I just sent this email over to elegoo official, so either way I’ll update this post with their response for a community reference point:

"Hello, I’m having issues with my Elegoo Neptune Pro 4. I’ve tried following the official documentation and other resources to help fix my issue to no avail, so I am reaching out as a last ditch effort.

My issue mainly pertains to PLA prints consistently being ruined partway during printing after a few months of use and operation.

Specifically, my print will successfully complete the first few layers. Then, at some point, the print will somehow ‘grab’ or ‘catch’ the print base and drag it around the print bed, ruining the print and causing a large build up of filament at my hotend. This then requires cleaning.

From what I have seen, this can be caused by issues with the print bed not being clean or the temperature of the bed in relation to the fan speed. For example, having a low fan utilization at the beginning, then ramping up later in the print is supposed to help this issue. However any fixes I tried returned null results.

Some background info, I purchased the printer on preorder and received it in September 2023. I have kept up with maintenance. Namely, keeping stepper motor tracks cleaned and greased properly, belts tightened, the print bed is wiped down with 90% ISO alcohol between prints. I have replaced the hot-end when I first started experiencing print issues, and again during the troubleshooting process to further diagnose the problem.   My Z offset seemingly is “correct”. I followed the mfg instructions closely, and before this issue, my prints were coming out beautifully.

Print Settings: Using Elegoo brand PLA 1kg filament rolls. Default Elegoo Cura print settings applied for temperature, speed, fan speed, nozzle size, etc. Supports or No supports didn’t make a difference during my troubleshooting. Brim printing mode is my default.

For the 4-5 months that I’ve had the Neptune Pro 4 has been absolutely amazing. Fantastic quality, consistent, very easy to use and maintain. The issues I’m experiencing are beyond annoying and I can’t seem to figure it out myself.

Is this issue known? What are the recommended solutions?"

  • Let me know if any of you have experienced something similar to this and how you addressed it!

EDIT: This is likely solved. There are many issues that can contribute to this issue but TLDR quadrouple check your z offsets. Read the thread for other good info.

  • EmilieEvans@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago
    1. Double-check the bed leveling/z-offset even though you already did it.
    2. Clean the bed with soapy water.
    3. Get some PVA glue. Can be bought at the supermarket or hardware store. If you can’t remove the print after it is cooled down submerge it in water and a few minutes later the print will fall of on it’s own.
    • TheBest@midwest.socialOPEnglish
      1·
      9 months ago

      Can you elaborate on the process for using PVA glue? Do you put a thin layer on the future print area? Does it ‘cook’ at all on the bed? How is it better than using a gluestick which I see recommended pretty often?

      • EmilieEvans@lemmy.mlEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        Glue stick also contains PVA. Issues I had is that it stays sticky and cleaning the buildplate can be difficult.

        With a pure or close to pure PVA-based slurry/solution it dries up to a film and as such isn’t sticky to dust and finger but still sticky to filament. Further, it can be easily cleaned up with water.

        How to apply it? Brush it on. If there isn’t any brush nearby I spread it with my fingers.

        • TheBest@midwest.socialOPEnglish
          1·
          9 months ago

          I was a little confused at first but this is a great explanation. Haven’t seen this tip mentioned elsewhere before!