Troubleshoot Print Issues

Diagnose and fix common 3D printing failures using systematic symptom analysis. This skill covers the most frequent FDM and SLA issues: poor bed adhesion, stringing, layer shifts, warping, under-extrusion, over-extrusion, and print quality defects. Uses a structured approach of symptom identification, root cause analysis, and iterative fixes.

When to Use

• Print fails during first layer or partway through
• Finished prints have quality defects (stringing, blobs, gaps, rough surfaces)
• Dimensional accuracy problems (over/undersized, warping, elephant foot)
• Layer adhesion issues (delamination, splitting)
• Support removal leaves damage or supports fail during print
• Prints look different from slicer preview
• Material behaves inconsistently across prints
• New material, printer, or environmental conditions causing issues

Inputs

• failure_description: What went wrong (failed first layer, stringing, warping, etc.)
• failure_timing: When issue occurs (first layer, midprint, specific height, top layers)