Uneven first layer (thin and thick areas)
21 usi3d guides for “Uneven first layer (thin and thick areas)”, each with the likely causes, how to check which one is yours and the step-by-step fix, with each manufacturer's official sources.
3 apply to any FDM printer and 18 are for Anycubic, Bambu Lab, Creality, Elegoo, Flashforge, Prusa, Qidi, Raise3D, RatRig and Voron printers.
Each guide summarises the official documentation and says whether usi3d has already verified it on a machine.
Any FDM printer (3 guides)
- First layer won't stick to the bed
When the print starts, the plastic doesn't stay on the bed: lines drag, curl up or stick to the nozzle, or the part comes loose shortly after starting.
- Uneven first layer: squished in some areas and gappy in others
The first layer isn't the same across the bed: in some areas the lines are squished, almost see-through or ridged, and in others they are round, separated or not…
- Unlevel or warped bed: uneven first layer even with a bed mesh
The first layer is squished in one area and too high or not sticking in another, or one side is very close and the other too far.
Anycubic (1 guide)
- Kobra 2: auto-leveling fails with a module or abnormal leveling warning
During auto-leveling on the Kobra 2, Kobra 2 Pro or Kobra 2 Max, the printer stops with a warning such as «Leveling is abnormal,please check whether the wiring of the…
Bambu Lab (2 guides)
- A1 and A1 mini: first layer too low, wavy or scraping the plate (hotend shifting)
On the A1 or A1 mini the first layer comes out too squashed, wavy, with raised edges or peeling off, or the nozzle almost rubs the plate and hardly any plastic comes out.
- X1: Micro Lidar alerts (dirty lens, failed calibration, nozzle height) and first layer inspection
The X1, X1 Carbon or X1E shows Micro Lidar alerts such as «Micro Lidar lens seems to be dirty» (0C00-0100-0001-0004), «Failed to calibrate Micro Lidar»…
Creality (5 guides)
- Ender 3 S1 Pro or Ender 5 S1: first layer too high or scraping after levelling (CR Touch and Z offset)
After automatic levelling, the first layer does not stick because the nozzle is too high, or it scrapes the plate because it is too low; sometimes one corner differs…
- Ender 3 V3 SE or KE: leveling fails, CR Touch error or the nozzle scratches the bed
On the Ender 3 V3 SE or KE automatic leveling stops with an error (leveling failure, CR Touch error or height measurement failure), the nozzle keeps probing the lower…
- Ender 3 V3 SE: the Z axis does not move when homing, the gantry is crooked or the nozzle height is wrong
On the Ender 3 V3 SE, when you press «Home» the Z axis does not move up or down, the gantry leans backwards (towards the Z motor side) or, after the height measurement…
- The K1 levels badly: the nozzle scrapes the bed in some areas and the layer is too high in others
On the K1, K1C or K1 Max the first layer is not the same across the plate: in some areas the nozzle scrapes the surface and in others the line is too high or does not…
- The K1 pauses itself due to AI detection (101, 103, 104) or warns about the LiDAR (505, 506, 507, «LiDAR not detected»)
The K1 series printer stops printing with an AI detection warning: 101 (spaghetti detected), 103 (first layer problem) or 104 (foreign object on the bed), sometimes even…
Elegoo (2 guides)
- Neptune 3 Pro: levelling does not work, the first layer is uneven or the nozzle keeps going down
On the Neptune 3 Pro (and the rest of the Neptune 3 series) the first layer is uneven or does not stick even after levelling, or when homing Z the nozzle keeps going…
- Neptune 4: first layer too far or squashed after leveling, or the print head does not stop going down
On the Neptune 4 or 4 Pro, after automatic leveling the nozzle is too close to or too far from the bed and the first layer comes out wrong; you have to level every time…
Flashforge (1 guide)
- Adventurer 5M or AD5X: nothing comes out on the first layer, the nozzle scratches the plate or the part will not stick
No filament comes out on the first layer because the nozzle is too close, the nozzle scratches the plate after automatic levelling, the part does not stick, or after…
Prusa (3 guides)
- First layer too high, too squished or uneven on MK4, MK4S or CORE One (load cell)
On an MK4, MK4S or CORE One, which calibrate the first layer by themselves with the load cell in the print head, the first layer comes out too high (round lines with…
- MINI+: wrong first layer height, Live Adjust Z at its limit or Z rises while leveling (SuperPINDA)
On the MINI+ the first layer is too high or too squished, Live Adjust Z reaches -2.000 and the nozzle is still too far away, or during homing or mesh bed leveling the Z…
- MK3S+: wrong first layer height, nozzle hits the bed or bed leveling fails (SuperPINDA)
On the MK3S+ the first layer is too high or too squished, the nozzle scrapes or crashes into the sheet, XYZ calibration fails, or you see «Bed leveling failed.
Qidi (1 guide)
- QIDI X-Plus 3: the bed crashes into the nozzle or the first layer does not stick
On the X-Plus 3 the bed rises until it hits the nozzle when leveling or starting a print, or the first layer comes out with gaps between the lines and does not stick…
Raise3D (1 guide)
- E2: in duplication or mirror mode one head does not stick or scrapes, or the two heads are not aligned
On a Raise3D E2 (IDEX), when printing in Duplication or Mirror mode one of the two parts does not stick or its nozzle scrapes the bed; or in two-material prints the…
RatRig (1 guide)
- V-Core: the bed mesh looks tilted or twisted and the first layer is uneven
On a Rat Rig V-Core, the bed mesh shown in Mainsail looks tilted or twisted instead of flat, and the first layer is squished more in some areas than in others or does…
Voron (1 guide)
- Voron 2.4 and Trident: QUAD_GANTRY_LEVEL or Z_TILT_ADJUST fails or does not converge
When levelling the gantry of a 2.4 (QUAD_GANTRY_LEVEL, QGL) or the bed of a Trident (Z_TILT_ADJUST), the process stops with an «out of bounds» error, fails because the…
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