Not so long ago I bought my first 3D printer. It hasn’t shipped yet, but I’m gathering knowledge so hopefully I’ll be able to use it when it arrives.
One of the things I noticed while choosing the printer was that many specified “perfect first layer”. What’s so special about it? What should a beginner such as I know about it?
In addition to first layer adhesion being critical, it’s a good calibration tool. The first layer makes it easy to see if you have your z-offset right, among other things.
I had mine too high and my e steps too low and compensated by adjusting flow and temp in my slicer which lead to other issues later on like bad overhangs, random gaps between layers, ugly top layers, etc. I was pulling my hair out trying to adjust slicer settings but my height and extrusion were just off.
After getting a really good first layer, prints have been way cleaner, simply because the settings required to get a perfect first layer matter for other layers too, they’re just not as obvious there.
That’s my newbie take anyway. I’ve been printing for about a month
Another good take: never compensate if you can calibrate or adjust the actual value. Or, simply, never compensate.