I’ve been working with 3D printing for a while, but I’m still struggling with one problem: getting consistently good print quality.
Sometimes I can get a really clean print with the same filament and similar settings, but on another print, I may suddenly see issues like stringing, small blobs, uneven walls, or poor surface quality.
I’ve already tried adjusting things like temperature, retraction, print speed, and flow, but I still feel like I’m missing something.
For those of you who have more experience with 3D printing:
What do you usually check first when print quality suddenly gets worse?
Is there a particular calibration process or setting that you think makes the biggest difference?
I’d also really appreciate hearing how you troubleshoot these problems. Do you normally change one setting at a time, or do you have a specific checklist you follow?
Any advice, personal experience, or troubleshooting tips would be really helpful. Thanks!
If nothing else has changed, I have found that certain materials, particularly TPU and PETG, can take on moisture, and print perfectly again after drying.
Failing to clean the hot end after every print — it accumulates gunk. Heating it up and cleaning it off makes it less likely to drop a ball of overcooked gunk in a bad spot that creates artifacts or even knocks the print loose.
Loose fixtures for Z height sensing.
Filament dust caught under the magnetic bed print sheet.
Failing thermistors causing poor temperature regulation before finally failing.
That’s a good point. I’ve definitely noticed that moisture can make a bigger difference than expected, especially with TPU and PETG. I’ll try drying the filament before changing too many print settings next time. Thanks for the tip!
This is really helpful. I usually focus on slicer settings first and don’t always think about things like a dirty hot end, loose Z sensing, or dust under the build plate. I’ll definitely add these hardware checks to my troubleshooting list. Thanks for sharing!
Getting a filament dryer was a game changer for me. More than anything else, this cured zitting, stringing, adhesion, surface quality etc. If there’s even a hint of moisture I dry the filament for a few hours in advance, but most critically (in my view) I keep the dryer running while printing. I have had occasions where I can see a major difference in results between the 3 feet of filament between the dryer and hot end and the rest of the reel, which is sat within the dryer. For info, I use the Creality Pi, worth every penny.
Great insight! Moisture in filament can cause so many print quality issues, and keeping the dryer running during printing makes a lot of sense. It’s interesting that you noticed such a big difference between the filament inside the dryer and the short section feeding into the hot end. Thanks for sharing your experience!