I’ve upgraded to the Taz Workhorse from a Prusa i3 mk3s and I am trying to set up a similar magnetic PEI powder coated steel bed. This bed style is very good for printing PETG and does not leave any residue on the finished parts like gluesticks, which is necessary for our application.
My issue is that the magnetic print bed I ordered from Printedsolid does not seem to be planar enough to work with the TAZ corner leveling system. The leveling system finds the Z offset of the corners and assumes the plate itself is planar enough to ensure a consistent first layer. I am getting enough difference in Z across the magnetic plate to make a consistent first layer impossible, and it cannot be fixed by simply shimming the corner sensors (ie non linear distortions).
So, I am wondering if there are any magnetic plate products that are planar enough to work with this leveling system. Or, perhaps there is another solution, such as making a mesh bed leveling map that the printer loads before each print, or finding a way to planarize the bed I have somehow. It looks like the magnetic bed I bought is only off by around 0.1 mm at it’s high points but I don’t have feeler gauges to measure the exact value. I’ve ordered some to facilitate this process.
TAZ6 here, but I added a Wham Bam Flexible build system and I could not be happier with the results it is giving me. I added it right on top of the glass so it is as flat as it can get. It worked fine with the original level (corners) after changing the z-offset drastically. The only non-planar issues I’ve seen so far on the TAZ6 are mostly due to the x-carriage sagging in the middle. I’m in the process of adding a BLTouch to mine to remedy that issue.
I also have the Wham Bam on a Taz6, Mini and Mini2 my experience is pretty much the same as the previous poster, install directly on the glass and then change the z offset by quite a bit. Once that is done it prints very well, I haven’t found anything that doesn’t stick well, though I haven’t used it with Nylon or Polypro yet
I just made the purchase for my TAZ6 based on you post. Out of curiosity, do you recall what your original Z-offset was prior to Wham Bam mod? And, can you tell me how much you had to adjust the Z-offset after the mod? I just want to get a feel for the overall difference in height.
A good tool to have would be a set of digital calipers. Here’s one from Lowe’s and one from Home Depot. Useful for checking filament diameter, checking the accuracy of your printed parts, etc.
I bought a feeler gauge and a spare glass bed and I have discovered the issue is actually with the printer and probably not due to the Printedsolid build plate system. Are there any moderators that can allow me to edit the original post so I can correct that assumption?
Anyways, I have submitted a support ticket to see what can be done about the print head having around 0.3mm of Z variation as I move it around the full XY range. The BLTouch looks interesting, but hopefully it is not necessary to get a good first layer, and my first layer issue indicates there may be something wrong with the printer or it’s calibration.
sorry for the late reply. Prior to the install it was about -1.23, and I now have it slightly negative at -0.3 or so I believe. I’ll check when I get home. The total assembly is only slightly lower than the washers in the corner now.
Do you still use the Wham Bam? And I am not clear do you just put it on top of the existing surface or do you have to remove the bed and put the new one on it?