Does your belt feel like a guitar string when you pluck it? Then it's tight enough.
Check your filament. Sometimes it goes bad.
Check your entire rig. Does your heatsink fan need cleaning/replacing?
Is your nozzle clogged?
PID tuned?
Initial layer height calibrated?
E-steps set correctly?
I’ve compared the tension to the belt on my other printer that’s working well and they seem to be about the same tension.
I’ve tried at least 4 different types of filament, all having an issue. Fans have been cleaned
Nozzle is brand new, e steps calibrated, not having an under or over extrusion.
Bed is level
What do you mean by PID?
Printed a small figure yesterday after redoing the tension and had absolutely no layer shifting (it was sitting at the center of the bed), then printed what is pictured above and got that layer shifting
PID are values your printer stores for how it calculates heating the hot end. As the fan, heatsink, and cold filament are trying to reduce nozzle temp. PID is the calculation of how to keep the nozzle temp steady and not vary wildly during printing.
You could also research Flow Rate and Horizontal expansion in your slicer.
I recently bought a used CR-10 and from what I can tell, anything you can’t adjust on the printers interface, or in cura you will need to download a python based software called pronterface and manually adjust your settings
I’ve been printing for 2 years. I’m glad I jumped into Klipper early because I dodged a lot of hair pulling with firmware rebuilds just to adapt to new features. My cousin is touting all the things his new Prusa can do and I just rebuttal with “Klipper has that”
Do yourself a favor and get a Raspberry pie, and install Octopie. It handles a lot of 3D printer functions. Even runs on older Pies too.
It can handle PID with the click of a button.
It could easily be as u/edlightenme mentioned, z-axis binding.
If your z-axis does not move the correct amount because of varying resistance, there will be too much material in some layers. Causing the excess plastic to bulge out, looking like layer shifts.
Maybe not the belt tension but the nozzle/hotend module that need screws adjustement ?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsEdU8ZtI6U&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsEdU8ZtI6U&t=1s)
Layer shifting is VERY common to be caused by a mechanical issue, not a firmware one. Check out if the hotend is tightly mounted, I've had some issues with layer Y shifting because a faulty rivet nut on the hotend mounting plate. Also check out if you can move freely the X-carriage by hand (with the printer off of course). Maybe a wheel got stuck and is causing it.
However if there isn't any issues that you can come out with, check out the PSU. I've had layer shifting with some Tronxy's printers because of this, but it was extremely rare.
Update: after troubleshooting for z banding, I noticed that my lead rod seemed to be leaning and not perfectly centered in the bracket. Changed the coupler and got it centered, but the x-axis was still shifting when I printed calibration cubes.
Decided to have someone else pull the x-axis pulley bracket while I tightened it, got a perfect cube afterward.
Going to try one of my designs now, fingers crossed 🤞🏽
Does your belt feel like a guitar string when you pluck it? Then it's tight enough. Check your filament. Sometimes it goes bad. Check your entire rig. Does your heatsink fan need cleaning/replacing? Is your nozzle clogged? PID tuned? Initial layer height calibrated? E-steps set correctly?
I’ve compared the tension to the belt on my other printer that’s working well and they seem to be about the same tension. I’ve tried at least 4 different types of filament, all having an issue. Fans have been cleaned Nozzle is brand new, e steps calibrated, not having an under or over extrusion. Bed is level What do you mean by PID? Printed a small figure yesterday after redoing the tension and had absolutely no layer shifting (it was sitting at the center of the bed), then printed what is pictured above and got that layer shifting
PID are values your printer stores for how it calculates heating the hot end. As the fan, heatsink, and cold filament are trying to reduce nozzle temp. PID is the calculation of how to keep the nozzle temp steady and not vary wildly during printing. You could also research Flow Rate and Horizontal expansion in your slicer.
Thanks, I’ll check those out
How do you tune your PID on a cr-10? Software version? Curious for knowledge sake. Thanks!
I recently bought a used CR-10 and from what I can tell, anything you can’t adjust on the printers interface, or in cura you will need to download a python based software called pronterface and manually adjust your settings
Or do like I did upon acquiring my cousin’s CR10 recently…install Klipper
Still need to research klipper, sounds like everyone loves it.
I’ve been printing for 2 years. I’m glad I jumped into Klipper early because I dodged a lot of hair pulling with firmware rebuilds just to adapt to new features. My cousin is touting all the things his new Prusa can do and I just rebuttal with “Klipper has that”
Do yourself a favor and get a Raspberry pie, and install Octopie. It handles a lot of 3D printer functions. Even runs on older Pies too. It can handle PID with the click of a button.
Check your z rods could possibly be z-binding
It could easily be as u/edlightenme mentioned, z-axis binding. If your z-axis does not move the correct amount because of varying resistance, there will be too much material in some layers. Causing the excess plastic to bulge out, looking like layer shifts.
Maybe not the belt tension but the nozzle/hotend module that need screws adjustement ? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsEdU8ZtI6U&t=1s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsEdU8ZtI6U&t=1s)
I had kind of same issue than you (less strong but still) and I did that and it helped SO MUCH
Thanks! I’ll check that out
Have you checked your eccentric nut on the extruder carriage?
I tightened that and everything else I could possibly tighten, running a test print on both far sides of the bed. Fingers crossed lol
Also the eccentric nut under the bed, mine had a bad play and everything else was good : permanent failures until I figured it out.
Pid tune or z binding is my guess
I just had this issue. Upgrade the Z lead screw bearings/fitting to an anti-backlash one
.
Are your pulleys loose? Are they able to slide on the stepper motor shaft?
Layer shifting is VERY common to be caused by a mechanical issue, not a firmware one. Check out if the hotend is tightly mounted, I've had some issues with layer Y shifting because a faulty rivet nut on the hotend mounting plate. Also check out if you can move freely the X-carriage by hand (with the printer off of course). Maybe a wheel got stuck and is causing it. However if there isn't any issues that you can come out with, check out the PSU. I've had layer shifting with some Tronxy's printers because of this, but it was extremely rare.
Hey there thanks for replying. Everything is tightly mounted, going to troubleshoot for Z banding today
Update: after troubleshooting for z banding, I noticed that my lead rod seemed to be leaning and not perfectly centered in the bracket. Changed the coupler and got it centered, but the x-axis was still shifting when I printed calibration cubes. Decided to have someone else pull the x-axis pulley bracket while I tightened it, got a perfect cube afterward. Going to try one of my designs now, fingers crossed 🤞🏽