Bed leveling and you

[FJC_GUY]

I did a brief search and didn't see a thread so here is my question.

How are you leveling your bed? I recently started doing test prints and actively adjusting the bed as it's printing until I get the layer I like. Then I kill the print and use a feeler gauge to check the nozzle to bed height and note it on the filament box and in a file I keep.

Would it be easier to just use a consistent height and setup material profiles with different Z offsets?

Sorry if the question doesn't make sense. I'm still pretty new to printing and just trying to figure out the easiest way to do stuff. I'm asking here because we are printing similar things as opposed to a lot of the groups I've looked at where how to best print a vase may not apply to how to print a bumper or set of wheels.

 

[WickedFog]

I try not to adjust my bed any more than I have to. But a slight tweak here and there is sometimes needed, which is what I use brim perimeters for. I adjust on the fly.

 

[FJC_GUY]

I try not to adjust my bed any more than I have to. But a slight tweak here and there is sometimes needed, which is what I use brim perimeters for. I adjust on the fly.

I use brims all the time so that makes sense. Thank you.

 

[Greywolf74]

Also been adjusting on the fly but then again WF is who taught me how to 3D print

 

[FJC_GUY]

Thanks again guys. I paid more attention than usual when the brim started printing last night and tweaked it a little as it went through the first couple of passes. Good adhesion and nice layering.

When I'm doing stuff I can't print with a full brim because I'm maxing the print area I'll probably use the 5 squares test file now instead of screwing around with trying to level first.

 

[WickedFog]

Thanks again guys. I paid more attention than usual when the brim started printing last night and tweaked it a little as it went through the first couple of passes. Good adhesion and nice layering.

When I'm doing stuff I can't print with a full brim because I'm maxing the print area I'll probably use the 5 squares test file now instead of screwing around with trying to level first.

If you need any 3d printer help, pm me and I'll get you my number. You can text me for quicker help. Been printing for nearly 8 years now, and was a CNC program engineer before that, so I have been playing with this kinda stuff in general for over 30 years now. Just spent the last couple weeks fixing print issues from hell on my S5, and she's now printing like a dream.

 

[FJC_GUY]

If you need any 3d printer help, pm me and I'll get you my number. You can text me for quicker help. Been printing for nearly 8 years now, and was a CNC program engineer before that, so I have been playing with this kinda stuff in general for over 30 years now. Just spent the last couple weeks fixing print issues from hell on my S5, and she's now printing like a dream.
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I appreciate that, I have some CAD background and have spent some time running a plasma table at work, I'm the only one other than my boss that can run it.

I started with a pretty basic AnyCubic unit and it's been doing good for me so far after some initial "made in China" QC issues I had to sort out, stuff loose or not plugged in all the way. If I wasn't a pretty fair mechanical troubleshooter it would have frustrated the heck out of me and it explains some of the bad reviews I read. For me it wasn't bad because it meant that right off the bat I had to figure out how everything went together.

I have a couple of people that want bumpers locally and if I start doing stuff to sell regularly I will upgrade to a bigger printer, different bed so I can print PETG without taping the bed. Actually had someone from a local group PM me about the lights and when I will sell them and how much. I'm like dude I just made these from scratch and won't sell anything that I don't 100% know will take some abuse so it will be a bit. I wouldn't have a clue what to charge for them. Part of the reason I've been out bashing on the bumpers so much is to make sure it's a solid design before I send one out.

 

[2wdMod]

first step , understand that you are not really "leveling" anything , but are adjusting the parallel of the bed in relation to the X/Y axis .. That being said I use a height guage to check parallel at the 4 corners of the bed in relation to the X axis.. I dont really need to adjust things after doing things like this .. If anything I may need to adjust the z offset +/- by .05 or .1 if I let the machine set for a few days without using it.. If i'm doing a hot end rebuild or something where I am tearing things down I just use the height guage to take a measurement so when things go back together I have the Z offset within .1 from the get go.. Makes things go so much smoother when getting things back up and running ..

 

[FJC_GUY]

first step , understand that you are not really "leveling" anything , but are adjusting the parallel of the bed in relation to the X/Y axis .. That being said I use a height guage to check parallel at the 4 corners of the bed in relation to the X axis.. I dont really need to adjust things after doing things like this .. If anything I may need to adjust the z offset +/- by .05 or .1 if I let the machine set for a few days without using it.. If i'm doing a hot end rebuild or something where I am tearing things down I just use the height guage to take a measurement so when things go back together I have the Z offset within .1 from the get go.. Makes things go so much smoother when getting things back up and running ..

I think I've got it pretty well sorted now. Last night I did one of the quick prints that just lay down a square a few layers thick at each corner and the center and adjusted on the fly. Printed a calibration cube after as I hadn't run one in a while. 20x20x20 as it should be. New wheels are printing right now, good adhesion and layers look good.

I did go pull my feeler gauges out of my toolbox and measured then wrote down the correct one so when I do tear things apart I can start there again.

Thank you.