It turns out it was an issue with the model, the bottom was a very thin edge instead of a flat base. Cutting 4mm from the bottom fixed the problem!

It’s only 4mm, so it’s no big deal. Plus, this is a helmet shape, so the other sides are round (and therefore need more supports, using more filament and such)

I was able to print by lowering the models by 4mm, making the bottom flat enough to correctly adhere! It turns out that it was an issue of the model, not my hardware

the results are just so good I still recommend them

It helps that other brands have become much more competitive in terms of feature set, pricing, and customer support! Perhaps they were ahead of the game in the past, but brands like Prusa, Qidi, Elegoo, Snapmaker, etc. are leapfrogging Bambu nowadays!

Looking more closely at the models I am trying to print, it looks like the base is very thin and isn’t flat. Could that be why the first layer easily shifts? Maybe I need to manually add supports, since OrcaSlicer only adds supports to either end of the curve. I will try that and report back whether it works!

I have tightened those screws now, will see if that fixes the issue. Some of them were not fully tightened. I will see if the print works correctly…

My printer has 676 hours. I will try looking for the screws of the heat block and see if any are loose!

It does feel like a sheet and isn’t stringy

I have edited the post with a large first layer print. There are many imperfections, what does it mean?

The bent bit in the corner was from me trying to peel it off the build plate, ignore that

First layer test print worked fine for me, quite smooth aside from a few bumpy bits. This is a 60x60cm square I found on Printables.

There are minor bumps near the middle, are those of any concern? This is immediately after I used the automatic bed levelling function

It’s PLA, forgot to mention! Have edited the post with that detail.

It doesn’t look like any of the motors or such are slipping. I have also lubricated the rails of the moving bed recently.

My printer keeps the bed heated until the print is finished. Don’t think that’s the problem!

My attempts at printing the large models (see how they are all stringy, the filament is not stuck together as a solid object)

Ohh, that makes sense. I think that’s probably it. Next time, I will scale down my prints as to not reach the height limit.

But I am still running into the issue where filament isn’t correctly adhering to the build surface!

OK I have tried cleaning the nozzle with some steel wool I had, and that helped to remove a bit of it, but not all of it.

yes to clean it or yes it is normal?

thank you AI! I will try to clean the nozzle of my printer and see if that fixes anything.

I do not see any “leaking filament”, so that probably isn’t the issue.

I don’t often clean my nozzle, and I can see brown stuff on it. Is this normal wear and tear, or do I need to clean it?

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I don’t think anybody wants to dress up as him. Plus, the printer will struggle with all the crinkles, and the clothes he wears look very uncomfortable.