Z Offset Inconsistency

:dizzy: This page is tailored to Voron printers.

(If your Z offset seems to vary between prints.)

  • Check your Z axis. Make sure everything is tight, especially grub screws.

  • Ensure that everything is tight in your toolhead and across your X extrusion, including the hotend, nozzle, and probe.
  • For nozzle endstops:

    • Ensure that your start g-code contains a final z homing with a hot nozzle near the end.

      • This ensures that any plastic remaining on the nozzle is squished out of the way, and is less likely to affect your Z offset.
      • This also accounts for the small amount of thermal expansion in the nozzle as it heats.
      • You can use a nozzle brush mod to automatically clean any debris. You should still home Z with a hot nozzle, though.
      • You can control when your heating occurs by :page_facing_up: passing variables to PRINT_START.

    • Ensure that the endstop pin is square on top, otherwise it can cause your Z offset to drift as it rotates over time.

      • Notching your Z endstop pin (as described in the Voron manuals) can prevent it from rotating.

    • Ensure that your nozzle is hitting the center of the pin.

    • Test your endstop’s accuracy using :page_facing_up: PROBE_Z_ACCURACY. You may want to try different endstop switches to find a more accurate one.

      • NOTE: This requires you to install the above linked Klipper plug-in (klipper_z_calibration). This command is NOT built into Klipper natively.

        • You can just install it for the accuracy test. You don’t have to read/use anything else from that link.

        • Scroll all the way to the end of the main page for usage / arguments.

  • For V2:
    • :warning: Ensure that you are homing Z again after QGL, as QGL throws off Z height.
    • See the V2 notes under the :page_facing_up: First Layer Consistency page.
  • For inductive probes as Z endstop (virtual endstop):
    • Inductive probes thermally drift, meaning that your Z offset can change at different bed/enclosure temperatures. You may need to calibrate Z offset for the temperatures you intend to print at.

  • For Klicky/Quickdraw :page_facing_up: Automatic Z Calibration*:

    • Ensure that none of your magnets are loose.
      • If they are coming loose, make sure to lightly sand the tops of the magnets before gluing them back in. They adhere much better this way. Even still, I occasionally have one work its way loose.
    • Ensure that your Calibrate_Z macro is hitting the body of the Klicky microswitch on the Z endstop, not the button of the Klicky microswitch.
    • Try PROBE_ACCURACY and check how accurate your switch is. Sometimes you may need to try multiple switches to find the “best” one.
  • See the :page_facing_up: Thermal Drift page. Ensure that you are heat soaking for long enough on larger enclosed printers.

* This is a mod. It essentially baby steps for you, to account for different bed heights in addition to nozzle heights.