Ultimaker troubleshooting

Stringing is when the 3d printed part has thin “strings” of filament surrounding it, generally caused when print speed and/or print temperature is not correct.

Stringing can be identified by prints that look like this.

To fix this, ensure retraction is selected in the cura print settings.

• If the problem still persists, try printing at a lower temperature or with lower print speeds.

Warping is due to poor adhesion or shrinkage of material while printing. This causes the corners to be lifted from the build plate, resulting in faulty prints.

Warping can be identified by a raft that is curved upwards.

• try leveling the build plate before printing.
• If that does not work, clean off the build plate and re-apply adhesive. (only apply adhesive if using glass build plate)
• If using flex plates, thoroughly clean build plate with IPA and a microfiber cloth.

Under extrusion is when the print head cannot extrude filament, likely due to a jam or feeder issues. This can create missing layers.

You will notice under extrusion when the printed part has missing layers, very thin layers or layers that have random dots or holes in them. (Pictured below)

To unjam the nozzle, there is a common process used called the atomic method:

1. Remove the Bowden tube from the printer head.
2. Heat up the head to full temperature. (around 210 degrees)
3. Push in a piece of spare filament until it can no longer push or it starts coming out the end.
4. Reduce temperature to around 90 degrees. Filament should solidify but stay a little soft.
5. Pull the filament out of the print head.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until filament comes out completely clean.

This is what the filament(s) should look like when you pull it out.

This problem occurs when the feed experiences too much friction while pushing material forward, making it impossible for the print head to extrude filament.

You will notice the extruder is making a clicking sound and/or the filament is not moving through the extruder during printing.

• If the nozzle is too close to the plate simply re-level the build plate and try printing again.
• If the material is spooled too tight, unwrap some filament and then loosely rewrap around the spool.
• If you are using the wrong filament, replace the filament.
• If the none of the above work, you may have to change the feeder tension, consult this manual.

• If none of the issues you have are addressed here, you can find more troubleshooting information on these pages:
• Visual Troubleshooting guide
• Ultimaker 3d Printing Support