The filament does not stick to the bed of my 3D printer

To ensure that the object can be printed properly, it is important that the first layer is firmly attached to the surface (bed) of the printer. If not, problems will arise later. Filament not sticking can have various causes. Below you will find the most common causes and the corresponding solution.

The bed is not flat

Because many printers have an adjustable bed that is controlled by several screws or knobs, the print bed may not be flat/level. If the first layer of the print does not stick properly, first check whether there is something wrong with it. Creating a perfect first layer is only possible if the bed is completely level.

The nozzle starts too far away from the print surface

If the nozzle starts printing too far from the surface, the filament will not be pressed against the bed. You can easily solve this problem by raising the bed manually or by using G-Code offsets in your 3D printer software. These offsets allow you to fine-tune the Z-axis without having to change the hardware. Be careful when making adjustments. Because a layer of the print is often only 0.2mm thick, a small adjustment can make a big difference.

The first layer is printed too fast

It is important that the first layer of filament can adhere well to the print bed before you start on the next layer. Therefore, it may be useful to print the first layer at a lower speed. Often the printer software has a special function for this. You can then set this so that the first layer is printed, for example, 40% slower than the rest of the object.

Temperature Settings

As filament cools from a warm temperature to a cooler temperature, it tends to shrink. The print bed does not "shrink" and this can cause the first layer to come off. If the first layer adheres well, but does come off later, this may be due to the temperature settings. To prevent this, a heated bed is often used with materials that require a high temperature for printing, such as ABS. This heated print bed ensures that the temperature remains constant and the first layer does not shrink and therefore come off. When choosing the temperature, you can assume that the ideal temperature for PLA is 60-70 degrees. For ABS this is 100-120 degrees. In your printer software, use the "Temperature" tab to set this.

Do you use a cooling fan? Then try turning these off for the first few layers, so that these layers don't cool down too quickly. You can also use the printer software for this, specifically the "Cooling" tab. Set two setpoints here: at layer 1, the fan speed must be 0%, from layer 5, for example, it can be 100% again.

The surface of the print bed

Before printing, check that the surface is clean and, just to be safe, run some water or alcohol over the print bed. Some 3D printers have a print bed made of material that allows specific types of filament to adhere well, such as a BuildTak layer for PLA or a special type of glass for ABS. If this is not the case with your 3D printer, there are many options to ensure that the filament sticks well to the print bed. PLA, for example, stays in place when using painter's tape and for ABS you can use Kapton tape. A temporary adhesive spray such as 3DLAC's adhesive spray also provides excellent bed adhesion.