<blockquote>
<p>I have heard that it is best to use a raft</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Actually, it is not best to use a raft, a raft is an aid that can best be used in special cases, e.g. for filaments that shrink reasonably (PLA is not such a filament).</p>
<p>A raft always caused a rough bottom of your print and is frequently difficult to remove. A raft is an aid for adhesion if your print object geometry or choice of filament requires you to use it, but as far as printing PLA, a raft is generally not needed. You need to spend some time to level the bed properly and dial in the best nozzle to bed distance (the thickness of a sheet of plain printing paper like A4 or US Letter will work fine).</p>
<p>There are usually options available in slicer software to control the distance between the raft and the first layer of the print object. It is also reported that inserting a wait time to solidify/cool the raft is beneficial for creating less strong bonds between the raft and the print object.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-05T14:59:26.560Z
2022-06-19T12:09:18.447Z
2022-06-19T12:09:18.447Z
0scar
<p>I haven't run into this kind of issue, but I've found some tips that might help.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>HAVE SOME PATIENCE</p>
<p>You have waited several hours for the print, but you have to wait a little more until the model is completely cool. After some cooling, the model may come off by itself. As the plastic cools, it hardens, losing the tackiness needed for the layers to adhere.</p>
</li>
<li><p>CLEAN THE PLATFORM</p>
<p>This may not help with current printing, but if your platform is clogged with old adhesive, then it's probably time to clean it out. Future prints may not adhere as firmly. If the print is still stuck, run <a href="https://www.craftyhangouts.com/best-3d-printer-for-beginners/#product3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">it</a> under a stream of hot (not boiling) water and carefully use a spatula to remove any adhesive on the surface.</p>
<p>After printing, make sure the platform is clean and inspect the surface of the steel. If there are indentations, turn the glass over and use the smooth side. If both sides show signs of pitting, replace the glass.</p>
</li>
<li><p>PUT IT INTO THE OVEN</p>
<p>There are times when hot water doesn't help if you have a glass or other heat-resistant surface with no plastic or electronics and you can take it off the printer, and put it in the oven. Set the temperature to 100º and then use a spatula to see if you can remove the model. If it does not work, increase the temperature to 120º, leave for five minutes and try again. Raise the temperature until you remove the model.</p>
</li>
<li><p>DO NOT USE CHEAP PLASTIC</p>
<p>In many cases, cheap plastic is a false economy.</p>
</li>
<li><p>MAKE SOME HOLES</p>
<p>By creating several holes in the surface of the print base, you can avoid sticking caused by too much surface contact.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Hope these tips help you :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-19T08:12:12.953Z
Hi and welcome. Could you expand upon tip 5? What size holes? What spacing between the holes? What type of base are you referring to? Does this only apply to the Ender 3? Can this apply to other printers? Would that include a glass plate (seems unlikely, although glass is mentioned in point 3)? Do you have a photo? Also, in point 3, why have you inlcuded the link? It might be considered spam... are you highlighting the magnetic sticker mentioned in the link? In point 3, the temperature has not units, preumably you mean °C? Please [edit] and update your answer to address these points. Thanks.
Greenonline
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-19T07:52:06.343Z
2022-06-19T08:14:34.350Z
2022-06-19T08:14:34.350Z
grumpylion
<p>Have a look at the distance of your nozzle / leveling of your bed. I experienced difficulties removing my prints when the nozzle is to close to the bed. Furthermore try different bed temperatures when removing the print.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-05T07:42:44.403Z
2022-06-05T07:42:44.403Z
Andre S.
<p>Rafts fuse with models because the filament gets overheated. To avoid this, keep the temperature in the room between between 23 and 28 °C. Malfunctioning extruder fans, a heater &amp; thermocouple, extruder printed circuit board (PCB), extruder cable, and motherboard can be also to blame.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-05T18:23:34.373Z
Ambient temperature shouldn’t drastically affect how the layers bond, that would be more of a hotend temp thing and layer height. The plastic comes out of the hotend so much hotter than the ambient temperature, the bonding happens instantly. It stops being sticky quickly. After that it is a little soft until it cools past the glass temperature (60 C for PLA) and gets hard. The next layer sticks because there is enough heat from the fresh plastic to melt the previous layer a little.
ChinchillaWafers
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-05T15:34:32.230Z
2022-06-05T15:34:32.230Z
Siyabulela Mtola
<p>I recently bought a Creality Ender 3 V2. I have heard that it is best to use a raft when printing. I have tried to use a raft a few different times using PLA, with different settings each time. When I try to peel the raft off of the print, it will snap around the bottom of the print. Are there any recommended slicer settings or printer tips to help this?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-05T00:02:11.820Z
Hello @lil mikey. Your question is lacking detail and as such is hard to answer without knowing a couple of things about your printer setup. Please [edit] and fill in the [placeholders] in the template I added and then remove the leading `<!--` and trailing `-->` afterwards. This will turn it visible and help us help you find the actual problem.
agarza
<creality-ender-3><pla><rafts>
When I print with a raft on my 3D printer, the raft will not peel off. What settings can I change to fix this?
lil mikey
# When I print with a raft on my 3D printer, the raft will not peel off. What settings can I change to fix this?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-06-04)

I recently bought a Creality Ender 3 V2. I have heard that it is best to use a raft when printing. I have tried to use a raft a few different times using PLA, with different settings each time. When I try to peel the raft off of the print, it will snap around the bottom of the print. Are there any recommended slicer settings or printer tips to help this?

**Tags:** creality-ender-3, pla, rafts
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hello @lil mikey. Your question is lacking detail and as such is hard to answer without knowing a couple of things about your printer setup. Please [edit] and fill in the [placeholders] in the template I added and then remove the leading `<!--` and trailing `-->` afterwards. This will turn it visible and help us help you find the actual problem.  

---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-06-05. Score: 1

> I have heard that it is best to use a raft

Actually, it is not best to use a raft, a raft is an aid that can best be used in special cases, e.g. for filaments that shrink reasonably (PLA is not such a filament).

A raft always caused a rough bottom of your print and is frequently difficult to remove. A raft is an aid for adhesion if your print object geometry or choice of filament requires you to use it, but as far as printing PLA, a raft is generally not needed. You need to spend some time to level the bed properly and dial in the best nozzle to bed distance (the thickness of a sheet of plain printing paper like A4 or US Letter will work fine).

There are usually options available in slicer software to control the distance between the raft and the first layer of the print object. It is also reported that inserting a wait time to solidify/cool the raft is beneficial for creating less strong bonds between the raft and the print object.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-06-19. Score: 0

I haven't run into this kind of issue, but I've found some tips that might help.

1. HAVE SOME PATIENCE

   You have waited several hours for the print, but you have to wait a little more until the model is completely cool. After some cooling, the model may come off by itself. As the plastic cools, it hardens, losing the tackiness needed for the layers to adhere.
2. CLEAN THE PLATFORM

   This may not help with current printing, but if your platform is clogged with old adhesive, then it's probably time to clean it out. Future prints may not adhere as firmly. If the print is still stuck, run [it](https://www.craftyhangouts.com/best-3d-printer-for-beginners/#product3) under a stream of hot (not boiling) water and carefully use a spatula to remove any adhesive on the surface.

   After printing, make sure the platform is clean and inspect the surface of the steel. If there are indentations, turn the glass over and use the smooth side. If both sides show signs of pitting, replace the glass.
3. PUT IT INTO THE OVEN

   There are times when hot water doesn't help if you have a glass or other heat-resistant surface with no plastic or electronics and you can take it off the printer, and put it in the oven. Set the temperature to 100º and then use a spatula to see if you can remove the model. If it does not work, increase the temperature to 120º, leave for five minutes and try again. Raise the temperature until you remove the model.
4. DO NOT USE CHEAP PLASTIC

   In many cases, cheap plastic is a false economy.
5. MAKE SOME HOLES

   By creating several holes in the surface of the print base, you can avoid sticking caused by too much surface contact.

Hope these tips help you :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Hi and welcome. Could you expand upon tip 5? What size holes? What spacing between the holes? What type of base are you referring to? Does this only apply to the Ender 3? Can this apply to other printers? Would that include a glass plate (seems unlikely, although glass is mentioned in point 3)? Do you have a photo? Also, in point 3, why have you inlcuded the link? It might be considered spam... are you highlighting the magnetic sticker mentioned in the link? In point 3, the temperature has not units, preumably you mean °C? Please [edit] and update your answer to address these points. Thanks.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2022-06-05. Score: 0

Have a look at the distance of your nozzle / leveling of your bed. I experienced difficulties removing my prints when the nozzle is to close to the bed. Furthermore try different bed temperatures when removing the print.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2022-06-05. Score: -1

Rafts fuse with models because the filament gets overheated. To avoid this, keep the temperature in the room between between 23 and 28 °C. Malfunctioning extruder fans, a heater & thermocouple, extruder printed circuit board (PCB), extruder cable, and motherboard can be also to blame.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: Ambient temperature shouldn’t drastically affect how the layers bond, that would be more of a hotend temp thing and layer height. The plastic comes out of the hotend so much hotter than the ambient temperature, the bonding happens instantly. It stops being sticky quickly. After that it is a little soft until it cools past the glass temperature (60 C for PLA) and gets hard. The next layer sticks because there is enough heat from the fresh plastic to melt the previous layer a little.  

---

