Diagnose a failed print, straight from a photo
Stringing, warping, layer shifting, delamination: every defect has a specific cause. Upload a photo of the failed print, add what you know about your printer and settings, and get back the defect name plus the exact steps to fix it, instead of hours spent searching forums.
Free, no sign-up required.How it works
Three steps, most of the time spent taking a clear photo.
Photograph the defect
Get a close, well-lit shot of the problem area. A second angle helps when the defect is hard to make out clearly from a single shot.
Upload it with some context
Add the printer, material and settings you used. The more context you give, the sharper the diagnosis, since several defects can look alike.
Get the diagnosis and the fix
You get the defect name, the likely cause, and concrete steps to change, ordered by priority instead of a vague list of things to try.
Defects it covers
Built around the failure modes that come up most often in FDM printing.
Why this tool
Built to read your defect specifically, not to hand you the average forum answer.
Diagnosis from a photo
The defect is identified from how it actually looks in your photo, not matched against a generic checklist you have to interpret yourself.
Concrete, ordered steps
Instead of a list of things to try, you get specific actions in priority order, each one explained so you know why it applies to your case.
Covers the main FDM defects
Stringing, warping, layer shifting, delamination, under and over-extrusion, first layer problems, and other common failure modes.
Learn while you fix it
Every diagnosis explains the underlying cause, not just the fix, so you start recognizing the same defect on your own next time.
Symptom and its usual cause
The same defect can come from more than one cause, which is why the fix has to match the actual reason.
| Symptom | Usual cause | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Stringing | Nozzle temperature too high, or retraction distance and speed too low | Lower nozzle temperature in small steps, increase retraction distance and speed |
| Warping | Weak bed adhesion, uneven cooling on large flat areas, or drafts | Raise bed temperature, add a brim or enclosure, cut drafts from fans or open windows |
| Elephant foot | First layer squashed too flat, bed too hot, or nozzle too close | Correct the Z-offset and first layer height, recheck bed leveling |
| Layer shifting | Loose belts, skipped steps from excessive speed, or a mechanical obstruction | Tighten belts and pulley grub screws, lower print speed and acceleration, check for cable snags |
| Under-extrusion | Partially clogged nozzle, wrong flow rate, or wrong filament diameter setting | Clean or replace the nozzle, calibrate extruder steps and flow, verify filament diameter |
| Delamination | Nozzle temperature too low, layers cooling too fast, or drafts between layers | Raise nozzle temperature, reduce cooling fan on structural parts, print in an enclosure |
Two prints can look identical and fail for different reasons. A shifted layer from a loose belt looks the same as one from acceleration pushed past what the motor can follow, but the fix is not the same, which is why the printer and settings you add next to the photo matter as much as the picture itself.
Frequently asked questions
What photos give the best diagnosis?
A clear, close-up photo of the affected area in good light works best, and a second angle helps when the defect is not obvious from a single shot. Blurry, dark or distant photos give the AI less to work with, and the diagnosis loses precision as a result.
Does it only work for FDM prints?
The main focus is FDM printing, since that is where the most common failure modes show up in practice: stringing, warping, layer shifting, delamination, and under or over-extrusion. That is what the diagnosis is built to recognize.
What do I get back?
You get the name of the defect, the likely cause behind it, and a set of concrete steps to fix it, ordered by priority rather than a flat list. Each step comes with the reasoning behind it, so you understand the cause and not just what to click.
How much does it cost?
The diagnosis is free, with no sign-up required. Upload a photo, add whatever context you have about the printer, material and settings, and get the result without paying or creating an account. There is no separate paid tier for this tool.
Why does the same-looking defect sometimes have a different cause?
Several failure modes look alike on the surface. A shifted layer can come from a loose belt, from printing too fast for the motors to keep up, or from something physically catching the axis, and each one needs a different fix. Adding printer, material and setting details next to the photo sharpens the diagnosis instead of leaving it to guess from the picture alone.
Do I need to know the cause before using it?
No, that is the point of the tool. You describe what you see and add whatever context you have, printer, material, settings, and the diagnosis works out the defect and its likely cause for you, then explains the reasoning so you recognize it yourself the next time it happens.
Other tools
Part of the EduFacturing tool set.
The rest of the tool set
This tool is open to everyone, no account needed. It is one of a set of more than a hundred engineering tools on EduFacturing: calculators, calibration helpers, slicer references, defect diagnosis, CAD utilities and printer configurators. Most of them sit behind a free account.
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