The original post: /r/3dprinting by /u/wivaca on 2024-07-26 20:41:36.

This is probably a bad place to ask that question since there will be a bias toward having one.

The reason I ask such a strange question is I'm on the fence. On the one hand, I would like to build serious parts for maker projects. I'm not going to be printing Pokemon or some object from a video game.

On the other hand, I see postings all the time asking for advice about why a print didn't stick to the build plate or stuck too much, or turned into a bird's nest, or didn't have good layer adhesion, and worries about support.

In the early days of 2D ink and laser printers (and unfortunately too often now), something that went haywire simply meant throwing a piece of paper away that took seconds to maybe 2 minutes to print. For 3D printing you waste a lot of time and filament.

It seems 3D printing has a lot more situations where there can be problems. I realize there is confirmation bias since nobody posts to say their print job went perfectly and ask what they did right.

In your experience, what percentage of the time do your 3D prints go badly? Was the failure rate higher and it got better with time? Was it largely a matter of gaining expertise or dialing in the printer in some way?