Hello,
Has anyone encountered this type of shifting failure with their Fuse 1 prints?
I’m dealing with a recurring issue that usually happens on the same side of the build chamber. The failure typically occurs a few hours into the print. It usually aborts the job with no specific error code – it just states that the camera identified a failure and stops the print.
I’ve already taken apart the build plate and didn’t find any signs of misalignment. I initially thought I resolved the issue by switching to the beta settings and thoroughly cleaning the flippers and recoater. That worked for a few weeks, but unfortunately, the problem has returned—so it doesn’t seem like a long-term fix.
I suspect it might be related to temperature, but I’m not certain.
Any insights or suggestions would be really appreciated!
Hi @minaschaafsma this is Austin from the Product Integrity team at Formlabs. What is the Serial Name of your printer, and have you reached out to Formlabs Support? Based on this photo alone it is difficult to diagnose the issue. It could be a variety of things such as debris getting dragged through the print, or the part is curling because it is not receiving the right amount of heat or laser power. Either way, someone from Support can have a look at the print videos and other data to help you get it resolved.
Yes, I reached out to support previously when this issue first occurred. I followed all the suggested steps—re-sifting the powder, vacuuming to clear any debris that might be dragging—but the only thing that initially solved the problem was switching to the Beta settings. I’ve also found that changing the orientation can sometimes fix this issue and print successfully. However, the issue has now returned.
This leads me to believe it could be a temperature issue causing the layers to not adhere properly and something is consistently catching and dragging in this exact same spot. I’m not sure though, so I wanted to check if anyone else has experienced this.
Fuse 1 or Fuse 1 +? There are so many factors involved into the process that is difficult to diagnose. The best solution is to go back where the problem started and start from there. Solutions like throwing away the powder or putting in new powder, changing the buildchamber, or components guessing at which of them could be the issue is very unproductive and costly. Have you checked for any weird sound? Buildchamber properly serviced? My experience so far leads to my failures related to an issue with z motor, maybe you are experiencing something similar and the bed is not going down properly leading o the recoater touching the part while traveling.
I’m troubleshooting this with support as well. In my case, the part will curl slightly and rock back and forth making contact with the roller as it applies the next layer. If I reorient the model I can minimize the issue. This happens on the side opposite the hopper as well.
In my case, this has not resulted in a print failure, only a deformed part. The interesting thing is the problem will go away after the first many layers (10-20?) and subsequent models are fine. I only noticed it was happening because I checked the print progress. This makes me think there may be a thermal uniformity issue when the bed is close to the top of the chamber.
Out of curiosity, do any of you do a partial fill of your cartridge? I think there may be an issue where, if you are running low on fresh powder and the fill stops, the resulting mix may not be 30%. I think this is why the sift warns you when the hoppers are low. If I am correct about this, a low refresh rate could result in curling (based on my understanding).
I had a look at the video of your failed print on April 17 and saw that this was indeed the result of surface armor curling. This is a thermal issue as you’ve pointed out. Either the bed temperature or laser exposure is not ideal.
I’m a bit concerned that you were only instructed to clean up the debris and not to take steps to eliminate the problem. My first recommendation would be to run the bed temperature tuning print that is explained in this support article.
Austin, thank you so much for your help and reviewing my print video. I’m going to give this a try next. I also went back and reviewed my previous support case on this issue. The Formlabs team I spoke with had also recommended the temperature tuning test after trying the beta settings (and the resifting, etc). Since the beta settings seemed to be working (at least for a few weeks), I hadn’t tried the temperature tuning yet, but I’m going to do this see how it goes. Thank you!
Hi again @AustinMThomas – I just finished cleaning the parts I got from the bed temp tuning test. The images show my results for the -2 and -1 plates, where I noticed some noticeable defects like orange peeling, with the -2 plate having the most in the bottom left corner. I’d appreciate help interpreting the results — what do these defects on the plate suggest for manually tuning the print bed?
Lay the plaques in order from coldest (-2C) to hottest (+2C)
Start with the +2C plaque and inspect the cones for surface defects (orange peel texture). If no defects exist, move on to the +1C plaque.
Repeat this process until you find the first plaque with any signs of orange peel. This represents the ideal bed temperature offset for your printer.
From the photos you shared, it appears that there may be some signs of defects on the -1C plaque. By my heuristic, -1C is the optimal offset. I suggest applying this offset to the printer and trying some normal prints. If the parts show evidence of being printed “too hot” (this will typically manifest as the top surfaces being sunken in), you can adjust the offset to -1.5C. Adjusting by 0.5C is generally enough to see small differences in part quality but not enough to drastically reduce print completion.
Let me know if you need any more guidance!
