Parts Warping

High-temperature materials such as ABS and polycarbonate (PC) require a warm printing environment to print successfully. For these materials, the ambient air inside the printer enclosure should typically be around 50°C or higher. Without enough ambient heat, the material cools and shrinks too quickly during printing, which can cause corners or edges to lift off the bed (warping), dimensional inaccuracies, or even damaging print failures if the nozzle contacts a warped part mid-print.

For ABS and PC, this warm environment is created by using the printer enclosure along with proper first-layer setup. The nozzle should be the correct distance from the bed, and an appropriate bed adhesive should be used to help the part stay firmly attached during the early layers. Larger parts may require higher enclosure temperatures to remain stable throughout the print.

Not all materials benefit from an enclosed, heated environment. Lower-temperature materials such as PLA generally print best with reduced enclosure temperatures or with enclosure panels removed, as excessive heat can lead to softening, deformation, or cooling-related print issues.

When using an enclosure for high-temperature materials, always ensure that any components inside the enclosure are rated for the temperatures they will experience. Operating components outside their temperature limits can lead to premature wear or failure.

 

The photo below shows how a large part experiences warping and sometimes layer delamination (cracks between layers) if the ambient temperature of the printing environment is not warm enough.

 

Below is another basic example from a print that had several ABS parts on the bed. As you can see below, the corners of the parts look a little bent upwards because of warping from the parts. 

 

 

Parts with high amounts of infill (>50%) have a greater tendency to warp due to internal stresses, as well as parts with large surface area, as the contracting force has greater leverage to cause the part to warp.

 

Questions or concerns? Reach out to our support team at support@re:3D.org or open a support ticket.