{"id":480,"date":"2022-12-01T16:21:35","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T21:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/?p=480"},"modified":"2026-02-11T16:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T21:33:58","slug":"how-to-fix-clogging-and-bed-adhesion-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/projects\/how-to-fix-clogging-and-bed-adhesion-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fix Clogging and Bed Adhesion Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So far, I\u2019ve spent most of my time at the Makerspace fixing 3D printers. Here are some issues that I\u2019ve encountered:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Clogging: How to avoid clogging a printer<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_481\" style=\"width: 297px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/uncategorized\/how-to-fix-clogging-and-bed-adhesion-issues\/attachment\/screen-shot-2022-12-01-at-4-03-03-pm\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-481\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481\" class=\"wp-image-481 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/files\/2022\/12\/Screen-Shot-2022-12-01-at-4.03.03-PM-287x300.png\" alt=\"My drawing how filament can break or get stuck and cause a print to fail\" width=\"287\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/files\/2022\/12\/Screen-Shot-2022-12-01-at-4.03.03-PM-287x300.png 287w, https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/files\/2022\/12\/Screen-Shot-2022-12-01-at-4.03.03-PM-978x1024.png 978w, https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/files\/2022\/12\/Screen-Shot-2022-12-01-at-4.03.03-PM-768x804.png 768w, https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/files\/2022\/12\/Screen-Shot-2022-12-01-at-4.03.03-PM.png 1116w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">My drawing how filament can break or get stuck and cause a print to fail<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before starting any print:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Check that the outside of the nozzle is clean. If there\u2019s any buildup outside, this may be a sign of buildup inside the extruder\/nozzle.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Double-check that the filament type is suitable for this specific printer<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Calibrate\/level before beginning your print&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ensure temperature settings are correct<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to fix an already clogged printer<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are several ways a printer can clog. Only go to the next step if the printer is still clogged:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>For the Dremel Digilab 3D45<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Turn on Dremel and press the \u201cPreheat\u201d option. Wait until the printer is preheated to the optimal temperature indicated on the filament. Press purge a few times until the filament comes out of the nozzle. If nothing comes out, go to the next step.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Do a cold pull. Press down on the level and pull out the filament with pliers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Press the lever down and use the declogging tool to push down any remaining filament.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Take out the stepper motor to see if there\u2019s filament clogged there. Take out any remaining filament with tweezers. <em>To learn how to do this, look at Option 4 in the guide below or see&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/uncategorized\/the-fine-art-of-unclogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Fine Art of Unclogging<\/a> post.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">For visual help, here is a step-by-step guide to unclogging the Dremel: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dremel.com\/us\/en\/digilab\/support\/3d45-series-3d-printer\/extruder\/unclogging-extruder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.dremel.com\/us\/en\/digilab\/support\/3d45-series-3d-printer\/extruder\/unclogging-extruder<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>For Prusa MK3S or MK2S<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there is no \u201cpurge\u201d setting, you can preheat the filament to melting point and then change the filament (the Prusa will use the other filament to push out the clog), which will generally unclog the extruder\/nozzle<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If that doesn\u2019t work, gently remove hotend using this guide (start on step 2): <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/Guide\/How+to+Unclog+a+Prusa+i3+MK3+Nozzle\/140666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.ifixit.com\/Guide\/How+to+Unclog+a+Prusa+i3+MK3+Nozzle\/1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">40666<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Adhesion Issues of Model to Print Bed<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examples of bad adhesion to print bed:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nothing is being printed, or there\u2019s just a blob (no adhesion)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Model moves during printing (bad adhesion)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sides curl up (OK adhesion but can do better)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To fix these problems, check for these things before you print:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>For the Dremel Digilab 3D45, check the following<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BUILD ORIENTATION: When orienting your model in 3D slicer software, ensure there is as much contact as possible between the bed and the model.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CLEAN: The bed is completely clean and free of glue or dust, or filament. If it\u2019s not clean, turn off the printer and wipe it down with alcohol wipes and let it dry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">GLUE: Put glue from a glue stick on the bed area where the model will be printed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TANGLE-FREE SPOOL: Ensure no tangles or tension in the spool.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LEVEL: When ready to begin your print, you must calibrate the bed to ensure it is level. You may do this by pressing the &#8220;Level\u201d option on the screen. This<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides on-screen instructions on how to level.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TEMPERATURE: Ensure you preheat the temperature to the optimal temperature indicated on the filament in the \u201cpreheat\u201d settings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>For Prusa MK3S or MK2S, check<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">BUILD ORIENTATION: When orienting your model in 3D slicer software, ensure there is as much contact as possible between the bed and the model.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CLEAN: The bed is completely clean and free of dust or filament. If it\u2019s not clean, turn off the printer and wipe it down with alcohol wipes and let it dry. Note: there should never be glue on this printer.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TANGLE-FREE SPOOL: Ensure no tangles or tension in the spool.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TEMPERATURE: Ensure you preheat the temperature to the optimal temperature indicated on the filament in the \u201cpreheat\u201d settings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CALIBRATE: Do a first layer calibration. To do this, press the knob, turn the knob and press \u201cCalibrate\u201d and then press \u201cFirst layer calibration\u201d. Follow this guide for a good calibration: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/help.prusa3d.com\/article\/first-layer-calibration-i3_112364\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/help.prusa3d.com\/article\/first-layer-calibration-i3_112364<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So far, I\u2019ve spent most of my time at the Makerspace fixing 3D printers. Here are some issues that I\u2019ve encountered: Clogging: How to avoid clogging a printer Before starting any print: Check that the outside of the nozzle is &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/projects\/how-to-fix-clogging-and-bed-adhesion-issues\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2705,"featured_media":481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[15,69],"class_list":["post-480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projects","tag-3d-print","tag-makerspace"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2705"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2846,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480\/revisions\/2846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/makerspace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}