Another advantage of some ABL systems is that once the Z offset is set, you can interchange build surfaces of various thicknesses, with no changes needed for a successful first layer. Assuming the probe is triggered the same way on the bed surface, the Z offset is applied to this trigger point and the first layer height should be the same. On a manually levelled bed, the four corner knobs would need to be turned in unison to raise or lower the bed in accounting for thickness of the new build surface.
The following form will create a series of five squares that you can use to live level your bed or set the Z offset. It is quick to print and features one square in the middle of the bed, with four others in the corners. You can use these to turn the levelling knobs in each corner until they are consistent, or ensure your ABL system is working if you have one in place.
-This test uses a 0.2mm first layer height.
@@ -685,6 +699,15 @@
The following form will create a retraction tower to conveniently test back to back parameters in the same print. Of the three available parameters, it is best to change only one per test print. For example, keep the retraction speed and extra restart distance the same, but vary the retraction distance over each segment. Changing more than one parameter makes is hard to tell what made the difference. The print is quick, so repeat the test varying other parameters until you are happy with them all.
Here is the STL if you would like to slice a similar test yourself: retractiontest.stl