SnapMaker Frustrations ALREADY!!!

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

...yeah - Already - since I've only been printing on it for like 1.5 months or so - maybe a tad less...

So - lately I have been getting more and MORE Print Fails!! And, I started noticing the Brims on the parts were looking bad - when I pulled the failed print off the bed. Or - some fails - the dislodged during printing. 

Now - I know what some might say - Watch the 1st layer going down. And, I was trying to do that - but, maybe it's a combo of the printer being kinda enclosed - and the bed is SO Close to the top of the door - height wise - which is also making it difficult to watch 1st layer...

And, this is after I even did a recalibration like 1.5 weeks ago. 

As such - I figured I would analyze the problem - do one of the single layer Sheet prints that covers the whole bed - then look at the sheet. Well - that proved the case. A BUNCH of spots not having proper Squish of the 1st layer. 

So - last night I had it go thru the Entire Calibration process again. Then I attempted Again to print the sheet. Honestly - looking down upon the print job from above - yeah - new plexiglass cover pulled off - and it seemed to look GOOD! 

I even did the trick where - as it's printing the brim - I was swiping my finger across that single initial line of the brim - trying to dislodge it - and that would prove bad 1st layer. But, nope - could NOT dislodge it! And, I watched the whole print - and it really looked GOOD!

However - after print finished - this was the disaster I got after getting it off the build plate:

Sure -- it looks kinda pretty in the sunlight - but - Yikes - the problem is WORSE - like CONSISTENTLY bad first layer!

I could NOT see Anything in the UI of the machine - for a 1st layer offset! 

I am REALLY Bummed - especially as this machine is the MOST Expensive one I have owned - Not considering the Mojo - Obviously. 

And - a machine costing like $900 should not have Fails like this after only like 1.5 months! 

WTF?!?!?!?

So - you folks with SnapMakers - your thoughts???

-K

[Ed Street]

That is an easy fix. Take the build plate off, take it to the sink, and clean it with Dawn and water. clean it very well on both sides.  Dry it, apply a glue stick, and put it back on the printer.  Prints will start going well after that.  If you use something like PCTG followed by ASA, you will find it causes sticking issues.  One thing that many do is dedicate a plate to each filament type.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Ed - I highly disagree. I've already done that - it does NOT help! I even clean with Isopropyl after dish soap and drying it. 

It's Obvious that 1st layer is NOT Getting enough SQUISH! 

If plate is Dirty - it means parts might not Stick - but, if all lines are not melting together AT ALL - it's Obviously a Squish problem...

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

From what I've read, you can swipe left (I think) and select the Z-offset menu and adjust the Z-offset while printing first layer.

Of course you can always just edit the config file.

Seems that's all this is.

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[Kurt]

Bryan - yeah - Z-Offset is Exactly my thought!!!

Will admit - the UI on the machine is None too Helpful! I figured some kind of overall Z-Offset would be an option - didn't really see that. So - the idea of Swiping Left - and it's NOT a Dating App - sounds like a GREAT Idea - and I WILL Try it out tonight!!!

Thanks SO Much for the Input Sir!

-K

[Ed Street]

Ok, fair point.  Let me counter with some info here.  When you have sensors that perform auto Z-offset, bed mesh, and various other Z-related compensations, many factors come into play outside of Z-offset.  Yes, if you have no sensor, then z offset is the ticket.  However, WITH SENSORS/probes, you have to account for other things, i.e., the nozzle is dirty/buildup and causing longer lengths on the nozzle, after all, after all, they probe at 150 while printing temp is much higher, thus any buildup on the nozzle will be hard and WILL cause excessive offsets to the probe.  This also happens with sensors and nozzles.

By just changing z offset alone is shooting yourself in the foot.  So clean the bed, clean the nozzle, clean the sensors, THEN and only then look at zoffset as the last resort.

Before making any Z offset on printers like this, I would run a first-layer test.  just a plain square that is exactly 1 layer high, print and evaluate.  See if one area of the bed is worse than others; it could be buildup on the PEI plate or mag plate.

[Kurt]

Ed - starting backwards...

You mention "run a first-layer test" - but, did you not actually read my initial posting - and did you not see the pic? The point was - That WAS what I was printing - a Flat 1-layer square that covered the whole build plate. 

Now - in regard to your comment of a dirty nozzle causing a problem with theoretical longer nozzle - that could indeed cause a problem. But - yes - I did indeed Clean my build plate thoroughly as I last mentioned. But - MORE Importantly - during the calibration process - it literally heads up Each of the Nozzles - and has you Wipe them off with a wired brush. So - yeah - that should not be causing the problem. 

I agree that changing a Z-offset may NOT be the best option - since, there would SEEM to be some kind of underlying problem. But, right now - I have Not idea what that could be! So - Tonight - attempting the Z-offset change will have to be the solution for now. 

-K

[LukeH]

Have you tried opening up the Fluidd interface for your printer (by typing in the IP address into a browser window), and checking the bed level mesh?

If it is way out, you can just use the basic Klipper bed screws adjust macro to make it better. Recommend printing the bed screws adjustment tool, since the knobs on the bottom of the bed are a little tough to grip. You can download the tool off the Snapmaker wiki, or I supposed from all of the usual sites.

Then run the auto bed level again.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Luke - my problem previously is that I was NOT able to connect my printer to my network. Supposedly its cause my network in like 5G - but, the printer only can SEE the 2.4G networks. When I try - it DOES see Other networks - just not MY Network!

But - Yeah - I would LOVE to try that Fluidd interface. And, this is my 1st time hearing about that. 

-K

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Bryan - there is NO Swipe left - I tried. I started up a test print - and there's no such thing. There's an "arrow" - to go back in the menu system - but, there is no option Anywhere that I could see - to change the Z-Offset - so, I guess I am back to Square one!

-K

On Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 11:45:49 AM UTC-4 Bryan Eckert wrote:

[Jody Harris]

I sent you a private message. I guess you didn't see it.

You can adjust the Z-offset in PrusaSlicer, and I assume in Snapmaker Orca:

-j

Think carefully

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[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Sorry Jody - I did NOT see your DM. Not sure how you sent it to me. We have Done Direct emails before (using my Gmail) - And I just checked there - and saw nothing. I am also on this forum via Two Other email addys. So - yeah - it's confusing. As such - you kinda have THREE ways to DM me. The 2 emails I just checked - the 3rd one is only active for me at work...

So...

SM Slicer is a bit different - but, I DID find that setting kinda in the same place - as I know they are all FORKS of Software.

Honestly - I was more hesitant to do an Offset via SW - cause - I think it's better to do it via the machine - and it STAYS as the offset (well - in Theory - unless you do like a FW update). And - I wary that somehow the setting via the slicer my get lost. But, I am TRYING it right now! Fingers Crossed this Works!

-K

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

At this point - I've done about 8 print tests - just trying to dial it in - and I am getting success. The current print may be the final successful test print to prove it's dialed in!

[Bryan Eckert]

Yeah I’m getting conflicting info, and since I don’t own one I can’t check.

I’d say just adjust the offset in Fluidd since it’s a Klipper machine. According to the wiki you have to enable Advanced mode to access via web interface:

https://wiki.snapmaker.com/en/snapmaker_u1/troubleshooting/nozzle_scraping_the_build_plate

Maybe advanced mode enables the swipe function?

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[Kurt A 3d]

Kurt-1,

As you know I have a Prusa XL, not a SNAPMAKER U1.   On the XL the printer taps the bed before printing each  print to calculate the bed mesh.  It only does this with a single toolhead.  As part of the calibration of the printer, an something that I find one should redo as part of ones maintenance cycle (every 250-500 hours of printing) there is a calibration run which takes quite awhile where the printer finds the difference in nozzle position for each of its nozzles.   This also has to be redone whenever changing nozzles in a toolhead.   

More importantly I beleve you have been playing with multiple materials that are incomparable.  Everytime I switch between PLA<->PETG on my XL on a given nozzle I run about a foot (1/3 meter) of nylon through the nozzle at PETG temps. That helps with the build up of materials on the inside of the nozzles.  However sometimes thats not enough and I have to resort to doing a 2-3 cold pulls.  

 I almost never wash the build plates, I do use electronic cleaning wipes with 99% ipa on them, https://a.co/d/0g7cVxPA <-amazon link. 

Or just poor a small amount of 70% drugstore IPA on them and wipe it off with a paper towel (not as good)

I also seldom use any sort of glue on them. 

Kurt-A

[Kurt]

Advanced mode is already enabled. Yeah - this swipe thing simply doesn't exist. Luke here can confirm it. 

And - as stated previously -- I can NOT get my printer on the network - as previously explained why - so I can't access this Fluidd thing...

-K

[Kurt]

Dude - as previously mentioned - I've Gone thru the Whole Calibration process. 

And - when each print starts - it does touching down in middle of build plate. It also on the UI has the option of something like "Heated Bed [something]" that it can do at start of each print. I normally ignore it - but, doing this process and testing - I HAVE been doing it - and it does NOT help!

Also - when switching materials - after I DO the actual filament swap - I then heat up the nozzle - move head to center of bed - drop the bed - and manually extrude SEVERAL Feet of filament! Just sayin'...

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

Set up a hot spot on your cell phone, and access fluidd there. 

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[Lee Foulkes]

Have not read all the comments, apologies. But it’s not been plain sailing with my U1 either. Not aweful, but a few niggles. I’ve had a few first layer fails. It seems to work better when bed calibration with each print.