I also try to stick to one manufacturer of PLA if possible. I print only with PLA and don’t have any experience with ABS. If it’s very transparent, then it’s probably a little too close to the bed. You can also keep an eye on the printed filament as it’s going on to the bed.
If the extruder is ‘clicking’ when printing, tighten the screws a little to drop the level a little. It’s best to run a test print with good sized skirt or brim, and live adjust as needed. Once I’ve levelled the bed, I tend to drop the level about an eighth of turn. Don’t forget to check the centre of the bed as well after you’ve levelled the corners. You might need to do this one or two more times, as the corner height changes slightly when you tighten the other screws. Adjust the screw in that corner until the paper is just able to slide from under the nozzle with a little bit of resistance. Start in the left corner of the bed, move your print head slightly to get at your levelling screws or hex screws or however your printer levels itself. Simply slide the paper under the hot end (with the bed heated to your usual temperature) and home your printer. A simple piece of regular letter paper under the nozzle usually gives a pretty accurate level. It’s usually best to check your bed level after a couple of good prints. Again, read up on the guidelines or check Facebook groups and forums for the best way of levelling your printer’s bed. The majority of FDM machines don’t have auto bed-levelling as standard yet. Some printers come with auto bed-levelling as standard, which definitely makes it easier to get that perfect first layer. Our modular Warhammer 40K terrain prints beautifully on the Prusa and the larger bed makes it easier to print more pieces at the same time. We run Prusa printers here at Corvus HQ and find they’re great to set up and get really nice quality prints, even when printing from the build-your-own-kit models. Some manufacturers are better than others when it comes to documentation on setting up the printer.
Calibrate your printer according the manufacturer’s guidelinesĭepending on the brand and type of 3D printer, your machine might print great straight out of the box, but it also might not! So it’s best to check your printer’s manufacturer guidelines on their website or from the manual before you start printing your terrain.
With variances in everything from slicing software to filament quality, it can be difficult to produce great quality prints every time. One of the biggest issues I’ve faced has been getting a model to print with the same level of detail and quality each time. Being a newish technology, it’s always going to be fraught with inconsistencies in quality and performance. Printing your own 3D terrain at home can be a tricky business, even for those of us producing dozens of models a week.