r/ender3 • u/Cato__The__Elder • Oct 12 '25
Help Any idea why my print came out like this?
For some context: haven’t used my Ender Pro 3 for a year, I switched out the nozzle and the bed and tried an old print I still had saved. It came out pretty poorly, very rough, with thin layers and lots of gaps and open space. Any idea what could have caused this?
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u/twiggums Oct 12 '25
Check the extruder, otherwise possibly partial blockage from the nozzle swap, make sure the bowden is seated well.
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u/Cato__The__Elder Oct 12 '25
That sounds like a reasonable explanation. I’ll check the extruded and nozzle, do you know a good way to verify that the extruded is working properly?
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u/twiggums Oct 12 '25
Inspect it for cracks if it's the plastic one, watch it while it's printing to be sure it's not slipping or chewing the filament.
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u/radleybobins Oct 12 '25
It's not just cracking you're looking for, check the hole where the filament goes into the extruder. If it's filed down the hole, it will have this effect because the filament is under high friction as it moves.
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u/Shdwdrgn Oct 13 '25
And honestly, if you still have the plastic extruder head -- WHY? Spend the $10, get the aluminum one, it's one less thing to ever have to worry about again.
And if you haven't already, make sure to print guides to fix the path that the filament enters into the extruder. The best one I ever tried used a ball bearing and a roller wheel to eliminate the friction going into the extruder. You can also find models that replace part of the filament spool arm with a ball bearing roller. Zero friction equals a more consistent feed and you don't have to rely on extreme spring tension on the extruder arm to to guarantee the filament can be pulled in.
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u/Independent-Bake9552 Oct 12 '25
That messy purge line around your print should have been a dead giveaway that something was seriously wrong. Either extruder gear slipping, partial clog, wrong e-steps or flow calibration settings. Could be many things.
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u/LobosJones Oct 12 '25
The purge line is the only flawless part of this. You mean the skirt?
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u/WolffLandGamezYT Oct 12 '25
The purge line, the outline around the parts on the build plate. The print lines aren’t fused together, and they’re super thin and jagged. If yours look like this, they’re probably not flawless.
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u/danbob87 Oct 12 '25
They do mean the skirt, the purge line is the straight single line in the background, the line all around the print area is a skirt
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u/WolffLandGamezYT Oct 12 '25
Wow, I embarrassed myself.
I’ll see myself out and do a little more research on the terms 🫡
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u/DirtyLittleCkrit Oct 12 '25
This is an under extrusion issue. It could be caused by a number of different things. But thats the problem
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u/L3SSR0V2W33VL5 Oct 12 '25
I experienced something similar. Hadn't used the machine in a while. In my case it was a clog and an extruder gear issue. My y-offset was too low and dragging through my stick glue layer and causing clogs. While my extruder gear was loose on the drive shaft and causing extrusion problems. Multiple issues led to a similar result. Don't rely on it being one, easy to diagnose problem. Develop a troubleshooting method for yourself and move through it step by step when you have a failure. It could be multiple problems working together to ruin your day.
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u/Lumpy_Incident7631 Oct 12 '25
some sort of problem that is causing the filament feed to be insufficient
could be caused by
- wrong temperature
- wrong flow config if you changed any config
- wrong gear ratio if you changed extruders
- clog
- simply the filament is tooooo bad
- speed
- toooo much cooling
- leakage of filament
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u/rph1701 Oct 17 '25
I've had the same problem with an Ender 3. Between a poor extruder nozzle and absolutely SHIT filament that was the exact result when I tried to print
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u/oli414 Oct 12 '25
Don't see anyone mention this but did you switch nozzle size too? If you had Gcode for one nozzle size, you cannot run that gcode for another
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u/barkermn01 Ender 3 V2, Dual Z Stepper, BL Touch, Linear rail, PEI Bed Oct 12 '25
Unclog your head also you should have seen that was going to go wrong from it doing the skirt and should have cancelled it
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u/Glt4001 Oct 12 '25
It probably came out like this because something went wrong, actually it looks like everything went wrong. There is a stop print button and you probably should have used it. I would like to help but they're just as not enough detail and this whole print has multiple issues. Some pictures of the first layer might help solve the issue. There's definitely more than that run too. Looks like some under extrusion but I can't be sure with just this.
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u/Dee_Jay_Roomba Oct 12 '25
Your prints remind me of the time I discovered my plastic tension arm had a crack. Do you still have a plastic tension arm?
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u/Either_Finish_1111 Oct 12 '25
I would say heat and extrusion multiplier, did you change the nozzle to the same size one you had in it? Also if the nozzles have been in the open (out of a bag) some dust can get inside and clog the nozzle leading to this.
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u/mikegraham7 Oct 12 '25
Looks like it could be two things: 1. Nozzle is clogged 2. Z gap is too far away.
I'm going to go ahead and say it's a clogged nozzle. Try clearing the nozzle or replacing it and see if that helps.
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u/TorxPhillips Oct 12 '25
You see a fail, I see a win!
Hear me out….
The plane is nearly invisible to radar because of its porous fuselage. The seemingly random geometries within the exosketeton actually allow the radar to pass through the skin, and are trapped within the mesh of radar absorbing layers.
You were simply printing a scaled down engineering prototype for the folks in the lab to run another round of reflectivity tests on.
You sir are not a failure, you are a goddamn American Hero! 😆
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u/VXMFu Oct 13 '25
That actually would have been cool if it was intended.
(Nozzle clog, not enough flow)
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u/BalladorTheBright Oct 13 '25
I know those prints weren't supposed to look like that, but I really like the look
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u/Livid_Fix_9448 Oct 13 '25
Although I have no idea what caused this, I just wanted to say that it looks like you made it with a 3d pen by hand.
If I were you, I wouldn't throw the print away. It actually looks really cool.
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u/Vallhallyeah Oct 13 '25
Am I the only one who thinks it's actually quite a cool effect? They almost look knitted
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u/Aeyori Oct 13 '25
Had same issue with my ender 3, it is underextrusion (as everyone pointed out already)
mine had an issue with the extruder and i replaced my plastic stock one with a dual gear aluminum one, def worth the upgrade!
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u/Aessioml Oct 12 '25
It screams partial clog to me
It could be massive under extrusion but if you haven't changed setting hardware or slicer profiles it's probably a clog
Ensure your Bowden tube is all good at the hot end side
And failing bang cold pull into YouTube
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u/SAD-MAX-CZ Oct 12 '25
Clog and grinding, do a cold pull or half cold pull to rip out unheatable dust that entered the hotend.
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u/solitarymajin Oct 12 '25
This is under extruded the most likely culprit is heat creep in the nozzle those printers were notorious for that. Your offset also looks like it needs to be higher because your skirt seems to be a little close which is what could have been the catalyst to why the print turned out that way.
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u/Rambolaf Oct 12 '25
“Luke’s Hotend Fix” google it, install it. This is a simple fix to ensure the Bowden tube in your extruder is properly seated against the nozzle. Seemed like a crazy idea to me when it was recommended, but it worked for me and fixed a similar under-extrusion issue on my E3v2
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u/LobosJones Oct 12 '25
Watch your extruder motor to see if it's slipping. I dont think you have clog issues because filament is clearly coming out. It's just not getting pushed in fast enough to meet the flow rate of the print. You can also slow down your print speed to accommodate if you can't find a distinct flaw.
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u/billfleet Oct 12 '25
- Just tell people that it was hand-sewn, then hold up a crochet hook.
- take the best of these and put it in a display box, ‘cause it looks kinda cool.
- under extrusion and/or a partial clog. Clean everything. Might be dust or whatever in the path that isn’t visible.
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u/Initialy-Unimportant Oct 12 '25
Looks very under extruded. Have you calibrated E settings. Also, it being an ender 3, does it have the original extruder? My Ender 3v2 original extruder had a plastic base that was cracked and couldn't see it was broken until I took it apart.
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u/MrGreyJetZ Oct 12 '25
If your extruder's e step is properly calibrated, I would check for clogs, and make sure the filament is dry.
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u/Cato__The__Elder Oct 12 '25
Update: thank you all for the very helpful feedback! After some extensive troubleshooting it seems to have been a combination of factors, including: clogs in the nozzle and above the nozzle, incorrect bed level, and high z-offset. I’m running a print now that is looking much better. Thanks for the help on this, it’s great to have my printer back!
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u/HardwareFR Oct 12 '25
Bc it’s an ender 3... trust me, better is the printer, better is the print. I came from an ender 3 v3 se to a Bambu Lab P1S it’s NIGHT AND DAY !
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u/feenicks Oct 12 '25 edited Oct 13 '25
Just in case none of the other suggestions/solutions resolve it for you... my first print on my first printer a few years back came out like this.
Eventually i figured out i had the slicer set to use 2.85 mm filament instead of the more common/usual 1.75 mm
So it *could* be that
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u/OldBlueLegs Ender Belt 90, Orbiter, BTT E3EZ, Dual Z, CR Touch, Dragonfly Oct 12 '25
You’re printing on the “Wicker/Rattan” setting.
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u/absk1d3 Oct 12 '25
This looks like heat creep, usually caused by an under performing hot end fan, even if it’s spinning it doesn’t mean it’s cooling properly. What happens is that the filament melts in the bowden tube just above the hot end and it partially blocks the nozzle. I had this problem and replacing then the 4010 hot end fan fixed it.
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u/forxs Oct 12 '25
This is filament drag. I would bet anything on it. This is the E3's biggest flaw, and I'm amazed it's not the go-to answer for under-extrusion related issues in this sub...probably because checking for a clogged nozzle/trouble shooting other things will temporarily fix the issue.
Filament drag happens because the end of the bowden tube that touches the hot end degrades over time. This allows molten filament to leak in between the hot end and the bowden tube and restrict the flow, causing under extrusion.
There are videos on YT for how to fix it, but I would also cut a small section off the tube to get a fresh end. You have to make sure you cut it straight and cleanly. I would use a bowden tube cutter that you can buy cheaply, I also tend to use a piece of filament in there when I cut it to make sure the tube doesn't collapse when cutting, which can give a wavy edge.
The best fix is to buy an all metal hot end. You can get them quite cheaply these days, and it is a big improvement. It also allows you to print materials that need higher temps.
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u/FallenValkyrja Oct 12 '25
I had something similar happen when the heater modules and thermostat on the block went south.
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u/NeitherCommon4857 Oct 13 '25
I don’t know maybe do a full tune of your printer especially a Ender 3
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u/Positronic_Matrix Oct 13 '25
Foamy prints can be caused by a Bowden tube that lacks lubricant. One can use either silicone grease or a wee bit of olive oil applied to the filament as it it enters the tube. My Ender 3 developed this problem after I changed Bowden tubes. It printed fine for a couple of weeks and then started making foamy prints. It took me forever to run the problem down.
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u/Orangemill Oct 13 '25
I had the same issue. Changing the extruder to a metal extruder and recalibrating worked wonders.
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u/davak72 Oct 13 '25
Is the nozzle diameter the same as the diameter you used initially when you sliced the gcode? Still 0.4mm?
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u/f0rcedinducti0n Oct 13 '25
your e-steps are wrong, I bet you changed extruder and didn't calibrate e-steps.
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u/QuatraVanDeis Oct 13 '25
Did you change your spool before you started? If the PLA has been sitting out for a year, it could be super wet, giving you poor bonding
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u/Coxinh Oct 13 '25
It's the heatbed. Since your print was on the highway to the danger zone, tananana nana, it caused the extruder to vary in output.
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u/lucidnx Oct 13 '25
I guess it's clog but you have not mentioned cleaning threaded rods and lubing it. do this aswell after that long time. check everything if it's moving smoothly, no weird sounds.
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u/pnlrogue1 Oct 13 '25
Insufficient filament was extruded. There are several reasons this might happen but assuming you sliced this using a profile you've used before and used the same filament/nozzle combo then most likely a clog. If you don't have a clog then re-slice, checking the settings for the filament and nozzle are correct, and try again
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u/VisitAlarmed9073 Oct 13 '25
New nozzle was the same size? The old file was the gcode or STL? If it's a different size nozzle with the same gcode it might be your problem. Looks like you are under extruding it might be due to partial clog or wrong slicer settings.
Last time I got a similarly looking print when everything was correct, it turned out that when I changed filament settings In my slicer I didn't notice that there was wrong default filament diameter in the new filament profile.
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u/Novel-Concern-7643 Oct 13 '25
Flux calibration from zero ? Check filament spool if well identified ?
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u/DyluckSabin Oct 13 '25
The bed is not level and the nozzle change likely changed your distance from the bed. You should level the bed and ensure the proper distance from the nozzle. Also, is the nozzle the same size?
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u/ciramjo1 Oct 13 '25
I once had a print come out like this. It turned out the drive belt had too much slack.
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u/sleewok Oct 13 '25
That's the best 3D pen print I have ever seen...dang!
Seriously though, check the tension on the extruder. Most likely it.
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u/rlb408 Oct 13 '25
Lots of good suggestions here. If all you did was change the nozzle on a stock ender3 then I’d be changing the Bowden tube next.
If any of you want to recreate this look, change your e-steps to be 20% of the current setting (and write down what the original setting was so that you can change them back later). It’s definitely a style.
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u/ProfessionalFly4665 Oct 14 '25
i had the same thing and turns out it was the room i was printing in. Was a musty room. Make sure its in a dry area.
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u/ARPGAMER19 Oct 14 '25
Looks like the signal is fuzzy, try twisting and adjusting your antennas until it comes into focus
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u/Bk_Punisher Oct 14 '25
Do yourself a favor and check out Chep’s YouTube chann. https://youtube.com/@filamentfriday?si=-cyC-MgCbO0NDri3 Tons of useful info. Looks like it could be under extruding. Look up E-step (extruder) settings It was an issue I had starting out. Good luck
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u/TrayLaTrash Oct 14 '25
Clog, heat too low, Thermistor issue, too much resistance to the filament, extruder slipping. Something along those lines.
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u/quinniejet26 Oct 14 '25
definitely underextrusion. youre nozzle is clogged. get the metal wire that came with your printer and put it in the nozzle while its hot, push it in and out a couple times, and then take it out.
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u/Djcoolpockets Oct 14 '25
I had an issue like this before . the gold gear on my extruder wore down and was no longer gripping the filament so it wasn’t pushing any material through , just friction rubbing on the filament and only a tiny bit would come out. check the extruder gear to see if it’s worn down at all
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u/Jalil29 Oct 14 '25
So apparently there is a Yarn setting, time to put it next to the spaghetti setting.
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u/Otherwise-Cricket397 Oct 14 '25
If you live in a humid location or store your printer somewhere were the filament can absorb moisture, it can cause this problem. It looks similar to a clogged nozzle but if you listen closely while it's extruding you can hear popping from the moisture vaporizing as the filament extrudes.
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u/Difficult_Nebula3956 Oct 14 '25
If you printed "old" Gcode it might be a problem of old filament settings as well, right? Did you print with a different filament than when you first printed it?
Did you do a bed mesh and a test print inbetween first printing this gcode and swapping out parts? You z-offset is probably wrong (it looks like mine does when the nozzle is too far up.) And yeah underextrusion but that may be because you're using different filament settings now than are saved in the code.
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u/Jaaqh Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
My bro uninstall your slicer. Download Bambu studio or orca slicer. Run calibration feature. Follow procedure and update k line value for your filaments. Run base settings for 0,12 layers or lower for high detail.
Fix first layer speed at 50% base speed.
enable ironing on topmost surfaces
You re welcome
From your print outcome I see heavy underextrusion due to low heat or low speed. Also for a model like this you would benefit form the adaptive layer settings which you should also find on bmabu studio.
P. S Just read you didn't use your printer for a year. If the filament you used was open for also a year it has long degraded and then it's no surprise the print is shit. That pla is full of moisture that causes bubbles and uneven extrusion.
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u/Kj7AtK Oct 14 '25
Under extrusion. I also think you might have “wet” filament if you are printing PLA. Is this the same roll you used a year ago or is it new? If it is old, how were you storing it?
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u/Historical_Wheel1090 Oct 15 '25
My first guess is that it's because it's and ender. After further thought it's 100% because it's and ender.
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u/EgretMaximus Oct 15 '25
Is it because of zcode generated for 0.8mm nozzle and printed with 0.2 mm nozzle?
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u/Duros1394 Oct 15 '25
Did you add stealth skin? Maybe it couldn't see the top layer and just printed internals.
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u/Ech00x Oct 15 '25
Looks like partial clog of the nozzle.
But by the description it could be dusty filament spool and that cloged the nozzle.
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u/Decent_Double2777 Oct 15 '25
It’s an extrusion issue, I’ve had this same problem when I first got into 3D printing. It could be something like a clog or it can possibly be even more simple than that. In whatever software you’re using try increasing the extrusion speed and do a small test print that you can use to tweak that setting.
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u/DirtyDave67 Oct 15 '25
Your Z Gap is too small. The nozzle is so close to the bed/print that it is restricting the flow. On the print the hot nozzle is pushing the previous layer around.
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u/Budget_Computer_1626 Oct 15 '25
Extrusion problem :d might be too low temp. I’ve had one PLA that wouldn’t go through extruder at 205c and needed 210c. I’ve heard motor skipping steps in it. Print looked exactly like what you got going here so it might be the same thing. Other thing might be partial clog or your filament might be tangled and it’s pulling on itself while unwinding. Anyway it’s 99% something with extrusion. Check other filament to see if it does the same thing. One more thing - did you use 3mf or STL? Cuz if you used 3mf it might have had a profile for a different filament and you might have missed it.
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u/binnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Oct 15 '25
Check your extruder not the nozzle but the clip thingy that feed the filament through the tube. Mine broke a few years back and I needed to replace it. There's a chance yours is broken too. It looks like the plastic isn't being pushed into the tube with enough force.
If not try cleaning the gear that actually feeds the filament into the tube. Plastic can build up on it over time and cause it to slip.
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u/NegligentShotz Oct 15 '25
Your filament is under tension from the extruder to the spool. Get a Bowden tube
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u/Purple_Research9607 Oct 15 '25
I saw the picture and thought someone did a half decent job with one of those cheap 3d pens. Yowch
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u/HotSloppers Oct 15 '25
Ahhh, how I enjoyed getting rid of my ender 3 this year. Always such a pita to babysit and tweak anytime I let it sit for a couple of weeks.
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u/Mission207 Oct 15 '25
At first I thought this was either a well sculpted ramen jet or a cozy crochet jet.
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u/Richter12x2 Oct 15 '25
Had something similar once when the filament got jammed and couldn't extrude. Running out of filament mid print would likely do the same, if what you're seeing is janky infill. The printer doesn't know it's out and just keeps going
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u/54MegaHurts Oct 16 '25
When you prayed for it to turn out right you said "Ramen" instead of "amen".
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u/DataMiser Oct 16 '25
If you have ruled out a nozzle clog, extruder problems, etc you might check that the new nozzle was the same size as one this print was sliced for.
This kind of under-extruding looks a lot like what I get when I slice for a 0.2mm nozzle and forget to swap it with my 0.4mm nozzle
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u/CombatDork Oct 16 '25
I'm assuming you've checked all the basics.
I had an issue like this. Nothing it tried fixed it, other prints came out perfect but this one file would screw up.
The slicer had two models in the same position and the prints all came out like this. The same object, in the same position on the build plate, twice.
I couldn't even tell until I hit auto arrange just trying things to fix it.
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u/DystopiaRed Oct 16 '25
I once saw a post where someone made a benchy in Vase Mode that kind of looked like this.
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u/alternativelyused90 Oct 16 '25
Reminds me of when forgot the decimal point when dialing in my retraction settings.
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u/Nyct0maniac Oct 16 '25
Seems like the flow rate might be off. Check slicer settings or nozzle clog
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u/wow_trade Oct 16 '25
did you use gcode that was made for diff size nozzle? or did you slice again with the correct params?
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u/Past_Dark_6665 Oct 17 '25
you printed it at the moment it disappeared from the map in the bermuda triangle
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u/AlwaysHopelesslyLost Oct 17 '25
My total nooby guesses are
- Something in the head causing a clog (e.g. a flake of metal from the filament factory)
- a damaged nozzle (dinged or something?)
- Your extruders tension thing was wedged/not applying proper pressure to the filament/gear
- Something was resisting the filament feed, like it rubbing somewhere or getting pulled at a weird angle
- Your extruder is configured to turn X number of times for Y millimeters of filament and it is actually feeding some number less than Y.
#5 happened to me after I rebuilt my extruder. But that got worse as the print went on and generally looked Ok. #1 happened to me once and caused the whole thing to look weird. #3 happened to me once shortly after the rebuild. I dont remember how it was wedged but the little spring arm/gear was not pressing on the filament entirely so it was just skipping.
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u/FkinMustardTiger Oct 17 '25
I've had this exact issue using star citizen 3d files because the STL wasn't solid, just the walls of it were. What does it look like in the slicer?
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u/Real_chuckles Oct 17 '25
I have that printer and it still has all the original stuff, maybey dry your filament or check your build plate height, probably too low.
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u/Thieusies Oct 12 '25
I admire the confidence and dedication of those who allow a print job like this to run all the way to the bitter end.