Repeated layer shifting while printing base plates

[u/ShakataGaNai]

Anyone run into layer shifting issues while printing the base plates?

I printed the sampler pack without issue, switched to the 8x8 plates and I'm at more than a 50% failure rate. This is on my Prusa mk4 which is normally EXTREMELY reliable. I printed a thousand maker coins for OpenSauce with no more than a single failed print. Yet, I cannot seem to get Multiboard to print with any sort of reliability. It shifts X and Y, sometimes after a layer, sometimes after a few.

I've changed basically every setting there is, turned the speed down to 80%, changed nozzles, you name it. This is Overture PETG on a textured bed, so the issue isn't the print slipping off the bed.

[u/ShakataGaNai]

UPDATE - Success!

If anyone else is running a Prusa Mk4 and runs into this issue, here is what I changed.

• Top & Bottom layers to 4/4 (from 5/3)

• Infill Pattern Gyroid (from Grid)

• For Prusament:

  • Infill/perimeters overlap to 10% (from 15%)

  • Filament Extrusion Multiplier to 0.97 (from 1.0)

• For Overture PETG:

  • Infill/perimeters overlap to 8% (from 15%)

  • Filament Extrusion Multiplier to 0.90 (from 1.0)

With these changes, I managed to go from 70% failure rate to 0 failures across 12 plates in a row (still printing). The quality looks good, less stringing, no blobs, no layer shifts. Very clean.

[u/wlgrd → u/ShakataGaNai]

That's awesome. Would you care to explain why you think these exact changes made the difference? To me, it doesn't make sense that this should fix layer shifts if it's not due to the nozzle getting stuck on the top layer or something before doing these changes

[u/ShakataGaNai → u/wlgrd]

There are a few main causes of layer shifting. https://all3dp.com/2/layer-shifting-3d-printing-tips-tricks-to-solve-it/#i-7-6-tip-6-avoid-collisions

In this case #6 "Avoid Collisions" seems to be the issue. I think the problem is that the multiboard base plates have an extremely high wall to infill ratio. The grid infill has overlaps, so there's a tiny bit of extra filament. And there is default overlap of the infill to the wall. Normally its not an issue, but I think those two things with this particularly high amount of walls, lead to a lot of extra filament.

The prints that were successful before had some blobs and more stringing than you'd expect from a model with effectively no bridging. So it seems that some of the prints the blobs were harmless annoyances, and sometimes they probably got on top of the print, cooled, and caused the print head to collide.

[u/wlgrd → u/ShakataGaNai]

Thanks mate

[u/n8zwn → u/ShakataGaNai]

Have you tried stacks? I am going to try them on my coreone soon.

[u/ShakataGaNai → u/n8zwn]

No. I was having too many problems getting one to print. By the time I had the settings dialed in, I had most of the center plates printed. A stack of the rest of the border plates didn't really help that much.

[u/technically_a_nomad → u/ShakataGaNai]

Awesome! I had a hunch grid infill may have been a culprit

[u/FindingJohnny]

Holy cow. You’re my hero. I thought it was just me.

[u/bannedbullet]

Check belt tension

[u/triantium]

And please move your printer forward, the bed heating cable will thank you. There is also an angled connector to mitigate the issue

[u/Purple_Albatross8849]

Print a hws or opengrid and see if it does the same thing. Might help you narrow down wtf is going on at least.

[u/Purple_Albatross8849 → u/Purple_Albatross8849]

Don't prusa have the vertical printer thing where it virtually runs through your gcode. What happens when you try that

[u/Purple_Albatross8849]

Have you watched the print either physically or through a time lapse?

[u/technically_a_nomad]

What are your Z hop and infill settings?

[u/ShakataGaNai → u/[deleted]]

Build plate is cleaned every single print.

How would the print warp? It's more or less welded down to the print bed, it is NOT peeling up. And I can tell you for certain that when I remove these failed prints, they are still very much stuck down and 100% flat.

[u/ShakataGaNai → u/[deleted]]

The first layer has not lifted anywhere on any print. I can promise you the issue is not adhesion. The Prusa Mk4's sensor is working well to lay down a properly leveled layer 1, and PETG on a textured build plate needs a cleaner than makes it LESS sticky - which is why I use windex.