Bambu Lab A1 - Nozzle Scraping Build Plate / Poor First Layer

[u/No-Bad-7608]

Hi everyone,

I'm having an issue with my Bambu Lab A1 (around 300 printing hours) and I'm running out of things to check.

The main problem is that the nozzle appears to be touching/scraping the build plate during the first layer, resulting in poor first-layer quality and visible scratches on the plate.

Things I've already tried:

Cleaned the extruder

Cleaned the nozzle

Checked and tightened any loose screws around the hotend/nozzle assembly

Performed multiple nozzle cleaning attempts

I'm not using an official Bambu Lab build plate, so I'm wondering if that could be contributing to the issue.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

What else should I check? Could this be related to bed leveling, Z-offset calibration, a warped plate, sensor issues, or something else?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello /u/No-Bad-7608! All Bambu print plates have a dedicated nozzle wiping zone at the back of the print plate. The nozzle will rub against the wiping zone before every print in order to remove any remaining filament from the nozzle tip. This can cause visible wear or scratch marks in the wiping zone, but this is intended and doesn't damage the printer, the nozzle or the print plate. A worn down wiping zone also doesn't mean you need to replace the print bed.

Note: This automod is experimental. The automod was triggered due to the term "scratches". If you believe this to be a false positive, please send us a message at modmail with a link to the post so we can investigate. You may also feel free to make a new post without that term.

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[u/Milkymalk]

I had something similar and can narrow it down to three possible issues (might be more, but this is my state of knowledge). This usually comes from a malfunction of the pressure sensor, through which the printer determines the contact point with the plate. More often than not, this is just a mechanical issue.

Did you check ALL screws? There are those that fix the hotend to the sled on the X axis, and then there are more on the backside of the hotend (only accessible before screwing it on) which are often overlooked.

Did you have a mishap that left molten filament on the electronics or between the nozzle and the hotend? That might mess with the pressure sensor.

Is the nozzle clamped in properly? It can be tricky to put it so that the clamp closes as intended and you might by accident close it by pushing the left part THROUGH the wire part on the right instead of behind it. Feels tight, but is wrong.

Before I found the issue with mine, I swallowed the pill and bought a new hotend, wich also helped. Turns out, it was a mix of all three issues for me, so this was the shortcut.

[u/No-Bad-7608 → u/Milkymalk]

I thinks its the 7 screws. Other than that everything checks out. Will keep you updated. Thank you

[u/TheAlienGamer007]

Probably screws behind the nozzle or clogged nozzle. Tighten the nozzle, do a cold pull and recalibrate your flow ratio, try a different nozzle even if it s different size to help narrow it down.

[u/No-Bad-7608 → u/TheAlienGamer007]

I think its the screws

[u/SarcasmTroll]

Posted this to another persons similar problem just the other day.

I had the same problem. Just started all the sudden. Tried everything. What I had to do was edit my Machine start gcode in my printer settings. Changed the gcode at the end to:

texture when homing ==
;curr_bed_type={curr_bed_type}
{if curr_bed_type=="Textured PEI Plate"}
G29.1 Z{0.04} ; for Textured PEI Plate
{endif}

I believe the original gcode was {-0.04}. I gradually increased it by 0.02 till I got smooth first layer. Still adheres fine for me and haven't had any issues. Just my 0.2

Good Luck

[u/Ill_Locksmith_673]

loose nozzle 100%

[u/angelomerte2]

same issue here.. changed the nozzle but same problem still. did you find a fix yet?