First few weeks of prints
Hey everyone, I have been printing a few things for a few weeks now, mostly printing a chess set which is really just a basic one, and have a few general printing questions.
1. Z setting was -1.230 on my prints. It seems like sometimes it doesnt print good even after hot water and soap. Does the Z setting change for you guys over time? Or after running a new printer for a few weeks?
2. Is it advisable to do a complete calibration a short time after getting a new printer? I built mine and do not see any uneven printing or reason to think anything is loose or out of alignment.
3. Anything for someone just starting out to keep an eye on? I guess I thought that once you printed a couple things that looked good you would good to go for a long time. Maybe more of an art form thank I thought.
Everything gets looser ...
Definitely a good idea to keep an eye on your Z. I watch it at least once a day. If I'm changing to a filament I haven't used before, I watch for needing to adjust Z. If you lubricated your bearings as part of assembling your printer, you're probably ok for bearing wear. If you didn't lubricate your linear bearings they're going to start to wear - listen for noise sounds like rattling little metal balls... bzzzzzzzz.
Z value is not absolute. It will be different on a different sheet thickness. It will change if you move your pinda. It will change if you change your nozzle (unless you're really good).
So yes, watch your Z. Look at the bottom of every print. Watch for poorly bonded lines. That is your sign to go back after your Z
Does the Z setting change for you guys over time? Or after running a new printer for a few weeks?
Yes to both.
Each builder works slightly differently so each build is slightly different and in the first few weeks the printer runs itself in. The first month's full maintenance session should leave you with a stable printer that will be ok for a long time.
But, as you use it the nozzle wears and the First Layer Z setting will drift. Eventually, after a few weeks to a couple of years depending on which filaments you use, the nozzle will wear out and the new one will take the Z setting back close to the original...
Cherio,