Beware Blob Drag When 3D Printing

[Students, Faculty and Staff] Just prior to printing, the Ultimaker 3D printers extrude a blob of filament on the front corner of the bed — front left for extruder 1 and front right for extruder 2. Ideally, the blob will adhere to the glass and remain at the front corner. However, sometimes the blob can be dragged back into the printing area by the print head. If this goes undetected, it can cause the print to fail.

Just prior to printing, the Ultimaker 3D printers extrude a blob of filament on the front corner of the bed — front left for extruder 1 and front right for extruder 2. This demonstrates that the filament is fully loaded and extruding properly before the job begins. Ideally, the blob will adhere to the glass and remain at the front corner. However, sometimes the blob can be dragged back into the printing area by the print head. If this goes undetected, it can cause the print to fail.

Prevent dragged blobs from ruining your print

To prevent dragged blobs from ruining your print:

• Carefully monitor the print job until both blobs have been deposited in the front bed corners. There will be two blobs, ONLY if you use both extruders.
• If a blob is dragged into the print area
  • Immediately pause the job.
  • Gently remove the blob with tweezers/forceps.
    • Be careful. If you just grab the blob and pull it, you might pull up part of the base layer. Be prepared with a Xacto knife or small scissors to cut the blob free.
  • Resume the job.