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How to fix spaghetti and parts ungluing from the plate on a 3D printer (no more glue)

By Gabriel ·

Short answer: two things fixed spaghetti and parts ungluing from the plate for me. First, use the right nozzle and plate temperature for the plastic you print (PLA, ABS or anything else). Second, put something around the open frame so the heat stays inside; when I upgraded my open-frame P1P to the enclosed P1S version, the problems were gone and I stopped using glue on every print.

The problem: spaghetti and parts lifting off the plate

If you are getting results like the ones in the video, with parts coming unglued, layers lifting or the print looking weird, here is my experience and how I solved it. In the past I used glue on almost every print. After the solution below, all those problems were gone.

Even when you use a lot of glue, the part sticks to the plate in some areas, but other areas still start lifting up. So glue alone was not the answer.

Cause 1: an open frame loses heat

The first printer I bought from this line was the P1P, and it is a very good printer. I like it a lot. But I bought the cheapest version: just the frame by itself, no cover, nothing.

Reading online, I found people explaining that with an open printer the nozzle is at one temperature while the rest of the material cools down faster. That uneven cooling gives you issues like parts ungluing, sometimes right in the middle of the print. If that is what you see, the problem is the case itself.

Cause 2: the wrong temperature for your filament

Another problem I didn't realize at first: I was using the wrong temperature for the plastic. Whether you use PLA, ABS or something else, make sure you have the right temperature for that material. With the wrong temperature you will have issues; with the right temperature everything should work out just fine. Check both the nozzle and the plate.

The fix: enclose the printer

After I converted my printer from the P1P to the P1S, everything was resolved. I don't use glue anymore. I just send the job to print and that's it, no more layers coming unglued or looking weird. With the enclosure you can feel it is warm inside; it keeps the temperature in from the sides and everywhere.

The upgrade kit will cost you maybe 150 to 200. I also saw a cheaper option, a kind of case with a zipper, which is basically like wrapping the printer in a plastic bag. If you want to use that, great; I think it might do the trick as well.

What I would do if I bought again

I tried many printers. One of the cheapest Creality models was among my first, and another of the cheapest ones on Amazon was a disaster. I got rid of all of them. This one works every time.

If I had to buy it all over again, I would buy the version that already comes with the kit, because buying the bare frame and installing the whole kit takes many hours and doesn't make sense. Better to buy what you need at once. I would also buy the biggest model they make, so I can print large pieces in one go instead of printing half and then the other half.

I don't use it every day, maybe once a month or once every two months for things I need to fix or repair. For that it works great. I'm very happy with the print quality, although in my experience the brand's customer service is bad.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my 3D prints come unglued from the plate?

In my case it was uneven cooling on an open-frame printer plus the wrong temperature for the filament. Fixing both stopped it.

Do I need glue on the build plate?

After enclosing my printer and using the right temperature, I no longer needed glue on my prints.

How much does an enclosure kit cost?

The kit I used costs roughly 150 to 200. A cheaper zipper-style cover also exists and may do the trick.

What temperature should I use?

Use the right nozzle and plate temperature for the material you print, PLA, ABS or other; the wrong one causes problems.

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