WARPING AND CORNER LIFTING
Corners curling up off the bed mid-print? Warping is differential cooling shrinkage. Fix it with bed temperature, brim, enclosure and adhesion.
⚡ 10–25 minbeginnerhigh confidencewarpingadhesionbed temp
Quick Fixes
Bed temp: PLA 60-65C, PETG 80-85C, ABS 105-110C
Add brim 5-10 mm (10+ mm for ABS/ASA)
Enclose printer for ABS/ASA
Wipe bed with 90%+ IPA before every print
Fan off for first 3-5 layers
WHY THIS HAPPENS
Plastic shrinks as it cools - this is a physical property you can't change, only manage. The bottom layers of your print are warm because they sit on a heated bed. Layers above them cool faster because they're exposed to ambient air and part cooling fan. The temperature gap creates differential shrinkage: top layers contract more than bottom layers, generating internal stress that pulls the edges of the print upward away from the bed.
The magnitude of warping depends on three factors. First, the filament's coefficient of thermal contraction - ABS and ASA contract about 4-5x more than PLA, which is why ABS warps so aggressively and PLA barely warps at all. Second, the temperature gradient across the print - a cold room and aggressive part cooling create huge gradients, while a warm bed and an enclosure minimise them. Third, the print's geometry - large flat footprints have more total shrinkage force pulling on the corners than small tall prints.
Adhesion fights warping mechanically. If the bed-to-print bond is stronger than the shrinkage force, the corners stay down. If the shrinkage force exceeds the bond, the corners lift. Brims, glue stick and adhesion aids all increase the bond strength to win the tug-of-war. An enclosure works differently - it reduces the shrinkage force by warming the ambient air, so even a weaker bond holds.
WHEN THESE FIXES FAIL
**If only ABS or ASA warps and PLA doesn't** - you don't have an enclosure or your bed is too cold for ABS. Both fixes apply.
**If corners lift on the largest prints but small prints are fine** - shrinkage force scales with footprint. Add a brim and raise bed temp.
**If warping started recently with no setting changes** - bed surface is dirty (oils from skin contact) or worn (scratches reduce surface area). Clean or replace.
**If warping happens in only one corner** - that corner is too low (uneven bed) or the bed is colder there. Re-level and check for thermal hot/cold spots.
**If a cardboard box around the printer immediately fixes ABS warping** - confirmed enclosure issue. Build a permanent enclosure or buy an enclosed printer.
**If part cooling is set to 100% from layer 1** - your first layers can't fuse to the bed before differential cooling starts pulling them off. Fan off for first 3-5 layers.
MOST LIKELY CAUSES
1
Bed temperature too low
high confidence
If the base cools too quickly, shrinkage stress pulls corners upward.
→ Raise bed temperature by 5-10C
→ Use the high end of the normal bed temperature range
→ Keep first layer speed at 20-25 mm/s
2
Not enough bed contact
high confidence
Small or narrow contact areas cannot resist the shrinkage force pulling the print upward.
→ Add a 5-10 mm brim
→ Use a wider brim for large flat parts
→ Clean the bed with 90%+ IPA before printing
3
Part cooling starts too early
medium confidence
Cooling the first layers too soon creates shrinkage before the base has bonded strongly.
→ Set fan off for the first 3-5 layers
→ Ramp fan speed gradually after the base layers
→ Disable full fan speed on layer 1
WANT SETTINGS TUNED FOR THIS ISSUE?
Generate slicer settings based on your printer, filament, and this exact problem.
Generate SettingsWhat It Looks Like
Corners or edges of the print curl upward off the bed during printing, sometimes detaching entirely and ruining the print.
Why It Happens
Plastic shrinks as it cools - this is a physical property you can't change, only manage. The bottom layers of your print are warm because they sit on a heated bed. Layers above them cool faster because they're exposed to ambient air and part cooling fan. The temperature gap creates differential shrinkage: top layers contract more than bottom layers, generating internal stress that pulls the edges of the print upward away from the bed.
The magnitude of warping depends on three factors. First, the filament's coefficient of thermal contraction - ABS and ASA contract about 4-5x more than PLA, which is why ABS warps so aggressively and PLA barely warps at all. Second, the temperature gradient across the print - a cold room and aggressive part cooling create huge gradients, while a warm bed and an enclosure minimise them. Third, the print's geometry - large flat footprints have more total shrinkage force pulling on the corners than small tall prints.
Adhesion fights warping mechanically. If the bed-to-print bond is stronger than the shrinkage force, the corners stay down. If the shrinkage force exceeds the bond, the corners lift. Brims, glue stick and adhesion aids all increase the bond strength to win the tug-of-war. An enclosure works differently - it reduces the shrinkage force by warming the ambient air, so even a weaker bond holds.
What The Community Data Says
Based on 128 confirmed fixes from r/FixMyPrint, these are the causes ranked by how often they actually worked:
1. Bed temperature too low - raising 5-10C above the user's current value (often the manufacturer's bottom-of-range default) was the single most common fix.
2. No brim - adding a 5-10 mm brim solved warping on PLA and PETG that resisted bed temperature changes.
3. No enclosure on ABS/ASA - users trying to print ABS in open air gave up and built a cardboard enclosure - immediate fix.
4. Dirty bed surface - cleaning with IPA restored adhesion that had been failing for weeks.
5. Part cooling fan running on first 5 layers - users had inherited a profile with the fan starting at layer 1; setting it off for 3-5 layers gave the base time to bond before cooling stress started.
Data sourced from r/FixMyPrint - one of the largest 3D printing troubleshooting communities on Reddit. This represents real user-reported issues and community-confirmed fixes, not theoretical advice.
How To Diagnose Your Specific Cause
If only ABS or ASA warps and PLA doesn't - you don't have an enclosure or your bed is too cold for ABS. Both fixes apply.
If corners lift on the largest prints but small prints are fine - shrinkage force scales with footprint. Add a brim and raise bed temp.
If warping started recently with no setting changes - bed surface is dirty (oils from skin contact) or worn (scratches reduce surface area). Clean or replace.
If warping happens in only one corner - that corner is too low (uneven bed) or the bed is colder there. Re-level and check for thermal hot/cold spots.
If a cardboard box around the printer immediately fixes ABS warping - confirmed enclosure issue. Build a permanent enclosure or buy an enclosed printer.
If part cooling is set to 100% from layer 1 - your first layers can't fuse to the bed before differential cooling starts pulling them off. Fan off for first 3-5 layers.
Fixes By Cause
Cause 1: Raise bed temperature
PLA: 60-65C. PETG: 80-85C. ABS: 105-110C. ASA: 105-110C. PC: 110-115C. If currently in range, push to top of range. Hot bed keeps the base layers pliable longer, reducing differential cooling stress.
Cause 2: Add a brim
Width 5-10 mm for PLA/PETG, 8-15 mm for ABS/ASA. Brim sticks out beyond the model and increases bonded surface area. Removes easily with flush cutters after print. More effective than rafts - rafts add print time and waste filament.
Cause 3: Build or buy an enclosure
Even a cardboard box draped over an open printer makes a measurable difference for ABS/ASA. Permanent enclosure: foam-board panels around an Ikea Lack table base ($30 DIY), or buy an enclosed printer. Don't enclose PLA fully - chamber heat causes overheating and heat creep.
Cause 4: Clean the bed
Wipe with 90%+ IPA before every print. For stubborn oils on smooth PEI, wash with warm dish soap and water every 10-20 prints. Don't touch the surface after cleaning - oils transfer instantly.
Cause 5: Disable fan for first layers
Set part cooling fan to 0% for the first 3-5 layers. Slicer setting: Cura 'Initial Fan Speed' / 'Regular Fan Speed at Height'. PrusaSlicer/Bambu/Orca: 'Disable fan for first layers' = 3-5. Allows base to bond fully before cooling stress starts.
Printer-Specific Notes
Bowden printers (Ender 3 family): Open-air design - ABS/ASA prone to warping without an enclosure. PLA usually fine. Add silicone bed levelling spacers for stable thermal profile that doesn't drift between prints.
Direct drive printers (Bambu, Prusa MK4S): Bambu P1S and X1C have built-in enclosures - ABS/ASA work out of the box. Prusa MK4S is open-air, same warping limits as Ender 3 for ABS.
Enclosed printers (Bambu P1S, K1 Max): Best ABS/ASA experience. Chamber stabilises at 35-45C with door closed. For huge ABS prints, leave printer running for 30 min before starting to fully heat-soak the chamber.
Filament-Specific Notes
PLA / PLA+: Lowest warping risk. Bed 60C, brim only on prints over 100 mm wide. No enclosure needed.
PETG: Moderate warping risk on large parts. Bed 80C, 5-10 mm brim for parts over 80 mm wide. No enclosure needed.
ABS / ASA: High warping risk. Bed 105-110C mandatory, 10 mm brim, enclosure required, no part cooling on first 5 layers, low part cooling overall (0-30%).
TPU: Doesn't warp. Bed 30-50C is enough.
Nylon / PC / PA-CF: Severe warping risk. Bed 110-120C, garolite or PEI bed, glue stick, enclosure mandatory, slow first layer.
How To Prevent It Next Time
Default bed temperatures in slicer profiles to the high end of each filament's range, not the low end. PLA 60C, PETG 80C, ABS 110C as your starting point.
For any ABS/ASA print, build an enclosure first. There is no setting that compensates for cold ambient air with ABS - the physics demands chamber heat.
Wipe the bed before every print. The single biggest preventive measure across all warping causes.
Get An Exact Fix For Your Setup
Use FixMyPrint to get bed temperature, brim width, fan ramp settings and adhesion strategy tuned for your specific printer and filament - based on what actually worked for similar issues in the community.
Go to /settings-generator to generate yours.
Recommended Slicer Settings
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Layer Separation (Delamination)
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