Inconsistent Nozzle Distance Results even with Well-Leveled Bed

[maiden rover]

Hi folks! I'm fairly new to 3D printing, and since getting my first printer I have been having issues getting a "perfect" first layer, which until recently I've believed to be due to poor leveling. However, after a substantial amount of effort, I am now confident that my bed is in fact well leveled, and I think something harder to diagnose may be going on.

In short, using a 5-square level test print, I get results that don't seem to make sense given my leveling efforts - I have attached pictures in the order back left, back right, middle, front left, front right:

• The middle square is usually somewhere between just right and too far from the nozzle
• The front two squares always seem to be too close to the nozzle - often substantially so. This seems to be the case after any/all of my leveling efforts.
• The back two squares are usually more similar to the middle - with my current leveling and bed mesh, one is slightly too far from the nozzle and one is slightly too close

Here's my setup:

• Printer: Ender 3 S1, running the "Professional Firmware" firmware upgrade
• Filament: Inland PLA, white, 1.75mm
• Printing plate: Creality PEI-coated spring steel
• ABL Probe: CR Touch
• Leveling test used: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2187071
• Non-default config options:
  • Extruder steps-per-mm reduced to 422.8 from 424.9
  • Z-offset adjusted to -2.65mm
  • PLA printing temperature set to 225 degrees C (for Inland PLA)

Other notes:

• I have attached a photo of my results from the firmware tramming wizard, showing very level corners
• I have also attached a photo of my current bed mesh (displayed with the Octoprint bed visualizer plugin). It looks quite level to me, which makes my results even more confusing to me
• I do explicitly run M420 S1 Z2 in my GCODE (I have also tried with Z10)
• All leveling has been done with filament removed and the nozzle cleaned, and all test prints have been performed on a bed cleaned with alcohol prior to each attempt
• Z-offset was determined by setting the Z=0.2 mm and using a 0.2mm feeler gauge, adjusting the offset until it was just above the point where the gauge would no longer smoothly slide beneath the nozzle
• I have seen some people mention checking that the x gantry is squared, which I have struggled to find definitive resources on how to do - but if that were the case, my understanding is that the discrepancies would be between the left/right squares, rather than the front/back squares

I have spent many hours trying to get to the bottom of this, much of it feeling like "boy, doing this leveling to get this layer right sure seems harder than the guides make it out to be" - and at this point, I'm starting to feel like it has to be some other issue. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on what I can do to diagnose this problem!

[marsh glen]

AI Help

Based on your description and your efforts in leveling the bed, it seems like there may be other factors contributing to the issue with your first layer. Here are a few things you can try to further diagnose and resolve the problem:

1. Check your Z-axis alignment: Make sure that your Z-axis is perfectly vertical and not tilted. Any misalignment can affect the levelness of your first layer.

2. Clean the nozzle: Ensure that the nozzle is completely clean and not clogged. A clogged nozzle can result in inconsistent extrusion, which can affect the quality of the first layer.

3. Check the nozzle height: Confirm that the nozzle is at the correct distance from the bed. You mentioned using a feeler gauge to determine the Z-offset, but make sure that the gauge is firmly touching the bed and that there is no resistance when sliding it under the nozzle.

4. Verify the bed temperature: Ensure that the bed is reaching and maintaining the correct temperature for proper adhesion. Different fila...

WARNING: This response is AI generated and may contain errors.

[marsh glen]

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[maiden rover]

I don't want to just self-bump my own post, but the above isn't quite right - I posted this 20 minutes ago, not an hour

[marsh glen]

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[devout elbow]

Check gantry