Bed leveling, which should be performed when a 3D printer is set up or when a new component has been installed, ensures the nozzle is the correct distance from the print bed at every point across the build surface. It is important to understand that adjustment of the Z offset is not an essential form of calibration like bed leveling. This can be achieved by introducing a Z offset, and there are several reasons why a user might do this. But sometimes a user might want the printhead’s default starting position to be slightly higher or lower on the Z axis. So when a printer is “homed,” the printhead sits in a corner of the print bed, just fractionally above the surface. The “home position” of the printhead more-or-less corresponds to the position where these limit switches kick in. The Z probe on a printer with automatic bed leveling performs the same function. The limit switch recognizes when the printhead is at its lowest possible point, and prevents it from descending further. The limit switch on the Z axis is important because it effectively prevents the printhead from burrowing into the build surface, which could potentially cause damage to the print bed and the hotend. And to prevent the printer from trying to exceed these limits, hardware manufacturers install small sensors called limit switches (or endstops) which detect when a moving part has reached its limit and cannot move any further. Movement along the X and Y axes allows the printhead to “draw” each 2D layer, while movement along the Z axis allows the printhead to move upwards to the next layer.īecause a 3D printer has a fixed build volume, there are limits to how far the printhead can move along any of these three axes. What is a Z offset?Ī Z offset is a user-defined print setting that allows the printhead to be positioned above or below the default Z home position (true zero point).Ī standard Cartesian-style FDM 3D printer has a printhead that moves along three axes. This article goes over the basics of Z offset, discussing the meaning of the term, the reasons why users might need to incorporate a Z offset, and looking at how to adjust this key parameter in three different ways: using G-code, slicing software, and a 3D printer’s physical LCD display. Adjustment of the 3D printer’s Z offset is a way to achieve successful prints in a variety of situations, such as when using filament with poor adhesion or when using a thick build surface.
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