Simplify3D User Forum

Hello I just switched from slic3r and I am having some issues getting my first layer to lay down correctly. I've got a prusa i3 printer. My prints were coming out pretty good with slic3r but since i switched to simplify 3d i am getting gaps in my first layer fill. I've tried adjusting the first layer height and width and neither are giving me satisfactory results. If i lower the first layer height and increase the width i get huge spaces between my infill lines. If i decrease my first layer width the lines are a lot closer together but still do not touch. I have also have been messing with my z height offset. I've got it at -.15 and it doesn't seem to change much. Hopefully that makes sense?


Primary layer height: .10mm
First layer height: 80%
First layer width: 300%
extrusion multiplier: 2.00
extrusion width: .80 mm
Primary layer height: .10mm
First layer height: 50%
First layer width: 150%
extrusion multiplier: 2.00
extrusion width: .80 mm

It looks like your nozzle is too far away from the bed. Go to the G-Code tab and decrease the z-axis gcode offset. If it was at -0.15, make it -0.2mm. Continue lower it until the first layer is properly squished.

Why is your extrusion multiplier at 2? What is your nozzle size?

Set your first layer height to 300% (for 0.1mm primary layer height), your first layer width to 150, you extrusion multiplier to 1 and extrusion width to your nozzle diameter. With your current settings in the first example you are trying to extrude 2.4mm wide extrusion with just 0.08mm clearing from the nozzle to the bed - I don't think it's possible

ClassicGOD wrote:Why is your extrusion multiplier at 2? What is your nozzle size?

Set your first layer height to 300% (for 0.1mm primary layer height), your first layer width to 150, you extrusion multiplier to 1 and extrusion width to your nozzle diameter. With your current settings in the first example you are trying to extrude 2.4mm wide extrusion with just 0.08mm clearing from the nozzle to the bed - I don't think it's possible

OK I'll try that later on this evening. My nozzle is .4mm. It looked like it was under-extruding so I changed the multiplier to 2 to see if that would make it better (it didn't)

I'll try your settings later and see if it helps anything. Thanks for your help!

Looks pretty good so far. Just one other question. I'm getting these little bumps on the outside of the first layer. Is that something i should be concerned about or not? Could my nozzle height still be too far from the bed?

your bed gap is a touch too close. its extruding too much filament for the tight gap and its blowing out the sides. increase the gap just a touch and see if it gets better

I've only ever seen squiggles like that if the nozzle was too far away from the bed.

Certainly a possibility. Ive gotten stuff like that from being too close but not quite so uniform either. Whatever it is its probably due to bed gap.

jimc wrote:your bed gap is a touch too close. its extruding too much filament for the tight gap and its blowing out the sides. increase the gap just a touch and see if it gets better

Im going with this one..

While generally if the head is too close it will cause the lines to be very bold. If its past this point it generally starts to give this effect to me because its so close its causing feed problems.. though this is usually noticeable in my printer quickly besides this effect as I can hear the extruder slipping its grip on the filament.

on a side note, be sure while you are tuning your bed gap and making all your setting changes be sure your first layer settings are all set to 100%. dont dial that gap in with s3d already applying its own height and flow changes. do the tuning at a mid level layer height, say .2mm. once its all dialed in then change your first layer settings to what you want.