first layer failures on kit build
I'm having trouble completing my kit installation. (first time 3d printer) I've been tweaking for a number of days now with no success.
self test and XYZ calibration pass but I can't get a good first layer. Edges aren't square and the mk2calibration test pattern never sticks towards the front. I've watched the trouble shooting video but have not come close to a good print yet.
I've both tightened and loosened belts pulleys but have yet to resolve the issue.
I've attached photos of the calibration and a test box that print very poorly. For someone with more experience do they narrow the items I should check?
Thanks for any help
Re: first layer failures on kit build
What is that white stuff on your bed? Glue?
And you are printing with PLA, right?
If so, try the following.
First, clean your bed. You want it as "spotless" as it gets. Usually Isopropyl Alcohol works well for cleaning, but every now and then my bed wants an Aceton wipe. Easy prints in PLA like that test square or v2calibration must work without any glue added to the bed. If they don't something is wrong and covering the bed with glue is not fixing the problem, its just hiding it.
Looking at your pictures I think your problem is that you Live Z-Adjust value is not low enough. Your nozzle is basically too far up and the filament doesn't get squished onto the PEI sheet properly. Your first layer needs to be a solid surface with no holes or individual unconnected strands. Each printed line needs to connect with the previous line.
To fix this:
Rerun v2calibration, the Prusa Logo or that test square ((if you are sure the slicer settings were correct for slicing - if you're not sure, stick to printing a presliced file from the SD.Card that came with the printer), While it is printing the first layer, go to Live Z-Adjust and start turning the nozzle down until the filament well and truly sticks to the bed. Depending on how you mounted the PINDA Sensors values like -0.900 aren't uncommon. What is your current setting?
Check JeffJordans guide here: http://shop.prusa3d.com/forum/prusa-i3-kit-building-calibrating-first-print-main-f6/life-adjust-z-my-way-t2981.html
If your bed isn't level despite the 9 point Mesh Bed levelling , you can then try making manual adjustments in Calibration > Bed Level correct
Re: first layer failures on kit build
your nozzle is way too high. have you done your live-z adjust? while printing this rectangle lower your Z adjust in small steps (0.04mm) until it starts to stick and then even more until you are happy with the appearance
Re: first layer failures on kit build
What is that white stuff on your bed? Glue?...
looks as he has used a lot of the glue-stick.... will require a little bit of effort to remove it completely from the surface 😕
dem inscheniör is' nix zu schwör...
Re: first layer failures on kit build
I've printed 15 kg of PETG and never used glue sticks and the rare times I've used PLA I've also never used a glue stick as the filament just stick. Clean your print bed so its spot less and then we need to get your z axis live adjust correct and you should be good. My printer has a -.500 squish and works great.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
I've run through all numbers from 0 - -950 repeatedly many times without a "good" output and also reran the XYZ calibration many times (it always passes). The square was Jeff Jordan's as I tried to calibrate that way after failing repeatedly on the normal mk2calibration.
Yes, the glue was excessive (and comes clean with a little effort) but when you can't generate a successful test print or get a good resulf from a mk2calibration after multiple days you start to flail ... and try anything.
I'm going to try and move the pinda up higher tonight and see if that changes my results.
Frustrated at the moment.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
what's the height difference between the tip of the nozzle and the tip of your pinda probe ?
🙄 by the way: i used that glue stick once as well (because i was as frustrated as you are), but it was very hard work to get all the glue remainders off from the printbed. only thing that did it for me was acetone and the hard (green) side of a yellow/green kitchen sponge (purposed to clean pots).
dem inscheniör is' nix zu schwör...
Re: first layer failures on kit build
removing gluestick ?
use 2k color-thinner
works perfect.
Thomas
Re: first layer failures on kit build
what's the height difference between the tip of the nozzle and the tip of your pinda probe ?
Just a little less then the height of two credit cards from the heatbed with the nozzle about half that. I should have a digital caliper waiting for me tonight so I can take more precise measurements.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
each credit card usually has a height of 0.8mm, so if you've space for nearly 2 cc's, you've got aproximately 1.5mm between pinda and nozzle-tip.
in my opinion that's to much. try to lower the pinda, so that just one credit card fit's under the pinda.
dem inscheniör is' nix zu schwör...
Re: first layer failures on kit build
Thanks to all who chimed in with suggestions. I've resolved my issue!
For anyone who comes to this thread with failures of their own. Adjusting the pinda was what was needed. I was too "high" even with a -950 adjustment where the pinda was originally placed. Moving the pinda up (like the manual informs) is what was needed. Originally, I moved it down too much the first time the head crashed.
What is challenging as an ignorant first time 3d print user with a kit is that you don't know what things should look like to recognise that you are too high. Initially, I wasn't even able to tell that it was improving at all when I changed direction. Thus, I didn't know moving it up was the right thing to do. The manual tries to inform you but it is still challenging to recognise. Also, I made the mistake of putting too much into successfully completing the XYZ calibration and resisted changing the pinda depth.
I found I could better identify I was too high by taking the "heat" guard off and using a flashlight to watch the filament extrude from the nozzle.
The good thing is I learned a lot in the process, the glue is cleaned from the bed and my prusa... is printing something other than a v2calibration 🙂 for the first time.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
Just read the Prusa MK2S instructions and tweaks around the pinda probe.... this would have saved me time. Seems like good changes.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
Just read the Prusa MK2S instructions and tweaks around the pinda probe.... this would have saved me time. Seems like good changes.
Re: first layer failures on kit build
I am having the same problem, showed up after two weeks of happy printing.
i think i have narrowed it down to a faulty Pinda probe. with out ever moving the probe the Z cal keeps moving around. every time i start a new print the z cal will change and i will have to reset the Live Z on the fly to get the first layer to come out right
I am having trouble getting support to answer me back on a consistence basis, some times it may be 2 days before i get a repy
Re: first layer failures on kit build
My first test after working with building the Prusa almost all night, was simular to this. I tried to move the probe (I had a complete ok-test at start), but no adjustment worked for me. I tuned the bed temperature up to 65, and voila! no more problems with first layer...