Why Do Layers Shift During Printing?

1. What’s Wrong with My 3D Print?

Have you ever found that there are layer shifts on the models’ surface though supports seem intact? It’s important to know the causes of these layer shifts. Continue to read through this article to learn how to fix this printing issue.

2. What Causes the Printing Issue?

Layer shifting seems similar to the layer line issue in which horizontal lines appear across your 3D prints. Improper supports or incorrect hollowing setup may cause abnormal suction force change during the printing process, resulting in layer shiftings.

3. Troubleshooting the Printing Issue

Resolving the layer-shifting issue requires re-hollowing the prints and adjusting the supports. The following steps are organized in order of likelihood to identify and resolve the printing issue:

Re-hollowing models 

• Wall thickness: Small print at least 1.5mm, large print at least 2mm.
• Precision: 30%
• Infill structure: None

Adding holes into models 

• Drain hole size: 3mm
• Drain hole count: at least 2
• Drain hole placing: at the bottom of models

Adjusting support settings

• Increase support density and the upper diameter of supports (please refer to this article for detailed suggestions)
• Manually add supports to the part where the layer shifting has occurred

If you are using a third-party resin or cannot find your resin on our official resin profile page, please use a Resin Exposure Finder to dial in your settings. Light-off delay time is essential in resin 3D printing. With the correct settings, each layer will be printed in a much more stable manner, resulting in better quality 3D prints. Please refer to this article to learn more about Light-Off Delay.

Contact Support

By following the above suggestions, you can resolve the layer-shifting issue. If you find any issues, feel free to reach out to Phrozen Support or your Authorized Reseller for further assistance. When contacting Phrozen Support, kindly send some photos or videos illustrating the issue.