5 Most Common Problems with the Anycubic Chiron: Troubleshooting Guide

The Anycubic Chiron is among the most accessibly priced large-volume printers that has allows numerous makers to jump into the world of monumental models. Its ease of setup and impressive design secured a large early fanbase, but several issues cropped up early in the machine’s release. With a responsive manufacturer and a strong 3D printing community, most of these issues have been addressed, but there are a few persistent issues that users still report.

5 most common Anycubic Chiron problems

• Auto-leveling issues
• Inaccurate print time estimates
• Stringing
• Early print termination
• Poor bed adhesion

Auto-leveling issues

One of the fan-favored features of the Anycubic Chiron is its auto-leveling setting, which allows makers to avoid manually calibrating the machine after every print or two. Although this feature should be a great way to save time and energy during printing, many Chiron users have reported frequent issues with auto-leveling, including inconsistent leveling, incorrect nozzle height, and early termination of the auto-leveling process.

Troubleshooting

1. Manually calibrate the bed

One of the most common issues that occurs during the auto-leveling process is that some points of the bed are too far out of alignment for the system to identify the needed adjustments. By manually resetting the bed, most users have found that this keeps the bed within an acceptable margin of error for the auto-leveling system.

First, ensure that the bed and hot end are in their home positions. Then, prepare to manually level the bed. We recommend first gently pressing down on the build surface to try to determine which area of the bed is more misaligned than others.

The user manual covers the best way to manually level this specific printer. To fine tune your bed settings, all you need is some patience and a piece of paper.

First, move the nozzle to the left corner of the print bed—approximately ½ inch from each side is sufficient.

Next, place the piece of paper between the nozzle and the print bed. If you cannot get place the paper under the nozzle, slightly adjust the corner of the bed until it meets no resistance. Once the paper is in place, move the bed corner up in small increments. After each movement, gently move the paper. As soon as you feel resistance, stop adjusting the bed.

Then, repeat this process for the remaining three corners. After each corner has been calibrated, calibrate the bed again to make any final adjustments.

2. Check the auto-leveling probe wire

If the printer still isn’t auto-leveling after manual calibration, it’s possible that the probe wire connecting to the hot end is loose or failing.

First, disconnect and reconnect the wire and attempt to auto-level the bed. If this doesn’t work, you may need to replace either the connector or the entire probe.

Inaccurate print time estimates

Any 3D print maker can tell you that expecting your estimated print times to be accurate for every print is pretty optimistic. However, some Chiron users have reported huge disparities in estimated and actual print times, which can cause major problems for makers who are printing multipart models or those who sell their creations.

Troubleshooting

1. Change acceleration, jerk, and/or print speed settings

Because the Chiron is outfitted with a monstrous build volume, the pre-set acceleration and jerk settings for reliably laying filament on the build surface while still allowing the filament to bond can lead to extremely slow print times, which can get longer over the course of more complicated prints. The slicer’s time estimates will not always reflect these changes, leading to excruciatingly long print times and disappointed makers.

Users can override the acceleration and jerk values within Cura to facilitate more accurate estimates.

Some users have also had success slightly lowering print speed and increasing acceleration and jerk values to improve accuracy. We always recommend running a test print to ensure that varying from the manufacturer’s settings will not negatively impact larger models in the future.

2. Download a printer settings plug-in

The marketplace plug-in “Printer Settings” allows the slicer to obtain the correct acceleration and jerk settings, which is helpful for makers who are likely to change around their own settings for different prints.

Stringing

Users of all FDM printers are familiar with the heartbreak of waiting hours for a model to print, only to find that it’s covered in stringy, unfused filament. This problem is among the most commonly reported issues that occurs when makers use the Chiron with its stock settings.

Troubleshooting

1. Increase retraction distance

Retraction refers to the process in which the printer pulls back the filament after deposition to ensure that the correct amount is heated and extruded. Poor retraction settings can lead to stringing if the filament isn’t sufficiently pulled back before moving to the next printing point.

Slightly increase the retraction distance and try a small retraction test print. For most makers, small adjustments to retraction is sufficient to avoid stringing. However, if you find that you have to increase retraction too much to avoid stringing, which can lead to other problems like spotty deposition, you may have to adjust a different setting.

2. Decrease print speed

An overly high print speed can cause the nozzle to move too quickly between points on the print, which can lead to stringing as the filament doesn’t have time to set.

A variety of factors influence how high or low your print speed should be for optimal deposition, but many makers find that slightly decreasing print speed can give the filament enough time to melt properly before moving to the next part of the print.

If you are switching between filament types or thicknesses, we recommend running a short test print to check stringing, as minor speed adjustments may be necessary under different print conditions.

3. Adjust temperature

Typically, filament that is extruded an overly high temperature will tend to “drip” or string around the print. Slightly lowering the temperature can fix this problem.

Early print termination

No matter what you’re printing, it is frustrating to wait patiently for a print to complete only to find that the printer has stalled part-way through—leaving you with an unusable model and wasted filament.

Troubleshooting

1. Check and repair loose connectors

Loose connectors are by far the most common culprits behind print failure across printer models, but they are even more likely to be a problem owing to the design of the Chiron.

After a failed print, carefully check all connections on the printer to determine whether the hot glue has loosened or moved slightly (which can happen due to long-term vibrations from long prints).

If manually reconnecting the parts is not possible, use a very small amount of hot glue to reconnect and seal the parts.

2. Check the hot bed thermistor

Thermistors are crucial components of 3D printers that allow the machine to maintain a feedback loop that keeps the print progressing.

To troubleshoot the hot bed thermistor, turn off the heated bed and run several test prints. If print failure doesn’t occur, then the hot bed must be replaced. There are some tutorials available for thermistor replacement for print makers who are a bit handier.

If the failure persists even after turning off the hot bed, replace the hot end.

3. Check and repair the SD card system

The SD card file system may fail overtime, which can cause intermittent print issues like early termination.

Reformatting the SD card using the fat32 file system can usually deal with any corruption or memory failure. If this doesn’t work, you may need to purchase a new SD card.

Poor bed adhesion

Poor bed adhesion is a widely known problem that can occur with any printer, but machines with large build volumes are more likely to have bed adhesion issues. Lifting at the build surface or shifting near print completion indicates that poor bed adhesion is to blame.

Troubleshooting

1. Level the build surface

Use the auto-leveling system to reset the print bed. Refer to our notes under “Auto-leveling issues” to manually calibrate the bed if you had already done this when first noticing adhesion problems.

2. Clean the bed

Use rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth to remove any debris, dried filament, and dust from the build surface. Check to ensure that there are no scratches or hardened residue that may be impacting first layer adhesion.

3. Add a brim, skirt, or raft

Foundation supports don’t just help stabilize prints for upper layers—the additional surface area of extruded still-hot plastic can create a better seal on the build surface.

3. Add texture to the print bed

Using an adhesive spray or glue stick can promote adhesion at the build surface. Some users have lightly scuffed their build plate using a high grit sandpaper, which grips the filament more strongly and creates a stronger base for the print.