Creality CR 10 Bed Adhesion

When a CR-10 print lets go of the bed, it is rarely a mystery — it is almost always one rung of a short ladder: the glass is dirty, the nozzle is too far from the bed, the bed is too cold for the material, or the first layer was laid down too fast to grab. This guide works through that ladder in order, specifically for the CR-10’s large 300 × 300 mm glass bed. Change one thing at a time, in this order, and you will find your cause — most owners find it in the first three steps.

Step 1: Clean the glass — properly

Fingerprint oil is the single most common adhesion killer on a glass bed, and it is invisible. Wiping with a dry cloth just moves it around.

• Wash the glass plate in warm water with ordinary dish soap, rinse, and dry it. Handle it by the edges afterwards.
• Between prints, a wipe with isopropyl alcohol keeps the surface honest.
• If you use glue stick or hairspray (Step 5), strip the old layer off with water periodically — built-up adhesive eventually becomes the problem it was hired to solve.

Step 2: Level the bed and set the Z-offset

Adhesion needs the first layer to be pressed onto the glass, not laid on top of it. If the nozzle starts too high, the filament lands as round cords that barely touch the surface; too low, and it scrapes and balls up.

• Level all four corners with the bed at printing temperature — the CR-10’s large bed and frame expand as they heat, and a bed levelled cold is not levelled.
• Aim for a first layer that comes out as flat, slightly squished lines that merge into one sheet with no gaps and no ridges. Our step-by-step calibration guide covers levelling and first-layer checks in full.
• Check across the whole bed, not just the corners: a large glass plate can sit slightly high or low in the middle, and the middle is where prints live.

Step 3: Bed temperature, per material

The CR-10 has a heated bed as standard, and for almost everything you print on it, you should use it. Working ranges for the stock glass bed:

Material	Bed temperature	Notes
PLA	50–60 °C	The easy case; if PLA won’t stick at 60 °C on clean level glass, the problem is Step 1 or 2
PETG	70–85 °C	PETG needs a hot bed on the CR-10 — printing it cold-bed is a reliable way to lose the print (and pure PETG can grip glass too well when hot; a glue-stick layer acts as a release agent)
TPU	40–60 °C	Usually forgiving; slow first layer matters more than heat
ABS	90–110 °C	Possible on the CR-10 but the open frame fights you: corners lift from drafts long before the bed is at fault; an enclosure matters more than another 5 °C

Give the big bed time to soak — the glass surface lags the displayed temperature by several minutes after the sensor reports ready.

Step 4: Slow the first layer down

This is where a persistent myth needs correcting: a faster first layer does not help filament stick — it does the opposite. The first layer needs time for the plastic to wet out against the glass.

• First-layer speed: around 20–25 mm/s, whatever your normal print speed is.
• First-layer height slightly generous (for example 0.24–0.28 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle) and first-layer line width a touch wider than normal both increase contact area.
• First-layer fan off. Cooling is for the layers above; a fan on layer one is working against adhesion.

Step 5: Surface help — glue, spray, tape, PEI

If the ladder so far is right and a print still lets go (large flat bases and sharp corners are the usual suspects), add a helper surface in this order of escalation:

1. Glue stick (a thin, even wash of water-based glue) — the CR-10 glass-bed classic. Cheap, effective, washes off with water.
2. Hairspray — a light mist works similarly; keep it off the rest of the printer.
3. Painter’s tape — a legacy option that still works, at the price of a slightly textured bottom surface.
4. A PEI surface (sheet or a magnetic flexible plate conversion) — the permanent fix most long-term CR-10 owners end up with: prints stick hot, release when the plate cools or flexes, and the glass-washing ritual mostly ends.

One thing not on this list: roughing the glass up with sandpaper. It appears in old advice because it can mechanically key the surface, but it damages the plate, ruins the smooth glass finish people choose glass for, and is unnecessary when the steps above are done in order.

Step 6: Brims, rafts and corner lift

If the middle of the print holds but corners curl up, that is thermal contraction pulling against adhesion — strongest on large, flat, sharp-cornered parts.

• A brim (5–10 mm) is the first answer: more contact area, and the brim absorbs the curl instead of the part.
• Round or “mouse ear” pads on problem corners target the same physics with less cleanup.
• A raft is the last resort — it works, but sacrifices the glass-smooth bottom face.
• Recheck drafts: a big print near an open window or air conditioner can lose corners that no setting will save. If your failed prints also show a gantry that won’t stay level on one side, the mechanical cause in our CR-10 dual Z guide is worth ruling out.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my CR-10 prints stick in the middle of the bed but not at the edges?

Usually levelling or bed temperature soak. The corners of a 300 mm bed are the last to reach temperature and the first places levelling drifts. Level hot, let the bed soak for a few minutes, and test a first layer across the full width.

My print is stuck too well and won’t come off the glass. What now?

Let the bed cool completely — most prints self-release as the glass contracts. If not, put the plate (with print) in a freezer for 15–20 minutes. Never lever at a hot PETG print on bare glass; PETG can bond hard enough to chip the surface, which is why a glue layer is used as a release interface for it.

Does the CR-10 need a heated bed for PLA?

Strictly, PLA can print on an unheated bed with enough surface help — but the CR-10 ships with a heated bed, and 50–60 °C makes PLA adhesion routine instead of fussy. There is no benefit to leaving it off.

How often should I re-level?

Whenever the first layer changes character, after moving the printer, and after any work on the gantry or bed. With the ladder above, “my prints stopped sticking” is your signal to re-check Steps 1 and 2 before touching anything else.