1. Touching the bed 2. Not leveling bed properly 3. Printing too fast 4. Wrong material settings 5. Not considering print orientation 6. Not storing filament properly 7. Cleaning with ipa instead of soap+water 8. Using PLA for outdoor parts 9. Adjusting slicer settings too much

I'd like to add one important aspect that gets neglected often, mostly in private use. Since no private person is forced to do a risk assesment the material choice of the filament needs to considered carefully due to hazardous properties. As I do this stuff at work I cannot understand why on earth anyone without a proper ventilation and filtersystem (just opening a window is not suffcient) would want to print ABS/ASA/Vinyl/HIPS/PPS. ABS/ASA contains styrol which lowers fertility and comes with high regulation at workplace use. It also gets metabolised fast into other toxic substanced in your body after skin contact or respiration. Vinyl straight up releases formaldehyde into the air. So please check the safe datasheet of any filament you want to use and see which chemicals are in there, at what tempreture do they react/disolve and what do they do.

Me 9 seconds after unboxing my first ender 3

The comments on isopropyl alcohol have an image of highlighted text showing ethanol. Ethanol and isopropyl are different chemicals. Additionally, you used 70% isopropyl in your video. I have had bad experience with anything less than 90%.

Counterpoint to using isopropyl alcohol for cleaning: what if you dont use glue because you have a decent build plate that doesn't require it and do it frequently? Every time I start a print, I'll give a few sprays of alcohol and wipe with a microfiber cloth (specifically for this purpose). With this method, I have both rarely had bed adhesion issues (less than 1% of prints) and each wipe down takes about 15 seconds (during which time the bed is heating up, anyway) as opposed to having to take the build plate off and thoroughly wash it during time I could be doing anything else (and during which time it can't be used for printing)

#1: I actually suggest 3D printing plastic spatulas, there are plenty of patterns online, and if you bought a Prusa Mk4 it's actually one of the files on the USB stick that comes with the printer. Makes removing stubborn prints a lot easier and won't ruin the build plate like a metal one would. Also - I'm a big fan of PEI, especially the gold colored stuff, prints seem to stick well with no glue stick. #5: You know what annoys me? When somebody uploads a print to an online site in the wrong orientation. If you're going to share the print with the world, please make sure it's in the correct orientation to print.

Dawn dish soap and water made a huge difference for me when I was having issues with large articulated prints failing. I had been using a paper towel soaked with isopropyl before this. Pick a soap without moisturizer and make sure to dry the build surface real well to prevent rust.

There is absolutely a beenfit to using isopropyl alcohol. It flashes of almost immediately, and you can clean your built plate easily while in place. Soap and water does work great, but you have to take the build plate to a sink or something and then wait for it to dry before using. Wiping down the plate with IPA takes about 10 seconds and the alcohol is flashed off in less time than that. Just keep a bottle of IPA and a rag by your printer. I do a quick wipe before nearly eveyr print.

Both soap and my local tap water leave residue on the build surface that prevents adhesion. The process I have found to give the best results *by far* is to clean left over glue stick, oils, and anything else off using water, either completely avoiding or using an absolute minimum amount of soap, wipe off with paper towel, then follow up with a quick clean with isopropyl to remove the residue from the water (and soap); the isopropyl also helps remove all moisture. Following that I do my glue stick application rituals.

First time I used the X1 carbon I accidentally had it set to the p1p settings. It printed fine but it didn’t do any LiDAR calibration and that’s one thing I really like about the printer. Also having auto bed leveling is a dream after leveling beds manually for years.

#8 - Yep, learned that after 4 failures on a printer that had been sticking perfectly with the same filament and settings because I was in a rush and just did an Isopropyl wipe down. After 4 failures, I removed the bed plate and washed it with Dial soap and warm water. Next print run succeeded and I'm a soap fan for life.

#9: On the topic of 3d prints for outdoors.... I feel like the MAIN time you'd have an issue using PLA for something outdoors is if that particular item is meant for in your car (or a shed or somewhere that doesn't have good temperature regulation) or is constantly in direct sunlight. PLA starts to soften at 60C/140F, so in most cases it would be OK, even if it's just something you need to throw together in a pinch until you can get a proper fix or something.

Another thing you must never do with your fdm printer is turning it off too soon. The mistake I made in the begining. If you turn it off, when hotend is still hot, your cooling fan turns off and filament starts melting, where it should not be melted, and when you turn on the next time, your hotend is completely stuck. (sorry if my english is not good)

I completely disagree that there's "no reason why you'd need to use Isopropyl Alcohol". I use IPA to spread the layer of glue I have on the build plate very thinly. I then might print a small part that doesn't take up the whole bed, and instead of applying more glue, I simply spray a bit of IPA on the bed and use it to respread the remaining glue on the bed. This generally gives me up to 4 or 5 prints before I wash the plate and apply fresh glue. This results in a really consistent thin layer of glue.

IPA is a good choice to clean the bed before/after each print to remove reside... at least for PEI coated (flat or textured) surfaces. It's not a replacement for a soapy water rinse. That's still necessary every once in a while for the reasons mentioned in the video, but is everyone else really washing their build plate for each print?

Just learned the tip about filaments being different temps today. Had two PLAs that I thought were the same but one prints at 190 and the other (matterhackers) prints at 205. Your video would've saved me some time! Good info about the walls too, wasn't too keen on that one but your visuals helped.

Yeah, I did a lot of those a few too many times when I first started. Good video!

Wall thickness is a great point - the technical term is "second moment of area", and a good way to consider it is that lampposts are tubes, not solid steel as almost all of the strength is in the outer skin, not the core, due to how far away it is from the centre point.

FWIW, Grandma's filament clip is the best clip I've found. Stays secured when clipped, and if you use the version with the pass-thru hole, it doesn't come off the filament and keeps it from getting tangled as it feeds off the roll. Print half a dozen white and half a dozen black and you're good forever. IPA is nice for spritzes between warm soapy waters. I live in San Diego, southern california. I've never had a problem with PLA warping. Unless you live where it's literally impossible to stand outside, you're not going to get over 50 degrees outdoors. Of course, don't leave it inside your closed car. Don't use black if you're leaving it in direct sun. etc. But I think the worry about PLA warping due to sun is overblown. And of course PETG and/or UV-opaque paint cures the heat and UV problem.

To get under parts that don't want to let go of the build plate, I usually use "paint knives". (set of them is usually less than ten bucks online) Unlike these normal spatulas they don't have fully sharp edges, are thinner and therefore pose less of a damage risk to the parts and can work themself into thinner gaps.

After 2 years of using my printer on/off with a "decent" avoidance of touching the plate, I eventually lost adhesion. Finding ispropanol in my country is very difficult. The only other option was the even stronger kind of cleaning agents that would likely ruin the plate instead. So I did the dishsoap option in warm water. This worked PERFECTLY! The plate was as good as the day I bought the printer afterwards, no Glue or anything needed. This was with a Prusa MK3S printer anyways... Dishsoap, like green dishsoap and warm water. And some cloth to rub with, will do fine! Or should do fine. Also if you only print with PLA. You can use cotton sticks to clean the nozzle of your printer. When my nozzle gets too dirty, I remove the PLA reels from it and I manually turn on PLA heat on the nozzle. Then I use cotton sticks to gently swab away the molten PLA grease on the nozzle until it is completely clean. This also prevents the nozzle from scratching up with the metallic brushes some printer producers recommend. Although I only recommend cotton sticks for PLA cleaning. Hotter settings might not be good for the cotton. Regardless with PLA only printers cotton sticks can easily absorb and pull the molten PLA away like wax. I even got my Printer head 100% clean once like new after I had a blob appear once...

Just now unboxed my new Bambu P1S. It's currently printing off the scraper tool as it's first print thanks to your advice! Great video!

would you recommend the bambulab x1 carbon, or the prusa mk4?

Due to many reasons, there’ll be a filament residue left on the build plate which won’t go with soap water. Hence, we need to use IPA. Hope this helps with why!

wait what was that final marble machine in the last few seconds?

3:46 the AMS unit uses chips that are nearly exclusively on the Bambu Lab spools to recognize what filament they are.

Wonderful video, straight to the point with solid tips.

I tried Ludacris speed on my Mk3s+ (not perfectly leveled with no mods) and the closest I got was something that came out like something printed with no bed leveling

The greasy fingers on the build plate kills me a bit inside every time I see it 😅

The isopropyl alcohol is for removing the leftover plastic from when you peel your builds off.

"There's really no benefit to using IPA over warm soapy water" Sure there is, I can leave the build plate in place and give it a quick IPA wipe. 5 seconds vs. minutes to pull, rinse, soap, wash, dry, and replace. If you're not using a glue stick, anyway. But then if you're using a glue stick regularly, IMO that's a bit of a band-aid covering up some other deficiency.

On the Bambu lab PEI sheets I was washing with warm soapy water and the prints wouldn’t stick, but when I cleaned it with alcohol it stuck each time

Bambu is just killing it. The a1 series is amazing. Auto leveling. Auto flow calibration. A camera and multi color for under 500 bones. Makes this hobby much more about orinting and much less about tinkering

I have these isopropyl alcohol wipes that I use to wipe down the build plate before each print. Much easier than taking it off to go to the bathroom to wash it off then dry it. It also cleans it just fine! I never have an issue.

A comment about your "But you gotta level the bed" bit. -- I run a shop that repairs 3D printers, and I will tell you 90% of the time it isn't anything to do with leveling the bed. Everyone keeps reiterating this, but when it comes to Ender 3's and other kit-in-a-box printers, if you don't build it right, you will NEVER get it level correctly despite how easy it is to do. So I regularly have customers that come in that say "I've been trying to level my bed for 10 hours!"... And Auto Bed Leveling will NOT solve an unlevel (un-trammed) bed if something is mechanically wrong with your printer.

I use ipa so i dont have to remove the bed and walk it over to a sink or wait for it to dry. Benefit of PEI is no need for glue stick and a nicer bottom layer finish like with stock ender beds alongside parts releasing on their own when cooled.

I clean build plates with dish soap, warm water, and a veggie brush. Removes glue stick super easy. If you have remnants that wont release from the build surface print a small "coin" over the offending piece and it will come up with the removal of the part. Let cool completely so it is nice and stiff before removing.

that little up 🔃down 🔄graphic is so helpful

I use a glue stick for adhesion, but it releases better after the print, too. I used the paper method for leveling the original bed. It crached and scarred the bed. I used a business card to set the reoolacement and brought the bed up after printing bed level tests.

Me: "oh this can't be that bad" Also me but 20seconds later: "WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THE PLATE!!!! ARRRRGGHHH!! (INTERNAL SCREAMING)"

Another tip (not really a mistake or sin): If you're modelling to fit onto an object, start with 0.2 mm tolerance. This seems to be the typical tolerance both for plastic printed and metal machined parts. There are some tolerance guides, but those are to fit two printed parts together. Also, check to see if your slicer program allows you to change "wall ordering" > "outside to inside". I haven't had much success with the setting, but it doesn't hurt as the printer will print with better dimensional accuracy.

I mean... I very rarely clean my ender 3 pro default printbed, swipe it with my hand sometimes, and never got a problem with it... And if someone has problems with the adhesion, you can still print with a little border to stick it more

I do use isopropyl alcohol but i do not always use glue. I use glue with the harder parts that are too small or prone to warping and then i need soap to wash ofd the glue. In other cases i will just give it a quick wipe of IPA between prints and wash it with soap after a couple of prints.

7:00 actually, IPA have to be mixed with water at somewhere like 50x50 ratio instead of being used pure, so grease which taken from surface stays in water instead of a surface and can be collected by towel

What slicers are you using for the Ender 3? Right now I have an Ender 3 and Ender 2 pro and I’m using the creality slicer but it has very limited options

thank you so much im just getting a 3dprinter

im cleaning plate with soapy water and also im using soft toothbrush for quickening proces. works like charm and scracthes at plate after dosens of washing

Any recommendations on slicer software for ender 3 pro? Currently i am designing on autocad, and using cura. Anything better for free out there?

Just a detail, but it should be mentioned this is focused on FDM/FFF printers. “3D printers/ing” cover a vast number of other processes (FDM/FFF, SLA, EBM, DMLS, Polyjet/multijet, ultrasonic consolidation, MJF, SLS, etc….) where some of these don’t necessarily apply

Wish i had known the "Wrong material for outdoor use" sooner. I once printed a phone adapter for my car - and it worked flawlessly. At least until summer hit and i had to leave my car in the most exposed sunny spot on earth. It was.. a mess.

IPA is for quick cleaning and soapy water is when IPA doesn't do the trick. I rarely have to weash the build plates, usually IPA does the trick and I get good adhesion. I also have never had to use gluestick as adhesion or release agent. That's why you have different sheets.

The best scrapers are the ones that use plastic razor blades. Despite being sharper (and thus better able to get under the print), it's a lot harder for the blades to damage the print bed or your hands. Major win.

Nothing gives me a greater sense of power than when I orient my parts in an optimal way.

Tip to release a print; Just take off the plate as a whole and put it on something cold, like a tile floor, or even hold it under cold water. The print will release mostly by itself...

Dude the soapy water is amazing for cleaning the bed. THANK YOU!

Another tip for a better part strength is infill design, cubic is a lot stronger than grid since it's stable more than just vertically

I just recently got into 3D printing. The issue I'm having is the printed product is hard or not able to break away from the Raft. I have a FlashForge Adventure 3 and using Flashforge PLA Filament 1.75mm. The Original Filament that came with the unit was a red translucent material. When I ran out of that, I took the filament information off the original spool and ordered Flashforge PLA Filament 1.75mm, 3D Printer Filaments 0.5kg Spool-Dimensional Accuracy +/- 0.02mm for Adventurer 3 Series (Black) and a (Grey) off Amazon. Whether I use, the (Black or Grey) the printed product does not want to separate from the Raft. I have not adjusted any of my printer from the factory default settings. Just wondering what causes it to adhere to the Raft. The Raft comes off the Build Plate just fine.

Overall some great tips! Couple thoughts from my experience, not better, just another perspective. - Imho, IPA has worked well for me as the in-between. At least on PEI plates. Meaning every other print or so I use IPA, in circles starting at the center to push grease to the outside. Then every so often i soap and water it up. - PEI plates in my experience actually don't stick as well as standard, but when they cool down parts are super easy to remove, like you don't need anything in most cases the part just comes off. So having both is really helpful. - For my ender 3's (S1 pro and the V3 SE), in most cases i'm just setting the print speed in the slicer (M220 S300 for 300% speed) to 200% or 300% and it pretty really well, quality is great, and it's much quicker. But if you have a bambu labs you are probably already faster than that at the normal setting :D

Thank you very much. You are saying some things that seem to contradict what everybody else says, which can mean either you are wrong or you are saying only what you personally experience - no matter how many people say different. Again and again I tried to "calibrate" my printers according to the common advise and have found myself un-doing everything because it just made the results worse. I never tried the isopropinol advice because I didn't think it made sense (we use soap to clean grease all the time. Why not here?!), but how can I be sure I am not mistaken? glad to see you actually think the same. The fact that washing something with a lot of liquid is more effective then wiping it with a small amount is something I didn't even think of, and it does make a lot of sense.

LOOOOOOOOOL. First part is exactly what my beginner mistake was. And I needed tons of time to figure that out. Once I started rubbing alcohol and the build plate every time my builds where 1000x better

Cool and useful!

*All* of my speed increases are NOT gained by increasing the mm/s. I increase the size of the internal perimeters/infill/solid infill layers. This makes big thick ugly and STRONG lines on the INSIDE of the print. It's smart, especially for functional parts. Also to isopropyl alcohol is for people who are good for people who aren't touching their print beds. I use dish soap and water every once in a while...but then I use a few sprays (Yes, I use a spray bottle, a single bottle of drug store higher-proof rubbing alcohol will last a year or more if you just use less from the get go, I even re-use the paper towel a few times) It just gets residues from the filament and dust off of the build plate. The alcohol is also really clutch for spraying a bit on the bed and then watching your parts pop off the bed almost instantly (depending on geometry, but it's soooo satisfying) The water/alcohol encourages quicker cooling from the bed.

I got a 3mm sheet of G10 for a bed plate and haven’t looked back. Screw PEI that can flake off, glass that chips with PETG, etc. G10 holds tight when hot and lets go when cool. Even big prints don’t have to be scraped.

My print bed has learning marks in the centre of it and I tend to just print around it. It just leaves a mark in any print touching it. I have a glass plate that came with my printer but I’ve been scared to use it because I don’t like cleaning up glass

what websites do you use for 3d print building? all the ones i use never work. thank you

Bro, just like soap is a non-polar thingy that takes away the fat (grease), so are any alcohols 👌🏽 that's why isopropyl alcohol is very popular when cleaning the bed. You could even use acetone, since it's a non-polar solvent as well, but it's more expensive... Although by that case, soapy warm water is the best of all 😆 the point is, IPA cleans grease and oils just as well as water and soap

I need to pick my printer apart and clean it. It's been collecting dust and grease for 10+ years now and just isn't very happy any more. I still think it's impressive that it has worked flawlessly for about 10 years before giving in to the environment. The kitchen really isn't the kindest environment either.

So the Bambu comes with Ludicrous speed - does it go plaid?

what program do you use for slicing?

Damn I just printed with the wrong filament settings yesterday!

what software where you using in the video

Automatic bed levelling isn't all its cracked up to be. I've been spending a few days tweaking my Ender 3v2 to get the first layer to print well. I got one amazing print... Then it tanked. Haven't been able to nail that perfect first layer yet.

LOL this first Sin of touching the bed with fingers instantly counteracted with use a sharp metal scrapping tool and pokey plyers to remove stuff, which is sin #0.

about the "good" default slicer settings. mine were good but not efficient. after now half a year of owning a 3d printer i changed many settings. and it prints a benchy in half the time of the default and the quality is the exact same if not even slighty better due to better overhang settings.

tbh i just used a can of air to release my prints as it rapidly cools the prints without having to wait. also textured beds don't require any glue so is simpler to use and less messy. plus if you want to clean your build plate use isopropyl alcohol spray and some kitchen roll when its fully cooled of and the printer is turned of. also bed levelling probes are super easy to install and are cheap especially for ender printers as they have the creality levelling probe that comes with the brackets ready to just bolt straight on

Where can I find that orange grabber in the "touching the build plate" section?

I have a build plate with texture, never had an adhesion problem :) (ANYCUBIC photon 2 neo)

Is it a sin to use pla + and not have a pla + option?

Yeah, I learned some of those the hard, but more memorable, way. Haha Just wanted to add to filament storage that for storing filament I always heard about the importance of keeping humidity below 45% for PLA and below 30% for PETG, TPU, and some others. I have all sorts of 3D-printed desiccant containers with reusable silica beads in weatherproof-seal boxes where I store the filament and monitor them with Govee hygrometers on their app.

6:24 In case of my X1C, the gluestick is intended to be used as a release agent, for the cool plate only. It's there to ensure the prints don't stick too well too the buildplate and rip off the pre-applied film.

THX Steven for this video !

definitely don't recommend falling back on ABL too terribly much. there's no substitute for having a squared bed and your z axis leadscrew will thank me when it's not dithering up and down to correct for your less than perpendicular bed.

Very helpful video. Thank you.🇺🇸

two #9 ? => top 10 :) Thank you for sharing!

would you print smartphone case fitments for the razr kishi version 1 controller? the controller is good just the flappines is a downside. if you would print such fitments just per request not upfront you could make bucks out of it. in need one for the galaxy S10. I'd pay totally 30 dollars u.s. or eur for it. if that's reasonable no idea how exp. the material is. but I'd raise up to 50 bucks per request. consider it ty

I've never heard the first one, if you have such a zoned-in printer that the slight oiliness from your skin disrupt adhesion, you should be making parts for aerospace lol wait oh my god please do not use flush cutters like that you're going to shatter the tip. just buy a pei sheet or put it in the freezer to shrink faster

I actually didn't know the increase wall count rather than infill thing, thanks!

I have a glass board and use a ceran cooking field scraper. The ones with the razorblade. The board must be completely cooled off (huge factor, even 30°C sticks like hell, 23°C not anymore). With the razorblade usually thats enough and if not i pry up a corner to make space for the more sturdy standard metal spatula and just shove it under the blade. Buy a ceran field scraper which is supported at the back of the razorblades. With some cheap ones the blades slip over some notch into the device when too mich force is applied.

"I almost never print at Ludicrous Speed." "What's the matter Colonel Sanders? CHICKEN!?"

1. Its not that bad to touch the build plate. If you have a pei sheet it would still work. 2. If you use metal tools on the metal printing surfaces you will certainly damage the printing surface coating and the parts wont stick. Wait for the bed to cool if you have troubles taking parts off the build plate. 3. If you use glue with steel sheets you're doing something wrong as these print surfaces are already treated with either a pei foil or the texturing. 4. Use glue/painters tape only if you have a glass bed. And use glue especially if you print PETG on a glass bed as to not damage the glass. 5. FIRST COMES TRAMMING THE PRINTER which is more important(imo) and applies to printers with and without an ABL probe. After you can level the bed. 6. IPA does 90 of the job when cleaning but if it still seems greasy or you actually dropped grease or something like that wash the plate with DISH soap not hand soap as hand soap may cointain moisturising agents such as, what do you know, oil. 7. For outside use the safest choice is petg. ABS and ASA are both harder to print and both contain styrene which releases harmful gasses so you shouldn't print with those in rooms that are either poorly ventilated or in rooms in which you work or stay.

Which app are you using to change the wall count and infill?

PEI build plate, spray it with a tiny travel spray bottle I found in the travel section of a drug store, with 91% (or higher) IPAlcohol and wipe with a clean (only ever used for this) microfiber cloth between prints. Never have adhesion issues, and if I'm patient enough to let it cool completely off, the print literally falls off. No scrapers, no lifts, no glue sticks, no washing with dish liquid.

The biggest mistake is not learning CAD or sculpting! Theres a lot of designs that aren't quite what i want out there, I'm not sure having a printer would be worth it if I couldn't do my own models. When I first learned about orientation I thought the guy who showed us must hve been a super genuis! For removing prints that don't want to go, if the putty knife doesn't work, the best tool is an ultra thin artist pallete knife. I love using glue stick, it works pretty much every time. If I need to clean I wipe with IPA, I don have a removable bed. IMHO auto level isn't really worth it unless you have spare cash, you can save a lot just by not going for autolevel. My black PLA weather vane survived the summer, but it was painted and urethaned, maybe that helped hold its shape?

seriously 😀 there are thousands of How to ...3D printing for beginners....great quality video, but i think there are more than enough of them out there

Good video.

Sin #10: Pronounce some acronyms letter by letter while read others as words. PETG is an acronmy just like PLA, ABS, ASA, .... and not a word.

I have found that I REALLY LIKE PETG over PLA.... But my Auncubic Mega X that I've had for many years, after xx minutes into a print, the temp sensor and all says its hot and everything is good, but the head is ice cold. I've replace the heater/wire/little PCB in the hot end where the wire harness goes in/sensors/firmware (changed from OEM to latest Merlin build)/filimant/even the hot end itself... and NOTHING, it still does it... I cant figure it out... last thing I can think of is my Motherboard, but its not in stock anymore.

I still use isopropyl alcohol for the ease of it and I haven’t had build plate adhesion problems. My printers are in the basement and I don’t want to regularly bring my plates upstairs to be cleaned so I just buy isopropyl alcohol wipes and they haven’t failed me.

Isopropil leave white stain when i clean my ender 3 surface... its just to strong... maybe for glass...