Z-endstop adjustment

[jhopiv]

So I have my eclips3d up and running. And I have to say that the printer quality is amazing. I did my first print Saturday night and I have been printing nonstop all weekend.

My only problem at the beginning of every print is the height of the z axis endstop. The endstop moves very easily and when I home it a few times it mover just a hair. A hair is all it takes to throw my next print out of alignment and it comes off by the second layer.

I was thinking maybe we should tap a m5 hole in the z plate right under the endstop so we will have micro adjustment of the z endstop.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

Also I feel like my heated bed may be slightly warped or bent and I can never get it perfect. Anyone else have this problem?

[3DprintedLife]

A z axis trigger screw is not a bad idea, I'll have to incorporate this into a future version, but anyone else is more than welcome to do this on their own beforehand! My only concern with that is that the hole would have to be treated to prevent the screw from moving from vibrations from the printer, but this could possibly be fixed by supergluing a nut with a nylon insert above or below this tapped hole for the trigger screw!

Also it is very possible you may have a warped bed, but also keep in mind that when you are leveling the bed and are adjusting the front screw, you have to make sure the bed is not flexing at all when you test the height. It is very easy to have the front point too close to the nozzle without realizing it, since there is a bit of flex there which you have to account for.

But I'm very glad you have been getting good quality prints so far!

[jhopiv]

I'm going to modify my Z plate and post pics. I'm going to put the endstop on the non adjustable bracket so it's sturdy and drill and tap a m3 hole and use the a spring like what on the heated bed to hold the screw tight.

I also think the z axis cnc plate can be a little stiffer. I'm going to built 2 pieces of 1" aluminum angle on the bottom. I notice it vibrates a little during printing and that may be why there is sometimes banding in the prints.

I think the z axis is the only weakness in this amazing machine. The X and Y axis are incredibly stiff.

[theo1001]

This is a good idea! I added it using an m4.

[bpopilek]

That's a great idea for those that are not using any kind of removable material like glass or acrylic on top of the heated bed. Perhaps an alternate solution can be devised for those that do. I just installed BuildTak on my heated bed directly to try it out. Prior to this, I have been using a piece of glass with hairspray to get good adhesion and a nice flat surface to print on.

[theo1001]

I am using glass with builtak. The z end stop is out of the printable area... works very well. I can change printing surfaces easily and readjust z height.

[jjlink]

That was a great idea. I also drilled and tapped a m3 hole, and put the M3 screw in with the spring.