04-11-2021, 12:23 PM
After reading these posts it appears lot of people are over thinking this issue or have found work arounds. I have a Elegoo Mars Pro and also experienced this issue when I first started 3D printing. I'm a knuckle dragging mechanic, not an engineer, so hopefully I can explain the set up in layman's terms. The most important thing to realize is that Home is the mechanical limit of the unit. Set Z=0 is entering an offset in the program to take into consideration the thickness of the FEP in the resin vat.
The first step is to loosen up the build plate so it moves freely. Put a piece of paper on the LCD screen and press the Home button. Remember to square up the build plate as it goes down. The only reason why the paper is inserted is to prevent the build plate from making physical contact with the LCD screen.
Next step is to tighten the allen head screws on the build plate. Start with the screw on the front. Turn it a quarter of a turn then turn the screw on the side a quarter of a turn. Repeat this until you feel a little resistance on both screws. Then you will want to tighten up the screws using the "two finger torque" method. Which is tightening the screws as much as you can using only two fingers. You can confirm the level of the plate by manually raising the build plate 0.1mm then tug on the paper on both sides. If there is more resistance on one side than the other then repeat the entire process.
Once you are happy with the level of the build plate, manually raise the plate another 0.1mm or 0.2mm so the paper will pull out with slight resistance. Once the paper is removed press Set Z=0. Manually raise the build plate, inset the resin vat, and you are ready to print. NEVER PRESS HOME WHEN THE RESIN VAT IS IN PLACE!!! Doing this will cause the unit to try to drive the build plate to the mechanical limit. It won't be able to reach that limit because of the added thickness of the FEP in the tank. This is what causes the popping and grinding and will put a heavy load on the stepper motor.
It is possible to set "zero" without using the Set Z=0 function. Doing so will basically set the mechanical limit higher to accommodate the FEP thickness. This method will allow you to press the Home button without over driving the motor but it will not allow you to adjust the "zero" if the gap between the build plate and the FEP is too great. If you wish to set it up this way I would recommend using a piece of replacement FEP instead of multiple sheets of paper.
I hope this clears up any confusion and solves your issue. Good luck and happy printing!
The first step is to loosen up the build plate so it moves freely. Put a piece of paper on the LCD screen and press the Home button. Remember to square up the build plate as it goes down. The only reason why the paper is inserted is to prevent the build plate from making physical contact with the LCD screen.
Next step is to tighten the allen head screws on the build plate. Start with the screw on the front. Turn it a quarter of a turn then turn the screw on the side a quarter of a turn. Repeat this until you feel a little resistance on both screws. Then you will want to tighten up the screws using the "two finger torque" method. Which is tightening the screws as much as you can using only two fingers. You can confirm the level of the plate by manually raising the build plate 0.1mm then tug on the paper on both sides. If there is more resistance on one side than the other then repeat the entire process.
Once you are happy with the level of the build plate, manually raise the plate another 0.1mm or 0.2mm so the paper will pull out with slight resistance. Once the paper is removed press Set Z=0. Manually raise the build plate, inset the resin vat, and you are ready to print. NEVER PRESS HOME WHEN THE RESIN VAT IS IN PLACE!!! Doing this will cause the unit to try to drive the build plate to the mechanical limit. It won't be able to reach that limit because of the added thickness of the FEP in the tank. This is what causes the popping and grinding and will put a heavy load on the stepper motor.
It is possible to set "zero" without using the Set Z=0 function. Doing so will basically set the mechanical limit higher to accommodate the FEP thickness. This method will allow you to press the Home button without over driving the motor but it will not allow you to adjust the "zero" if the gap between the build plate and the FEP is too great. If you wish to set it up this way I would recommend using a piece of replacement FEP instead of multiple sheets of paper.
I hope this clears up any confusion and solves your issue. Good luck and happy printing!