Best method for 3D printer bed levelling
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Bed leveling doesn't have to be hard! Here's a quick and easy technique that will get you near perfect results. Works with any 3D printer!
Printing squares in each corner is much more reliable and you can get near perfect first layer after printing a batch or two. This is especially useful with manual levelling beds, but it also works great if you have a 3D printer with automatic bed levelling.
Octoprint CR-10 leveling plugin:
plugins.octopr...
* Printable models *
Mini Trash Can:
www.thingivers...
Levelling knob:
www.thingivers...
Wedge jack:
www.thingivers...
Calibration squares (various sizes):
www.thingivers...
* Get in touch *
hobbyhoarder.net
/ hobbyhoarder
/ hobbyhoarder
* Support me *
If you'd like to show your appreciation, you can use my Amazon affiliate link whenever you're making a purchase. Nothing changes on your end; you pay exactly the same, but I get a small percentage from Amazon in return.
Amazon (US / Germany link):
geni.us/qpPzEQh
* Ko-fi (for small donations) *
ko-fi.com/hobb...
The "always clean with alcohol" tip deserves a thumbs up!
And so does your comment ;)
How I clean my insides too.
Unless you use buildtak
Never touch the glass print bed after cleaning. Body oils will reduce adhesion of the first layer.
If you have a glass bed, I strongly suggest to clean with dish soap before every big print and alcool between small prints and sometime with dish soap.
Thank you for this technique, I recently bought two second hand 3D printers and even after following the usual "use a piece of paper" tutorials around could still not get a satisfactory result. After following your instructions I detected improvements after two iterations and significant ameliorations after a few more.
Great work, thanks again!
I'm very happy to hear that, great job!
I know this has over 300 comments but I wanted to jump in and add my thanks for making this video. I've been leveling my bed this way since I got my printer after I stumbled upon calibration squares on thingiverse and it has saved me hours of frustration. All new entrants to 3D printing should watch this video and learn this process for bed leveling. This is even better than automatic leveling because you are adjusting the actual finished product. I will often watch my printer during the first layer of prints and make minute adjustments to get that first layer perfect and my print quality has been consistently awesome using this method.
Thank you Christopher, it really means a lot. It always makes me happy reading how I've helped someone. And you're right, I prefer manual leveling as well. It's easier and works just as well as the auto leveling on my Prusa.
You are a lifesaver! I was using the paper method and I never got a good first layer. This helped me dial it in perfectly and now its almost impossible to get a print off without bed cooldown. Just like it should be!
Every comment like this brightens my day, thank you.
@@HobbyHoarder I kept thinking that it cant possibly be closer than the paper thickness. i was wrong. You helped me a lot. Im still tweaking it to get it perfect
I don't know how long you've had your printer, but the springs on new printers need some time to settle. Don't be surprised if you'll have to re-level it again in a few days. After a couple of weeks, the bed will become much more stable and you might have to level it only every few months.
@@HobbyHoarder I do notice my CR10s4 glass plate sags a little in the middle according to the calibration prints.
Yeah, that's quite common with the S4, it's just too big. Check the video description, I have a link there for wedge jack that you can put under the bed. You'll get a fifth adjustment point in the middle then and you can use it to raise the center just a little.
Dude! This works perfectly. I ran it 4 times and saw noticeable improvement on each run until all 5 squares were perfect. Kudos
Always happy to hear that, thank you :)
@@HobbyHoarderSo I've just gone and got myself some mirror glass after your recommendation.. do you have any tips for changing the z height for the thickness of the new glass? Ideally I'd like to create a ' glass bed profile ' and a ' magnetic bed profile ' with the correct z height set for each. Thanks in advance
@@123benlambert Depends on your slicer, but Simplify3D has the Z-offset by default. In Cura, you have to install the Z offset plugin and then you can find it under Bed adhesion section.
by far the best manual method I've found so far, thank you for the squares!
Finally true bed leveling. Took me a week to find this video.
Thank you for this. I've had my nozzle too close to the bed, and your video helped me realize that. Your 60x60 square helped me dial my printer in nicely!
Glad it helped!
My god thank you so much you don’t know how much frustration I had with my bed because of leveling but this video truly helped me 👍
I'm really happy to hear it helped you out, thanks for dropping by!
wow this is way way way way more helpful that any other video i looked at and I looked at loads when starting out I now use this method to do all my leveling.
Glad it helped!
This is the first video since March (when I bought my first and only 3D printer) that I should have seen BEFORE starting printing with it. It has an Ultrabase bed so I would like to avoid swapping it with a mere mirror. The problem is that my Ultrabase glass is warped like hell. The center is so low that even if I set the corners, what I print will never stick to the center of the bed. I will put some aluminium foil sheets in the middle and try to work on this square methodology. Thanks a lot!
Yep, alu foil in the middle is probably your best bet. I've had to stack a few on my CR10, but it worked great then.
If it's really bad though, then installing leveling probe might be worth it. I'm not a big fan of BLTouch, it takes forever to probe. I ended up buying a flex steel sheet, then you can use something like EZABL or one of the many clones. Works great if you don't have a glass bed.
@@HobbyHoarder thanks for your answer. I shall give it a try!
This was the best video, showing how to set your bed hight, i always had trouble with my printer, when i was only using the paper method
thank you
no, really, thank you so much, you saved 5 hours of googleing of my life, thanks
Yeah, I don't understand why the paper method gained so much traction, it's almost useless until you know how the first layer should look like (and then you don't need the paper any more).
I'm very happy to hear it helped you out, thank you!
@@HobbyHoarder i always had bad quality printing the benchmark boat
Forgot the name again
But yeah its weird the paper method is useless, you might even get better results eyeballing it
Benchy :)
Are you still having issues with it?
@@HobbyHoarder its ok but still not perfect
It's never perfect :) Let me know if I can help with anything.
Always do the space check directly above the leveling screws because that is the pivot point. Then do the spacing above the other three screws. Your bed will perfect as it can be without having to making the adjustments several times.
Thanks, I was wondering if that took effect or not.
Nice tips. I will use these the next time I go and print any pieces.
Thank you so much! You've saved me so much time & excessive efforts. God bless you! 😭❤️
Thank you, I'm very happy to hear that :)
@@HobbyHoarder You were the only one that explained the needed resistance from the paper & nozzle clearly. Most of the guides I've watched, they always kept on just saying "slight resistance" without showing how "slight" should it be.
Saw many vids but only this one was fast and accurate enough. Thanks for helping me, buddy!
Happy to help and even happier to hear it worked out for you.
To level the bed, I believe Creality tells us to home the hot end, then disable the stepper motors to move from corner to corner and raise or lower these as needed. Problem is, when I follow this procedure I can never get the bed level the first time. It was infuriating. Then, I read an article someone wrote on the net. He said to stop using disable stepper motors. So, to move from corner to corner, I had to use the Move command. Doing it this way, I was able to level my bed the first time around! My print is perfect.
Yeah, it's easy to accidentally raise or lower the Z gantry when you disable the steppers.
I don't know if Creality has implemented this feature yet, but if you switch to TH3D firmware you'll have access to assisted bed leveling. The printer will move to different parts of the bed by itself, all you have to do is adjust the corners. You also never have to disable the steppers.
Thank you very much when people say “the nozzle should drag the paper” it’s a problem because drag is a generic term and everyone has a different idea what drag means like does drag mean that the nozzle is barley touching the paper or a lot etc thank you for actually showing it on camera
Thank you!
Yeah, that's why I've always hated the paper method, it's just not accurate enough for anything but a rough estimate. Even doing it myself, it's hard to be consistent with every corner. Printing the squares eliminates any guess work.
Yep, before this comment was made, I just yesterday started to under that I should start feeling resistance. I finally got a consistent 1st layer for the first time since owning a 3D printer.
@@HobbyHoarder lets not forget when people use "levelling paper"
like yeah, we all have some 3d printer levelling paper lying around.
Best video on leveling the bed!!! Subbed and liked
I have been trying different bed leveling methods yours included for days with no use as it turns out last time I cleaned my extruder I left a loose screw that made tiny wiggles as it print that was the problem not the bed
just leaving the comment it might benefit someone to give it a check in the future
First time user of a ender 5 it worked mint 20 minutes to assemble. Less then 5 minutes to heat up and go
Real old timer here. I just installed a 2 piece magnetic pad on my ender 3pro. I walked away and when I came back at the allotted time, I found a mess that i can not get off the pad. I would post a picture but do not know how to do that. I tried all methods, using 70 and 90% Isopropyl,scraping with putty knife. I think I might try a chisel next. it is a mess. I manually leveled the bed, then used the CR Touch ABL. Nothing. I am a babe in the cradle with this but am fascinated with it. Tried sending DrVax but no return, came across this video.
I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like your first layer was squeezed too much against the bed if you can't get it off, but it's hard to say for sure without a photo.
You can upload a photo to imgur.com and copy the link here so I can take a look.
I have sent this message to numerous sites. You, (thank you) are the first to respond. I have been trying someone to answer.
Thank you very much. The print was supposed to be a test print from a site called Thingiverse. I "think" I uploaded the one of the pics. Hopefully I did it right.
@@HobbyHoarder I copied a one of the pictures on the site. Not sure what you mean by copy the link here. I don't see a place to do that. Thank you.
@@MrDee195 I'm afraid I don't see any photos under your name on Thingiverse.
By "copy the link here", I mean uploading a photo on imgur.com (click on New post button to do this) and then you'll see an option somewhere to share a link. You can then copy and paste the link in a comment here.
this method is very useful thank you very much for the work you've done
Amazing video. Short, helpful, clear. Thank you!
Happy to hear that :)
my printer worked fine with this method thank you
it works smooth as water
Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much!
Thank you, I really appreciate it.
I just use this technique and wow! thank you!
I'm very happy to hear it worked for you!
What about bad bed adhesion? I cant even print the squares on my ender 3 s1 pro, please help im slowly giving up on 3d printing :[
ME F&$#ing either. I bought a glass bed, I tried glue stick, hairspray. Nothing worked. I haven’t printed a damn thing yet 3 months. Got an auto bed leveler to and an all metal extruded. I’m starting to think I got conned and this whole community is a psyop
I appreciate you can calibrate my anycubic i3 mega, you saved me from a frustration
Nice video thanks. One question. You have a really shiny build plate. Please can you advise what is it and where you purchased it? I have an ender 3 Pro and wanted to replace my magnetic plate. Many thanks. Al🙂
The plate is original from Prusa. For Ender (or any other printer), I'd recommend Energetic. I use them on all my non-Prusa printers and they're great.
@@HobbyHoarder Thats brilliant thank you. I look forward to more of your videos. Good job. Al
@@Albundi20 No problem and thank you for getting in touch, always nice chatting with viewers.
The best method!
Thanks for this. Really helped me get started.
Great to hear!
Did you use a brand new bed so it looks nice on the video? If not, can you show how you get it that clean ? Don’t say dishshoap and warm water . We all know that doesn’t work
It wasn't new, it was about a year or two old when I made that video.
I wait for it to cool down before removing the object, otherwise it can leave marks behind. I also wipe it with isopropyl alcohol every few prints. You have to be careful with the spatula and not scratch the surface.
u don't wana do that every time. Plus you should use mesh bed leveling, which gets you much better results, especially if the bed has a valley and especially for large print areas
Thanks for your video. One question: I have my squares printed out nicely but I have thin lines between the squares. Is that how its supposed to be in perfect leveling??
There shouldn't be any gaps between the lines. I would suggest that you calibrate your extrusion flowrate first (search on YT, MatterHackers have a good video about it). After you're done with that, repeat with the leveling squares. Keep lowering the nozzle until there are no more gaps left.
My bed is warped upwards in the middle, wich resulted in either loose strings in the corners or some deep scratching in the middle when I started my first print
Try inverting the glass (if you're using one). You can also cut out square patches of aluminium foil and place them under the bed sheet in the corners. That way, you'll raise the corners without affecting the middle.
There's probably some other issue though. Maybe the bed frame is bent, or the bed is sagging in the middle.
What if the corners are too low (-> you have to raise them) but the squares inbetween the corners (so middle squares on the outside) are too high (-> you'd have to lower the bed there)? If you raise the corners, the middle ends up even worse.
Sometimes, simply flipping the glass around helps with this issue. If not, you can cut square patches of aluminium foil and place them under the glass, in each corner. That should slightly raise the corners while keeping the middle at the same level.
i think best is to adjust the bed live with g code from Chep .
Really helpful video, thanks!
Vinh Sama I'm very happy to hear that, thank you.
Very helpful thank you
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing
My pleasure!
So the key for bed leveling is still a paper you don't throw to the basket bin and then testing it, ok?
No, paper is not the key, it's only a rough estimate if your bed is really off. If the bed is already somewhat level, you never have to touch or use the paper.
What about if I have an ender 3 pro which doesn't have a glass surface (has the magnetic one), I can't seem to get it to stick well on the first layer
Try cleaning it with iso alcohol. If that doesn't work, use soapy water first and then iso. Bed temperature should also be 60'C for PLA.
0:18 oh I thought it's a huge trashcan and got shocked all the sudden.....
Hehe, yeah, I love it. STL link is in description if you want one. I've printed a few of them, they're very handy near any workspace.
Awesome video, knowing HOW CLOSE to get the paper to start is huge too. My next question is I have trouble getting my first 1-2" to stick to the bed, everything after that works great. I have heard skirts thrown around (the layer AROUND the project before it starts to get the plastic flowing) but I can't see how to ever add them to premade designs. I have never touched a design past the starting Gcode, is there a way a add in a generic skirt around the outline of the bed to add to all projects?? I have a 200x200 mm bed.
What kind of bed do you have? If you're using plain glass, then I highly recommend a mirror instead. Cleaning the bed with isopropyl alcohol helps a lot. Also, I tend to have my first layer more a bit on the rough side, especially for longer prints.
Yes, skirt helps a lot. You don't actually have to design it, your slicer will add it for you. I can help you if you'll let me know which slicer you're using, but all of them have the option if adding a skirt around the object.
@@HobbyHoarder I'm not sure the type of my bed, but I have a black sheet installed that my friend put on, but with you talking about bed adhesion you are correct I think. I am trying a painters tape / glue stick method right now to just test if that theory is correct, and if it is I know the main problem. Also an upgraded slicer finally added a skirt to it. I will keep you updated.
Black sheet is usually a Buildtak or clones of it. It should actually work better than painters tape, unless it's a really poor clone.
Great job with the skirt!
The center of mine is higher then the corners. How do you fix this?
Try flipping the glass/mirror around. If that doesn't help, cut a square patch of aluminium foil and place it under the areas that are too low. You can of course stack more if needed.
thank you sir
Hello! I have a problem, the 4 squares of the corners work out well, but the middle square comes out as if the hotend was up, I don't know what to do
Cut a square piece of aluminium foil (about 5x5cm) and place it under the glass in the middle. You can stack more of them if a single one doesn't help. I had to use 3 pieces to raise the center enough.
hello sir, have u know how to level the bed on trinus printer. Cause i'm not very sure with my distance between nozzle and the bed . Sometimes i print it stick to the platform sometime not. Can u or anybody help me?
I've never worked with that particular printer, sorry. If it uses springs to level the bed, then it might simply take some time before the springs "settle in". You should only have to re-level every few weeks then.
Do you add anything to the mirror before your print? I've been using glass (the one that came with the unit) and it seems to work well with a glue stick or this stuff I had call wolfbite (from a friend of mine). If I can use a mirror with nothing then that is something I will definitely try out.
Nope, nothing at all on the mirror, although you should wash it with soapy water before using it. After that, I've actually had troubles getting my prints off the bed if the first layer was squeezed too much.
@@HobbyHoarder Wow....i've been knocking out faceplates and I've not had any issues (knock on wood). You're instructions are right on!!!! Thanks so much.
@@carycorreia8215 I'm very happy to hear that Cary! If you do notice any loss of adhesion (it tends to happen overtime), just wash it under soap again and you're good to go.
@@HobbyHoarder You must be a psychic...it just happened this morning. The print popped off the bed sometime in the am and i had spaghetti all over the place and the nozzle was just full of filament. Put the mirror under hot water and soap and restarted and I'm good to go.
@@carycorreia8215 Hehe, just experience, it happened to me as well :) I usually set the first layer so that the surface is on the rough side. Never had any warping, except with extremly large models that reached the edge of the bed (it's not as hot there).
What speed did you run it at? This also matters with getting a good print
I usually print first layers at 30mm/s for most materials, but slow it down for ABS or nylon.
@@HobbyHoarder Ah alright. Good thing I asked. I had set it up for 50mm/s lol
Uh i have a davinci printer but the manual system has three points and has not a hand moving setting, how do i get it balanced? I tried a huge lot of times...
I've never used a DaVinci before, but aren't there any kind of knobs under the bed?
@@HobbyHoarder yes 3 but the system feels hard to set up
When I start printing. The pla goes on the bed. Then it's to lift then it end up like a bird's nest. I've tried leveling the bed. Moved the nozzle close to the bed. I've downloaded cura. Coz the memory stick what came the A4 printer has a error.. I've hammer very close printer now.😣
What kind of surface are you using on the bed? What tempeartures are you using? It never hurts to clean the bed using isopropyl alcohol.
I've got glass on a hot please. And I've put masking tape on the glass. It's starting to work. Just trying didn't way to get smooth finish..
Have you considered replacing the glass with a mirror? Mirrors work much better. I have one on my CR-10 and I don't have to use masking tape or anything, I can print directly on the mirror. It sticks like crazy. If you can get a mirror of the correct size, that would probably be the best solution.
Ok thank you for your help.👍
Good luck and come back if you need any help along the way.
I have an Ender 3 Pro and the original test dog .gcode file prints perfectly well, with no build plate adhesion settings. However, I downloaded some .stl files from the internet (mainly mods for the printer) and turned on "skirt", but the PLA still won't stick to the bed. I'm starting to wonder if it's something else?? And I don't think it's bed temp because the printer mods print calls for higher temp than the test dog. Anyone have any experience with this?
It's possible that the dog.gcode has some sort of Z offset. I'd suggest simply re-leveling the bed by slicing your own leveling squares (check the video for links). Once you do that, any file that you slice yourself should have the same adhesion.
If I got the glass pieces from Ikea would I have issues given that the bed is heated?
No, I've used Ikea mirrors exclusively on a heated bed. As long as it fits your printer, you can use them.
@@HobbyHoarder My issue now, I think, is the extruder clicking non-stop and barely feeding any filament in.
@@Stormshot1998 That could mean a lot of things, but the first thing I'd try is doing a cold pull. Check videos on YT, there are quite a few good ones explaining the process.
My Ender 5 just refuses to to level :(
Hey thanks for the video, i tried your method and the nozzle printed the filament too close to the bed (ender 3) so now i can't even slide a spatula to remove this thin layer, how do you remove it without switching to a glass bed ?
Try something sharper, but be careful not to damage the bed. I've sharpened my spatula that came with the printer. You can also use a razor and lift just a bit of one corner, then use the spatula to remove the rest.
Question, did you put any adhesion type: squirt, brim or none? thanks
You probably mean skirt. Yes, I always use 1 outline for skirt, but that has nothing to do with adhesion, it only ensures a consistent flow by the time it starts printing the actual model.
I use brim for small objects, but you don't need it for the calibration squares in this video.
Did you just print directly on the heated in the Intro? :O
Yes, but before you say how stupid I am (you're not the first with this comment), the printer in use was Mk2, which didn't have the removable sheet yet.
Hi Hobby,
your video is amazing!
May I ask you for your opinion:
Got cr-10 s4 and seems its base is far from flat. At space of 1 sheet paper thickness between the 4 corners and the extruder I'm getting 3 sheet paper thickness offset at the center area.
I have tried with the other side of the glass- same issue. Obviously it's coming from the aluminium base underneath.
Do you recommend that I use the Wedge Jack or I should return the printer as I've got it from amazon and return is for free? Thanks for helping Hobby
Sorry for taking so long to reply, I was travelling and just couldn't manage to do it sooner.
Yeah, I'd recommend exchanging it for a second one. Prices on Amazon are higher, so you should take every advantage that you have. You could try printing the wedge jack (use PETG or, if you have to, ABS), but why bother? Chinese printers have a lot of QC issues and they won't get better until people start returning faulty printers.
My first CR10 from Amazon had a faulty motor or board. I've spent two or three days trying to fix it, but then I realized I'm just wasting my time. I love to tinker with stuff, but not if it's because of manufacturer's laziness. The second CR10 worked just fine.
Having said that, you'll probably have to use the wedge jack anyway. S4 is quite large and I doubt any of them are perfectly flat.
Yeah, the CR-10's bed isn't as flat as it could be. I had the same problem with mine. One thing you can do is to stick a piece of aluminum foil under the bed where it's low. Or maybe even 2 sheets! This will serve as a shim and make the bed surface more level. Just be careful any time you take off the print plate, since it's easy to dislodge your carefully placed sheet of foil and send it flying to the ground. For small prints, you don't need the whole bed flat and level, just the little bit in the middle that you're printing on.
TH3D makes a really nice automatic mesh bed leveling system for the CR-10, and I highly recommend it. Once you have it going, it'll measure several points on the build plate and automatically compensate for any warps. Works like a charm on my not quite flat bed, and I no longer have to bother with the aluminum foil shim. Or with much of bed leveling at all - get it calibrated, and it will take it from there! It was a bit of work to set up, particularly flashing the firmware since the CR-10 doesn't have a bootloader, but totally worth it.
Keldor314 I've been thinking of upgrading my cr10 as well. Which sensor have you decided on and why that one particularly?
Hobby Hoarder I installed TH3D's EZABL kit. IIRC, I picked it because it was recommended online, and because it's fairly easy to install.
Speaking of installation, I spied the TH3D logo on your CR-10's screen, so you should already have a working bootloader, meaning you can update your firmware over USB. It looks like you'll still have to configure and reupload the TH3D firmware, since the bed leveling stuff is hard coded. It's not very hard, though, and the instructions are nice and clear.
Out of curiosity, did you install the TH3D firmware yourself, or is Creality now using it out of the factory?
Keldor314 Thanks for the info, I'll look into it as you seem to be happy with it. Was it worth the price now that you've had it for a while?
Good catch with the logo. Yeah, I did update the firmware myself, it's easy and quick, especially with 10S and the better board.
I have tried this but I was unable to print the bed levelling squares. do you know why this is?
I'll try, but I need more info. Did it try to print and nothing happened? Were the squares not sticking?
Guys be carefull about printing a single layer. you might not get it off the bed. I tried printing this and they got completely stuck in the bed.
Hey, I have a problem with autoleveling on my ender 3 pro. I use a bltouch probe and the compensation is close to zero
You mean that the calculated correction values are close to zero or that the probe appears to be doing nothing?
got a link for those mirror panels? searching ikea's website and couldn't come up with anything remotely resembling something that could fit a 220mm print bed
Sadly you won't find any because they only have one size at 300x300. You could of course have them cut down or go to your hardware store where they usually offer to cut any size for you.
Here's the link:
www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/39151700
subbed of course. and do you know the name of the ikea mirrors you mentioned ?
Thank you! They're called "Lots" and come as a pack of 4. I'm on mobile now, it's hard to search, but I think I've pasted a link to someone in the comments.
@@HobbyHoarder £6.50 in the UK but too big for my Ender 3, could cut them down I guess. Thank you for the info, very helpful :)
Yeah, they're a bit oversized for Ender 3. Are you having issues with the build surface? It's quite good from my experience, unless yours is damaged or worn out.
@@HobbyHoarder I'm a 3d printer noob on the wrong side of a learning curve LOL The stock bed is not flat,dips in the middle slightly. Surface adhesion is a pain but hopefully fixed with a glass bed. Have you come across any problems with the glass being so close to heat , is there a chance it might break ?
You could cut a square patch of aluminium foil and place it in the middle under the build surface (or more if it's really bent) to raise it slightly.
No, don't worry, glass can easily withstand printing temperatures, you're not even close to the limit. Since you've mentioned glass, I'd like to point out that mirrors work much better than plain glass, even though they might seem the same.
I am going to pull my damned hair out. I love this video. You rock. But, I've got 4 near perfect corners and a center than is too far away. Ironically, the center has always been too far away and 3 of the corners were way too close. (insert face palm/bridge of nose rub here) How is that even a thing when I'm using tempered glass????????
Thanks!
I know it sounds funny, but having all four corners perfect and only middle that's too low is actually the best scenario (besides having everything flat of course). Simply cut a square patch of aluminium foil (about 7x7cmm should do) and place it in the middle under the glass. It will slightly raise the bed there and you can even stack more if needed. I had to use about 3 I think before it was perfect in the middle as well.
Hobby Hoarder it’s not too low. It’s too high. But I am thrilled you replied. Your template is by far the best I’ve used. Now that I know you’re still active, I’m gonna donate, thingiverse ok?
@@NOC-H In that case, you can use the same trick, but first lower the bed so that the middle is fine, then place a aluminium square in each corner to raise it up slightly. You could also try simply turning the glass around, sometimes that works.
I've always been active, it's just that I should be making new videos way more often :D
I'm not helping for donations, I'm happy enough when I hear feedback, especially if it's positive like yours :) But yeah, Thingiverse is fine and I also have Ko-fi account here: ko-fi.com/hobbyhoarder
Hobby Hoarder I’ll check that out. I’m relatively new to printing. I’m a teacher. Aside from that my forte is video/photo editing. I’m trying to get this down so I can use in the Engineering class my school had me create for next term.
How to use class for printer
doesnt work at all: sliced in cura 4.12 under 100% scale it says 0 min, above 100% it estimates ~12 min for the 5 patterns with 0,2 layer height and 0.4 nozzle but makes an od shape around the print bed instead of the squares. what am i doing wrong?
I have a Prusa Mk3 and used the same method as you, but my bed seems to be warped. I keep a constant z-value across the whole calibration square, but the finished print looks like I have changed the values throughout. The initial corner appears rough, as if the nozzle is too low. In the centre (the longest lines through the middle) it's perfect. By the final corner there are clear gaps between lines, as if the nozzle is too high. I asked Prusa about this and they set adjust the bed leveling controls from the menu, but they only have four spots you can adjust - front, back, left, and right. I specifically need to adjust the corners, so this is useless to me! Have you come across this issue before?
Yep, it's the same on my Mk2S. While you can only adjust 4 sides in the calibration menu, I've found that if I want to adjust the bottom left corner, for example, it works if I adjust both the left and bottom side together by the same value. Try doing it like that.
Completely transformed my printer: I’ve had my printer for several years and have never really used it to its capabilities- just playing it safe printing simple objects in the middle of the bed. This video allowed me for the first time to make sure my printer bed is indeed level. I can’t wait to get started on the more complex things I’ve put off printing in the past.
the screws on my cr 10 dont seem to raise or lower the bed at all ! im using the sample filament which comes out but mostly its very thin and scratches the bed. i dont know what to do!
You'll have to solve the screws first. It sounds like the screw isn't engaged with the bed frame. Can you look closely underneath and see if you can push it in while turning the knob? Try both directions as well.
The most accurate way to level a bed. I followed your tips and for the first time had more confidence in preparing for a print job. Thank you.
Thumbs up to all of the test examples you showed us. Thanks for helping
"Are you having issues with your prints because you can't level your bed? Just print this out!"
Bruh
print it out to find out what is too high and whats too low
@@igameidoresearchtoo6511 This is so true I wish I could give more than one "like" to this comment!!
I like Rick’s idea of true level (Rick & Morty). Honestly, great vid and I appreciate the tips!
Loved that scene! Thank you, I'm really glad it helped.
I'm probably buying my first 3D printer very soon, and this is very useful information, thanks for sharing.
I'm very happy to hear that. If you end up buying it (and you really should!), then I'd like to suggest my other video as well. How to calibrate everything: ua-cam.com/video/qddYsbHawno/v-deo.html
Thanks for the video! It helped lots. And a special thanks for creating and making your Calibration square models available!!!
Thank you Shawn, it's really great to know my video helped you out.
Cleaned my bed with isopropyl alcohol yesterday then levelled it properly and I’ve never had a better print stick
Thanks, I was having trouble getting my Sovol SV-01 to print well until I came across this and now it's perfect. The levelling squares on Thingiverse work very well to level the bed. Thanks very much!
Happy to hear that!
I like the printed squares, but they look very big. I recommend smaller squares, and then measure the thickness of each one with digital calipers. Compare with the first layer height. The threads on many adjustment screws are 0.5 mm pitch. So 1/5 of a turn moves the bed 0.1 mm. Very good to know, place five marks on each adjustment wheel. Turn 1/5 of a turn for error of 0.1 mm. Most printer firmware assumes the paper has zero thickness, yet it is 0.1 mm thick. So 1/5 turn after adjusting with paper will get you to zero. Thank you for making and sharing the excellent video. Very high quality.
Thank you very much sir! This is giving more tools for more precise calibration!
this worked perfectly, I slowed down the print during the corners and was able to adjust the hight while watching with a flashlight. tyvm
That's wonderful, I'm happy to hear it helped!
Great Vidio great meathod. I used feeler guages to get accurate levels.
(Didnt like the paper meothod for all the reasons you gave) but after trying your squares I found that I was over a full turn to high the megacubic s has a great base so they stuck but I am geting a crease through the centre square. I know from feeler guages that it is .05 to 0.07mm higher than the edges.
Does that seem a lot? Any suggestions?
Super helpful! Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Your samples and corresponding explanations are excellent! Thanks for helping out the 3D community.
Thank you Barry. Reading comments like this really makes everything worthwhile.
This is great but glosses over a lot. The first paper part always goes round and round in a circle! You get one corner right, then another then another and then find that the first corner is off again. So... You adjust again and it throws another corner off.SO you adjust again and it throws another corner off. This went on all evening for me tonight with an Anycubic Ultrabase Heat bed on a Tatara A8 build and I nearly threw the thing in the trash out of frustration. I have been doing 3d printers a while and have even printed a perfectly functional 3d printer. I own 5 3d printers but manual levelling really pees me off. Once I have a machine levelled I rely on auto bed levelling and never touch it again ever lol. This was a scratch build. I had it perfect but the Hemera extruder kept jamming (i mean I only have to look at the Hermera the wrong way and it jams or screws up somehow). After disassembly, the whole bed was off again and i wasted an entire evening on it whilst watching Tv!
I can relate to your frustration, I wasn't far away from smashing my printer as well. Leveling can be extremely frustrating and it can ruin so many prints.
This is great information, and very well put together. Thank you. Would love a series of videos that go into tweaking our printers just like this one.
Thank you, it's great to hear that.
Bed leveling was the hardest thing for me when I was starting out and I'm sure I'm not alone. If you have any other issues that are ticking you off, let me know and I might do a video about it.
Helped me to figure out how much drag was needed for the paper. Very useful video, thanks.
I'm very happy to hear that!
I can't Express my joy that you brought back to 3D printing again! :D Thank you SOOOOOOO much!!!!!!!
One of the best comments I've had yet, thank you :)
He says no need to use paper and throws it away in his mini trash can. Then he proceeds to use paper to initially level the bed!
Mysteries of life.
Thanks for sharing, I just tried the bed levelling squares gcode and my printing improved so much, I can notice specially in the first layer. I had to print that pattern 6 times but it was worth it. Keep the good work up!
Thank you, always happy to see my videos helping others.
Oh thats an amazing method thank you! Because this thing with paper is like not verry precise!
What a video, thanks for taking the time to make this. Amazing how simple something can be. I've used +-2 trees so far and was still struggling to level my bed. Thank you!
Nothing like hearing that I was able to help someone, thank you!
5:40 I always find it odd when I notice that someone's hands are a very different shape from my own, but today I learned it's even stranger noticing that someone has nearly identical hands
Hehe, out of hundreds of comments, you're the first one to mention my hands :D
This was super handy. These squares made the whole job easyer for me.
This is a great tutorial. Thank you for putting it up. I have used a single line for checking my bed levelling. I may switch to your method as it gives a guide how to interpret the results. Can you mention more about getting PLA to stick to the mirror - you mentioned a special coating? I currently UHU stick on my glass bed as I can't get it to stick without.
Thank you, very appreciated. I meant that the mirror's surface is already good enough, you don't have to put anything else on there. I only use a bit of glue stick if I'm printing a really large object that might warp at the edges. Otherwise, you can print directly on the mirror. Note however that mirrors work much better than just plain glass.
@@HobbyHoarder is this due to some thermal reflection mechanic do you think? most mirrors I know of are glass surface.
Maybe because transparent glass is manufactured to higher tolerance ranges and cut from larger sheets knowing that the level surface is not the manufacturing or usage intent, but in mirrors maybe a very level surface is required to not introduce distortion in the reflection?
@@kevin-bf4ww Yeah, I've since learned that there's no special coating on the mirror, it's simply flatter, which I guess creates more "suction" so to say.
Bro sounds like Strongbad. I love it.
On all the bed leveling video's I have not seen 1 that first says to wind the bed down so theres spring tension on the bed springs , if you dont have tension the bed is free to move around and wobbly all over the place during printing and also this is why every time you bed level its showing different measurements.... Tip of the day brought to you by Tony Den cheers happy printing.... 👍😊
Yes, that's a very good point, thanks for adding it to the comments!
@@HobbyHoarder welcome mate Im new to the awesome 3d print world but have a bit of mechanical and engineering history so like to tinker... 👍
I have found you have to adjust the bed by only lowering the bed with anyone of the knobs. If you raise use the knobs to raise the bed, it doesn't hold that position, there's slop or backlash on the knobs. If the bed needes to go higher, I need to raise the bed ABOVE where it will end up and then crank it down with the knob(s). It is like tuning a guitar, you don't ease the tuning key, you have to tighten it for it to keep the tension. Same on the Enders... This is the benefit of running with a BLTouch. On the stock machine the bed is relative to a fixed item, the Z switch. With the BLTouch the bed is relative to the BLTouch probe. I ease my knobs so the bed starts as high as it can go. Then whenever I run the test print, I only lower the bed with the knobs. Eventually (after many prints) you may have tightened all the way down and you have to start over by easing the bed to the highest level again. This way, when I run these bed level test prints, I only bring the bed down under tension. This has worked really we for me.
This is an excellent, practical very useful video for those of us just getting into 3d printing. It goes at a good pace, doesn't get too technical, not a lot of chit chat that has nothing to do with the subject at hand. This is a good example of what. youtube SHOULD be like.. Good job Mate!!
Thank you! I try really hard to make my videos as short as possible, it's always a pleasure hearing when someone notices :)
Great process! Using this I was able make subtle adjustments (less than a quarter turn!) that had a significant effect on my print quality. Thanks for sharing this!
Yeah, it's really surprising seeing how such a small turn can affect the layer so much.
Hi, thanks for very instructive video. Really. Could you pass a link to Ikea mirror you use? Very impressive indeed.
Sure:
www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/blodloenn-mirror-30542379/
@@HobbyHoarder Thank's