If your printer does not have a self-leveling sensor, it may be a good time to think about it and buy one. It is clear that they are not essential at all, you can make completely correct impressions without them, but they are always an extra help. This becomes critical when we use impression materials that are very prone to Warping, such as ABS (or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) or Nylon.Ī good recommendation is to use a level sensor, since they are very easy to use and can make your life a lot easier. If our first layer does not finish completely adhered to the build plate (slightly flattened), we will not obtain adequate adhesion. In fact, is the most important layer in the entire printing process. This does not mean that they cannot appear, but if they do, it is more likely due to lack of calibration in the build platform or sudden temperature change among other things.Īvoiding Warping (8 practical tips) Leveling the build platformĪs we have tirelessly repeated throughout 3DWork.io and on our own Telegram Channel, the print quality of the first layer will be decisive. With this, when printing with PLA the effects of Warping will be very limited or practically null. Unlike ABS, PLA (or Poly Lactic Acid) requires 200✬ at the nozzle and about 50✬ at the printing base. This means that when we use ABS (or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) in our impressions, we will generate significant contractions inside the piece.Īs you well know, to print ABS it is recommended to use a temperature of 250✬ in the nozzle and about 100✬ in our printing base. An incorrect ambient temperature or drafts, poor heat distribution on your print bed, leveling errors or dirt on the bed for example.ĭifferences between ABS Warping and PLA WarpingĪs we discussed in the introduction to the article on Warping, the higher the temperature, the greater the probability of contraction. However, there are many other conditions that can favor Warping. In principle this would be the main reason for its appearance. During an impression a contraction can occur from the inside to the outside and produce this lifting without any remedy. It is well known that materials tend to expand or contract with sudden changes in temperature, and obviously plastics are no exception. The main reason for Warping in our prints is the shrinkage that occurs from the inside of the pieces due to temperature changes during the printing process.
This lift usually occurs at the corners of the piece to be printed.
Not only can it cause some part to lift up, but it can cause the part to come unstuck completely, ruining our impression completely and forcing them to repeat the impression. The Warping phenomenon is very easy to detect, and produces a very significant lifting of the part on the printing surface. Applied to the context of 3D printing Warping would mean the deformation or contraction of it during the printing process. Its meaning comes from the English homonym “Warping” and means buckling or distortion of an element. Warping is one of the biggest problems, and probably challenges, that any Maker has to face when manufacturing or printing parts with their 3D printer.