Temperature control is a crucial factor in achieving high-quality 3D prints. Whether your printer is printing too hot or too cold, the temperature can significantly affect the print’s adhesion, surface finish, strength, and overall success. Too high of a temperature can lead to issues such as stringing, oozing, or warping, while too low of a temperature can cause under-extrusion, poor adhesion, or inconsistent layers.
This article will help you understand how to identify temperature-related problems and what to do if your 3D printer is printing too hot or too cold.
1. Signs of Printing Too Hot
Why It’s a Problem:
Printing at temperatures that are too high can cause several issues that affect the final print quality. Excessive heat can cause filament to become too runny, leading to stringing, oozing, or over-extrusion. It can also weaken the printed object, resulting in warping or poor layer adhesion.
Common Symptoms:
- Stringing: Thin, unwanted strands of filament that appear between different parts of your print.
- Excessive Oozing: Material oozing out of the nozzle even when the printer isn’t extruding, leading to blobs or messy prints.
- Warping: The edges of the print lifting off the print bed, often caused by excessive heat.
- Poor Surface Quality: Visible artifacts like bubbles or blisters on the surface of the print.
- Over-Extrusion: Too much filament being deposited, making the print appear too thick or causing the extruder to clog.
How to Fix It:
- Lower the Print Temperature: Check the recommended print temperature range for the filament you are using. For example, PLA typically prints at around 190°C to 220°C, while ABS prints at around 220°C to 250°C. Reduce the extruder temperature slightly (5-10°C) and observe the print results.
- Check Your Printer’s Temperature Settings: Ensure the temperature settings in your slicer are correctly configured. If your slicer software has default settings, verify them to ensure they match the recommended filament settings.
- Adjust Print Speed: In some cases, lowering the print speed along with reducing the temperature can help prevent overheating. Faster printing can cause filament to extrude too quickly, leading to overheating.
- Increase Cooling: Ensure that your cooling fans are running correctly and blowing air onto the print. This helps cool the filament as it is extruded, preventing overheating and warping.
- Upgrade the Hotend Cooling System: If your 3D printer is printing at high temperatures frequently, consider upgrading your hotend’s cooling system, especially if you are using materials that require higher temperatures like ABS or Nylon.
2. Signs of Printing Too Cold
Why It’s a Problem:
Printing at temperatures that are too low can cause a variety of issues, mainly due to the filament not melting or adhering properly. If the filament is too cold, it will not extrude well, leading to under-extrusion, weak layer adhesion, and poor print quality.
Common Symptoms:
- Under-Extrusion: Filament not being fed properly, resulting in gaps or missing parts in your print.
- Poor Adhesion to the Print Bed: The first layer may not stick to the bed, causing prints to fail early in the process.
- Rough or Fragile Prints: Prints can appear brittle or weak, as the material hasn’t been extruded properly and the layers don’t bond well.
- Clogs: A cold nozzle can lead to filament jams or clogs due to incomplete melting of the material.
- Bubbles or Gaps: Inconsistent extrusion that leads to air bubbles or gaps between the layers.
How to Fix It:
- Increase the Print Temperature: Check the recommended temperature range for the filament and increase the temperature within that range. For example, if you’re using PLA, try increasing the temperature by 5-10°C to improve extrusion and adhesion.
- Check Nozzle and Bed Temperature: Ensure that both the hotend (extruder) and the print bed are heating to the correct temperatures. A cold print bed can cause poor adhesion, especially with materials like PLA or ABS.
- Adjust Print Speed: Printing too quickly at low temperatures can cause under-extrusion, especially if the filament is not fully melted. Reduce the print speed to give the hotend time to melt the material properly.
- Use Brims or Rafts for Adhesion: If you’re experiencing adhesion issues at lower temperatures, try using a brim or raft to improve adhesion on the first layer.
- Ensure Proper Bed Leveling: Ensure the print bed is properly leveled to avoid poor adhesion at low temperatures. An uneven bed can exacerbate printing problems, especially when the temperature is not optimal.
3. Calibrate Your 3D Printer
Whether your printer is too hot or too cold, calibration plays a crucial role in resolving temperature-related issues. Improper calibration can lead to problems like poor bed adhesion, uneven extrusion, or inconsistent print quality.
Key Calibration Steps:
- Calibrate the Bed: Make sure the print bed is level and clean. A properly calibrated bed ensures that the first layer adheres well, even at low temperatures.
- Check the Nozzle Height: The nozzle height relative to the print bed affects extrusion consistency. Make sure your nozzle is at the right distance from the bed to ensure the filament flows evenly.
- Perform a Test Print: Always do a small test print after changing any settings (temperature, speed, or layer height). This helps confirm that the printer is printing at the right temperature for your chosen material.
4. Check Your Filament Quality
The quality of your filament can also affect printing temperatures. Low-quality or moisture-absorbed filament can lead to poor extrusion, temperature-related issues, and even clogs.
How to Check:
- Store Filament Properly: Always store your filament in a dry environment, as moisture can cause the filament to behave unpredictably and lead to extrusion issues.
- Check for Filament Bubbles or Bloating: If the filament has absorbed moisture, it can cause bubbles or inconsistent extrusion. Dry the filament if necessary by using a filament dryer or placing it in an oven at a low temperature to remove moisture.
5. Check the Hotend and Heated Bed Thermistors
Faulty thermistors can lead to incorrect readings of the temperature, causing the printer to heat up too much or too little. The thermistor is responsible for detecting the temperature of the hotend and the heated bed, so if it’s not working correctly, the printer may not heat up or cool down properly.
How to Check:
- Verify Thermistor Functionality: If you suspect the thermistor is malfunctioning, check the printer’s display for temperature readings. If they seem off (e.g., the temperature is inaccurate), you may need to replace the thermistor.
- Replace Faulty Parts: If a thermistor or heater cartridge is damaged or malfunctioning, replacing them with new parts should resolve the temperature problems.
6. Use the Right Slicer Settings
Your slicer software is essential in controlling the temperature during printing. Incorrect slicer settings can result in printing too hot or too cold, depending on how the software is configured.
How to Adjust Slicer Settings:
- Set Correct Extruder and Bed Temperatures: In your slicer, make sure to set the extruder and heated bed temperatures according to the filament manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Check Print Profiles: Many slicer software programs come with pre-configured profiles for specific filaments. Make sure you’re using the right profile for the material you’re printing.
- Advanced Settings: Some slicers allow you to fine-tune settings like temperature tower tests, variable temperatures across layers, or adaptive cooling. Use these options if necessary to improve print quality.
Conclusion
Getting the right temperature for your 3D prints is essential for achieving high-quality results. Whether your printer is printing too hot or too cold, you can easily fix temperature-related issues by adjusting the print temperature, calibrating your printer, and ensuring the correct slicer settings.
In summary:
- If your printer is too hot, lower the temperature, adjust cooling, and check for excess oozing or warping.
- If your printer is too cold, increase the temperature, check the bed and nozzle settings, and ensure proper extrusion.
By understanding the causes of temperature problems and knowing how to fix them, you’ll be able to troubleshoot and improve your 3D printing experience.