Top Tips To Help You Print With PLA Filament
It’s not always easy to get high-quality printouts. It takes time and effort to get to know your printer and the filament you want to use. When dealing with quality issues, we recommend looking at your setup and changing one element at a time before trying a fresh print. Then, make a note of the modification and how it varies from the prior print. You won’t know which adjustment made a difference if you make too many changes at once! Without further ado, here are the top tips to help you print with PLA filament!
Upgrade Your Build Surface
The build plate is an important component of a printer that influences the materials you may print with and the surface of your creations. Different build plates provide distinct textures on the bottom of the print: Glass, PEI, or Kapton tape leaves a smooth finish on the bed, while glue-on polycarbonate sheets or painter’s tape leave a matte finish. If you’re going to use a spray or glue to adhere the print to the surface, only apply enough to attach to the print. It’s also tough to erase a print with excessive adhesive or spray. Forcing it off might harm the print, or shatter or deform the plate if you apply too much force
Keep Up With Maintenance
Each 3D printer has its own unique qualities and certain issues that need to be addressed to increase print quality. Creality Ender 3s, for example, are highly popular printers that might need some improvements. Modifying your printer isn’t the only way to improve it. This entails several modest procedures, such as maintaining the bed and cleaning and greasing the rails according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Regularly leveling the bed and calibrating the extruder are other maintenance duties that should not be overlooked. If the printer has two stepper motors for the Z-axis, make sure the gantry is at the same height on both sides.
Treat Filament With Care
Many filaments are hygroscopic, which means they adore water and absorb it from the atmosphere. Exposed filaments, particularly ABS, nylon, and flexible materials, absorb moisture and cause issues. As the water in the filament turns to steam and bubbles out of the plastic during extrusion, the filament expands. As the filament passes through the nozzle, it snaps or crackles, and close inspection reveals what appears to be smoke. To counter this, ensure you have a proper storage system for your filaments! These storage systems will often utilize heating elements, fans, and vacuum seals to ensure that no moisture will reach your stored filaments!
We hope you have enjoyed our recap of some tips to print with PLA filament. If you take these tips into consideration, you’ll surely turn out quality prints in no time!
