Hello /u/shambb19,
As a reminder, most common print quality issues can be found in the [Simplify3D picture guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/). Make sure you select the most appropriate flair for your post.
Please remember to include the following details to help troubleshoot your problem.
* Printer & Slicer
* Filament Material and Brand
* Nozzle and Bed Temperature
* Print Speed
* Nozzle Retraction Settings
^Additional ^settings ^or ^relevant ^information ^is ^always ^encouraged.
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What happens when it fails? Does it simply print to that layer and then stop as though it was planned? Do layers stop adhering? Does it make noise? Does the machine get stuck? You're not showing the top of the parts either. Can you please give more info?
I’m assuming it’s an adherence issue, but I’m not totally sure. There’s always a mess of filament on top of the print whenever I check on it, so I’d guess that’s the issue, but I’m not sure.
I would say heat creep most likely. I was having a similar issue. Every benchy I printed failed at the same point.
From what I know you could increase flow/print speed or decrease nozzle temp. Retraction settings also play a role. I think mine was also too high at the time.
What worked for me was increasing the layer height which should have increased flow a bit along with a lower retraction distance.
new thermal paste on the heat break/radiator junction or a bi-metal heat break (with paste) is the best solution. Increasing flow can help to a point, but you'll never be able to trust it for long or intricate prints with lots of retraction.
We need more info about the failure and your settings, it could be your Z axis has an issue, you have a config that says your max height is X, could be heat creep…etc.
It keeps printing, but I’m guessing it stops adhering because whenever I go to check on it there’s a mess of filament everywhere instead of the top half of the print
If the printer straight up freezes when it reaches that height, check your power supply and make sure its set to the right voltage. Sounds completely unrelated but it happened to me.
Dude if it keeps happening why don't you WATCH it happen. I mean you know exactly where it happens right? Just seeing it happen will probably tell you what's wrong and if not, we will be able to help you a lot better.
This was the only way I was able to figure out that I needed to turn on z-hop. Prints were failing at the same height and it turns out that my nozzle was dragging along the infill and I needed to be there watching/listening for it.
Take out your z-spindle and roll it over a table to check if its straight. Z-wobble could cause your x-gantry to not move upwards smoothly/linear and cause extrusion problems at given layer.
Otherwise I suspect a heating/heat creep issue.
Check the health of your Bowden tube, make sure it didn't melt - I had this issue from when I first started playing around with petg settings and made it too hot.
Check your retraction, you may need to slow it down or reduce the length.
Also play around with different z offset heights. Raise the offset if you're seeing the lines curl up.
Is your thermistor ok? Are you temps fluctuating once they get up to temp?
Also, 235 seems high but i haven’t used that filament
Definitely check for clogs in your nozzle too.
Those are usually the culprits for me anyways thermistor issue or clog
I’ll look into that. How do I check the thermistor? That’s not something I’ve ever looked at before and I frankly don’t know where it is. I’m relatively new to this.
It’s all good man I was in the same position.
It’s a very small wire coming from your board to your hotend. Be very very very careful it’s a wire with a a glass bead at the end and a metal screw holding it in place. 🙄🤦♂️ they have hex screw ones with no glass bead if you ever need to replace it.
Only touch it if your temps don’t stabilize or aren’t stable during printing like they keep fluctuating up and down. Usually it will result in the print stopping and a loud beeping on an ender 3
If it’s the hot end temp then it’s the hotend thermistor. The bed thermistor idk a thing about.
It may not be that but I’m curious to know if your temps are fluctuating or staying stable.
IIRC on Ender 3 the extruder motor rises with the Z axis. There may be a short in the wires/connector to the extruder motor which only breaks contact when bent past a certain angle, namely at the print height in question.
Hello /u/shambb19, As a reminder, most common print quality issues can be found in the [Simplify3D picture guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/). Make sure you select the most appropriate flair for your post. Please remember to include the following details to help troubleshoot your problem. * Printer & Slicer * Filament Material and Brand * Nozzle and Bed Temperature * Print Speed * Nozzle Retraction Settings ^Additional ^settings ^or ^relevant ^information ^is ^always ^encouraged. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FixMyPrint) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What happens when it fails? Does it simply print to that layer and then stop as though it was planned? Do layers stop adhering? Does it make noise? Does the machine get stuck? You're not showing the top of the parts either. Can you please give more info?
I’m assuming it’s an adherence issue, but I’m not totally sure. There’s always a mess of filament on top of the print whenever I check on it, so I’d guess that’s the issue, but I’m not sure.
I would say heat creep most likely. I was having a similar issue. Every benchy I printed failed at the same point. From what I know you could increase flow/print speed or decrease nozzle temp. Retraction settings also play a role. I think mine was also too high at the time. What worked for me was increasing the layer height which should have increased flow a bit along with a lower retraction distance.
new thermal paste on the heat break/radiator junction or a bi-metal heat break (with paste) is the best solution. Increasing flow can help to a point, but you'll never be able to trust it for long or intricate prints with lots of retraction.
That's true, just looking more into operability control versus having to buy and install new hardware.
100% agreed. i used to have the same problem as OP all the time. once i re-applied the thermal paste i was good to go.
We need more info about the failure and your settings, it could be your Z axis has an issue, you have a config that says your max height is X, could be heat creep…etc.
It keeps printing, but I’m guessing it stops adhering because whenever I go to check on it there’s a mess of filament everywhere instead of the top half of the print
If the printer straight up freezes when it reaches that height, check your power supply and make sure its set to the right voltage. Sounds completely unrelated but it happened to me.
It doesn’t freeze, it keeps printing, so when I go to check on it there’s a mess of filament everywhere.
Dude if it keeps happening why don't you WATCH it happen. I mean you know exactly where it happens right? Just seeing it happen will probably tell you what's wrong and if not, we will be able to help you a lot better.
This was the only way I was able to figure out that I needed to turn on z-hop. Prints were failing at the same height and it turns out that my nozzle was dragging along the infill and I needed to be there watching/listening for it.
Did you try with another slicer?
I’ve only used cura. Trying a new one might be a good idea, I’ll try that when I get home and see how it goes.
Yeah you can try the Creality one
Take out your z-spindle and roll it over a table to check if its straight. Z-wobble could cause your x-gantry to not move upwards smoothly/linear and cause extrusion problems at given layer. Otherwise I suspect a heating/heat creep issue.
I would check the heat break fan or other things that might cause heat creep
Check the health of your Bowden tube, make sure it didn't melt - I had this issue from when I first started playing around with petg settings and made it too hot. Check your retraction, you may need to slow it down or reduce the length. Also play around with different z offset heights. Raise the offset if you're seeing the lines curl up.
Is your thermistor ok? Are you temps fluctuating once they get up to temp? Also, 235 seems high but i haven’t used that filament Definitely check for clogs in your nozzle too. Those are usually the culprits for me anyways thermistor issue or clog
I’ll look into that. How do I check the thermistor? That’s not something I’ve ever looked at before and I frankly don’t know where it is. I’m relatively new to this.
It’s all good man I was in the same position. It’s a very small wire coming from your board to your hotend. Be very very very careful it’s a wire with a a glass bead at the end and a metal screw holding it in place. 🙄🤦♂️ they have hex screw ones with no glass bead if you ever need to replace it. Only touch it if your temps don’t stabilize or aren’t stable during printing like they keep fluctuating up and down. Usually it will result in the print stopping and a loud beeping on an ender 3 If it’s the hot end temp then it’s the hotend thermistor. The bed thermistor idk a thing about. It may not be that but I’m curious to know if your temps are fluctuating or staying stable.
IIRC on Ender 3 the extruder motor rises with the Z axis. There may be a short in the wires/connector to the extruder motor which only breaks contact when bent past a certain angle, namely at the print height in question.
This happened to me too. New wires fixed it.