Voxelab Aquila - BLTouch Upgrade - Did someone here already do it?
Hello everyone!
I am dealing with a slightly warped print bed. Smaller prints are no problem and come out absolutely perfect (for me), but as the prints get larger and go near the sides of the printbed they won’t stick very good, because the bed is a bit more away from the nozzle on all sides, causing my prints to warp or even fall off the printbed.
So now I am thinking about upgrading my Voxelab Aquila with a BLTouch (or similar) to get rid of that problem. So far I read you could use Voxelab‘s Aquila X2 BLTouch Firmware with the standard Aquila?! Is that true? Does someone here know it or already upgraded one? Or maybe have a link to a tutorial?
Are you sure the problem is bed leveling? Oftentimes, the edges (and especially corners) coming up on large prints is warping due to thermal problems like incorrect bed temp or cool breezes.
Yes I am absolutely sure. I can see it while leveling the bed (using a feeler gauge). If I have the correct distance between nozzle and bed on the edges the nozzle scratches in the middle. And if perfect in the middle the edges are to far away. When I start a test print I can even see the filament not being squished enough to the bed on the sides while perfect in the middle. Warping only occurs to me when printing PETG and even then only slightly and on longer prints.
Have you considered shimming your bed?
Keep in mind that also X/Y rods (frame in your case) might be a reason for that. Flipping (rotating) rods might get you closer to a solution. Inspect each axis and plate individually (with light behind the ruller for example).
Not the answer that you were looking for, but Id always try to fix the hardware first. BL touch is doing nothing, but only correcting hardware issues. Not needed if you fix them 😜 It will be easier with ABL on better tuned printer. Also you might find that you dont need one (hopefully)
That is a really good tip, but I already disassembled the build plate and checked if it’s flat and compared with when it’s built in. Turns out it’s not perfectly flat… I too am a fan of fixing the hardware first, but in this case it might be cheaper (and easier) to install a BLTouch (or a mesh leveling probe in general). Also I won’t have this issue again in the future with a BLTouch, as I can correct a potential future bending of the plate without much work.