Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
My brand new MK3S worked beautifully after install.. printed for about 2 days straight with perfect results.
Then slowly the quality of the first layer degraded to the point that it won't stick at all during the first layer calibration.
The line sticks nicely for the first inch or so, and then gets thinner and doesn't stick and before long its being dragged along and all of a sudden it's all clogging up around the nozzle.
I've tried cleaning the pad over and over with alcohol, tried multiple filaments, every Z setting I can and nothing seems to help. Where do I go from here?
Very frustrated to go from a perfeclty working printer to something completely broken with no change in anything.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
After some troubleshooting I've been able to get the first layer to stick but it's still not reliable.
Despite the pinda sensor not moving, I've gone from printing perfectly at 1.2z all the way up to 1.5z.
However there is no setting that reliably works for outlines and fill both. Either the fill gets bumps in it like the Z is too low, or the outlines don't stick because the Z is too high. When I try to find a middle ground I get both issues at once.
I've done a cold pull to clean the nozzle and cleaned the steel board throughly.
Is there any other issue that might be causing these defects? The printer has gone from working perfectly to being super finicky and rarely printing the first layer without one issue or another.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
clean with dish soap and lots of water and clean paper towels
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
@david-a66
I've tried that repeatedly and scrubbed it well but no change.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
If your ideal PINDA value is moving, means your PINDA is physically moving. Check all screws are tied up and do recalibration of the PINDA sensor/first layer.
It would be also helpful if you include some pictures of our first layer.
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Asking for help and not posting a photo of the problem - well - probably won't get you any useful answer.
Most often, adhesion is due to oils and fingerprints on the print sheet. No clue if you have a powder coated sheet or the smooth sheet. So again, any suggestions aren't helpful. Same for a solution that might help ABS or Nylon. Guessing again.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
@david-a66
I've tried that repeatedly and scrubbed it well but no change.
Scrubbed with what? Your dish sponge?
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Asking for help and not posting a photo of the problem - well - probably won't get you any useful answer.
Hey... are you saying my answer isn't useful? 😎
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Asking for help and not posting a photo of the problem - well - probably won't get you any useful answer.
Hey... are you saying my answer isn't useful? 😎
LOL! It depends on whether or not your guess is right.
Personally, I doubt the PINDA is moving, it's my guess he's just chasing poor adhesion caused by fingerprints on his print sheet. Many new users find it difficult to accept their finger prints can affect adhesion and ignore the cleaning advice given, so I tend to be snarky when someone is having adhesion issues and claims otherwise. The last guy I tried to help went for two weeks claiming he cleaned his PEI sheet well; after the third week he admitted he finally - out of frustration - he broke down and used dish soap and hot water with fresh paper towels to clean his sheet and for once again had sticking prints. And alcohol only dilutes but doesn't remove oils; and most folk don't use enough to do a thorough clean (I don't blame them, I won't waste the money, either).
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
from -1.2 to -1.5 is a lot. If you assume -1.2 was ideal then -1.5 would place a nice mark on the sheet.
I'm pretty sure there are couple things, not only one.
Dirty/oily sheet is a classic one. But sometimes it's not user fault. I've tried 3D solutech PLA and SUNLU PLA+ filaments. Both are oily as hell. It takes a huge effort to make the first layer adhere to the PEI sheet. And after you've printed it leaves this oily film. Next print, next fun. No idea what they've started to put on or in the PLA filament. The print looks great though.
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Thanks for your replies. I had previously cleaned the sheet with soap and water, scrubbing it with a soft dish cloth and following up with alcohol.
Before these issues came up I had the Z setting around 1.2 and it was printing perfectly for a couple days. Then suddenly the Z values were way off, had to go all the way down to around 1.500, despite the pinda probe being the same zip-tie calibrated height. Playing around with the Z levels and some guesses on bed leveling I seem to have slightly better first layer results, but strangely it seems like the right Z value fluctuates. I
Yesterday it seemed the ideal was 1.503, but then today I went to print and suddenly at the same z value nothing was going down thinly, I had to bump it up a couple notches to get back to ideal. The pinda probe is screwed in as tight as it will go without cracking plastic and doesn't seem to be moving.
My results are so all over the place I'm not exactly sure what to post pictures of. Is there some issue that might cause fluctuations like this?
The sheet is the one that came with a new kit, powder coated I think
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Any picture is better then none. Whatever mess you see after the first layer, just make a sharp picture (blurry doesn't help) and post it.
Often linked posts:
Going small with MMU2
Real Multi Material
My prints on Instagram
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
I had previously cleaned the sheet with soap and water, scrubbing it with a soft dish cloth and following up with alcohol.
There's a user error right there: never household anything to clean or dry the print sheets. Fresh and new paper towels to scrub and dry. Anything else and you are simply making matters worse. Whether it be grease from the last pan you washed or fabric softeners used in your dryer - the idea is to clean, not add scents, conditioners, etc.
PLA on the powder coated sheets is a known issue. Most who have done a thorough soap and water wash to remove what is guessed as manufacturing residue have made their sheets work reasonably well with PLA; not as good as the PEI smooth sheets, but a good wash makes the sheets usable.
Prusa recommends using alcohol because the powdered sheet will rust. So after a wash, bake the sheet on the heated print bed at 80c for 15 to 30 minutes to ensure the material is fully dry.
With a MK3S - printing high temp materials like ABS will cause the PINDA mount to sag. There are new parts that help some, but the jury is out if Prusa has it resolved. But seems that isn't your issue.
Other things that change Live-Z are operating temps. Are you using an enclosure? Is the printer in a air conditioned building? And the PINDA itself it temperature sensitive. As it heats from 25c to 40c its detect range changes significantly. 0.3 mm seems high, but not totally unexpected, either. I have had to make 0.1 to 0.2 changes to Live-Z due to this effect.
Adding a PINDA delay so it heats to the same temp every print helps PINDA and layer 1 consistency.
M860 S40 ; add just before G80 mesh level
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
Ok so I cleaned it thoroughly again (when I said dish cloth I meant a new j-cloth ), fiddled with the Z axis settings some more and printed the bed test pattern... this is the result. Should I try to raise it more or are these bumps just an issue with the powder sheets? Should I buy a different sheet? I just assumed what came with the kit would be optimal.
Anyways thanks for your help.. here are the pictures:
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
From one common dust cloth ...
3. Composition / Information on Ingredients
Components
RAYON AND/OR POLYESTER FIBER Mixture 60 - 100
CAS # Percent/Wt
WHITE MINERAL OIL 8042-47-5 10 - 30
I give up.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
@tim-m30
Okay, but a j-cloth isn't a dust cloth, and it definitely isn't oil treated, its only fiber material. I used it instead of the paper towel as the cheap paper towel I had on hand left small particles on the pad. Thanks for your help anyways.
RE: Brand new MK3S, worked amazing for 2 days and now can't get first layer down
i use cheap paper towels to wash the sheet with and cheap facial tissue ( no softeners) to mop with IPA. I use 99% IPA and pour a good sized puddle on the sheet which i wipe around and then up. you want enough IPA to dissolve anything on the surface and dilute it as you wipe it up