FYI:
I usually print PLA at 190 + 70 in the Bed, 225/235 ABS print bet 90 on layer 1 to 3 and 70 to the rest
Skip to main content
Check your gcode, it should be a loooong piece of code. If its short, the software didnt generate any code (all it does is draw a line like you described). Are you using Skeinforge? I had this problem with skeinforge once, i re-installed and that fixed it.
All makerbot software had a similar start code with the printed line, and yes the Makerbot 3.7 is a bit different, and it’s weird how it drops and raises the platform after the line. However I did find that dropping and raising it like that gets cleans the nozzle of leaking plastic. The reason you are having trouble is because your printbed is too high or too low. Then it doesn’t matter what the printer does before it starts, it will just ball up into a mess. Put your printer in home axis mode and move the print head around with a piece of paper under it. Raise the print bed until it grips the paper but you can still slide it. You want it close enough so that there is some resistance in the paper moving but you can still slide it. Print on a piece of glass with hairspray on it. Give it a light even coat before you begin the print/preheat. Watch the nozzle when it prints, it should be as close as possible to the print bed without it blocking the nozzle. I find that when I’m having trouble it’s easier for me to fine tune the bed height while it’s actually printing during the first layer. This way I can watch if any of the printed lines are not sticking or curling up due to the nozzle not being close enough. Your first layer should smush on the glass and be pretty flat.
Use unscented extra hold hairspray. I use aquanet. Your print bed is too hot at 70c, and that heatt will creep up into the printed part and make it too hot. Hairspray will eliminate your need to even have it on in the first place. Remember heat is PLA’s enemy. It works and if it’s still not sticking it’s only one of two things; print bed is too low, or you didn’t put the hairspray on right.
230c is insanely hot. For PLA it should be around 190-205, with some PLA even lower.
The new Makerbot 3.7 prints a line, drops the bed very fast, then raises it very fast, and then starts printing. The previous versions just print a line then start the print without the extra lowrider hydraulics procedure.
Thank you very much for sharing your tips and tricks. I’ve been having trouble with leveling and I will try this again tonight. I’ll post back soon.
Thank you for your reply. I am also curious about Simplify3d. I have found a version online that I test with but the results were poor. At the start of the print the nozzle extruded a great amount of filament on the plate (not even moving the extruder) which resulted in a big blog on the nozzle. I had to stop the print.
Can you share some of your settings for PLA and ABS? Which multiplier and so forth.
Hello PrimeME 3D, thanks very much for this. I’ll be sure to send an e-mail for some technical expertise. Great company right there!
This printer was bought from 3dPrima but i’ll be more than happy to take my business anywhere else if the service and support is good. I have a lot of plans with my printer and a lot to learn 
Will test this out and see if my adhesion improves. Features like this should in my opinion be controllable, especially when it is a new version feature.
Great! Thanks … I love this community already. I’ll checkout the Google group. Thanks for all the help everyone!
2 years later
Hi - Absolute beginner - and correctly speaking 230c workes fine with this Wanhao PLA Filliment\
i got a roll yesterday and it was printing Sh*t at 210c ( is hard as nails ) was like laying down rails whereas my previous
filament went on like paint - initial she was over-extruding at 230c. but changed the feed to 98%
seemes to have solved that . printing 100% now with 230c .