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Feb 2016

It’s true that having a higher temperature for first layers will impact a lot adhesion. I do not know Makerbot softwares but, in Simplify 3D, you can select different settings for different heights of the print.

I always set higher temps for 5 first layers (around 220°C for colorFabb PLA/PHA) and then lower the temp for next layers (195°C for colorFabb PLA/PHA).

It will make the first layer to make a very good adhesion.

In Simplify 3D, you can also change settings for the very first layer (height, width, speed). This will also impact a lot the quality of your print.

https://www.simplify3d.com/support/tutorials/perfecting-the-first-layer/ 19

and this very good guide:

https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/ 5

This is not true: Polytétrafluoroéthylène — Wikipédia

PTFE tubing will resist 250°C and in fact, the temperature at this point of the hotend is much lower.

One more time, I do not know Makerbot 5th generation but, for example, with e3D hotends, even if you set 270°C for the thermistor point, the temperature will never reach a high temp where the PTFE is inserted.

Have you verified that the filament diameter matches what the software thinks it is? For example, if the filament actually measures at 1.69 and the software thinks it is 1.75, you can end up with some strange extrusion issues. There absolutely is an issue with the extruder not being close enough to the build plate (as others have all been saying), but those strands at the top of the picture don’t quite look right. They should be closer together and thicker if that’s not a raft, and farther apart and much thicker if that is a raft.

Also, filament doesn’t just end up on the extruder mysteriously. The way it typically happens is from a small piece of filament that sticks around after the purge of the nozzle. This extra material can cause a snag if the print isn’t sticking to the build plate well. A less common reason for filament to end up on the nozzle is a result of the nozzle not being properly tightened in the extruder. I have seen filament ooze out of the threaded area of the nozzle and get all over the nozzle that way. A third way that this can happen is a result of a partial filament jam in the nozzle you can tell this during the loading of filament… if the filament flows straight down while loading, you are good. If the filament bends and sort of curls as soon as it exits the extruder, that indicates a partial jam. That can actually cause all of the symptoms you are seeing.

The good news is that you should be able to determine any of this in the first 30 seconds of the print. Hope this touches on some things not already discussed, and helps you out.