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Troubleshooting Guide
Curling and Rough Corners
Curling and Rough Corners
Gabriel de Holanda avatar
Written by Gabriel de Holanda
Updated over a week ago

Curling and rough corners is very easy to spot and looks quite the mess compared to the sides of the print.

Signs of curling and rough corners:

Rough corners are basically corners that are curling upwards. They are very hard to miss as they only appear to affect the corners of your print. The beams corners in the image is the classic test case to demonstrate 3D print curling.

Explanation:

Curling as well as rough corners are another symptom of printing too hot – or insufficient cooling. Printer curling happens a lot when printing overhangs – or in corners.

How to fix:

  • Try printing cooler. Sometimes you can get away with a cooler printing temperature for the rest of the print with the same result. We always suggest printing at the lower end of the temperature range suggested by the manufacturer.

  • Print slower to give the printed line more time to cool before the next layer is put down.

  • You can also try increasing the cooling fan speed if not already at 100%. Do check with the manufacturer this is suitable for the material you’re using.

  • When printing in an enclosure: open all doors/panels to lower ambient temperature. This may not be suitable for all materials, check with the manufacturer/seller.

  • Workaround: Try a different layer height. In the classic benchy case, printing the benchy at a 0.2mm layer height usually makes the problem disappear while it is really apparent when printing the benchy with 0.1mm layers. In other cases, a lower layer height works better. Experimenting may be needed for your particular print so make one small change at a time and test.

  • Pro tip: Increase overall cooling capabilities by adding more external fans next to the printer or optimizing fan duct design.

Filament specific tips:

  • ASA does not like fans or draughts. Part cooling fans should not reach more than 10-20% with ASA. A warm ambient temperature is best but that doesn’t mean print at the hottest temperature within the range. Try reducing your printing temperature if you experience curling/rough corners with ASA.


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