I have been able to quickly and easily calibrate my Monoprice Select Mini with this test pattern.

The outer square is .5mm tall.

The next tallest square is 1mm tall.

The corner and center squares are 5mm tall.

The screws holding the bed of the Monoprice Mini have a thread pitch of 0.5mm.

(Based on my measurements. Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

Print settings:

.4mm Nozzle Size.

.8mm Wall Thickness.

.1mm Layer Thickness.

.3mm Base Layer Thickness.

NOTE: You only need to print the first 1mm to do bed calibration.

The 5mm squares are there to check for stringing and oozing, and are not really necessary for calibrating the bed. (They do make the print a little more stable and easier to hold when using calipers.)

Print Settings

Printer:

Monoprice Mini Select

Rafts:

Supports:

No

Resolution:

Notes:

"How do I use this?"

I use it to fine tune my bed height.

You have to use the print settings listed in the description.

Print it out and watch the first layer go down.

As it prints the first layer, you can tell if any of the corners are at the wrong height.

If the corner is too high, the extruded filament looks too flat, and adjacent passes squish together. (Turn that corner screw clockwise a bit to lower the bed.)

If the corner is too low, the extruded filament looks too round, and adjacent passes don't properly fuse together. (Turn that corner screw counter-clockwise a bit to raise the bed.)

If the bed is at the right height, the first layer should be firmly adhered to the bed, and the adjacent passes should be fused together, with just the slightest bit of rounding on top. (Here's a good example I found by Googling '3d printer proper bed height': https://i.stack.imgur.com/AbVDV.png )

I usually tweak the screws while the print is going, and just keep re-printing the first layer until I'm happy with the settings.

Finally, if you let it finish printing, you can use calipers to verify that it's printing correctly on all axes. The different layers are calibrated at .5mm, 1mm, & 5mm, the squares are 10mm x 10mm & the outer square is 100mm x 100mm. The wall thickness is .8mm.

Category: 3D Printing Tests