Rectangular 1st layer defect on part of the build plate

Bambu Lab X1 Series Troubleshooting
1

My last few prints have a very strange 1st layer defect, almost perfectly rectangular, covering a small area on the right rear side of the build plate (see pictures).

The first few prints I noticed it didn’t cover the whole area, so I thought the rather old textured sheet had become bad and replaced it with a completely new sheet. Yesterday I printed a large sign and noticed how uniform the defect is, which is quite puzzling tbh.

I have since replaced the complete hotend assembly and run the full calibration, just to make sure. I’ve printed a small test square, same problem.

So to sum it up:

  • Did exchange the textured sheet for a new one
  • Replaced the hotend
  • Run calibration
  • Tried Polylite PETG and Bambu HF PETG

Does anyone have an idea what might be causing this?

IMG_3682
IMG_36821676×1568 331 KB

IMG_3683
IMG_36831920×2050 557 KB

2

Factory reset didn’t help either.

3

Can you provide the .3mf file you are using? It’s a very odd problem. Does the gcode preview give you any idea of what it going on?

4

It happens with every model. For testing before/after factory reset I’ve just created a primitive, in both Orcas Slicer and Bambu Studio.

5

Does it do it with the prints that come preloaded on the printer?

6

Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to check. But it happens only on a small part of the rear right corner, not sure if any of the pre-installed prints covers that area.

7

deextrussion

8

Yea, whatever.

I think this is some strange firmware bug, where the bed leveling reports wrong values for that quadrant and subsequently causes the toolhead to print in the air on that specific part of the plate :man_shrugging:

9

but to me it seems like a deextrusion

10

Why would that happen on a specific part of the build plate, with every model and even primitives like a small cube? And did you notice the shape?

11

on specific part of the build plate go check gcode

12

As I said, it happens wirh any model. I even generated primitives in different slicers.

13

idk neither

14

Finally had some time to test more, this time downgrading to firmware 1.07.05. Same problem :confused:

Support isn’t particularly helpful either, suggesting manual bed leveling and trying to flip the plate over :man_facepalming:

So I’m basically stuck with the print area of an A1 Mini, awesome.

Here’s another test file I just sliced, if someone wants to give it a try I’d appreciate it:
test.3mf (24,6 KB)
Cube_PETG_15m17s.gcode.3mf (53,1 KB)

15

I wanted a couple PETG samples to test some cement, so…

Both files printed perfectly on my X1C (firmware 1.08), the first one sliced in OrcaSlicer, the second copied to the microSD card and printed from the display, so the problem is not a slicer or gcode error.

image
image1024×768 78.2 KB

You’ve tried all the fixes I can think of, except maybe inspecting for physical issues on the printer - cleaned and lubed x-y rods, filament feed, kinks in the PTFE tubes at that position, etc.

Did you perform Restore to factory settings after the 1.07 downgrade?

16

Thank you very much for testing @lkraus

I’m doing regular maintenance, but at this point I might as well change the tubes and clean and lube everything again, just to see if it makes any difference.

The uniformity of the defect makes me think a software issue is more likely, but maybe there is some possibility of a physical issue which can cause this, just can’t think of anything.

I did a factory reset on 1.08.02 but not after downgrading to 1.07.05. Might give that a shot as well, can’t hurt.

17

Did a reset and tried again, same problem. But this time I took a picture of the first layer, this looks really strange:

IMG_3700
IMG_37001920×2560 145 KB

18

I have finally found the reason of the defect, watching closely during a 1st layer test print.

The cause is this model: Build Plate Guide - No1 Build Plate Alignment Tool by TotalChaos - MakerWorld

The camera of the X1C hits the plate guide when printing in the rear right corner, bumping the whole build plate down, causing the defect.

3 Likes
19

I’m glad you resolved the problem. I’ve been using the Shifty V1 guide on both rear corners. The creator did not recommend mirroring the Shifty for the right rear corner, but I have found it does not cause any interference problems with the Lidar or with purge lines.

image
image1920×1197 94.8 KB

2 Likes
20

Thanks for the recommendation, gonna try the Shifty then. The guides are a nice quality of life improvement, but with the version I had I’m now glad they didn’t cause permanent damage…