Blog
Practical 3D printing from the people behind the ATN Slicer and Printer Farm: first-layer settings, failure diagnosis, slicer profiles, running a print farm, and what we learn running one.
First Layer Settings in OrcaSlicer: The Exact Values That Make Prints Stick
For a 0.4 mm nozzle, the single most reliable first-layer height in OrcaSlicer is 0.25 mm — 62.5% of the nozzle diameter — paired with a first-layer line width of around…
First Layer Adhesion Settings in PrusaSlicer: The Exact Values That Make Prints Stick
The default first layer height in Original Prusa profiles is 0.20 mm, and it is 0.20 mm whether the rest of your model prints at 0.10 or 0.30 mm. That single number…
OrcaSlicer First Layer Settings for Adhesion: The Exact Values That Make Prints Stick
The single biggest lever on bed adhesion in OrcaSlicer is the first layer height, and it is set independently of the rest of the print under Quality > Layer height >…
Creality K2 Plus Upgrades: What Actually Fixes the Machine (and What to Skip)
The two things that genuinely hold a stock K2 Plus back are CFS feeding reliability and flow ceiling — and neither is where most owners start spending money. Before you…
How to Fix First Layer Adhesion in PrusaSlicer: The Settings That Actually Matter
Nine times out of ten, a bad first layer is a nozzle-to-bed distance problem, not a slicer flow problem. So before you start pulling levers all over PrusaSlicer, get…
How to Diagnose a 3D Print Failure From a Photo: A Practitioner’s Decision Tree
To diagnose a 3D print failure from a photo, you read three things in order: what the defect looks like, where on the Z axis it happens, and which of four physical…
First Layer Adhesion Issues with PLA: The Real Causes and the Exact Fixes
Nine times out of ten, first layer adhesion issues with PLA trace back to just three things: nozzle height (Z-offset), an incorrect bed temperature, or a dirty build…
3D Print Failure Diagnosis Tool: How to Read the Symptom and Fix the Right Cause
Almost every FDM print failure traces back to one of six causes: poor bed adhesion, the wrong temperature, wet filament, a nozzle clog, a mechanical motion fault, or a…
AI 3D Print Troubleshooting Tool: What Actually Works in 2026
An AI 3D print troubleshooting tool falls into one of two categories, and confusing them is the single biggest reason people end up disappointed. The first watches your…
Racing Additive Manufacturing: The Metals, Processes and DfAM Rules That Actually Matter
Racing additive manufacturing earns its place for three reasons: iteration speed, part consolidation, and geometry you simply cannot machine. A wind-tunnel programme can…
Wind Tunnel Testing Parts by 3D Printing in the UK: Materials, Tolerances and the Mistakes That Corrupt Your Data
For wind tunnel models, stereolithography (SLA) is the default UK production route, and for a specific reason: it produces smooth, rigid, dimensionally stable parts that…
Food-Grade 3D Printing Services UK: What “Food Safe” Actually Means for a Printed Part
A quick clarification before anything else: there is no recognised “F1 grade” standard for food-contact 3D printing. If you searched for f1 grade 3D printing services…