8.1 What is print bed calibration?

It is an essential requirement of the 3D printing process that the print head is always at a constant distance from the print surface (print bed) when printing the bottom layer of the object.

If the gap is too large, the extruded material will not stick to the printing surface and will be pulled around by the head.

If the gap is too small (or the head and bed are touching), the material will not come out of the nozzle, which can lead to clogging. (The material will get stuck in the head and additional maintenance will be required to bring the printer back to an operational state).

The 3D printer Mike 2 has an algorithm for correcting inaccuracies in the alignment of the print bed. However, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the reference height parameter (starting point) with the help of the user.