material: ABS

geometry_type: warping

lesson: ABS corners lifted in an open, cool room. ABS needs an enclosure and a 100-110C bed; without it, warping is near-certain regardless of settings.

source: ingested


geometry_type: adhesion

outcome: success

lesson: ABS first layer held with bed at 105C, brim, and fan off for opening layers. Draught control matters more than glue for ABS adhesion.


material: TPU

geometry_type: stringing

lesson: TPU strung badly; it is highly hygroscopic. Dry the spool and print slow (~25mm/s) with minimal retraction — TPU clogs with aggressive retraction.


material: PETG

lesson: PETG strings heavily in humid conditions. Dry filament at 65C for 4+ hours, then lower nozzle temp 5-10C and increase retraction to 5-6mm. Wet PETG is the #1 cause of stringing.


geometry_type: bridge

lesson: PETG bridges cleanly with fan at 80%, nozzle 240C, and retraction at 5mm. PETG likes more cooling than people think — just not on the first layer.


material: PLA

geometry_type: overhang

lesson: PLA overhangs sag in a hot room (31C ambient). Max fan (100%) and lower nozzle to 200C rescued the next print. PLA needs aggressive cooling when ambient is above 28C.


geometry_type: vase

lesson: PLA vase mode at 205C/60C bed with 100% fan produced a clean spiral. PLA is forgiving in cool, dry rooms — the baseline material for vase-mode prints.


lesson: ABS overhangs curled upward at 80% fan — ABS hates part cooling. Keep fan at 0-20% for ABS, rely on enclosure ambient temp instead. Fan on ABS causes layer delamination.


lesson: TPU printed clean with 3mm retraction at 25mm/s in a dry room. TPU's flexibility means retraction must be slow and short — fast retraction stretches the filament instead of pulling it back.


lesson: PETG adhesion is strong on PEI at 80C bed — too strong on smooth PEI without release agent. Use textured PEI or glue stick as a release layer, not an adhesion aid, for PETG.