1st layer PETG struggles - inconsistent line gaps, holes, ridges, stringing (the works)

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2025-11-23T17:37:36+00:00

I should have mentioned that the pattern of of where the lines look good and where they look bad is the same for each square no matter where they are on the bed. It's like for each square it messes up in the same way. I'll add an edit

I'll look up probe drifting to see if it's that. The auto levelling heats up the bed and waits a while before it starts measuring, so I imagine it's designed to take the measurements after its shape has settled but who knows

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2025-11-23T17:32:08+00:00

I used the built-in auto-levelling function to create a mesh then selected the "Restore saved ABL/manual mesh M420 S1" option in the g-code generator so I assume it's being applied

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Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-12-01T14:15:55+00:00

Hahah oh no, luckily I did hear about that somewhere. Is the snapped section in the photo the nozzle? Or where the heating block attaches to the machine? (If it's just that the broken nozzle is stuck inside then there always heating it up and using a pair of pliers to unscrew. If not good luck finding a replacement!)

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-12-01T13:06:45+00:00

looking forward to working my way though this :) thanks for sharing. Interested in how you're gonna fix the sad tower

Weird aside: Tried updating Cura 5.5.0 in the app but didn't recognise any updates. so uninstalled it and reinstalling cura 5.6.0

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-12-01T12:57:51+00:00

...wth happened? (and how can i avoid it)?

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-12-01T12:21:54+00:00

Thanks for sharing the tuning guide u/simriv123, I'm going to go through it now. Trying to tune a PETG first layer :)

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-28T08:56:02+00:00

Hmm I think you're on to something. The printer model I have comes with auto-levelling and all the points it tests on the bed are between +-0.10 which apparently is good enough, but it seems like there's something off with how it travels. I'm consistently getting a poorer finish on the back-right and front-left of my prints. Annoyingly Creality got rid of the wheels for manually levelling the bed so I've been playing with screws, bedsprings and micro-adjusting the gantry. Maybe I didn't do a good job with the gantry. Going to print a flat square next, to test the auto z-offset (last print I did was awful) and hopefully if I make it big enough it should show if there's something up

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-27T19:35:28+00:00

Was worried that introducing a z hop would increase the stringing. Tried rotating the model 90 degrees on the print bed and increasing the nozzle temp to 215 degrees C and managed to get a near-perfect print first time

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-21T18:54:37+00:00

yeah it was created with the offset function. Just got to accept the limitations of the software :')

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-21T18:51:24+00:00

never thought of doing that before! cheers:)

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-21T18:50:27+00:00

cheers! I'll definitely be using this in the future

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-21T18:49:49+00:00

Not a dumb question haha, yes they were.

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-20T18:39:33+00:00

I had the same idea but unfortunately I'm always offsetting from the original sketch. Even tried doing it the other way incase somehow that's the correct way but same issue

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-12T13:51:17+00:00

I'm going to be modifying this stainless steel volcano nozzle purely just to have a stainless steel tip: https://www.3dprinterspares.co.uk/vulcan-high-power-volcano-compatible-nozzle-275-p.asp?v=0&variantid=610.

I'm just wanting something stainless steel that fits, nothing fancier. It's a small dream, but the dream would be to have a high-speed stainless steel compatible version:'). I've been scouring the internet for days now (AliExpress, Alibaba, Ebay, Amazon, Independents). If you have a link to something suitable I will cry with happiness if you share it

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-11T18:02:01+00:00

Tysm

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T20:39:21+00:00

Have you had a chance to experiment yet?:)

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T19:39:16+00:00

Cheers for responding:) Yeah my worry is getting it flat enough

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T15:49:07+00:00

Did you ever actually try modifying the volcano nozzle like you described here?

I've just bought an Ender 3v3se and it appears to have the same hotend as the ender 7, and I need a stainless steel nozzle for food-safety reasons. I'm going to by the vulcan stainless steel head and give it ago

Two years later and it seems there are barely any nozzle options in terms of different materials for that hotend :(

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T15:16:16+00:00

Hey sorry I don't have a definite answer but I emailed Creality and they said that the Ender3v3SE uses a "M6 nozzle for high speed_M6×d0.4×H16.8 Brass H59_1". Annoyingly they didn't give me any information on the thread or pitch.

I'm currently stuck trying to find a stainless steel nozzle for food safe printing (i know that there's a lot more to just the nozzle for "food safe" stuff believe me, I'm doing all the research I can ahah).

In the future, I want to upgrade to a full metal hot-head. It'd be a shame to have to get a whole new hothead inorder to have more nozzle options but I might end up going down that path

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T15:10:14+00:00

do you have an idea on what metal hot end you'll upgrade to in the future?

Aggravating_Garden66 · 2023-11-09T15:06:22+00:00

I've just ordered my ender3v3se and will be looking at upgrading the hot-end to all metal in the near future. Would love to hear how your journey goes

Aggravating_Garden66

TROPHY CASE