1st layer test print for Prusa MK3S(+)/MK3.x/MK4(S)

1st layer test print for Prusa MK3S(+)/MK3.x/MK4(S).

Although i like the zick zack method Prusa printers use to calibrate a new print sheet, it is always not really clear to me, if the Z-offset is rigtht on the most used places of the whole print bed. You also cannot see if you are just a little too close and if you need to raise the nozzle again a little to avoid little waves in the first layer because the nozzle would push little waves of filament in front of it… So the Prusa method is good to get a rough setting quickly done, but the real good setting where your Z-offset should be for that specific print sheet is hard to get this way…

So with this small model you will get a test print with just 0.2mm layer height as 1 layer print.

With this i test, if the Z-offset really fits after i used the Prusa settings with the zick zack method test.

You can clearly see if…

• … you are to far away with the nozzle:
  • lines are not melting together on the complete bed,
  • you can see through the print tiny holes if you hold it against light and/or
  • you can see super tiny holes in the corners and/or within the print.
• … you are are a tiny bit too close to the bed:
  • seeing waves in the print or
  • the above surfaces under the nozzle is rough on the top during printing.
• … you are really way too close to the bed:
  • and see that the nozzle pushes the filament in front of it again, but makes the surface uneven and you can see almost too thin spots and holes in the surface.

If it then looks like this in the next pictures, you found the right height, which took me 4 rounds with the Prusa setting and printing 4 times my test print. I had it a tiny bit too low and saw super small waves in the surface already in the 1st picture. Then I aborted the print and went in 0.015mm steps up with the Z-offset. After raising it 0.045mm (3rd round) I could barely see the waves again in some really tiny spots and then went 0.005 up again and it was really perfect and you can feel that on the surface during printing too. It feels smooth and not rough then in these spots.

Hope to help someone of you fine tuning your sheets too. =)

Printing instructions:

• 0.2 speed profile
• Clean bed with Isopropanol alcohol before each test print
• No brim, no supports ;-)

Happy prinring =)