Friend gave me broken 3d printer to keep if I can fix it

[A literal rat]

It is a creatily ender 3 pro, I’m not sure it’s really broken though, I tried to print and it definitely has some issues but I am not sure if it’s faulty or software isn’t tuned right I have some pics of a couple seconds after it starts. It looks like it kinda misses the start point then gets stuck and drags the filament around. Is there any ways to potentially fix this issue ? I’ll gladly give any info I can if asked I just want this to work 

[Levent]

Looks like typical bed adhesion issues every single 3d printer faces. Make sure bed is clean (I only use dishwashing soap), make sure you leveled the bed perfectly and make sure extrusion gear is not skipping.

[A literal rat]

2 minutes ago, Levent said:

Looks like typical bed adhesion issues every single 3d printer faces. Make sure bed is clean (I only use dishwashing soap), make sure you leveled the bed perfectly and make sure extrusion gear is not skipping.

ok ill go try that! thanks is there a leveling program in the ender software to make sure it levels? and i guess a better question is how do i know if it is skipping, this is my first printer so ive never seen or had this issue

[Bananasplit_00]

Looks like bed adhesion, clean the bed with dishsoap or IPA, level it and set the Z height.

 

The ender 3 is not a great printer for quality and needs a lot of upkeep, it's more for if you want to learn and tinker because you will be. A lot.

[A literal rat]

On 1/19/2024 at 3:28 AM, Bananasplit_00 said:

Looks like bed adhesion, clean the bed with dishsoap or IPA, level it and set the Z height.

 

The ender 3 is not a great printer for quality and needs a lot of upkeep, it's more for if you want to learn and tinker because you will be. A lot.

at this point i tried to level it but the stuff wasnt sticking this is pretty much game end for me since if it wont stick i cant tell how good a leveling job i did. i wish i knew where to go to get this issue sorted out. if i cant get it to stick is the issue on my end or what. it seems to print fine on the top left then gets to the middle and its dragging it all over the place even just by moving the nozzel without touching any other filament. (oh and update he said it would print fine but often it would start spilling filimant off to the side midway through a print)  not sure what thats about but yeah

[FlyingPotato_is_taken]

Regardless of the following methods:

1. Crank up the extrusion on the first layer. Will get ugly but higher chance of success if the bed levelling is wrong.

2. Slow it down.

3. Crank up the temperature. For PLA you might go as high as 220°C on the first layer.  The benefit is that if the bed levelling wrong the extruded filament will still be hot once it reaches the build plate.

4. heat up the print bed and let it sit for a few minutes before starting the printer. Just a precaution/debug step to ensure that this isn't the issue.

 

Few things you might try on the bed:

1. Painters tape (most famous: blue tape). Start here.

2. At some point in time people used Kapton/Polyamide tape (the yellow tape you find in laptops and the like).

3. PLA you could try a PVA slurry. That's nearly identical to using glue stick. Other option would be hair spray.

The print bed you have is a copy of buildtek and was state of the art five years ago. 

4. After the black builtek people moved to smooth and powder coated PEI sheets. This would be a current "gen." consumer print bed.

 

On 1/19/2024 at 9:28 AM, Bananasplit_00 said:

The ender 3 is not a great printer for quality and needs a lot of upkeep,

* Loughs in Anet A8 beginner experience *

Once you get them up and running they are fine.