How to Resolve a Calibration Offset Error on Markforged X3, X5, and X7 Industrial Composite Printers
What Is It?
Markforged’s industrial line of composite printers – the X3, X5 (no longer sold as of 2023), and X7 – run through a series of pre-print routines before each print. The final routine is the bead scan, which ensures the upcoming print has proper bed adhesion.
During this bead scan, the printer extrudes 3 identical lines of plastic on the far-left side of the print bed. Then, the print head’s laser scans each line.
A line varies in height along its length, typically following this profile:
The laser path moves right to left numerous times along the length of the line, gathering information about the height of beads in relation to the bed. All of this data determines the exact distance between the plastic nozzle and print bed.
The scan data is also compared to the current Z-axis offset. If there is a large enough difference between the scan data and the Z-axis offset, the printer will register a ‘Calibration Offset Error’.
How To Fix
1. Verify material is printing. Do you see any lines printing on the left side of the print bed? If not, ensure the filament is not tangled inside the dry box and does not encounter any drag from the dry box to the print head.
- Note: Extruders will often click as driver gears skip over filament that is experiencing drag. Drag also manifests as underextrusion (see Step 4).
2. Clean the print bed with warm water to remove any plastic and glue residue. Ensure there are no gouges on the print bed where the three bead lines print.
3. Print a Wet Plastic Purge Line (Menu -> Utilities -> Test Prints) to verify material is flowing well and is not steaming – a sign of wet filament.
- If the filament continues to steam after more than 2-3 Wet Plastic Purge Lines, replace your spool with a fresh, unopened spool. Replace the desiccant packs, too.
4. Double-check that your maintenance schedule (Menu -> Utilities -> Maintenance Schedule) is not displaying any expired items.
- Note: Sometimes plastic nozzles can expire slightly before their expiration date – if you are seeing underextrusion, consider replacing the nozzle. Underextrusion will cause the bead lines to print too small and will impact the laser readings.
5. Clean the laser window on the print head with a microfiber cloth.
6. Ensure you are applying glue at the left side of the print bed. This ensures the bead lines are adhering – if they peel up, it will impact the distances read by the laser. Do not apply glue in thick layers – this will raise the bead lines too high and cause the error.
7. Retry your print.
8. If the Calibration Offset Error still appears, print a Bed Level Test Print (Menu -> Utilities -> Test Prints) and check each disc (9 total) to ensure the bed is at the proper distance from your plastic nozzle.
9. If you are still seeing issues reach out to us for help!
Technical Support
Get help from our team by Calling us at 800-364-1652 x 4. You can also get assistance by clicking the Technical Support button or the Email Our Experts button below.