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To build good parts, the build plate needs to be level, and the nozzle needs to be about 0.1mm
from the build plate in all locations. This is about the thickness of a single piece of A4 paper. You
want to adjust the height of the build plate so thate you can barely slide the paper between the
nozzle and the build plate with only a little resistance.
1. Select Prepare -> Preheat PLA. This will heat up the bed and the nozzle to actual printing
conditions, making the leveling more accurate.
2. Select Prepare -> Auto home. This will move the nozzle to the home position at the front
left corner of the build plate.
3. Select Prepare -> Disable steppers. This will allow you to move the X-carriage and build
plate by hand.
4. Tips: The Z-axis stepper motor is also disabled, and you don’t want it to move at all. So
you should handle the printer gently during the leveling process. Keep it flat and move the
X-carriage carefully.
5. Wait for the print bed and nozzle temperature to reach the target temperature. The info
screen displays this information below the nozzle and bed icons.
6. Slide a piece of paper between the nozzle and the build plate.
7. Adust each of the four thumbscrews under the bed until the piece of paper slides, with just
a bit of drag, in all locations on the build plate.
8. You may need to make fine adjustments to the bed level when you start printing. The first
layer of the print will show whether the distance between the nozzle and the build plate
is correct. You want it to be pushed into the build surface slightly to maximize surface area
contact while still allowing good extrusion flow.
• You can try to carefully adjust the thumbscrews during the first layer of the print
while the plate is moving until the distance between the nozzle and the build plate is
producing smooth extruded lines.
• After you have fine-tuned the bed level during the first layer, you may want to stop the
print, clear the build plate, and restart the print.
Leveling the Build Plate
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