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AvisualUltimakertroubleshootingguide
Onthispageyou'llbeabletovisuallytrytomatchtheproblemsyouarehavingwithyourprintandhopefully
findenoughinformationsothatyoucaneliminatetheissuesyou'rehaving.Lookthroughtheimagesand
clickontheonethatmatchestheproblemsyou'rehavingtojumptoamoreindepthexplanation.The
informationonthispageisskewedtowardstheUltimaker2butmostoftheinformationappliestothe
UltimakerOriginalaswell.
WealsohaveapagewithafewtipsonGettingBetterPrints(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/30getting
betterprints)bytweakingsettingsormodifyingyourmodelforprintability.
Ifyoufindanyinaccuraciesorifsomethingisunclear,pleaseletusknow(mailto:robert@3dverkstan.se)

(#elephant)
Elephant'sfoot
Thelowestlayersof
theprintflareout.

(#pillowing)

(#circles)

Pillowing

Irregularcircles

Topsurfacesarenotclosedproperlyor
comeoutbumpy.

Circlescomeoutmisshapenand
linesarenotproperlytouching.

(#stringing)
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Stringing
Unwantedstrandsof
plasticspanacrossthe
print

(#warping)

(#ringing)
Warping

Ringing

Cornersoftheprintliftanddetachfromthe

Waves/shadowsappearinthe

platform

print

(#bottomlayer)
Gapsinbottom
surface
(#overhangs)
Uglyoverhangs
Thelowersurfaceofoverhangscomeout
ugly

Linesareoverlyvisible
orspacedapartonthe
firstlayer

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(#shifted)
Shiftedlayers
Partsoftheprintsuddenlyshift
alongtheXorYaxis.

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(#underextrusion)
Underextrusion
Theprinterisnot

(#leaning)
Printsareleaning
Printsgraduallyleanoverorbecome

extrudingenough
plasticleavinggapsin
theprint

skewed

(#wallspace)
Wallsnottouching
Partsof,orentirewallsoftheprint
arenotfusedandtouching

(#grinding)
Filamentgrinding
(#wallcavein)
Lowerpartsoftheprintcavein

Thefeederscrewhas
groundagrooveinto
thefilament

Thelowestpartsoftheprintappearto
shrinkbeforereachingtheproper
dimensions

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(#temperror)
ERRORSTOPPED
Thedisplayshowsabed
temperaturesensorerror

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(#protrudingaxes)
Protrudingaxes
(#scratches)
Scratchedtopsurface

Oneormorerodsare
stickingoutfromthe
sideoftheprinter

Thenozzlemovesacrossthetopsurface

(#randomfill)
Randomfilllayers/Voidsbeing
closedup
Anopeningoravoidinamodel

andcauseswhatlookslikescratches.

has"random"filllayers.Expected
voidsarecompletelyfilledin.

(#hairyprint)
"Hairy"prints
(#nostick)
Firstlayernotsticking/Partscoming
loose

Verythinstrandsof
plasticappearonthe
surfaceoftheprint.

Thefirstlayerofyourprintdoesn'tseemto
wanttostickoryourpartscomeunstuck

(#limitswitchbroken)
XorYswitchbroken
Thedisplayshowsamessage
indicatingthataswitchisbroken,
typicallyduringhoming.

partwaythroughtheprint.

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(#misalignedaxes)
Misalignedaxes
(#zdrop)
Skippedlayer/Beddrop

Therodsgoingthrough
theheadarenot
perfectlysquare.

Youfindthatalayerormoreismissingin
themiddleofaprintoryouhear/seethat
thebedsuddenlydropsdowntoofar.

Warping

Warpinghappenswhentheplasticcoolsandcontracts.Astheprintcoolsdownandshrinksslightlyitstarts
topullinonitself.Eventuallytheforcesbecomesogreatthattheprintbendsupfromtheplatform.Thebest
waytopreventthisiswithaheatedbuildplatform.Byusingaheatedplatformtheplasticiskeptjustbelow
thepointwhereitgoessolid,thesocalledglasstransitiontemperature,anditthereforestaysflatand
connectedtotheplatform.Althoughtheheatfromtheplatformisoftenenoughitisalsorecommendedto
addathinlayerofgluetotheplatformtopromoteadhesion.Yourprinterwillhavecomewithasmallstickof
glue,spreadathinlayerofglueontotheplatform.Then,withamoistenedragorpieceofpaper,spreadthe
glueoutevenlyontotheplatform.Asthebedheatsthewaterwillevaporateandleaveaverynicethinand
evenlayerofglue.
Itisalsoimportanttomakesureyourbedislevelledasperfectlyasyoucan.Theplasticmustbesquished
ontotheplatformsothatitbondsproperly.Besidespreventingtheprintfromcominglooseorwarpingitalso
makesthebottomlayerniceandshiny.Youwantthelinestobetouchingeachotherandalllookidenticalto
eachother.Here'sanexampleofwhatyou'relookingfor:
Noticehowallthelinesareuniformandtouching.Ifthelinesshowsignsofgapsyourbedislevelledtoolow.
Ifthelinesaresquishedandmessyitislikelyyourbedistooclose.

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Abuiltinfeatureincuracalled"brim"isanothergreatwaytohelpkeepyourprintfromwarping.Thisfeature
putswhatlookslikethebrimofahatonthebottomlayerofyourprinttohelpfightagainstthepullingforces
ofthecoolingprint.Sincethisbrimisonlyasinglelayerthickitisveryeasytoremoveoncetheprintis
complete.
TheUltimaker2Godoesn'tcomewithaheatedbedsohereyou'llmostlyhavetorelyonusingthesupplied
bluepainterstapeandbrim.Makesureyoureallypressitontotheplatformsothatitdoesn'teasilyliftoff.
Youcanalsocleanthesurfaceofthetapewithsomealcoholtogetridofthewaxysurfaceandanyfinger
oils.Thiswillmaketheprintstickmuchharder.ButsincethebedontheGoismuchsmaller,warpingisless
ofaproblem.
DealingwithABS(#warping_abs)
ABSismuchmorepronetowarpingthanPLAandneedssomeextracare.Besidesneedingahigherbed
temperature(remembertochangethematerialsettingonyourmachinetoABS)youalsoneedtobemore
carefulwithcooling.Ifatallpossibletrytoprintwithoutusingthecoolingfansatall.Ideallytheprintershould
beenclosedtokeepaconstanttemperatureintheprintingarea.Topromotebedadhesionyoucanmakea
slurryofABSbydissolvingafewbitsofscrapABSinajarwithAcetoneSpreadthisslurrylikeaglueonto
yourbuildplatform.

Leaningprints/Shiftedlayers

Leaning:
Aleaningprintisusuallycausedbyfrictioncausingtheprintheadtomoveashorterdistancethanexpected.
Makesurethattheshortbeltsthatconnectthesteppermotorstotheaxesdonotrubupagainstthemain
bodyoftheprinter.Similarlymakesurethatthepulleysonthesteppermotorsthatthebeltsrideoverarenot
touchingthesideoftheprinter.Iftheyareyoumustmovethepulleyclosertothesteppermotor.

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Itisdifficulttoreachthesetscrewsthatsecurethepulleytothemotorandyouwillthereforehavetoremove
thewhitecoverplatesthatthemotorssitbehind.Thesepanelsareheldinplacewithasinglescrewonthe
sideofthemachineifyouhaveaslightlyolderprinter.Ontheneweronestherearetwoscrews,oneonthe
backandoneontheside.Removethescrewandthenliftthecoversoffbytiltingthecoverslightlytowards
thefrontandthemliftingthemout.Theonlythingholdingtheminplaceisasmallmetaltabatthebottomof
thecoverthatsticksdownintothebottomoftheprinter.
OntheGotherearenoscrewstoremove.Insteadthecoversareheldinplacewithsmalltabsthatstickinto
thewallsoftheprinterandintothebottom.Thesecoversrequirealittlebitofbruteforcetoremove.Try
pushingintheareasmarkedinthepicturebelowandthenpullthecovertotheleft.You'lllikelyhaveto
wigglethecoveraroundabittogetitloose.Asyoumightimaginegettingthecoversbackoncanbeabitof
achallengebutwithsomepatienceandfinessethey'llsnapbackintoplace.

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Nowyouwillbeabletoreachthesetscrewsofthepulleys.Ifyoucan'treachthescrewseasilysimplymove
theheadaroundsothattheyrotateintoview.Undothescrewaturnorsoandthenpushthepulleycloserto
thesteppermotor.Thepulleyshouldbeascloseaspossiblewithouttouchingthesteppermotor.Don'tforget
toretightenthescrewswhenyouaredoneandmakesuretheyareverytightsothatthepulleyscannotslip.
Shiftedlayers:(#shifted)
Iftheprintersuddenlyshiftsthelayersitismostlikelythatoneormorepulleysarenotsecuredproperlyto
theaxis/axes.Toconfirmthatthisisthecaseyoucanuseablackmarkerandputmarksonthepulleysanda
matchingmarkontheaxes.Afterprintingatestprintandseeingalayershiftyoucantheninspectyour
marksandseewhichpulley(s)havemoved.Itislikelythatthepulley(s)thatneedtighteningarethose
connectedtotheshortbelts.Tightenthesetscrewsthatholdthepulleysinplaceverytightly,probablyabit
tighterthanyouexpect.Thesmallallenkeythatcamewithyourprinterwillflexasyoutightenthescrews.
Don'tforgettocheckthepulliesthatareattacheddirectlytothemotorshaft,youcanreadaboutthoseinthe
sectionabove(#leaning).

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Trytomovetheheadaroundmanuallywiththepowerturnedoff.Theheadshouldmovearoundquiteeasily
andthereshouldbesimilarresistanceinboththeXandYdirection.Iftheheadismovingstifflyitisprobably
agoodideatogivetherodsadropoflightmachineoileach(suchassewingmachineoil).
Anothercauseforstiffmovementcanbemisalignmentoftherodssothattheyarenotperfectlysquare.
Checkthisbymovingtheheadtotheleft/rightsideofthemachineandcheckingthatthedistancebetween
theslidingblocksandthepulleysareequalonbothsidesandthenrepeatforthefront/backoftheprinter.If
younoticethattheaxesaren'tsquareyoucanfixthisbylooseningthesetscrewsonthetwopulleysofone
rodsothattheslidingblockonthatsidecanmovewithoutaffectingtheopposingblock.Nudgetheblockthe
neededamountandthenretightenthesetscrews.
Itcouldalsobethatthepartyouareprintingdetachedfromtheplatformduringtheprint.Thisshouldbefairly
easytoseeasthepartwillhaveshiftedpositionfromwhereitwasoriginally.
Makesurethatyourglassplateisheldfirmlyinplace.Iftheclipsaren'tgrippingtheplatefirmlyenoughit
mightshiftslightlyduringtheprint.Iftheyaretoolooseyoucanuseapairofplierstogentlysqueezethe
clipstogether.
Inrarecasestherecouldbeanissuewithendstopstriggeringunexpectedlyduetocrosstalkbetweenwires.
Reroutingthecablescanhelpwiththis.Butagain,thisisaveryrareoccurrence.
Yetanother,evenmorerare,causecanbeoverheatingstepperdrivers.Adesignchangeofthetracesonthe
mainboardcanleadtomorecurrentthanexpectedtogettothestepperdrivers.Thiscausesthestepper
motortooverheatwhichinturnkicksintheoverheatingprotectioninthedriver.Asthestepperoverheatsit
shutsoffforafractionofasectiontocooldownandthisiswhentheshiftoccurs.
Youcancheck/fixthisissuebyloweringtheamountofcurrentforthex/Ysteppersinthesettingsofthe
printer.Goto Maintenance>Advanced>Motionsettings>CurrentXY andsetitto1200mAandthen
attemptanewprint.

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"Pillowing"

Pillowingshowupasbumpsinthetopsurfaceofaprintandcaneitherbeopenorclosed.Themost
importantthinghereistomakesurethatyourcoolingfansaregoingtopspeedwhentheprinterislaying
downthetoplayer.Withoutpropercoolingthethinstrandsofplastictendtocurlupandstickupabovethe
surfaceoftheprintandmakeitharderforsubsequentlayerstoproperlyspanoverthegap.Withgood
coolingthestrandsgraduallygrowoverthegapsuntilitclosesfully.
Besidescoolingyoualsoneedtoprintathickenoughtopsurfacesothattheprintercanproperlycloseit.In
generalyoushouldmakesurethatyouareprintingatleastsixtoplayers.Sincethetopandbottom
thicknessissetinmmyouwillhavetodosomebasicmathtomakesureyou'reprintingenoughlayers.If
youareprintingwitha0.1mmlayerheightyoushouldmakeyourtopthicknessatleast0.6mm.
Ingeneralyouwillneedmoretoplayersthethinneryourlayerheightis.Withverythinlayersthethinstrands
ofplasticaremorelikelytobreakbeforefullybridgingoverthegapsintheinfillandprovidinganicebasefor
thefollowinglayer.Youwillthereforeneedtoprintmorelayerstomakeupforthis.Inotherwordsverythin
layerscanbeanothercauseofpillowing.

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Thisimageshowstwoprintsdonewithexactlythesame
settings,exceptforone,thebottomprintdidnothavethe
coolingfansenabled.
Someusershavealsoreportedthatthechangeininfillpatternbetween24%and25%(andup)makesabig
difference.Thedifferencebetweeninfillpercentagesat24orlowerand25andhigherishowcuralaysdown
eachlayer.Theinfillisacrosshatchpatternmadewithdiagonalintersectinglines.Atlowerdensitiesboth
directionsarelaiddownforeachlayerwhileathigherdensitiesitisonlylaiddowninonedirectionperlayer.
So,forlayerXitwilldolinesfromthelowerlefttotheupperright.AtlayerX+1itwilldolinesgoingfrom
lowerrighttoupperleft.

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Elephant'sfoot

It'sverycommonthatthefirstcoupleoflayersofaprintiswiderthanyouexpectedthemtobe.Thisis
becauseyouwillgenerallywanttomakesurethefirstlayerisnicelysquishedintothebuildplatformsothatit
sticksproperly.Bydoingthistheplasticgetssquishedoutintoathickerlinethannormalandthusthebottom
oftheprintwillbulgeoutabitlikeanelephant'sfoot.Youcandecreasethiseffectbylevellingyourbedso
thatthenozzleisslightlyfurtherawayfromthebedandloweringthebedtemperatureabit.It'shardtogetrid
ofthiseffectentirelywithoutsacrificingbottomlayerqualityandbedadhesion.Itwillbeeasieronsmallprints
astheyarelesslikelytowarpanddetachfromtheplatformandyoucanthereforegetawaywithnot
squishingthefirstlayerashard.
However,ifyouaretheonewhocreatedthepartthereisatrickyoucanusetohelpgetridofthisproblem.
Simplyputasmallchamferonthebottomofyourprint.Howbigtomakethischamferdependsonyourprint
settingsandwhatkindofedgeyou'relookingtocreate.Agoodstartingpointisa45degree0.5mmchamfer.
Youmightbetemptedtouseafilletinsteadofachamferforaroundershapebutthesecreateaverysevere
overhangclosesttothebedandrarelycomeoutquitethewayyouexpect.Feelfreetoexperimentthough.
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Circlesnotround/Linesnottouching

AfairlycommonissueontheUltimakerOriginalinparticular(especiallythekitversions)isthatpeopletryto
printthingswithcirclesandthecirclesdon'tcomeoutperfectlycircular.Atthesametimeinfilllinesarenot
touchingtheoutsideperimeterproperly.Youmayalsoseethatinfilllinesaregroupedinpairswheretwo
linesaretouchingfollowedbyagapandthenanothertwolinestouching.Bothoftheseproblemsstemfrom
thesameissueandthatisbacklashcausedbyslackbelts.Mainlyitisthesocalled"shortbelts",whichare
thebeltsthatareconnectedtothesteppermotors,notbeingtightenough.Thankfullythisisaneasyfix.
Thisimageisaniceexampleoflines
groupedinpairs.Noticethatthereare
actuallytwolinesveryclosetogether
followedbyagapandthenanothertwo
linesclosetogether.

Tomakesurethebeltsaretightened
properlyyouneedtoloosenthefour
screwsthatholdthesteppermotorin
place.Don'tremovethescrewsfully,just
loosenthemsothatyoucanmovethe
steppermotorupanddown.

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Nowpressdownfirmlyonthetopofthe
motorsothatthebeltisniceandtight.
Whilekeepingpressureonthemotorre
tightenthescrewstolockthemotorin
place.Dothisforbothmotors.

It'salsoagoodideatomakesurethattherodsarenicelylubricated.Asingledropoflightoil,suchas
sewingmachineoil,oneachrodisenough.
Anadditionalstepyoumightwanttotakewhileyou'reatitistoensurethatthesetscrewsofthepulleyon
themotorisniceandtight,tighterthanyoumightthinkshouldbeenough.

Stringing

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Theprimarycountermeasureforstringingissomethingcalledretraction.Whenyouhaveretractionenabled
theprinterwill"suck"thefilamentbackashortdistancebeforemovingtheprintheadoveranopenspace.By
suckingthefilamentinabitithelpspreventplasticfromdrippingfromthenozzleduringthetravelmove.
Sowhatyoushoulddofirstistomakesurethatretractionisactuallyenabledincura.Thissettingisfoundon
the"Basic"tabintheformofacheckboxwhenyouareinthefullsettingsmode(Expert>Switchtofull
settings...).Makesurethisboxischecked.Youcancheckifretractionswillhappenwithoutprintingby
lookingatthelayerviewincuraafterslicingyourobject.Youswitchtolayerviewwiththebigbuttoninthe
upperrightcornerofthewindow.Theretractionsareindicatedbysmallbluelinesthatgofromtheprintand
straightup.Itcansometimesbetrickytoseetheselineswithoutzoominginandrotatingtheviewaround.
Asyoucanseeitcanbehardtospot
thesesmalllinesunlessyouzoominfor
acloserlook.Theotherblueline
indicatesthetravelmovethatthe
retractionispreparingfor.

Anotherthingyoucandotolessentheeffectofstringingistoincreasethetravelspeed.Bydefaultthetravel
speedissetto150mm/sbutyoucanincreasethisto250mm/s.Byincreasingthetravelspeedyougivethe
headlesstimetooozeplasticbutyoualsohelpsnapoffanystrandsthatforminsteadofdraggingthem
along.
Temperaturecanalsoplayapart.Experimentwithalowertemperature.

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Thisimageshowsclearlyhowlowering
thetemperaturehasaverypositive
effectontheamountofstringing.As
alwayswhenloweringtemperatureyou
mustalsomakesurethatyouare
printingslowlyenoughtopreventunder
extrusion.Notethatthetemperatures
showninthisimageisforPLA,forother
materialsyoumaynotbeabletogothis
low.Orconversely,youmaybeableto
goevenlower.

OntheUltimaker2thespeedandlengthoftheretractionissetontheprinter.Thedefaultvaluesworkwell
butfeelfreetoplayaround.Increasingtheretractionlengthforexamplecanmakeupforsloppinessinthe
connectionofthebowdentubetotheprinthead.
Finallyitshouldbenotedthatsomefilamentsaresimplypronetostringingandnomatterwhatyoudoit
mightbeallbutimpossibletocompletelyeliminatethem.Evendifferentcoloursfromthesamemanufacturer
candifferinhowmuchtheystring.

Ringing

Ringingiswhatwecallthesmallwavesorshadowsthatusuallyappeararoundsharpcornersonaprint.It's
oftenveryapparentifyouhavetextonyourprintasyouwillseewhatlookslikeshadowsofthetext.This
happenswhentheprintheadmakesasuddendirectionchangeandtheinertiaoftheheadcausesvibrations
thatshowupintheprint.Tocombatthisthere'sacoupleofthingsyoucando.Simplyslowingdownyour
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printspeedwillhelplessentheeffect.Decreasingtheaccelerationoftheprinterwillmakeabigimpacton
thereductionofringingwithoutaffectingprintspeedtooheavily.Youadjustthissettingbygoingintothe
advancedsettingsontheprinteritself Maintenance>Advanced>Motionsettings .Try3000or1500and
seehowthataffectsyourprint.
There'salsoanotherdefectthatcanlooklikeringingwhileitactuallyisn't.Somethingthatcanhappenisthat
infillshowsthroughtotheoutsidelayer.Thiscanlooksimilartoringing.Togetridofthisthesolutionisto
printthickerouterwallstohidetheinfill.Tryprintingatleasttwooutershellswhich,withastandardnozzle,
willequateto0.8mmthickwalls.
Bydefaultcurawillprinttheinfillbeforethewalls,thismakesitmorelikelythattheinfillwillshowthroughto
theouterwall.Thereasonforprintinginthisorderisbecauseithelpswithoverhangs.Butyoucantry
reversingthisorderbygoinginto Expert>Expertsettings andchecking"Infillprintsafterperimeters"
Excessivetemperaturecanalsocausestrangeverticallinesinaprint.Tryloweringthetemperatureslightly
andseeifthathelps.
Yetanotherthingtotryistorotateyourpart45degreesontheprintbed.Someusershavereportedthatthis
hasgottenridofverticallinesontheprint.

Overhangs

Thereasonoverhangscomeoutuglierthanastraightwallissimplybecausenewlayersarenotproperly
supportedbytheprecedinglayer.Ratherthanfullyrestingandbeinganchoredinplacebythepreviouslayer
thenewlayersarepartiallyprintedintomidairandtendtosagdownslightlyorcurlup.Sometimesthese
issuesaccumulatemakingeachlayerworsethanthelast.Curlingaroundcornerswhenusingthinlayers
seemstobeespeciallyproblematic.Dealingwithoverhangsistricky,therearemanyvariablesthatwillaffect
howwellorbadlytheywillbeprinted.Temperature,printspeed,amountofoverhang,layerheight,material,
andcoolingallplayapartinhowanoverhangwillprint.
Likesomanyotherthingscoolingplaysoneofthebiggestrolesinhowwellanoverhangwillprint.Ensure
thatyourcoolingfansaregoing100%whentheoverhangisbeingprinted.Iftheobjectyou'retryingtoprint
issmallthere'sachancethat,duetothewaythenozzleispositioned,therightfannevergetsachanceto
properlycooltheprint.AprimeexampleofthisistherightearoftheUltimakerrobot.Awayaroundthisisto
printmorethanoneobjectatthesametime.Bydoingthistheprintheadwillmovebetweenthetwoobjects
andallowthelayerofoneobjectcooldownwhilethesamelayerisbeingprintedontheothercopy.Thisalso
helpsgreatlywhenthelayercurrentlybeingprintedisverysmall.Whenprintingverysmalldetailssuchas
theantennasontheUltimakerrobottheprintheadwillstayoverthesamespotforquitesometimeand
transferalotofheatintotheprintwhichwilldeformthelayerquitebadly.

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Anothervariableislayerheight.Dependingonyourprint,sometimesathickerlayerheightwillbehelpfulin
improvingthequalityandsometimesathinnerlayerishelpful.Thinnerlayersseemtocreateamore
pronouncedupwardcurlingoftheedgesandespeciallyaroundsharpcorners.You'llsimplyhaveto
experimentandseewhatworksbestinyoursituation.
Printspeedwillalsoaffectyourprintquality.Slowingdownwillusuallyalwaysresultinanimprovement.
Trytoreducetheprinttemperatureasmuchaspossiblewithoutcausingunderextrusion.Thesloweryou
printtheloweryourprinttemperaturecanbe.Inadditiontoreducingtheprinttemperatureitcanbeworth
loweringtheprintbedtemperature,oreventurningitoffcompletely.Thisisespeciallyimportantifthe
overhangisclosetothebed.
Ifatallpossibletrytoorientyourobjecttominimizetheamountofoverhangs.Lookatyourmodeland
imaginehowtheprintheadwillhavetomoveandthentrytofigureouthowtorotateorangleittomakethis
easier.Ifyouarethecreatorofthemodeldoyourbesttoavoidoverhangsorreducetheirseverity.Ifit's
possibletokeepanoverhangto45degreesinsteadof30that'sagoodthingasitwillbemucheasierforthe
printertohandle.Youmightalsoconsiderchangingyourdesigntoallowforabridgeratherthanan
overhang.

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Thetopobjecthasanoverhangthatcan
bequitehardtogetanicecleansurface
on.Thebottomobjecthasreplacedthe
overhangwithastraight"roof"thatcan
insteadbebridgedwhichcanproducea
cleanerresultinsomecases.Bridgingis
whentheprintheadwillprintstraight
acrossagapbetweentwoislandsintomid
air.Thisactuallyworksbetterthanyou
mightthink,especiallyifthejumpisshort.

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Thereisalimittohowmuchofanoverhangyoucanprintwhilestillpreservingthequalityyouwantandthis
issimplyalimitationofthetypeofprintertheUltimakeris.Wherethislineisdrawndependsonyourown
expectations,whatplasticyouareusing,whatthegeometryoftheoverhangis,howwellitcanbecooled
andmanyotherfactors.

Veryvisiblelinesonthebottomlayer

Ifthebottomlayerofyourprintisshowingveryobviousprintlinesit'slikelythatyourbedissimplylevelleda
littlebittoofarawayfromthenozzle.Theclosertothenozzlethebedisonthefirstlayertheharderthe
plasticwillbesquishedintothebedandthelineswillthenblendtogetherbetter.However,youcan'tgotoo
closelyasthatwillpreventtheplasticfromescapingfromthenozzleproperly.Pressurewillbuildupand
eventuallytheplasticwillsquirtoutandcreateanuglyblob,or,itcouldcausethefeedertogrindyour
filamentwhichissomethingyoudon'twant.

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Bydefaultcurawillprinta0.3mmthickfirstlayer.Youmaywanttotryreducingthisto0.2mmoreven0.1mm
tomakethebottomlayerevenmoreofamirrorlikesurface.However,whenyoureducetheinitiallayer
heightyoumustbeverypreciseinyourbedlevelling.A0.3mmlayerheightisquiteforgiving,a0.1mmlayer
heightisanythingbut.

Underextrusion

Whatisit?
Underextrusionissimplythattheprintercannotsupplytheamountofplasticthatisaskedfor.Symptomsof
thisismissinglayers,verythinlayersorlayersthathaverandomdotsandholesinthem.Thisproblemis
probablythetrickiesttofindthedirectcauseforastherearesomanyvariablesatplay.
Theprinterwilldoitsbesttotryandachievetheprintingspeedsthatyouareaskingfor.Ifthisisbeyond
whattheprinteriscapableofyouwillrunintoproblems.Iftheprinterisattheveryedgeofitscapabilitythe
amountofplasticbeingextrudedwillbereducedbuttheprintkeepsgoingnormally.Whenthishappensyour
printedobjectmightlookokatfirstglancebutifyoulookcloseryouwillseethatwallsarenotproperlyfused
andtherearegapsbetweenfilllines.
Ifyougobeyondthisinthemiddlestagetheprintertriespushingharderandhardertoextrudethematerial
buteventuallythepressurewillbetoohigh.Ideallywhenthishappenstheextrudermotorwilldowhatwecall
askipbackwheretheaxisofthemotorspinsintheoppositedirectionforaboutaquarterturntorelieve
pressure.Thiswillnotdamagetheprinter,it'sanintendedbehaviourtopreventthefilamentfrombeing
groundupbythefeeder.Youwillhearwhenthishappensasitwillmakea*tock*soundandifyoulook
closelyatthefilamentthatisbeingextrudedyouwillseeasuddenreductioninvolume.
Iftheskipbackdoesn'thappenyourfilamentwillbegrounddownbythefeederandyouwillhavetoremove
thefilamentandcutawaythedamagedpart.
DoNOTincreaseflowtocompensate(#underextrusion_flow)
Let'sgetthisoutofthewayfromthestart,thisisaterribleideaandverycounterproductive.Imaginetryingto
evacuateabuildingduringafire,hundredsofpeoplearetryingtosqueezethroughthesingleexitbutonly
oneatatimecanexit.Ifonlyonepersonatatimecanexitthroughthedoor,willithelpifyouaddmore
peopleinsidethebuilding?Thisisessentiallywhatincreasingflowdoesinthissituation.Increasingflowhas
itsusesbutpreventingunderextrusionisnotoneofthem.
Respectingthelimitsoftheprinter(#underextrusion_limits)
Thesimplestandprobablythemostcommoncauseforunderextrusionissimplythatyouareaskingthe
printertodomorethanitiscapableof.Wemeasurehowfastaprintercanprintinvolumeofplasticper
second:mm3/s.InidealconditionsanUltimaker2iscapableofprintingabout10mm3/s.Amorerealisticlimit

3
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is8mm3/sbutitshouldbenotedthatatthesekindsofspeedsthequalityoftheprintwillnotbeallthatgreat
anddependingonthesizeoftheobjectyouareprintingitmightnotevenreachsuchahighspeedduetothe
minimumlayercoolingtimeslowingdowntheprintspeed.
Tofigureouthowfastyou'retryingtoprintyousimplymultiplyyournozzlediameterwiththelayerheightand
speed.Soforexample,ifyou'reprintingwith0.2mmlayersat60mm/syouwoulddo:0.4*0.2*60=4.8mm3/s.
ThisisaspeedthataproperlyfunctioningUltimaker2shouldbeabletohandlewithoutanyproblem.
Temperatures(#underextrusion_temperatures)
Thefasteryouprintthelesstimetheplastichastoheatuptoproperprintingtemperaturebeforebeing
forcedoutthroughthenozzle.Coolerplasticismoreviscousandrequireshigherpressurestopushit
throughthenozzleandeventuallythepressureswillsimplybecometoohighandunderextrusionhappens.
So,canyouincreasethetemperaturetoworkaroundthisissue?Yes,youcan,butwithinreason.Settinga
temperatureabove240245CforPLAisstartingtogetintobadterritoryastheplasticwillstarttochange
propertiesifleftinthenozzlefortoolongandcancauseclogs.Ifyouhavetoraisethetemperaturethishigh
whilestillprintingatnormalspeedsthereissomethingelsegoingon.Youwillalsolikelyseedegradingprint
qualityatthesetemperaturessuchasincreasedstringingandworseoverhangs.
Grinding(#underextrusion_grinding)
Ifyouexperienceunderextrusion,findthatthefilamenthasbeeneatenawaybythefeeder(grinding)and
youdon'thaveacloggednozzleyoulikelyneedtoadjustthetensionofthefeeder.Ontopofthefeeder,to
therightofwherethebowdentubeentersthere'sasmallholewithatensionsettingscrewinsideof.Onthe
frontandthesideofthefeedertherearetwowhitedialsthatindicatethefeederpressure.
Ultimaker2:InMarchof2014thespringinsidethefeederwaschangedandthepropersettingwilltherefore
differdependingonwhenyoureceivedyourprinter.FormachinesfrombeforeMarchof2014theindicator
shouldbeatthemiddleandformachinesafterthisdatetheindicatorshouldbeatthetop.
Ultimaker2+:ThedefaultsettingfortheUltimaker2+isinthemiddle.
Youwanttoadjustthetensionsothatthefeedernevergrindsthefilamentbutratherskipsbackwhenthe
pressurebecomestoohigh.Tryincreasingthepressurefirst(movingtheindicatorfurtherdown).When
properlyadjustedthemotorwillskipbacktoprotectthefilamentfromgrindingsothatthefeedercanalways
getagoodgrip(andpreventdamage).
NotethatthenewfeederontheUltimaker2+willnotskipliketheolderfeederoftheUltimaker2asithas
changedtoagearedandstrongerdesign.
Tightlycoiledfilament(#underextrusion_coiledFilament)
Towardstheendofarolloffilamentthecoilsareusuallysmallandtight.Whengoingthroughthebowden
tubethefilamentwillexperiencehigherfrictionthanifthefilamentwasniceandstraight.Ifyou'reprintingat
thelimitofwhattheprintercanachievethisadditionalfrictioncanbeenoughtopushitovertheedge.
Tangledfilament(#underextrusion_tangledFilament)
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Thismightseemobviousbutmakesurethatyourfilamentcanunspoolunhindered.Checkthatthefilament
isn'toverlappingonthespoolforexample.Itisnotuncommontohavethefilamentloopunderitselfwhen
youremoveitfromtheprinterforstorageanditcanbehardtosee.
Cloggednozzle(#underextrusion_clog)
Duetothetinyexitholeonthenozzleitdoesn'ttakemuchfortheexittobecomefullyorpartiallyblocked.
Blockagescanhaveawidevarietyofcausessuchasunexpectedcontaminantsinthefilament(withgood
qualityfilamentthisisveryunlikely),excessivedustorpethaironthefilament,burntfilamentorresidueof
filamentwithahighermeltingpointthanwhatyou'recurrentlyusing.
Ifyou'verecentlyswitchedfromprintingwithamaterialthatrequiresfairlyhighextrusiontemperaturessuch
asABStoaplasticwithalowerextrusiontemperaturelikePLAitisimportanttogetridofalltheABSinyour
nozzle.Oftenyoucangetridoftheoldplasticbysimplymanuallyextrudingthenewmaterialatthehigher
temperaturerequiredfortheoldfilament.Whenusingahighertemperaturethanyouwouldnormallyuseitis
importanttonotlettheplasticsitinthenozzlefortoolong.Doingsomaycausetheplastictoburnandblock
thenozzle.
Ifthereissomethingphysicallyblockingthenozzlesuchasdustbuilduporsomethingalongthoselines,a
verygoodmethodtostartwithiswhat'sreferredtoasthe"Atomic"or"coldpull"method.Clickherefor
instructions(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/10the)
Usuallyperformingthisoperationafewtimeswilltakecareoftheproblem.Ifitdoesnotyoucanuseavery
thinwiretopokeintothenozzletohelpdislodgewhateveritisthatiscausingtheblockage.Apopulartoolfor
thisisacupunctureneedles.ThesecanbeboughtcheaplyonEbayforexampleoryoucancontactusand
wecansupplythemforyou.Anysufficientlythin(theopeningofthenozzleis0.4mmindiameter)andstiff
wirecanbeusedhowever,justbeverycarefulnottodamageyournozzle.Afterdislodgingtheblockage
performtheAtomicmethodagaintoextractit.
Asalastresortyoucanremovethenozzlecompletelyandtrytoburnoutanyresidueinthenozzlewitha
propanetorch.ThisisafairlylengthyprocedureontheUltimaker2asitrequiresdisassemblyoftheprint
headanditisrarelyneeded.TheUltimaker2+howeverhasanOlssonblockwhichmakesitpossibleto
unscrewjustthenozzlemakingiteasiertoeitherreplacethenozzlecompletelyormakingiteasiertoclean
out.
(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/10the)
Combing(#underextrusion_combing)
Modernslicersoftwareusesamethodcalledcombingtopreventstringing.Whentheprintheadneedsto
movefromonepartofaprinttoanotherandthereisavoidbetweenthetwolocationscombingcausesthe
headtomoveinsidetheperimeterofthepartinsteadofcrossingacrossvoids.Thismakesitsothatany
dribblingfromthenozzlegetsdepositedinsidethepartwhereitisnotseen.Asideeffectofthiscanbethat
thereservoirinthetipemptiesouteversoslightlyandwhenitstartstoprintagainittakesamomentforthe

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reservoirtofillbackup.Asthereservoirisfillinguplittletonoplasticisactuallyextruded.Itshouldbenoted
thatusuallythisisn'tanissueforshortertravelmoves.Itiswhentheheadneedstomakealongtripthatit
cancauseissues.
Youcanswitchoffthisbehaviourintheexpertsettings: Expert>OpenExpertSettings... Ifthisoptionis
greyedoutyouneedtofirstswitchcuratothefullsettingsmode: Expert>Switchtofullsettings Once
youhavetheexpertsettingsopenthecombingoptionislocatedunderthe"Retraction"settingsinthetop
left.Ifyouuncheckthe"Combing"checkboxcurawillperformaretractionandthenmoveinastraightline
whenitneedstomovetheheadfromonepointtoanother.
Itisuptoyoutodecidewhichbehaviouryouprefer.Ifcombingisn'tcausingproblemsforyouthenyoumay
preferleavingitenabledasitsavesalittlebitoftime.Whetherornotcombingwillcausealongtravelmove
leadingtounderextrusionissuesdependsonthegeometryofthemodelyou'retryingtoprint.Thereisn'ta
definitivecorrectchoicehere.
Deformedtefloninsulator(#underextrusion_teflonInsulator)
Beforereachingthehotzoneofthenozzlethefilamentwillpassthroughawhiteinsulatorpiece.Iftheprint
headhasseenexcessivetemperatureincombinationwithaverytightlyassembledprintheaditcould
happenthattheexitofthisinsulatingpiecegetsslightlydeformed.Iftheexitdiameterhasdeformeditcould
causeunnecessaryfrictionmakingitmoredifficultforthefeedertoextrudeproperly.Tofindoutifthisisthe
caseyouhavetodisassembletheprinthead(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/56replacingtheptfe
coupler).Oncetakenapartyoucanhaveacloselookattheinsulatorpayingparticularattentiontotheexit
hole.Tryfeedingastraightenedpieceoffilamentthroughit,thereshouldbenoresistance.Ifaliphasformed
attheexitcausingfrictionyoucantrytoverycarefullyuseadrillbittoremovethislip.Howeveritisimportant
thatyouremoveonlythelipandnothingmore.Theinsulatormustformaverytightsealagainstthehotend
sothatnoplasticcanleakout.
Ifyouarenotcomfortableperformingthisoperationorfeelyouneedareplacementpartpleasegetincontact
withyourresellerorUltimaker.
Ultimaker2+:PleasenotethatbecausetheUltimaker2+nolongerusesaspringbutinsteadusesasolid
spacer,itiscriticalthatthedistancebetweenthetwometalplatesiscorrect.Asmalltoolwillbemade
availableforthiseventually.
Filamentdiameter(#underextrusion_filamentDiameter)
Highqualityfilamentshaveveryhightolerancesandareproducedwithadiameteraround2.85mm.Thiscan
bemisleadingastheyareusuallysoldas"3mm".Thisisnotbecausetheyaretryingtotrickyoubuttomake
surethefilamentworksproperlyintheprinter.Ifyoubuycheapfilamentmakesurethatthediameterdoes
notexceed3mm.Alsonotethatsomefilamentsmaybeslightlyovalsomeasuretwice,rotateyourcallipers
90degreesforthesecondmeasurement.Ifyourfilamentexceeds3mmthereisagoodchancethatitwill
jamintheprinterasitwillsimplybetoothicktopassthroughtheprinthead.Andevenifitdoespassthrough
itmaycauseexcessivefrictionwhichinturnleadstounderextrusion.Reallyyourbestoptionistonotuseit
toavoidheadaches.
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Besidesmakingsurethatyourfilamentisn'ttoothickitisalsoimportantthattheprinter/slicersoftwareknows
thediameterofyourfilament.OnanUltimakerOriginalthisisasettingincura(oranyothersliceryouare
using),fortheUltimaker2thisissetonthemachineitself.Whyisitimportantyouask?itisimportantasthis
measurementisusedbytheslicer/printertodeterminehowmuchfilamenttofeedtoproducethelinewidth
youwant.Ifyoursettingssayyourfilamentis2.9mmindiameterbutyourfilamentisactually2.7mmthe
printerwillbefeedingthroughslightlylessmaterialthanitactuallyneeds.Thiswillnotcreateadramatic
differencebutitcanforexamplebeseenastinyspacesbetweenthelinesinatopsurface.Itcanbethe
differencebetweenawatertightprintandaprintthatleaks.
Feederwheel(#underextrusion_feederWheel)
Thematerialisfedintotheprintheadbyasmallknurledwheelinthefeederatthebackoftheprinter.The
knurledwheelisasortofsleevethatisattachedtothemotorshaftofthefeedermotor.itisimportantthat
thissleeveisn'tabletoslip.Tomakesureitisn'tyoucanputasmallmarkontheshaftandamatchingone
onthesleeve.Afterprintingsomething,inspectthemarksandmakesuretheyhaven'tmovedinrelationto
eachother.Iftheyhaveyouwillhavetotightenthesmallsetscrewthatholdsthewheelinplace.
OnnewerUltimaker2printersthisislesslikelytohappenastheshaftisnolongerround.Asmallcutout
helpskeepthewheelinplace.Butit'sstillsomethingtocheck,justincase.
FortheUltimaker2+thisisnotrelevant.

Wallsnottouching

Firstofallyouhavetodetermineifthewallsarenottouchingatalloriftheyaretouchinginsomepartsonly.
Usingacylinderasanexampleitiscommonthattherewillbetwo"sides"touchingandtwothatdonot.
Partiallytouching(#wallspace_partial)
Thisisverylikelycausedbytheshortbeltsnotbeingtightenough.Pleaseseethissection(#circles)which
dealswiththisissue.
Noticehowsomepartsoftheinfilllinesaretouchingtheperimeterlineswhileothersdonot.Youwillusually
findthatifyouimaginedrawingabigXovertheprintyouwillnoticethatthebottomleftandtoprightpatterns
matchandsimilarlythetopleftandbottomrightmatch.

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Nottouchingatall(#wallspace_notTouching)
Ifthewallsarenottouchingeachotheratallitisanextrusionissue.curaisaskingyourprintertocreatea
seriesof0.4mmlinesandisspacingthemsothattheyfusetogether.However,ifyourprinterisunder
extrudingslightlythelineswillbemarginallythinnerandtheynolongerfusetogetherproperly.Thesolution
couldbeassimpleasreducingyourprintspeedslightlyorincreasingyourtemperatureafewdegrees.
Underextrusionisanissuewithmanycausesandyoucanreadmoreaboutithere(#underextrusion).
Anotherpossiblecause(#wallspace_other)
Thereishoweversomethingelsethatmightbehappeninganditisaslicerissuethatrelatestowall
thicknessandthesizeofyournozzle.Wecallitthe"thinwallproblem".ThestandardnozzleonanUltimaker
is0.4mmindiametersothatisthewidththatcurahastoworkwithtoproduceyourprint.Now,saythatyou
haveawallthatis1mmthick,howwillcurahandlethis?Itcreatestwoperimeterwallsthatare0.4mmeach.
Thisleavesa0.2mmgapbetweenthewallsandsincethenozzleistwiceasbigcuracannotfitthenozzle
betweenthewallstofillthevoid.Itshouldbesaidthatcuraisprettygoodatdealingwiththisandwilltry
sometrickstogetaroundthisissuebutwhenitfailsthisvoidbetweenwallsiswhatyouwillendupwith.
Togetaroundthisparticularproblemyoushouldalwaystrytodesignthinwallstobemultiplesofyournozzle
size.Ifthat'snotpossibleyoucancheatabitbychangingyournozzlesizesettingincuratosomething
slightlysmallerandtryagain.Thiswillcausecuratoslightlyunderextrudetocreateathinnerline.Youcan
alsoincreasethesizetodotheopposite.However,it'sveryimportantthatyouthenwatchyourprintspeeds
asthevolumeyou'retryingtoextrudewillgoupdrastically.Itisimportantthatyoumatchyourwallthickness
settingstomatchyournewnozzlesetting,youwantyourwallthicknesstobeamultipleofyournozzle
diameter.Ifyousetyournozzlediameterto0.3mmyouwantyourwallsettingstobe0.3mm,0.6mm,0.9mm
etc.

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Itisalsoworthexperimentingwiththewallthicknesssettingandinfillpercentage.Ifyou'renotgettingthe
resultyouwantwith0.8mmwallsyoucantry0.4mmor1.2mmforexample.Sometimeshavingathinner
outerwallhelpsfillinthesethinwallsandviceversa.Youdon'thavetoprintitouttocheck,insteadusethe
builtinlayerviewincuratocheckyourchanges.Thelayerviewisfoundbyclickingthebigbuttoninthetop
rightofthewindow.
Thisimageshowsaclassiccaseofthe
thinwallproblem.

Lowerwallcavein

Excessivebedheatistheculpritinthiscase.Astheplasticisextrudeditbehavessimilarlytoarubberband.
Normallythiseffectisheldbackbythepreviouslayersinaprint.Asafreshlineofplasticislaiddownit
bondstothepreviouslayerandisheldinplaceuntilitfullycoolsdownbelowtheglasstransition
temperature(wheretheplasticbecomessolid).Withaveryhotbedtheplasticisheldabovethistemperature
andisstillmalleable.Asnewlayersofplasticisputdownontopofthissemisolidmassofplasticthe
shrinkingforcescausestheobjecttoshrink.Thiscontinuesuntiltheprintreachesaheightwheretheheat
fromthebednolongerkeepstheobjectabovethistemperatureandeachlayerbecomessolidbeforethe
nextlayerisputdownthuskeepingeverythinginplace.
ForPLAyouwillwanttokeepyourbedtemperatureataround5060Cwhichisanicetemperaturetokeep
bedadhesionwhilenotbeingtoohot.Bydefaultthebedtemperatureissetto75Cwhichisdefinitelytoo
muchforPLA.Thereisanexceptiontothishowever.Ifyou'reprintingobjectswithaverylargefootprint
takingupmostofthebeditmightbenecessarytouseahigherbedtemperaturetomakesurethecornersdo
notlift.
Inadditiontoloweringyourbedtemperatureyouwantyourfanstocomeonearlytohelpcooldownthe
layersasfastaspossible.Youcanchangethisintheexpertsettingsofcura: Expert>OpenExpert
Settings... Inthewindowthatopensyouwillfindasectiondedicatedtocooling.Trysetting Fanfullon
atheight to1mmsothatthefanscomeonniceandearly.
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Ifyouareprintingaverysmallpartthesestepsmightnotbeenough.Thelayersmightsimplynothave
enoughtimetocoolproperlybeforethenextlayerisputdown.Tohelpwiththisyoucanprinttwocopiesof
yourobjectatoncesothattheprintheadwillalternatebetweenthetwocopiesgivingeachmoretimeto
cool.

Grinding

Grindinghappenswhenthemotortriestopushthefilamentthroughthenozzlebutforwhateverreasonit
startstosliponthefilamentandinsteadgrindstheplasticdown.Themoreitgrindsthefilamentthelessgrip
itisabletogetandverysoonitwillnotbeabletomovethefilamentneitherinnorout.Thisismorecommon
ontheUltimakerOriginalbutitcanalsohappenontheUltimaker2.TohelppreventthisproblemontheUM2
thefeedermotorcurrentisdeliberatelylimitedsothatthemotorwillskipbackbeforestartingtogrindthe
filamentdown.Whenthishappensyouwillheara*tock*soundandthefeederwheelwillspininreversefor
aboutaquarterturn.
Whatpreventsthefeederfrommovingthematerialforwardproperlycandifferandwhatfollowsisafew
thingsyouwillwanttocheck.
Tangledfilament(#grinding_tangle)
Thismightseemobviousbutmakesurethatyourfilamentcanunspoolunhindered.Checkthatthefilament
isn'toverlappingonthespoolforexample.Itisnotuncommontohavethefilamentloopunderitselfwhen
youremoveitfromtheprinterforstorageanditcanbehardtosee.
Feederpressure(#grinding_pressure)
Theamountofpressurethatthefeederputsonyourfilamentisadjustableviaasmallhiddenscrew
accessedatthetopofthefeeder.Totherightofwherethebowdentubeentersthefeederthereisasmall
holeintowhichyoucaninsertahexdrivertoadjustthetension.Thecurrentsettingcanbeseenonthelittle
whitedialrightbelowthishole.Whenthedialisintheupperpositionthepressureislowandviceversa.
Ultimaker2:InMarchof2014thespringinsidethefeederwaschangedandthepropersettingwilltherefore
differdependingonwhenyoureceivedyourprinter.FormachinesfrombeforeMarchof2014theindicator
shouldbeatthemiddleandformachinesafterthisdatetheindicatorshouldbeatthetop.
Ultimaker2+:ThedefaultsettingfortheUltimaker2+isinthemiddle.
Youwanttoadjustthetensionsothatthefeedernevergrindsthefilamentbutratherskipsbackwhenthe
pressurebecomestoohigh.Tryincreasingthepressurefirst(movingtheindicatorfurtherdown).When
properlyadjustedthemotorwillskipbacktoprotectthefilamentfromgrindingsothatthefeedercanalways
getagoodgrip(andpreventdamage).
NotethatthenewfeederontheUltimaker2+willnotskipliketheolderfeederoftheUltimaker2asithas
changedtoagearedandstrongerdesign.
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UpdatefirmwareforyourUM2(#grinding_firmware)
AnunfortunatebuginthefirmwareoftheUM2cancausegrindingtohappenatthestartofaprintdueto
excessiveprimingspeed.Pleasemakesurethatyouusethefirmwarethatshippedwithcura14.07orlater.
Youcandownloadthelatestversionofcurahere:Softwaredownload(http://software.ultimaker.com)
Checkthe"third"fan(#grinding_thirdFan)
TheprintheadoftheUM2hasthreefans,thetwoprintcoolingfansontheleftandrightsideandwhatwe
callthethirdfanthatislocatedatthebackofthehead.itisveryimportantthatthisfanisrunningwhenever
thehotendisheatedup.Dependingonhowoldyourprinteristhefanshouldturnonassoonastheprinteris
poweredonorassoonastheprintheadreachesatemperatureofmorethan40C.Thefunctionofthisfanis
tocoolthezoneoftheprintheadwheretheplasticgoesfromliquidtosolid,itisimportantthatthereisa
sharpdistinctionbetweenthesetwozonesandthatheatdoesn'ttravelupwardsinthesystem.Ifthethirdfan
isnotrunningheatwilltravelupinthesystemandsoftenthefilamentmuchhigherupthanintended.The
softenedfilamentwillthenexpandandcauseaclogthatwillmakeitimpossibletoprintuntilitisremoved.
Ifyoufindthatthefanisnotrunningyoushouldcheckthatthefanisproperlyconnected.Theconnectoris
hiddenundertheblackwiremeshguardandyouwillneedtomoveitoutoftheway.Itmaybethatthemesh
hasheatshrinktubingthatneedtoberemovedbeforeyouareabletomovethemeshoutoftheway.Usea
smallscissororpliersandcarefullycutthetubingawaybeingcarefulnottocutanycables.Theheatshrink
tubingiscosmeticandremovingitwillnotimpactperformanceinanyway.
Tracethewirefromthefantoit'sconnector.Thefanshouldconnecttoanorangeandbluewire.Tuggently
ontheconnectiontomakesureitissolidlyconnectedandcheckthatithasn'tsomehowbeenconnectedin
reverse.
Thisimageshowsaproperconnection.
Noticehowthelittle"hooks"securethe
twoconnectorstogether.Alsotakenote
ofthecolourorderofthewires.There
havebeenacoupleofcases(inother
words,rare)thatthewireshavebeen
assembledinthewrongorder.

Inthiscaseoneoftheinternalmetallicconnectorshaveslippedoutofthehousing.Thismaycause
intermittentbehaviourinwhichthefanturnsononlywhentheprintheadisincertainpositions.Itisimportant
thatyoufixthisandyouwillstartbyfirstdisconnectingthefanandthengentlypullingtheloosewireout
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completely.

Inspecttheconnectorandseethatthe
littleretainingbarbonthetopisbent
outward.

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Thenreinsertthewireintothehousing
allthewayuntilyouhearafaintclickas
thelittlebarbsnapsintoplace.Itcanbe
difficulttohearthissotakealookand
checkthatthewireisindeedfully
inserted.Givethewiresalittletugto
checkthattheyareheldsecurelyin
place.Finallyreconnectthefan.

Cleantheknurledsleeve(#grinding_sleeve)
Itispossiblethatplasticisclogginguptheknurledsurfacethatissupposedtogripintothefilament.Usually
blowingsharplyatthesurfacewillgetridofthedebrisbutusingasmallbrush,likeatoothbrush,ishelpfulto
makesurethesurfaceisniceandclean.Itisespeciallyimportanttocleanthesleeveafteryouhavehada
grindasitisthenverylikelyitwillbefullofplasticshavings.
Excessivestepperaxisheat(#grinding_heat)
Thisoneisabitmoreobscurebutwe'veseenacoupleofcaseswheretheshaftofthefeedermotorgetsso
hotthatitheatsupthefilamenttothepointwhereitgetsslightlysoft.ThisismostlyanissuewithPLAasit
hasalowerglasstransitiontemperaturethanforexampleXTorABS.Duetotheextraheatthefilamentwill
starttodeformandflattenoutwhichinturnleadstoextrusionproblems.Printswithalotofretractionsareof
courseaffectedmorethanaprintwherethefilamentissteadilyfeedingintotheprinter.

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Thisseemstobemoreofaproblemwhentheprinterislocatedinaplacewithalreadyveryhighambient
temperatures.Ifyoususpectthisishappeningonyourprinteryoucantrythefollowingtoseeifithelps.
Removethewhitemetalcoverthathidesthesteppermotorandthendirectafanatthesteppertocoolit
down.Youcouldalsopossiblytrytocooltheareadownfrombehindtheprinterbutit'shardersincethereis
solittleoftheshaftexposed.

ERRORSTOPPEDTempsensorbed

Thefirmwarehasdetectedthatthetemperaturesensorofthebedisreportingincorrectvalues.Without
properfeedbackfromthesensorthefirmwarecan'tcontrolthebedheatsotoprotecttheprinterandfor
safetyreasonsthefirmwarewillpreventyoufromusingtheprinteruntilthisproblemisfixed.
Importantwarrantynote:beforeyouperformanyofthesestepsyoumustcontacttheUltimaker
supportteamfirst
Mostlikelytheerroriscausedbyaconnectionissue.Thiscanhappeninafewlocations:
WherethewiresconnecttothePCBunderneaththeprinter
Atthebedconnector
Thewiresthemselvesmaybedamaged
Theeasiestthingtocheckistheconnectorontheheatedbedsolet'sstartthere.Followthecablesthat
connecttothebed.Therewillbefourwirestwothickonesandtwothinnerones.Thesensorwiresarethe
thinnerones.Trytugginggentlyonthesewiresandmakesurethattheyaresecurelyfastened.Iftheyarenot
properlysecuredyouwillneedtoremovetheheatedbedsothatyoucanaccesstheconnectorandreseat
thewiresproperly.

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Ifanyofthewiresarelooseyouwillneedtoremovetheheatedbedsothatyoucanreachtheconnector.
Startbyremovingthestrainreliefthatholdthewirestothebed.Thebedisheldinplacebythreescrewsthat
connecttothethreethumbscrewsontheundersideofthebuildplate.Unscrewallthreescrewscompletely
andliftthebedoff.Bereadytocatchthethumbscrewsastheyarenotheldinplace.Youwillnowhavefull
accesstothebedconnectoranditshouldbestraightforwardtoreinsertthewiresandtightentheminto
place.Whileyouhaveaccessyoushouldalsoinspectthesolderjointsthatholdtheconnectortotheheated
bed.Checkforcracksorotherdamage.Ifyoufindabadconnectionyouwillneedtoreflowthesolderjoints.
Ifyouarenotcomfortabledoingthisyourselfthenmaybeyouknowsomeonewhohasexperiencewitha
solderingiron.Ifnot,getincontactwithusandwe'llmakesuretogetitfixedforyou.
NowcheckthatthesensorisproperlypluggedintothePCBatthebottomofyourprinter.ToaccessthePCB
youwillneedtoremovetheprotectivemetalcover.Therearetwometalcovers,theoneyouwanttoremove
isthebiggerone.Thecoverisheldinplacebyacoupleofscrewsthatyouunscrewfrominsidetheprint
areaoftheprinter.Startbyliftingthebedoutofthewaybygrabbingthebedwithbothhandsasclosetothe
backoftheprinteraspossibleandliftingitstraightup.Laythemachineonitssideandremovethetwo
screwsandfinallyremovethecover,itmighttakeabitofwigglingbackandforthtodislodgethecover.The
sensorcableiswhiteandbrownandshouldbeconnectedto"Temp3"onthePCB:
Unscrewthesetwoscrewstoreleasethe
electronicscover.

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Checkthatthewhiteandbrowncableis
insertedinto"Temp3".

Scratches

Astheprintheadiscompletingatoplayertravelmovescancauseuglylinestoappear.Thiscanbecaused
byacoupleofthings.Eithertheheadismakinganactualscratchonthesurfaceoryouareseeingslight
oozingofplasticduringthetravelmove.
Youcantrytoenablethe"zhop"featureincurawhichwillfindintheexpertsettingsundertheretraction
heading: Expert>Openexpertsettings... Thisfeaturewillmaketheprinterliftthenozzleatinyamount
justbeforemakingatravelmoveandthenmovebackdownonceitarrivesatthedestination.Incombination
withthisyoucanincreasethespeedatwhichtheprinterexecutestravelmoves.Youcanincreasethedefault
150mm/sto250mm/swithoutproblems.Thefastermovewillreducetheamountoftimethenozzlecanooze
outplastic.Alsoconsiderloweringyourtemperaturetofurtherreduceoozing.
ToreduceoozingevenmoreyoucansettheMinimumtraveldistanceto1andsetMinimumextrusionto0.
Thiswillforcecuratoalwaysretractbeforeperformingatravelmove.Thismayaddabitofprintingtimeasa
retractiondoesn'thappeninstantly.
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Asideeffectofthezhopfeatureisthatitcanleavebehindatinylittleblob.However,asmallblobisfarless
visibleandeasiertoremovethanascratch.
Thiseffectismorepronetohappenonsurfaceswhicharebrokenupbyholessincetheheadneedstomove
aroundmore."Dreamworker"ontheUltimakerforumscameupwithacleverworkaroundtoreducethe
complexityofthetopsurface.Byaddingathinsolidlayerontopoftheobjecthewasabletoreducethe
travelmovessignificantly.Thethinlayerofplasticwasthencuttorevealtheholesagain.
Alittlebitmoreinformationandanotheroptiontoreducethiseffectcanbefoundhere:Gettingbetterprints
guide(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/30gettingbetterprints#bettertopsurfaces)

Protrudingaxes/Rodsstickingout

Thiscanhappenifasetscrewononeofthepulleyshascomelooseandit'seasytofix.Theimageatthe
topofthepageshowsafairlyextremecase,sometimesitonlysticksoutammortwoandcanbehardto
spot.Usuallyasmalldeviationlikethatwillnotaffectperformanceorqualitybutyoumightexperiencea
strangeknockingsoundthatishardtolocate.Iftherodisn'theldtightlyinplaceitwillmovebackandforth
withtheprintheadandwillmakeaknockingsoundasthespacerisbangingupagainstthesideofthe
machine.
Startbylooseningthesetscrewonthe
offendingpulleyfullytomakeiteasierto
move.Nextpushthemetalrodbackinto
thecorrectposition.Intheimagethe
arrowispointingtoablackspacer,push
theloosenedpulleytowardsthisspacer
untilitispushinguptightlyagainstthe
bearing.Finallyretightenthesetscrew
verytightlysothatitcannotslipagain.

Randomfilllayers/Voidsbeingclosedup

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Theexampleimageshowsapartwheretheopeningatthetophasasinglefilllayercoveringit.Youmight
alsofindthatvoidsinsideyourmodelareeithercompletelyfilledorrandomlyfilledbyinfilllayers.This
happensduetoerrorsinthemodelfilethatconfusestheslicer.Youcanoftenspottheseerrorsbyviewing
themodelin"XRay"modewhichyoucanactivatebyclickingthelargebuttoninthetoprightofthemodel
windowincura.Anyareasshowingupasredareproblemareasthatwillpotentiallycauseissues.
Thismodelshowsawholeheapof
errors.Youdonotwantanyredareasat
allwhenviewingyourmodelinXRay
mode.

curahasanumberofoptionsgroupedunderthe"Fixhorrible"headingintheexpertsettings.Knowingwhich
optiontoenable/disableorwhichcombinationswillworkissimplydowntotrialanderror.Switchto"Layers"
modewiththesamebuttonasbeforeandinspectthetroubleareasasyoutrydifferentcombinations.It
shouldbenotedthatenablingtheseoptionsforamodelthatisn'tfaultycanactuallymakethemodelslice
incorrectly(seetheimagebelow).
Abetteroptionmightbetorepairthemodelsothattheproblemdoesn'tpresentinthefirstplace.Netfabb
offersafreecloudbasedservicethatwillattempttohealmodelsforyou.Sinceit'sfreeit'swellworthgivingit
ashot.Youcanfindtheservicehere(https://netfabb.azurewebsites.net/).

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Thisimageclearlyshowshowthesliced
filedoesnotrepresentwhatyouwould
expect.Wheretheholesshouldbethere
isnowinfill.What'sinterestingisthatthe
fileisactuallyperfectlyfinebutby
accidentthe"Combineeverything(Type
B)"checkboxunder"Fixhorrible"was
checked.Withthatoptionuncheckedthe
fileslicedwithoutissues.

Firstlayernotsticking/Partscomingloose

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Byfarthemostcommonissuehereissimplythatyouhaven'tproperlylevelledyourprintbed.Itisvery
importantthatthebedisperfectlylevelinrelationtothemovementoftheprintheadandthatthestarting
distancefromthenozzleisasclosetoperfectaspossible.Ifthefirstlayerstartsjustslightlytoohighthe
plasticwillnotbesquishedintotheprintbedproperlyandwillthereforenotstickandstayinplace.Youmight
alsofindthatthepartsaredetachingbeforetheprintiscompleted.
Whenyoufirststartedyourmachineyouwereguidedthroughabedlevellingwizard,youcanrestartthisat
anytime.Startthewizardwith Maintenance>Buildplate. Internallythefirmwareexpectsthebedtobe
0.1mmfromthenozzletipattheendofthewizard.Itjustsohappensthatasheetofstandard80grprinter
paperisusuallyofthisthicknessandcanbeusedasacrudefeelergauge.Youwantthepapertobeableto
slideinunderthenozzlebutyoushouldfeelabitofdrag/scrapingonthepaper.Asyougetmoreconfident
youmightfindthatit'seasiertosimplylookalongtheglassandvisuallysetthecorrectheight.Youwantthe
nozzletobeveryclosetotouchingitsownreflectionwithoutactuallytouching.
Youmighthavetoredothisprocedureacoupleoftimestogetitright,it'llgeteasierwithtimeandluckilythe
Ultimaker2buildplatformisverystableandrarelyneedstoberecalibrated.
Youcanalsoadjustthelevellingontheflyastheprinterislayingdownthefirstlayer.Simplyusethe
thumbscrewsunderneaththeplatform.
You'llfindanimageshowinganexampleofagoodfirstlayerinthewarping(#warping)section.
Itisalsoveryimportantthatyourprintbedisclean(glueisanexceptionofcourse)andfreefromoilsfrom
yourfingers.Ifyou'vetouchedyourprintbedalottheoilsfromyourfingerscanpreventormakeitharderfor
theplastictostickproperly.Topromotestickinessyourmachinewasdeliveredwithastickofglue.Using
glueisoptionalbuttendstohelpquiteabit.Don'tgocrazywiththegluethough,moreisnotbetter.Clean
yourglassplateandthenspreadabitoftheglueontoit.Withadamppieceofpaperorclothspreadtheglue
outoverthebedandletitdry(startingaprintthatusestheheatedbedwillmakeitdryquickly).Afterthe
waterevaporatesyouwillbeleftwithaverythinlayerofglue.
Ifyou'reprintingonacoldbedwithbluepainterstape,likeontheUltimakerOriginal,itisveryhelpfultowipe
thetapedownwithsomealcohol.Thetapeiscoveredwithawaxysubstancethatcanmakeitharderforthe
partstostick.Thisisn'talwaysneededbutit'ssomethingtokeepinmind.

"Hairy"print

Thisisatrickyproblemwithoutaclearsolutionatthemoment.Thisproblemshouldnotbeconfusedwith
stringing(#stringing)whichisadifferentissue.Thisproblemissimilartostringinginappearancebutthe
strandsofplasticareveryverythinandtheyseemtobeabletoappeareveniftherearenotravelmoves
crossingovervoids.
Itseemstobefairlymaterialdependentsoconsidertryingadifferentrollofplasticandseeifthathelps.
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Alsomakesurethatyournozzleiscleansothatsmallamountsofplasticisn'tbeingdepositedrandomly
duringtheprint.
Thankfullythelittlehairsarequiteeasytoremove.Rubbingthemoffwithyourfingersworkquitewell.
Anotherway,ifyou'reabitlazy,istohittheprintwiththeflamefroma"jet"lighterverybriefly.Thiswillburn
awaythestrandsprettycleanly.Don'tusearegularlighteroracandleasitwilllikelyleaveuglymarksonit.
Ifyou'vefiguredoutthecauseandfixforthiswewouldlovetohearfromyou,findthecontactemailatthe
topofthispage.

XorYswitchbroken

Thiserrorwilltypicallyshowupwhentheheadis"homing",meaningwhentheprinteristryingtofindthe
originpointforthehead.Thishappenswheneveryoustartaprint.Theheadwillmovetowardsthebackleft
cornerofyourprinterandwaitfortheheadtotriggerthelittlelimitswitchesthatarelocatedinthiscorner.If
thisdoesn'thappenthewaythefirmwareisexpecting,itwillthrowthiserror.
Iftheprinterismakingaterriblegrindingnoisejustbeforethiserrorshowsupitmightsimplybethatthe
headisn'tproperlytriggeringtheendswitches.Theswitchesarelocatedinthetopleftoftheprinterand
shouldmakeafaintclickingsoundwhenyoumovetheprintheadtowardsthecorner.Ifyouturnoffyour
printeryoucaneasilymovetheheadbyhandtocheckthis.Ifeitheroftheswitchesdon'tmakeasound
beforeyouphysicallycan'tmoveyourheadanyfurtherthatindicatesthatsomethingiswrong.Likelyyoucan
fixthisbysimplyusingapairofpliersandgentlybendingthelittlemetaltaboftheswitchsothatittriggers
earlier.
Alsocheckthatthefanshroudisn'thittingtheleftwalloftheprinterandpreventingtheheadfrommovingall
thewaytotheleft.Ifitdoes,usesomegentleforceandbendthefanshrouddownwardsabitsothatitclears
thewall.
Acommoncauseforthiserrorisaloosepulley.Ifyou'verecentlyreceivedyourprinterorifyou've
transporteditthere'sasmallchancethatvibrationshavecausedthelittlesetscrewstobecomeloosened.In
thiscasethemostlikelysuspectsarethepulleysthattheshortbeltsrunoversostartbycheckingtheset
screwsofthosepulleys.Thesetscrewofthepulleyonthesteppermotorshaftcanbequitetrickytogetto
dependingonwhattoolsyouhavesoyoumighthavetoremovethemotorinordertogettoit.Thisisn't
difficultbutcanbeabitscaryifyou'veneverdoneitbefore.
Thefirststepistoremovethewhitecoverplatesthathidethemotors.Theseareattachedwithtwoscrews
fromtheoutsideoftheprinter.Removethoseandthenliftthecoverout.Nextyouwillloosenthefourscrews
thatholdthemotorinplaceandyouwillnowbeabletogettothelittlesetscrew.Whenreattachingthe
motor,makesurethattheshortbeltistightandthatyoudon'tpinchanywires.Thissection(#circles)ofthe
guideshowsyouthescrewsandhowtotightenthebelts.

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Speakingofpinchedwires.Nowthatyouhavethecoversoffit'sagoodopportunitytocheckthatthewiresof
thelimitswitcheshaven'tbeenpinchedordamaged.Theswitchesarelocatedinthetopleftcornerofthe
printer.Simplyfollowthewiresandcheckthattheylookok.
Ifyou'vecheckedallthesetscrewsandtheyarealltight,thenextthingtocheckistheconnections.Todo
thisyouwillhavetoremovethecoverontheelectronicsboardunderneathyourprinter.Disconnectpower
andthenunscrewthesetwoscrewswhichholdthecoverinplace:

Onceyou'veremovedthecoveryouwillcheckthewiresgoingtothespotsmarked"Xstop"and"Ystop".
Makesurethecablesarepluggedinproperly.Ifthewiresarepluggedinfullyanditstilldoesn'twork(you
cantestthiswiththeprinterlyingonitssideviathemenuentry Maintenance>Advanced>Homehead )and
youhaveaccesstoamultimeteryoucancheckthattheswitchisfunctioningproperly.Setyourmultimeterto
continuitycheck,disconnectthewire,probethetinymetaltabswhichyoucanseethroughtheholesinthe
caseoftheplugandpressthelittleendswitch.You'lllikelyneedsomeonetohelpyouhereasit'sajobfor
threehands.
Ifnoneofthestepsabovefindanythingwrongthenextstepmightbetoseeifthere'ssomethingwrongwith
thecontrollerboard.It'sbestthatyoucontacttheplaceyouboughtyourprinterfromifthisisthecasesothat
theycanfurtherhelpyou.

Skippedlayer/Beddrop

Severalthingscanbeatplayhereasdifferentissuescanshowverysimilarerrorintheprintamissing
layer.
Underextrusion

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Onecommoncausecanbetemporaryunderextrusion.Extrusionisprohibitedforsomereason,suchasa
tangleonthespool,forafewlayersandtheprinterthencontinuesasnormal.Seetheunderextrusion
(#underextrusion)sectionformoreinformationaboutthis.
Lubricationofzscrew
Anothercausecanbealackoflubricationonthezaxisthreadedrod.Yourprintercamewithalittlebagof
accessories,inthereyouwillfindasmallsachetofgreengreasethatismeantforthethreadedrod.Spread
outsomegreaseontherodandmovethebedupanddowntospreaditoutthoroughly.It'simportantthat
yougrabthebedtowardsthebackofthemachinewhiledoingthissothatyoudon'triskbendingthebed.
Whiledoingthisit'sagoodideatoalsoinspectthescrewtoseethatthereisn'tsomesortofdebriscausing
issues(suchasasmallpieceofPLAforexample).
Misalignmentofbearings
Nextupissomesortofexcessivefrictioncausingthebedtobindupuntilthemotorisabletobreakitfree
causingasudden,andtoolarge,dropofthebed.Turnthemachineoffandmanuallymovethebedupand
downtoseeifyoucanfeelifthereisacertainspotthatseemstohavemuchhigherfrictionthantherestof
themovement.
Ifyoufeelthatthebedisbindingsomewhereitcouldbethattherodsarenotperfectlyalignedwiththelinear
bearings.Aclassicexampleofthisisadrawerthatispushedinslightlyaskew,itwillbindinplace.To
remedythisyouwillhavetofirstremovethecoverplatethathidesthelinearbearings.Twoscrewsonthe
undersideofthebedholditinplace.Onceyouhaveremovedthescrewsyoucansimplyliftittofreeit.Use
apieceoftapetoholditatthetopoftheprinter,outoftheway.
Nowcomesthetediouspart.Inordertorealignthebearingyouneedtoloosenthefourscrewsthathold
eachbearinginplace.Loosenallbutoneofthe8screws.Assoonasyou'vedonethisitwillbehardtomove
thebedasitwillveryeasilybindinplace,patienceiskeyhere.Wigglethebedandmoveitupanddowna
bitsothatthebearingcanselfalign,tightenoneofthescrewsandthenwiggletheplatformagainandthen
tightenthetworemainingscrews.Repeatthesameprocessfortheotherbearing.Trymovingthebedfully
upanddownandseeifyougotanyimprovement.Youmayhavetorepeatthisonceortwiceasitcanbe
trickytogetthingsinjustthecorrectlocation.
Toomuchoil
Oneuserreportedthathehadoiledthetwothickrodsofthezstageandthiscausedissues.Oncetheoil
hadbeencleanedoffagain,theproblemwentaway.Worthatry.
Overheatingduetoexcessivecurrent
Duetoaslightdesignflawofarevisionofthecontrollerboardit'spossiblethatsomeprinterswillhavea
problemwhereexcesscurrenttothestepperdriverscauseissues.Whathappensisthatthestepperdrivers
overheat,theprotectioncircuitryofthechipkicksinandshutsthedriverdownforabriefmoment,duringthis
momentthere'sachancethatthebedmovesdownunpredictably.

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Thankfullythisisusuallyeasilyfixedbysimplyloweringthecurrentforthesteppermotors.Thisisdoneon
theprintervia Maintenance>Advanced>Motionsettings>CurrentZ .Thedefaultvalueis1300mA,try
loweringthisto1200mA.
Faultyrodsorbearing
Unfortunatelyitisalsopossiblethatsomethingiswrongwitheithertherodsorlinearbearingsofthezstage.
Ifyou'vetriedalltheothersolutionslistedaboveitmightbetimetocontactyourresellerorUltimaker
themselvestogetreplacementsforthese.
Spoolholderinterferencewithbed
Checktomakesurethatthepartsofthespoolholderthatsticksintothemachineisn'thittinganypartofthe
zstagesuchasthe"cap"thatgoesoverthelinearbearingsorthebeditself.It'spossiblethatyoucouldsee
somescratchmarksontheholderitself.
Theeasiestwaytogetaroundthiswouldbetosimplytakeafileandremoveammortwofromthespool
holdertabs.Another,moreinvolved,waytopossiblysolveitistomovethebedforward.Thisisdoneby
removingthecoveroverthelinearbearings,looseningthescrewsonthebearingsandthenpullingthebed
forward.Thetrickyparthereistogetthebearingsperfectlyalignedwiththerodsagainafterwards.It'svery
easyforthemtostartbindingifthey'renot.Usingafilewilltakeaminuteortwoatmostsoit'samuchmuch
lessinvolvedprocess.

Misalignedaxes

Ifyoufindthatyourprintslookedskewedthiscouldbetheissue.Youmightfindthatyourprintslooklikethis,
wherethingsseemtofitwhenyoulinetheprintsupinthesamedirectiontheywereprinted,butasyourotate
themaroundyoufindthattheynolongerfitatall.

Anothersymptomcanbeexcessivefrictionwhenyoutrytomovetheheadaround.
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Youmightalsonoticeitjustbylookingattheprinterfromthetopandnoticethatsomethingdoesn'tlookquite
right.Regardless,thefixisquitesimple.There'sacoupleofmethodsyoucanuse,thefirstonewedescribe
istheoneweusuallyuse.Youwillstartbyturningoffthemachinesothatyoucanmovetheheadaround
freelybyhandandthenmovingtheheadtothefrontcenterofthemachine,asfartowardsyouasitcango.

Nowtakealookwheretheblackslidingblocksmeetupwiththepulleysatthecorner.Checkthedistance
betweenthepulleyandtheslidingblockandcompareittothedistanceontheoppositeside.

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Youwantthisdistancetobeasclosetoidenticalonbothsidesasyoucangetit.Ifyoufindthatthere'sa
differenceyouneedtoadjustit.Tobeabletodosoyouhavetoloosenthesetscrewsofthetwopulleysthat
controlthemovementoftheslidingblock.Inthisexamplewe'regoingtomovethelefthandsideblockandto
dosoweneedtoloosenthesetwopulleys.

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Doingsowillallowustomovethisslidingblockwithoutaffectingit'sbrother/sisterontheotherside.It'srare
thatyouareluckyenoughtobeabletoreachbothscrewswithouthavingtomovetheheadsomakea
mentalnoteofhowmuchyouneedtomovetheblockandthenmovetheheadsothatyoucanreachthe
screws.Afteryouaredoneadjustingmakesureyoutightenthescrewsbackup,anddoitverytightly.
Repeatthesameprocedurebutthistimeputtheheadinthemiddleleft(orrightifthat'smoreconvenient).
Youmayhavetorepeatthisprocedureacoupleoftimestogetthingsperfect(orclosetoit).
Anotheroptiontovisuallymeasuringthedistanceistouseatoolsuchasthis:
https://www.youmagine.com/designs/adjustableaxisalignmenttool
(https://www.youmagine.com/designs/adjustableaxisalignmenttool).The"downside"tousingtheseisthat
youoftenrunintotheproblemmentionedabovewhereyoucan'tfindaspotwhereyoucanreachbothset
screws.

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Excerptfrom"AvisualUltimakertroubleshootingguide"(http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23avisual
ultimakertroubleshootingguide)by3DVerkstan(http://3dverkstan.se/)

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LastupdatedonMay31,2016

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