Why 3d print layer shift?

You print a big model and after waiting for long hours suddenly the hotend moving into wrong direction while still maintaining its layer shape. Well - what happened here? All the 3D printing jobs have to start at the beginning again. Waste of time - Waste of 3D Filament.

There are some possibilities for what causing this Problem:

 

1. File on SDCard or USB Problem

Printing Files where Gcode resides is part of the process. GCode actually contains text commands that are read by the process line by line (also determine layer-by-layer positioning) . So any disruption or a wrongly read of this text can cause Layer Shifting or a worse scenario which is er-radical movement. So when you copy and transfer the Gcode file(s), make sure it is copied and ejected properly for your PC/Mac.

Note: Some Printers use WIFI/Network capability for this Copy Transfer file(s). Bad Network Communication also can cause this error.

 

2. Over Extrusion Flow

Imagine that your printing is too much material deposit (Overflow). Thicker layer or even blob will cause hotend nozzle hitting the solidify material during its movement. At a certain position point this causes mechanical shifting in an uncertain position as nozzle hits something on it’s path. Another layer problem like bed warping or layer separation (delamination) will make this problem a continuous process. At the worst state - spaghetti results in the rest of the printing process .