First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
Hey guys,
I feel like the FLC is different from the First Layer the printer prints with a normal sliced STL.
The FLC seems to be perfect, just a smooth surface, but when I print a real Object the First Layer is nearly hovering above the surface.
With the smooth steel sheet everything works perfectly, but with the textured one (yes, I made a new FLC for that one) it just does random things..
Is this a common thing?
Greetings,
Sophie
RE: First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
Disclaimer: I'm new and also don't entirely know what I'm doing. But, your post seemed lonely, so I'm trying to help.
I'm also struggling with the first layer on the powder-coated textured sheet, and having no problems with the smooth sheet. That said, I've only tried PLA on the smooth sheet, and not the textured sheet, so my problems may be entirely due to the PETG.
What filament are you using when you are printing? Are you adjusting the z-axis offset separately for the smooth & textured sheets? I think I read that the textured sheet will be -0.200 compared to the smooth (e.g., if you have -0.500 for smooth, you may need -0.700 for textured), because the natural cavities in the texture need a lower/closer extrusion. I tried this with PETG and got a god-awful mess, though again, that may be PETG and so may be other settings.
I'm planning on using @jeffjordan 's "life" adjustment squares instead of the built-in first-layer calibration:
Good luck!
RE: First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
Be sure that you have done the Z calibration specifically for your textured sheet. Z calibration is more critical for textured sheets than for smooth sheets. The Z number will be significantly lower, as in closer to the the print bed, for textured sheets. When I got my first textured sheet I was afraid I would actually have the nozzle hit the sheet, but as it got close the corners became square and the patch filled in nicely.
Don't be afraid to use glue stick or an adhesion agent, particularly with PLA on the textured sheet.
RE: First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
To add: it changes from sheet to sheet. I have two textured sheets - one is -1.200 and the other is -1.335
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
To add: it changes from sheet to sheet. I have two textured sheets - one is -1.200 and the other is -1.335
Good addition, I didn't know that!
FWIW, I think I may have reached a suitable adjustment for my textured sheet: -0.975. I'll get a pic up tomorrow of it, and comparisons at -.900 and -.925. To compare, I've been printing PETG with success on the smooth sheet at -0.500 (though, it should probably be -0.600). This is fun, but more fiddly than I had expected.
EDIT: I ended up using this FLC calibration square STL file, rather than the gcode listed in JeffJordan's link, so that I could also adjust a few other settings (specific to PETG).
RE: First Layer Calibration is different from sliced print on powder coated steel sheet
@jsw
Hey,
what exactly do you mean with "Z-Calibration"? I did two seperate First layer Calibrations for the smooth and the textured sheet.. or do you mean another whole XYZ-Calibration?
Sophie