1 Topic by pirvan (edited by pirvan 2013-05-14 23:30:42)

  • pirvan
  • pirvan
  • Member
  • Offline
  • From: San Francisco
  • Registered: 2013-03-27
  • Posts: 1,797

Topic: Bed Leveling Question

Here is  question regarding bed leveling and whether or not it's really critical.

Assuming your print bed level is close but not quite, after the first few layers, it should now longer matter.  The first layer or two will vary in thickness due to the bed not being level, but all subsequent deposits will be level after that.  So the top of each subsequent layer will be at a slight angle with respect to the print bed, but will be level with respect to the print head. 

The image below is an exagerration, but it conveys the idea.

The only real problem would be the extruded plastic not sticking to the bed properly in the areas where the print bed is to low.

Post's attachments

level print.jpg
level print.jpg 42.56 kb, file has never been downloaded. 

You don't have the permssions to download the attachments of this post.
To print or, 3D print, that is the question...
SD3 printer w/too many mods,  Printrbot Simple Maker Ed.,  FormLabs Form 1+
AnyCubic Photon, Shining 3D EinScan-S & Atlas 3D scanners...
...and too much time on my hands.

2 Reply by IanJohnson

  • IanJohnson
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2012-08-07
  • Posts: 2,815

Re: Bed Leveling Question

That's pretty much it.  There is a better chance of the print peeling up in the area that is too low.  Depending on how good the conditions are, the variation in level may or may not be within the range of what is good enough to stick.  If you are printing on bare Kapton with an open printer, level is probably more critical than printing on glass with ABS glue and an enclosure.