Bed levelling issues now that I have moved to nGen

[Gary @gizmob73 My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

I have been printing with PLA without any issues, other than the material doesn’t suit my needs at present, but the prints were great.

I have now started with my first reel of nGen (bought from the CEL Store) and I have been having all sorts of issues.

I have been through the process of purging, cleaning and calibrating and have now found that the problem is related to inconsistencies in the bed height. Printing in different places on the print bed produces different results due to the differences in the height.

I have removed the PEI, and straightened it out a bit. It is pretty close to flat, but I suspect it is warping with the added heat when using nGen rather than PLA. I didn’t have any of these issues with PLA before.

Now some parts of my print don’t really appear until the 4th or 5th layer (I always print on the mid setting, one better than draft), whilst half of the print is well established by this point.

I see the same thing with the fine nozzle when doing a purge.

I have tried changing the nozzle height calibration point, but that is no good because then it prints well on the high points of the PEI and just drops the filament on the low points, which then don’t stick to the PEI and create a mess.

I thought the whole point of the 9 point auto levelling at the start of each print was to adjust for this, but it doesn’t seem to work. Is this a software bug?

I can’t seem to get my PEI any flatter, and it is pretty close when cold, so I am guessing it must be getting worse when hot, but I cannot really check this.

Any ideas what I can do, as this is a bit of a spoiler now?

Thanks

G

[Gary @gizmob73 My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

To add to my previous post, I am noticing from my prints that the left side of the bed seems to be consistently slightly higher, resulting in thinner prints on the left (spool) side of the bed.

I have used the “Level Gantry” maintenance option several times and visually the Gantry looks OK, but I am not sure that a 1 or 2mm difference in the two ends of the Gantry would be visible anyway.

I have just completed a print which printed perfectly in PLA before switching to nGen (perhaps this is a coincidence). The print is 108mm wide, but the left side is a full 1mm thinner than the right side now. See the pic atached.

Not sure if it is the bed, the PEI or the Gantry, but something is wrong. Any ideas are welcome.

 

 

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[BHudson @bhudson I have several Robox units Kickstarter and Commercial Arizona, USA]

@gizmob73 I would suggest opening a support ticket.

The current design of the Robox means that the left side of the bed will always be measured a tiny bit lower than the right. If you are seeing something different, you may have a gantry tension issue or a broken gantry frame. It should not be material dependent. If it is, you may have a non-functioning head tension spring.

I operate two Betas and one Production Robox.
See my 3D Hub site at https://www.3dhubs.com/phoenix/hubs/ben

[Gary @gizmob73 My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

@BHudson If your left and right are when looking from the front of the printer (left being the reel side) then mine would appear to be higher not lower. I have just done another Level Gantry and a Z Test and it’s still wrong. I guess I will get that ticket raised, but thanks for your response.

[BHudson @bhudson I have several Robox units Kickstarter and Commercial Arizona, USA]

@gizmob73 Yes, that is what I see too, which is why I think that you need to open the support ticket. It may be that your gantry is broken or that your head spring is not working correctly. Support can help you determine which and what needs to happen to fix the issue.

I operate two Betas and one Production Robox.
See my 3D Hub site at https://www.3dhubs.com/phoenix/hubs/ben

[Gary @gizmob73 My Robox is a Blue Commercial Version]

Problem turned out to be with the left gantry retaining nuts and thread.

Could have been dirt on the motor thread, but not sure, the lower nut just kept on jamming and somehow both nuts worked themselves to the opposite ends of the motor thread.

I replaced that left motor and the nuts, and now it runs like a dream again.

Nothing to do with the filament, just a coincidence.

I have to say, the support service was really great though. Well done CEL.

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