[Closed] Extruder Clicking? Poor Bed Adhesion? Don't like the Powder Coated sheet? One more thing to try.  

Extruder Clicking? Poor Bed Adhesion? Don't like the Powder Coated sheet? One more thing to try.

Hey All,

I've read many forums now where people are having issues with either adhering to the new powder coated sheet and/or extruder clicking noises (not extruding).  A lot of smart people out there trying all the tips and suggestions with still no success.  Here's one more thing to try that worked amazingly well for me and then explanation below.

I changed the default mesh setting from the LCD panel from 3x3 and 3X measurements per spot to 7x7 and 5x measurements per spot... that's it.  

Here's what I noticed...  For the powder coated sheet the first layer is supposed more "squished" to ensure good adhesion and to get that uniform textured look.   That leaves very little room for error between the bed and the nozzle.  So when the bed is a little higher, the nozzle is blocked and I got the extruder clicking noise and then under or no extrusion... when the bed is low, I got poor adhesion, especially at the edges of the part causing major curling.  Once I made the adjustment the the mesh in the setting, I watched the z-axis move up and down on the first layer pass and was surprised by how much it moved to adjust for bed levelness as it traversed.  Basically your PINDA is getting 49 x 5 = 245 bed level measurements instead of just 9 x 3 = 27 ... it's taking more measurements and averaging the bed height with more data meaning better first layer. 

I have already ordered a PEI sheet because I had pretty much given up on the powder coated sheet but this has given me new hope.  Also, I never bought into the idea that the extruder tension is as finicky as some people make out... otherwise everyone would be having issues and people wouldn't love Prusa as much as they do... My advice there is set the tension per the book and then figure out what else might be actually going on.