Ender 3 Pro continual issues after initial successful prints - Updated

Even for the magnetic sheet? I haven't had problems with stuck prints, in fact it is not even adhering to the bed right now.

I left that info off the original post so thanks for the reminder.

No glass; magnetic sheet and I have always cleaned it after each print with soap and water and a wipe with isopropyl alcohol.

I've never used anything but brass nozzles, but it could still be heat creep.

Right now mine hasn't been on for 6 days because I'm waiting on some parts that need replaced.

I've tried both hair spray and glue sticks I have more luck getting prints to adhere with hair spray.

I never can get PLA to stick without something on the bed like glue stick or hair spray, and a temp of less than 65c. If you end up getting some warpage in your first few layers, you might think to raise the temp, but I would say lower it. I've found when my first few layers lift and warp, it's because the layers just above are cooling and contracting faster and that pulls the lower layers off the bed. A lower bed temp can lessen that.

When you say not even the skirt lays down correctly, I would look at three things:

- check that it extrudes properly (move the nozzle up to some degree, and then just extrude filament and look whether that looks fine - when you have a good scale you can measure how much filament got extruded)

- clean you bed properly (not just IPA - use dish washer and lots of hot water), and then try not to touch it with bare finger - grease and oils from fingers will ruin your bed adhesion

- check the first layer - I always recommend the procedure from https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-assembly-and-first-prints-troubleshooting/life-adjust-z-my-way/ which explains how a good first layer needs to look like, and how you get a test print for it (I don#t know whether the Ender has Live Z adjustment, though)

On a bit of an odd side note... thanks for having this discussion.  Like many, I'm interested in getting into 3D printing and was eyeing the Ender 3 quite intensely.  I think I'll hold off for a bit more - until I make the time to dig into it properly.  I have really enjoyed this thread.

I'm going to update this post tomorrow but basically I have tried everything (except for a new extruder arm) suggested here (and other places) and nothing helped.

There is an joke about a computer of my youth that goes "How do you know if your Sinclair ZX81 is working?" Answer "Does the door stay open?"....(some people thought the ZX81 worked better as a doorstop). I am beginning to think the joke should be updated with the Ender 3 in place of the Sinclair.

opalko said:

except for a new extruder arm

It's just one little screw you need to undo to have a look at the bottom of the extruder arm - if it's cracked, you will be able to see it immediately.

For me, I found that the shiny filament gave me the biggest trouble, and the matte filament (white and wood colours) were somewhat better - I guess the matte filament is more grippy and suffers less from the cracked extruder issue.