Brand New A1 First Layer Issue

[1activegeek]

I’m currently plagued by what I think is a simple first layer issue but I can’t for the life of me figure out the correction. I was attempting to print the AMS Top Mount parts and ran into discovering this. Images attached below for some visual.

What I’ve tried or thought through:

• OEM Bambu Textured PEI Plate - washed freshly with soap and water to ensure nothing during transit
• Performed fresh Calibration driven from the machine
• Updated firmware and Bambu Studio software for latest updates
• Material is Elegoo PLA+ fresh out of sealed packaging (aka shouldn’t be wet)
• Attempted running Flow Rate calibration - all prints had rough first layer, but final number was only a -1
• Tried different material (Overture PLA+) same issue (this one was tested first and I suspected could be wet)
• Printing same material on my Prusa mini, no issues, perfect first layers (even using input shaper profiles)
• Prints seem to come out fine, assuming it can get past the first layers and not pull the print up (per one of the pictures shown)
• Seems like an over-extrusion problem or a Z Offset that is perhaps TOO low for adhesion. It does seem to me that the squish is a bit too much.
• Noticed some non-straight lines leading me to believe again perhaps part of this is too low of Z Offset

Last image shows the same print (White = Overture, Grey = Elegoo) where it failed trying to print the second layer as it got pulled up with a hole in the print. Grey managed to not pull up, but I stopped at second layer and you can still see it’s obviously rough. My only next step last resort is attempting a full factory reset and see if something just randomly is programmed wrong somewhere.

[lion7718]

Try this:

A1 Bed Tramming

[kip]

No, check this. Probably not tighten from manufacturer.

A1 Series First Layer Print Issues - First Layer Too Low, Hotend Moving

[1activegeek]

Thanks @lion7718 for the suggestion. I didn’t think that should do it since the auto-level would be affected by this too - but I still took a shot because I had no better ideas. No joy though. Image below of new test print.

@kip Will try that now. That sounds plausible. Honestly don’t know how I missed that in the troubleshooting cursory review I did - but thanks for the pointer. This sounds like a very probable answer. Will report back with any luck.

[1activegeek]

Sadly, not sure that it got better. It might even be worse since it curled when pulling it off, so it kind of feels like it might have been even MORE adhered to the bed.

Any other ideas from the crowd? I’m open to all possibilities. Just disappointed as I was expecting a better outcome from a freshly unboxed machine.

Left is first try after tramming, right is after re-adjusting the heat nozzle.

[1activegeek]

Arguably the best first layer so far. Decided to try and change the nozzle to see if that would help or do anything. This is a 0.6 Hardened Steel nozzle instead of the default stainless 0.4 nozzle. Still waiting on delivery of my 0.4 Hardened Steel. That said, it still isn’t exaclty ideal or what I’d expect from this printer.

[1activegeek]

So just updating here a few more tries. Wwhen I tried manually changing the GCode for the Z Offset as others mentioned - this doesn’t seem to be affecting the actual print. I’ve changed it from -0.02 all the way to 0.03 with no difference. I also attempted doing a print without doing the bed leveling, this still showed no difference. It would appear the printer is always setting the Z Offset with no way for me to affect the change or compensate. Still stuck, and Support came back with an email early this AM to do the toolhead adjustment mentioned by @kip.

[1activegeek]

So latest update - I finally decided to go extreme, and its showing some promise. But I’m boggled as to why this is SO far off. I set the GCode in Bambu Studio to 0.1 for the Z Adjustment. This produced a decent result. Maybe not perfect, but WAY better than anything so far. So it is definitely something to do with the hotend being too close to the bed, by a lot. Based on what I see and the original setting - this thing is off by about .13 which is pretty crazy.

Original: G29.1 Z{-0.03} ; for Textured PEI Plate
Current: G29.1 Z{0.1} ; for Textured PEI Plate

[lion7718]

It still seems like Tramming the bed would fix this issue…JMO

[1activegeek]

@lion7718 I did take your suggestion first. After tramming, there was no change. Same result. I trammed, then let it do first layer calibration again, then setup a fresh sliced print. Looked exactly the same as before tramming.

@1activegeek

Thanks @lion7718 for the suggestion. I didn’t think that should do it since the auto-level would be affected by this too - but I still took a shot because I had no better ideas. No joy though. Image below of new test print.

[lion7718]

I saw that you tied that first. But then you’ve tried a few more things, some a little better, some a little worse. Maybe it’s a few things…but since things have changed some, it wouldn’t hurt to try it again…JMO

[1activegeek]

Unfortunately still no luck. I even tried to use a piece of paper this time to judge the distance (which is likely MORE than I gave it before), but still looks just the same using the original A1 0.4 profile with the standard -0.02 for textured sheet Z Offset.

[boots]

I had something similar on my A1 mini. I scrubbed the daylights out of the texture plate then replaced the hot end .04 with hardened steel and the sock then scrubbed the plate with alcohol wipes and now it prints fine with a now and again failure. The tram adjustment etc made no difference. I’m going to replace the plate with a new textured one and I’ve added the Bambu glue to the mix as well. My hobby niche is quite small, abt 8x12 so I have also started closing the doors and closing the heat/AC register vent (that has made a noticeable difference). Hope this gives you some ideas

[1activegeek]

Currently have the ticket open with Bambu. They asked for logs from the printer, and then after a few days are now sending me a replacement “Heatbed Unit”. I’m assuming it will come with instructions to tram it, first layer calibration, and then test to see what happens.

[1activegeek]

UPDATE: Received the new heatbed. No joy. Changed it out, trammed, calibrated, printed - same results.

[lion7718]

I didn’t re-read everything…but…
Have you changed to a new nozzle…??
Also, check that the 4 screws behind the nozzle are tight…the part that looks like a stone.

[jeffschacher]

I Have had this Issue since day one with the first printer I ordered From the the Release Date of the A1, Ordered a Second A1 i week later and Has printed out of the box oerfectly ! Still Have not gotten a print off the first one , i went in and Did the Tramming and still No good. Finally did this
;===== for Textured PEI Plate , Raise the nozzle to print anything ==
;curr_bed_type={curr_bed_type}
{if curr_bed_type==“Textured PEI Plate”}
G29.1 Z{0.022} ; for PETG Textured PEI Plate
,G29.1 Z{0.02} ; for PLA Textured PEI Plate
{endif}
Been on tech support for almost a year now wanting to return and get a Working Printer.
Instead they sent new tool heads ,hot ends, Z Stepper motor Everything but a replacment Printer that works. Will i buy Bambu anymore ? Not a Chance, if they cant solve this problem after a year

[gruvin]

Wow. OK. From the photos, I can guarantee that the problem is NOT “bed tramming” — which arguably isn’t even a thing, but let’s not go there.

Given everything you tried — and yes, the photos indicate at LEAST 0.1mm too low, more like 0.15-0.2 — I have a couple of other ideas…

The bed probe action used to set the Z height at the start of each print occurs in exactly the same location in the middle of the bed, every time. The bed leveling, of course, samples many locations, but they are the same locations every time that procedure runs.

If your textured plate just happens to have overspec recesses or bumps in just the right, stupidly unlucky, 0.4mm diameter locations, then that will mess things up. You wouldn’t notice these by just looking at the plate. You might be able to detect them with a trained hand running over the surface.

Another poster said that “scrubbing the **** out of the bed” fixed it for them. There may well be a valuable hint right there in support of my guessing.

Going with this theory — and I admit it’s a bit of a reach given everything else — the first thing I would try would be to simply flip the plate over and print on the other side. If that makes a significant difference, then you now know what to look for.

Now, of course, scrubbing the bed plate hard would lower protrusions, not raise depressions like the one where the bed center probe occurs. However, if there just so happen to be three or more little “bumps” in just the right, stupidly unlucky places where the auto bed levelling just happens to probe a worst luck ever textured plate … well, you get the picture. So very improbable statistically speaking yet still possible.

Honestly, given everything you’ve tried and had replaced already, it still seems more likely to me that you have some kind of obscure electronics issue causing this. But knowing what I do about how those sensors work, I cannot begin to imagine just what exactly. I hope it’s just dumb bad luck and near impossible bumps on that build plate.

This is most unfortunate indeed. These printers are awesome, in general. Very unlucky.

Good luck!

[1activegeek]

Thanks @gruvin - I did try flipping plate, and even ordered (and returned on Amazon) a non-textured plate too which should alleviate that issue overall. They’re sending me a new hotend heating assembly now apparently. I also saw another thread someone had the extruder replaced which did the trick for them. the hotend assembly can do the trick. I’m with you, I doubt bed tramming would help based on the science of what it does and is for. It’s really only going to help if the bed is WAY off in one area compared to others. I learned all about manual leveling back in the day with an old school Ender 3 so I feel you on that opinion. But the hotend assembly having some sort of misalignment, could certainly cause some weird deviation. So it at least makes logical sense to me.

Will report back once I get it installed.

[Zigerus]

I’m also having these issues.

I have been printing from 2 different PC’s, after noticing Bambu Slicer not doing a temp setting correctly on a print I decided to switch to OrcaSlicer which solved the issue of my temps. However using the exact same print, same filament, same settings on both PC’s from OrcaSlicer I noticed one PC printed it perfectly fine and the other did not. I also noticed Flow Rate Calibration fully fails on one PC but not the other.

I started to go down the rabbit hole you’re in for hardware. Where as now I truly believe it is a software issue and I cannot even begin to figure out the bug that would be causing this issue.