[S5 and Buildtak magnetic build plate leveling problems]

gr5 - thank you for writing back to me. 

 

I think I have solved the problem. 

 

When I got the Buildtak flexplate system it says on the instruction card "Attach FlexPlate to magnetic mounting base. Re-level your printbed and ensure that the nozzle height is properly set."

 

That all seemed logical enough to me since I just added approximately 3 mm in height to the glass. 

 

So I ran the manual leveling program on the printer. This required me to push on screen buttons to change the bed height and also turn the 3 screws under the bed to further adjust the bed level.

 

After manually leveling the bed I tried to print a calibration cube and that is when I ran into problems. 

 

I decided to remove the Flexplate system from the printer and replace it with just the original glass the printer came with. Then I re-did the manual leveling and was able to print again on bare glass.

 

It was suggested by Matterhackers that I just try the Flexplate system again WITHOUT manually releveling the bed. I tried it and it worked! 

 

Upon further inspection of the Buildtak Flexplate instruction card there are further notes that say "If your printer has an auto-leveling function and your probe is a pressure sensor, level as you normally would with the BuildTak sheet installed."

 

In other words it seems I didn't need to do anything special to get it to work. I just needed to put the new build plate in there and the machine would figure it out.

 

I have run a few prints on the Buildtak PEI surface and it seems to work just like my Prusa smooth sheet. The print finishes and you just pop the spring steel/PEI sheet off it's magnets and flex the part off. Print quality and leveling seem to be working normally.

[S5 and Buildtak magnetic build plate leveling problems]

I’m having trouble trying to use the Buildtak flexplate system on the Ultimaker S5.

 

Google Photos album of this issue

 

I can no longer print as nozzle #2 is hitting the new build surface during the initial auto leveling with the Buildtak magnetic flexplate in place.

 

I applied the magnet to the new glass, I applied the PEI to the steel sheet, I inserted the glass/magnet sheet/steel sheet/PEI sheet assembly into the Ultimaker S5.

 

Firmware is up to date at 6.5.1

 

Using the Ultimaker S5 control panel I performed manual leveling following the instructions in the prompts. I set the 1mm gap using a tie wrap and the on screen buttons. I used the Ultimaker calibration card and the knobs on the bed to set a little friction when the system prompted me to do so.

 

I tried to print a PLA calibration cube and got this error: "Nozzle offset probe failed. Please check the nozzles and bed and try again."

 

Also the nozzle scratched my new surface:

 

There was a tiny amount of PVA hanging off nozzle 2 so I heated up nozzle 2 and cleaned it off with a brass brush.

 

I restarted the printer.

 

I followed online instructions to calibrate the nozzle switch position.

 

I checked the capacitive sensor wires and they look fine.

 

I tried to print the calibration cube again and got this error message: "Difference between detected height of both print cores exceeds realistic values."

 

And the 2nd nozzle scratched the plate again.

 

At this point I am not sure what to do. It seems the printer does not recognize the new print bed that is taller than before and the 2^nd nozzle is hitting it; preventing auto bed leveling.

 

I put the original glass back in, re-leveled and now I am able to print again like before.

 

How can I calibrate the printer so that I can use the new bed flexplate?