New to 3D Printing and need some help.

[Roxy]

I have included the pictures of the first print using Slic3r outside of repg. I am having an issue with the base layer which I was not having before even though I am using the same settings.

Any help with that?

Are you sure the issue with the base layers is new? On the print in the first post, I thought the base was showing some issues even though the bottom view wasn't included. I'd certainly agree they're worse in this later print. I'm not familiar with your printer, but it looks to me that the hot end is starting too high off the print bed.

First, lets give credit where its due! Your top with the single cube looks VERY good. It looks better than what mine looks like. Mine usually ends up pretty rounded because of the heat.

Are you printing with a raft? It kind of looks like it. I suspect it might be worth while to try printing the first layer directly on the bed. And it might be interesting to stop the printer 90% of the way through the first layer and take a picture of that for us. PrintBus is probably right about the nozzle being too high to get good adhesion. That picture of the bottom of the print shows the filament pretty 'round'. What that means is it is not getting squished down into the bed and fusing one tube to the next. And that is probably helping cause other problems like the lower left corner in the first print. The filament doesnt have anything to stick to from the previous layer and the corner does not end up square. (Instead, the filament gets pulled and the corner gets rounded)

[BLKKROW]

Are you sure the issue with the base layers is new? On the print in the first post, I thought the base was showing some issues even though the bottom view wasn't included. I'd certainly agree they're worse in this later print. I'm not familiar with your printer, but it looks to me that the hot end is starting too high off the print bed.

First, lets give credit where its due! Your top with the single cube looks VERY good. It looks better than what mine looks like. Mine usually ends up pretty rounded because of the heat.

Are you printing with a raft? It kind of looks like it. I suspect it might be worth while to try printing the first layer directly on the bed. And it might be interesting to stop the printer 90% of the way through the first layer and take a picture of that for us. PrintBus is probably right about the nozzle being too high to get good adhesion. That picture of the bottom of the print shows the filament pretty 'round'. What that means is it is not getting squished down into the bed and fusing one tube to the next. And that is probably helping cause other problems like the lower left corner in the first print. The filament doesnt have anything to stick to from the previous layer and the corner does not end up square. (Instead, the filament gets pulled and the corner gets rounded)

Thank you for your replies!

My other prints had a little issue with the first layer as can be seen from my previous post. This one was just a lot worse. I am not using a raft just printing straight onto the printing bed. I am using a heated bed at 65*c with PLA. My first layer print temperature is 230*c, I have tried lowering both of these but the print was even worse then what I included above.

Would you raise the printing bed slightly? Or fix the Z-stop within Slic3r?

[RobH2]

Would you raise the printing bed slightly? Or fix the Z-stop within Slic3r?

Either of those would work. Probably easier to do it in Slic3r if your bed is already level and it's just the gap that is off. I don't know how your bed is assembled but mine has one fixed corner and 3 that are adjustable. Once the bed is nice an level, it's very tedious to adjust those three screws again to just raise it.

If you can raise yours with one adjuster or raise it a tad in the 'configuration.h' file that would be easy.

My printer also has a manual adjuster for the z-stop. A small turn one way and the head will move slightly closer to the bed. A small turn the other way and the head will stop a tad farther away from the glass. By making tiny tweaks I'm able to get a perfect gap with one screw. That is my preferred method. So if I change glass to one that is thicker, I just turn that z-stop out so the gap is bigger (too big as a starting place), put the glass in and run the hot end down to 'G1 Z0' and see what the gap is. I'll then lower it little by little by turning that z-stop screw until it's perfect.

It depends on how your printer is designed to find the most direct method for tweaking that gap. But I'd guess that using the setting in Slic3r is as easy as any. Just have a finger near the power button should you have that setting too far off and your hot end starts to be driven into the bed. I'm sure you've read this everywhere but the thickness of a sheet of paper as a starting point is what you want. It should have just a tad bit of resistance as you pull it out. If the hot end pins the paper to the bed, it's too small of a gap.

Once you use the paper, you can then fine tune if you find it needs a tweak. Your first layer should not be round, it needs to be flattened so its being pushed into the bed. But too small of a gap and it either restricts filament flow or drags a thin film. That's too thin.

[BLKKROW]

Either of those would work. Probably easier to do it in Slic3r if your bed is already level and it's just the gap that is off. I don't know how your bed is assembled but mine has one fixed corner and 3 that are adjustable. Once the bed is nice an level, it's very tedious to adjust those three screws again to just raise it.

If you can raise yours with one adjuster or raise it a tad in the 'configuration.h' file that would be easy.

My printer also has a manual adjuster for the z-stop. A small turn one way and the head will move slightly closer to the bed. A small turn the other way and the head will stop a tad farther away from the glass. By making tiny tweaks I'm able to get a perfect gap with one screw. That is my preferred method. So if I change glass to one that is thicker, I just turn that z-stop out so the gap is bigger (too big as a starting place), put the glass in and run the hot end down to 'G1 Z0' and see what the gap is. I'll then lower it little by little by turning that z-stop screw until it's perfect.

It depends on how your printer is designed to find the most direct method for tweaking that gap. But I'd guess that using the setting in Slic3r is as easy as any. Just have a finger near the power button should you have that setting too far off and your hot end starts to be driven into the bed. I'm sure you've read this everywhere but the thickness of a sheet of paper as a starting point is what you want. It should have just a tad bit of resistance as you pull it out. If the hot end pins the paper to the bed, it's too small of a gap.

Once you use the paper, you can then fine tune if you find it needs a tweak. Your first layer should not be round, it needs to be flattened so its being pushed into the bed. But too small of a gap and it either restricts filament flow or drags a thin film. That's too thin.

Thank you for helping me so much I really appreciate it!

I will be working with the height soon, I actually have to drive to San Diego from Arizona for a funeral tomorrow and will be gone all weekend. So I may be able to get one print done before I have to leave.

I have been working with a piece of paper folded in half to determine my space between the extruder and plate. This was recommended by one of the developers of the machine but I agree it needs to be thinner than that.

My print bed has four screws one on each corner to adjust and I would prefer to do that then work with software.