Neptune 4 Max Review and a FIX for the PROBLEMS EVERYONE IS HAVING

STL's and links: fpfdesigns.com/
My starting GCODE (for OrcaSlicer):
---------------------------------------------------------
;ELEGOO NEPTUNE 4 MAX
M220 S100 ;Set the feed speed to 100%
M221 S100 ;Set the flow rate to 100%
M104 S140 ;set nozzle to 140C, but don't wait for it
M190 S[bed_temperature_initial_layer_single] ;set bed temp and wait for it
G4 P1500000; wait 25 minutes for the bed temp to stabilize further
G29 ;auto bed-leveling
G90 ;absolute positioning
G1 Z10 F300
G1 X1.5 Y10 F6000
G1 Z0 F300
M109 S[nozzle_temperature_initial_layer]
G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder
G1 X1.5 Y10 Z0.4 F300 ;Move to purge start position
G1 Y110 E30 F400 ;Draw purge line
G1 Z0.6 F120.0 ;Move up a little
G1 Y105 F3000
G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder
---------------------------------------------------------
My N4Max Orca Profile: fpfdesigns.com...
N4 Camera Mount: • 3D Printed Camera Moun...
Outro music is "Quantum" by "Vapora", used with explicit permission from the artist. • Quantum
New videos published every Friday, featuring a new 3D printed functional object, how I use it, and design considerations.
The work depicted in this video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License or other non-commercial license.
elegoo
n4max
n4m
overextrusion
underextrusion
gcode
fixed
layer shift
orca slicer
heatbed
saturation
dial indicator
klipper
functional
print
fpf
PLA

[@TheGsxr1000guy]

This gentleman should have millions of subscribers. Thanks a bunch for acting as Elegroo's Quality and Control, Developer and Tech Support all rolled up in one. Very impressive and lets me realize how lost I am with the Elegroo Neptune 4 Max being my first 3d printer.

[@BloodlustProductions]

Just purchased one today. Yikes!

[@TheGsxr1000guy]

@BloodlustProductions I fixed all the errors I was getting by changing to Prusaslicer and using Neptune 3 Max as the printer. I also ordered silicon bumpers to replace the springs under the leveller.

[@robertaugustomareto]

I just bought the printer and before it arrived I was watching your videos. Thank you very much for researching and sharing the results. I also really appreciate you sharing your Orca and GCODE profile. Best regards from Brazil

[@818milleralex]

I'm new to the hobby and this is my first printer, i was very frustrated going through everything trying to get better results and basically came around to the same solution you showed here, just not as efficiently, i was just manually heating my bed setting a 15 timer and then coming back and doing bed leveling before starting each print. it was really cool to see actually evidence of what what i thought was happening and hear someone that actually knows what they are talking about explain it.

[@stevenbjerke2825]

Yeah 3D printing right now can be a pain. It is a long learning process.

[@oktaymercan]

Would you recommend it for a beginner? Also, what is its current status, have the mentioned issues been resolved? this probbly be my first 3d printer but first ı want to ask.

[@thomaslai3657]

I am in the same shoes, beginner+first large printer. Couldn't figure what happened for few weeks. Now I will give a try on this. Thanks

[@joeking433]

@@oktaymercan Unless you really need big prints you'd be insane not to buy a Bambu Labss A1 instead of this.

[@MrOllie777]

Check the hot end for leaks as mine was playing up could get a good first layer most people think it's the bed . But check under the little black sock on hot end if there is filament there you have a filament leak . Between the nozel and heat block fix that and Machine will work again . Just remember if you try and fix it do it with the hot end up on the z axis and with the unit on pre heat or you wont fixed issue . .. . Please remember all bad nozel pressure and you won't get Machine to print most people think it's the bed on these machines but it's not it's a leak on the hot end . Merry Christmas ⛄

[@thedonleeboy]

just purchased this printer this past black friday as my first printer. Industrial Design/ Product Design student. Though there's better printers out there, i purchased this one as a starter so that I can have the larger print size, and i figured all the tinkering and fixing will make me a more efficient and confident 3d printer user. Though I do agree that an easier to use printer would be better.

[@ACupid-ej7nv]

First and foremost, I'm extremely grateful to you for such an in depth, practical video. I've sat through so many other videos hoping to find a solid solution to my problem with this printer. I feel that your video just might be what I need! Why? Because it MAKES SENSE! So with that being said, my next step will be to contact a close friend of mine who knows how to properly manipulate the software to get suit my needs. I'm going to watch this video with him to get to the bottom of this once and for all. Thank you for putting in so much time and patience into this project. It was definitely not all in vain. I truly do appreciate you and I will be subscribing within the next few seconds!!!!

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thx. If I have time I set the bed to 60C 30 mins before I kick off the print, so it soaks for a total of an hour.

[@romanstark1511]

You are a Hero For the Neptune 4 Plujs & Max Owners ! i had really Bad Bed Adhesion problems and no matter how often i tuned the Z Achses it always had struggle now i imported the Wait for the bed to Heat up to my Cura Profile but with 50000 less milliseconds i started a print it waited for around 15-17 minutes and it just worked thank you alot i was on a verge to sell this Machine... elegoo needs to implement this in their profiles !

[@philipdhiatt]

Very nice, Thank you, I really enjoy my 4 max, I see it's quirks as a challenge, when I finally got it tuned up, it does really good, what you have discovered explains some of my issues

[@angrybeaver6667]

Thank you so much, this starting GCODE has made this printer usable to me again. My first print was flawless and then I had nothing but problems. Now using your Gcode, I am able to print again. It's not perfect on the extreme edges of the plate, but its usable!

[@ThePersonOfWatch]

I will try this tomorrow, first print was flawless then everything else became a nightmare. The smallest I have been able to get the variance is 0.47mm

[@ajw3630]

I bought my first FDM in 2013 as a kit, have been printing as a hobbyist/freelancer since, but my last 6 years have been devoted to resin printing. This video was so informative now that I'm searching for a new FDM, not just for considerations of this printer but for every printer I've been looking at.

[@MAKEORAMA]

Just because of your „we don’t do multicolor garbage of the week“ i subscribed to you. Thanks a lot.

[@Strider404]

Was looking to buy one, and your video is above and beyond what people offer in terms of reviews and insights. I'm bother grateful and hope that other people follow your standard as a reviewer.

[@joell439]

Thanks for this in-depth review with actual solutions. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@scottsherman3716]

I ordered this printer yesterday and it will arrive tomorrow. Although it is going to need a lot of modifications, I'm NOT disappointed in my choice. I am glad that you have pointed out these issues AND the fixes so that I can address them. It is intended to be my only 3D printer and so I didn't want to run into size constraints for some of my projects. Thank you for this information.

[@kbranchjr]

how it's going? I got mines on monday.

[@Keithsciguy]

You guys having any luck. I got mine last week and if I print basic geometry I'm fine but anything fancy I'm fucked. Print in place collapsible sword became a giant fused paper weight. Tried breaking it up into pieces and printing them together but the supports on the blade are stronger than the blade. I'm using their slicer provided.

[@joeking433]

returning it for a refund is a biatch! If you decide you don't want it you have to ship it back to NJ on your dime and pay a 15% restocking fee. That's about $130 for me to ship it back from Ohio.

[@RevK777]

Today I was gifted an Elegoo Neptune4 Max printer. I loved your video, Thank you so much

[@j0sh107]

I spoiled myself because my first big printer was the AnyCubic Kobra 2 Max, and I really didn't have any significant issues with bed level issues. Then I decided to buy the Neptune 4 Max and ran into issue after issue, getting it to work reliably. Thank you for this video it helped me a lot in learning how to get this machine to be useful.

[@tscherzi]

First things first, I bought this thing back in October of 2023. It was my 2nd 3d printer after I started having issues with how slow my Flashfire Guider 2 was. I could not for the life of me get good prints out of this printer. I was positive I had a bad gantry out of the box and was trying to work with Elegoo forever to get a new gantry shipped. After watching this video, I was positive I had a bad gantry. Yours was the first video of someone running a print on it so I could hear what it sounded like normally. The second thing was back layers as I got near the edges of the build plate. Hallelujah, you have found the issue. I don’t know why I did not think of this myself. My dad claimed he would dream about a car problem and diagnose it in his sleep. I guess it is true if you dream it it will become reality. After almost 6 months of this thing collecting dust and my moving on to now 4 Bambu Lab Printer I tried this with a new gantry, and I have a good print. Thanks so much for finding this fix. I now can print large prints like I wanted to when I bought this thing.

[@matthewlizyness6636]

you have save my soul, i kept having first layer issues and bed leveling problems, used your gcode and other advice you gave. I no longer have this issue thank you

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Great to hear!

[@joeking433]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I have a feeling most of these comments are from Elegoo employees. ;)

[@jfulton-ak]

I have a CR-6 Max which has a 400x400 bed. I encountered this same issue with that bed as well. It wasn't quite as much variance due to the stiff spacers that hold the bed to the carriage, but it did cause inconsistent extrusion and layers. I had to do MANY things to get consistency from the printer. The first thing was to add insulation to the underside. That made a huge difference in the stability of the bed. I also removed the stiff plastic spacers and added rigid silicon spacers that allowed me to adjust the roller coaster surface of the bed as it was quite uneven when i got it with a high point of 2.8mm and a low point of 3mm using the 7x7 mesh. I increased the mesh but that just added more time to the startup as you did. I eventually learned I needed to heatsoak the bed for about 15 minutes and then invested in a Beacon3D bed scanner. That allows me to now pull a 40x40 mesh in about 90 seconds. Unfortunately that meant I had to redesign the whole printer to eliminate the strain gauge leveling system which had it's own issues as plastic extruding from the nozzle would lift up on the hotend as witnessed by the probe triggering during extrusion and would cause uneven top surface layers. By going to a rigid hotend without the strain gauge (used a Micro Swiss NG setup) and the Beacon 3D scanner for a very detailed mesh that takes almost no time to do, I now get perfect adhesion and layers. I am loathe to invest in a bed slinger in the future after all the experiences I've had in making then consistent. My latest printers are coreXY and although more expensive and more complex, are super consistent and have had zero down time with them.

[@robert5770]

Thank you!!! I am considering buying this printer, but I have seen a lot of bad reviews. Your tips give me more confidence to buy this unit. I have an AnyCubic Kobra 2 that has bed issues too, I'm going to apply your knowledge to the Kobra 2 and hopefully get better results. Thank you so much!

[@rajeshmani2243]

Thank you, I am a beginner bought this 4 Max....struggled a lot.....really an eye opener.

[@srinathsubramani6529]

I have a Neptune Max, I totally agree this printer is not a out of the shelf printer, but the community is good and we have all the feature you would expect from a printer for reasonable price and the build volume is my biggest selling point. Build Plate: I been scratching my head to make the build plate flat, literal spend a month and write to Elegoo about the issues, for me the Firmware and Cura 5.6 update had some success it started print flat still not a good result, STILL THE BUILD WAS NOT FLAT, I ripped of the entire build plate to check each nut and bolt and the moving the Spirit level all over the place, still not make it work, after seeing your video i can imagine what did i miss and your brilliance and in depth knowledge in the subject is appreciated, i am going to try your solution and i am very positive, Thanks for this in-depth review with a solutions. 👍 Love your Bro 😎

[@shadowg8]

Thankyou soo much I modified for Cura based on your G-Code.This was an awesome find. Nice Work. ;ELEGOO NEPTUNE 4 MAX M220 S100 ;Set the feed speed to 100% M221 S100 ;Set the flow rate to 100% M104 S140 ;set nozzle to 140C, but don't wait for it M190 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ;set bed temp and wait for it G4 P1500000; wait 25 minutes for the bed temp to stabilize further G29 ;auto bed-leveling G90 ;absolute positioning G1 Z10 F300 G1 X1.5 Y10 F6000 G1 Z0 F300 M109 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder G1 X1.5 Y10 Z0.4 F300 ;Move to purge start position G1 Y110 E30 F400 ;Draw purge line G1 Z0.6 F120.0 ;Move up a little G1 Y105 F3000 G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

thanks for your comment, and thanks for sharing your modified version for Cura

[@danwalters6613]

I compared the G-code of the orca listed to your Cura version. I do not see anything different between the 2. Am I missing something?

[@aw111986]

So do I just wipe out the code? And put this? How do I?

[@zeemz0554]

@@aw111986 I agree, need a quick step by step where to insert or copy the code for newbies

[@user-gl2ss2th3m]

I am using the plus this code is making mine try to go past the frame on the x+ side can you help? ;{current_cura_version} ;{machine_name} M220 S100 ;Set the feed speed to 100% M221 S{print_flow_percentage} ;Set the print traffic percentage M104 S140 M190 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} G4 P600000 G29 G90 G28 ;home G1 Z10 F300 G1 X115 Y0.5 F6000 G1 Z0.4 F300 M109 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder G1 X115 Y0.5 Z0.4 F300 ;Move to start position G1 X215.0 E30 F400 ;Draw the first line G1 Z0.6 F120.0 ;Move to side a little G1 X210 F3000 G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder

[@kaeptnkrunch9212]

Yes, the time before the print is definetly important. I mentioned this when i moved my Printer in the basement before i got an enclosure. Before, I had just under 21-23°C (69.8-73.4°F) in the apartment. The temperature in the cellar is 15-18°C (59-64.4°F). The prints immediately became worse until I accidentally left the printer on for a while and the print bed probably settled during that time. Since I got a case, the prints have been significantly better overall.

[@kazolar]

It's great to see folks join the hobby and find issues we've banged our head against back 8-10 years ago, and heat soaking was always advised. Even if you're using mic6 beds on corexy machines, heat soak for a good 20-30 min. Let the bed stabilize, especially on large beds. I know everyone wants fast printers, but pretty sure can't fight physics.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Bambu made everyone's marketing dept. over-pivot to speed. The N4MAX is a flatbed truck trying to wear a Porsche wrap. There's nothing wrong with just admitting it's a flatbed truck, we need those too, but marketing dept's don't think like that.

[@kazolar]

@@FunctionalPrintFriday I heat soak bambu too. Even best heated bed surface we've found - mic6 aluminum needs heat soaking, see my response to another post.

[@joeking433]

Or get a Bambu printer and it's easy peasy.

[@ThomasKing0517]

I got two of these for slow relible printing on a large bed, But have found it a a constant battle to keep leveled. Thank you for the info!

[@timrex2716]

I recently purchased the 4Max. I am new and as green as it gets. I value you input and love your channel. I have printed caned stuff and had great quality but all small stuff. I bought it to print oscale buildings so I will need to preheat.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Welcome aboard!

[@Voidmonster]

I'd come to the same conclusion, but my bed also has enough distortions that a 9x9 grid doesn't capture enough detail for good part adhesion. My solution has been to install KAMP and use the adaptive bed mesh, which only probes the parts of the bed that will be printed on, then I turned *up* the mesh density to 25x25. If the print area is smaller than the full bed, it only goes to those points on a 25x25 that fall inside the area. For temperature, I just pre-heat and let the printer sit for half an hour or so. But wow did I go through some machinist-related contortions to come to that conclusion, as you did!

[@ИльяКузнецов-й1е]

Hi! How did you do that? Klipper is only 9+ on neptune 4, [exclude_object] is only on 10+. I struggle to install it myself now

[@Diablo3dfx]

So tldr - pre heat your bed, remember thermal expansion is a thing so let it get its wiggles out, auto level, profit. What’s up with the single frame of the Benchy in the last couple videos? By the way, you did a phenomenal job reviewing that unit. I hope other companies see this level of attention to detail and invite you to review more moving forward.

[@rafalg2113]

Very helpful for any 4 Plus/Max user. I figured it out myself that bed thermal expansion plays a big role in inconsistent prints and manually heat up the bed 15 minutes before print (enough for Plus which is identical to Max only slightly smaller). For manual bed leveling I recommend Bed Leveler 5000 which is really helpful in microadjusting the bed position before I run auto bed leveling (all with bed preheated for at least 15 minutes)

[@christopherperry9242]

Do you still run the mesh level before each print, or did you do it once after letting the bed sit hot for a while and then just add the pause before each print?

[@rafalg2113]

@@christopherperry9242 No. I don't run bed levelling before each print. Just in case I remesh the bed once a week, but once the bed warms up it doesn't really change between the prints (it changes while it warms up). When it comes to pausing I haven't yet added the gcode shown in the video. I just turn on the printer set the temperature (nozzle 140C, bed 60C) manually either from display or Klipper and wait 15-30 minutes. Most of the time I slice my models just before printing, it keeps me occupied while the bed warms up.

[@corywilmott2814]

Probably be batter putting kamp on it so it levels the print area only on each print

[@MrBalloonatic]

now that it is 10 months later, is this still a printer you are using or have you replaced it with something else? … as a mechanical engineer in a former life, watching this video brought back many memories from working in the machine shop and learning how to properly adjust and carefree the tools we would be using. This a great video, o love your rational, changing one variable as a time, great methodology, so many people rush in and try to tune everything at once, but you took the time and rationalised it out in a logical fashion. and made really clear points to back reasoning and findings. Thank you!

[@chuckayuey]

Hi. Your video saved my sanity... I dont have a Neptune, I have a Flashforge Adventurer 4. I suspect that bed heating is the answer for MANY other 3d printers. I had a few other printers before this one and had similar issues. I had upgraded everything on the machines without much success. As luck would have it, I was interested in buying the Neptune 4 MAX and found your video. I would recommend that you re-visit this topic and solution for general 3d printer adhesion issues. I have trouble finding this video because its not the name that I associate with it. I have been recommending your video to others with similar issues.

[@nova5224]

I bought this printer a while ago and had nothing but problems with it. I just found this video and I can now try to solve my issues. For months it has just sat and done nothing and I bought a bambu P1S. I don't care about the heat up time, I just want to be able to print large items. Thank you so much.

[@combatsportsunited4123]

@26:40 on my cr10 v1, I installed a cltouch and set up the gcode to where it heats the bed, levels the bed, and then begins to execute. I’ve always leveled the bed POST heating to the maximum I was going to heat for the current filament temp. Always a good idea to try and best replicate your working environment on these machines when dialing in

[@ChrisSimpson68]

I have had my 4 Max for over a year now and have done some amazing prints but the fails far surpass the successes. I am about done with this thing. I have replaced, via awesome Elegoo support, every single freaking component of this printer short of the actual chassis. I have orders, I need consistency, I do not have that! Until this video, I call this printer a POS! However, I am trying these tips and will see if it will change my mind. I have 3 other printers running but no where near the print surface as this which I truly need! I will check back in after some testing! Thank you FPFDesigns! Fingers crossed!

[@petercallison5765]

Most people in 3D printing aren't using cutting edge technology. My guess is Cura is still the most popular. I sell 3D printers for a living and do a lot of trouble shooting. My customers only use Orca when I tell them to unless they have used multiple printers in the past and are into upgrades.

[@rusgib3648]

Yep, most people I know use Cura or some version of Prusa Slicer. I've used a ton of slicers. I always go back to Cura, maybe it's familiarity, but it just seems to be the easiest to use. I'm currently trying to get used to the software that comes with the Bambu Lab X1-C.

[@Thatdavemarsh]

This is what I’m struggling with. Super glad I stumbled across this. Thanks!

[@leeball4]

Awesome content, thank you! I pre-ordered this printer within the 1st 5 min of the pre-order going live. Printed pretty much non stop October thru Christmas then let it sit for 3 months. Between sickness and life I just didn't feel like dealing with all of this machines little quirks so mainly stuck to printing on my smaller and more worry free printers. I've had time recently again to tackle the big boy and make some upgrades, added Oldham couplings to the Z lead screw nuts to help with Z banding and updated the FW. My biggest issue now is with parts warping, PLA parts. I've got my N4 Max on a bottom shelf in my basement, it might just be too cool down there. I wrap the shelf in a drop cloth as a makeshift enclosure but it doesn't help a lot. I'm going to move it to my dining room tomorrow and give it a shot as the temperature is more stable there. I've been printing for 5 years but printing big is a whole new set of challenges.

[@frantzs1077]

Great video. So many videos people giving up. Finally someone made it through. I'm looking for something larger for occasional big prints, beside my X1c and A1 mini. Neptune 4 Max might be it.

[@karelbonddrones337]

I'm using my 4 Max now, and printint like a charm, 250 mms without any issues. Using Orca Slicer, latest firmware !

[@HandsomeToast]

Same here so far

[@skulklord4246]

I tried out the gcode profile for orca slicer and for some reason after the heat up and autoleveling processes, the x and y axis for the prints seemed off and it tried to print off the bed for some reason. abandoned the gcode update and now I just preheat the bed manually before I level and print and haven't had an issue since. thanks for shedding light on something I would never of picked up on.

[@jooch_exe]

I had this issue with an Anet A8. Re-engineered the Y carriage and the bed, added heat insulation and calibrated the mesh at the temperature i'm printing on (this printer doesn't have ABL). I also took the calibration in the same way displayed here. My printer has been super reliable since. Reducing the print area to within the area where the bed is screwed down will help a lot.

[@pincopaolo1820]

Very useful!! I inserted your gcode, I also don't care about waiting 30 minutes more when with this printer I print huge things that require more than 24 hours. Half an hour is nothing and if I want more speed, I use other printers. As soon as it arrived I leveled, immediately inserted your gcode and started the print I wanted. The first layer was already precise (among other things, the printer was bought used). Excellent and useful! Thanks!

[@joeking433]

I bet there's a LOT of these printers on the used market. ;)

[@snowboarderrx]

i bought this as my first 3d printer about a month ago and its been amazing

[@Muffnsausn]

Same here, first on Neptune 3 Pro, second one Neptune 4 Max

[@dexterousx92]

*Im thinking about buying this as my second 3d printer coming from a ender 3 v2. Im looking for an upgrade thats bigger and faster. Its good to hear you had great luck with it being your first printer!*

[@joeking433]

LOL! And I'm the King of France!

[@mab4110]

I have the Neptune 4 I heat soak for about 10 minutes prior to starting my prints and I do notice it has helped. Not thrilled about the Klipper implementation of this machine but once I worked the little issues out it’s been a solid machine.

[@Nexmiguel_]

I have the same problem, I hope that by recalibrating it and with the help of the video it can be solved.

[@IceCat143]

I’m using Elegoo Cura 5.4 and it works great. Planning to try other slicers out of curiosity.

[@farnirwolf]

Same

[@barmacg30]

Thanks for doing this in depth review. It solves a lot of the issues I had with this printer.I think it will also help a lot of people struggling with this printer. I really appreciate the way you include all the software and code changes. Unfortunately early on I was just pushing through before I understood all the issues and ended up with a massive blob of death on an early long print. Elagoo did send me a new nozzle and heat sink but it was very difficult to get the old one off. It's a shame that the companies themselves don't find a way to resolve the issues and release a video like this. I find it hard to believe they don't realize what the problems are. Thanks again and keep up the good work. I will also subscribe to your channel I have already liked the vid

[@markhandley]

I just took a look at mine with a thermal camera. It's 3 hours into a print job, so presumable has stabilized by now. The bed is set to 60C. The temp of the back third of the bed is registering as 58C on the thermal camera, whereas the front half varies between 48 and 51C. This is with ambient temperate in the space at 18C. Pretty clear the large part fan is managing to cool the bed itself, which cannot be good for avoiding the bed distorting. This is the first proper job I've printed on it, but I think I'll be turning the part fan off for now until the summer comes round.

[@aidennymes6335]

this video was exactly what i needed right now! thanks buddy

[@jmb7183]

Wow...what a freaking help this was! Thank you so very much!

[@jaysoncummins]

Saw this video today. Just got my 4 Max last week. All the issues you mentioned seem to be fixed. Dont care for the 120 point level but I am enjoying this gal. Shes got a huge ass, but she is rocking away

[@joeking433]

Hahahaha!

[@MaskedOG]

Thank you. Was about tobuy this but yousaved me. Don‘t wanna gamble with qc. Would love a bigger printer but I think I will just get the p1s as my first one.

[@jroc00070]

Nice video, thanks. It confirms some of my suspicions and validates some advice I was reading in the various support communities around ensuring your printer is fully heat soaked before printing. Heat soak I think by your measurements means heat the bed to 60F for 30 minutes. I think some good advice for any that don't want to get into modifying print start GCODE for every print, and furthermore to avoid running a bed mesh prior to every print would be to simply heat soak your printer prior to running a standalone bed mesh, and then heat soak your printer prior to each print. That should align the variances well enough for the average person.

[@joeking433]

What is heat soak?

[@eliasYC]

I'm glad I found this video, my 4Max is coming in post right now. Coming from a Flashforge 5M pro which, after tuning through orca is a great printer, I needed a larger vol for prototype parts for work. I've seen sooo many videos on why this machine sucks hahaha but I've seen the same amount of videos showing amazing prints. Tbh I have no clue how to work klipper. I actually only know a very small amount of gcode...but knowing the info in this vid was actually a huge boost on what to look for

[@FX2LTD]

Hi, I have just bought the Neptune 4 Max last week, and I had it sent to me, to the UK. In Europe we do use Cura a lot... Basically I printed out of the box, just after making a manual bed levellling and then an automated one. So far, I have only been printing small objects (the biggest is a drawer adaptor for the little drawer on the side of it, which goes inside the drawer and you can store the L keys etc), a filament out sensor bracket, to place it a bit more centered, two spool holders (a rotating one and a 3KG one), the extruder clip adaptor (The original one is indecent). The only times the print failed, was on four occasions: on three of them, I did not put any support during the slicing process in Cura, so the object did not have support in some areas; the fourth case, during a print job of a corner camera adaptor, at 50% (several hours), I have decided to switch off the led lights on the top, and for some reason the printer crashed, returning an error about reaching the max extrusion... I pressed the emergency stop on the webpage of the printer administration area (I have been experimenting both physical touches on the pad and the LAN management), and restarted the whole services a couple of times. In some cases, like when I tried to print a small nut and a bolt for a cosplay caliper, the threads did not come out well. It is too early for me to tell you if there are other issues. I did not upgrade the firmware or do any of the annoying things you mentioned, which made me think that probably I have no idea of the printer's flaws yet. This is my third printer, after a Prusa MKII Ephestos and a Creality Ender 3 S1 Plus which went on fire and smoke - seriously - last week, while trying to install a Sonic Pad (Still waiting for Creality to reply back to me about that) . I will follow you and keep your video as a reference, shall I have to do all the stuff you said. I really hope I do not have to upgrade the firmware or open the pad because it is very annoying... -- 15 February update -- Actually I tried a 10 hours' job with PLA/carbon fiber, and at 87% I had to do a stop, because the printer started printing off Z-axiz, and it was all screwed up. Also, all the prints were opening in half, like a toast :-( I have experienced also that part of the first bed layer, in some areas was having visible spots in it, as described by someone, and after some time the fans bar, attached behind the extruder, started scratching the printed layers, when the bed was going back and forth. I had done a manual calibration before starting any job, and also an automated one. So, probably I will have to change the printer configuration as you guys said. How can I check if the firmware is the latest version?

[@vinaymieux]

Excellent video. I'm about to buy this printer only for large jobs. I already own 2 Bambu X1C and one A1. But need this volume. There's no good large printer out there even at a higher price point. Could you make a video guide on how you tweaked the code shown in this video?

[@Daniel-vh9lg]

Use a little silicon grease on the rollers, works great. Just make sure it's plastic safe. Also make sure there isn't a nub of plastic hanging off the nozzle when doing Z-offset calibration. Every time I've done a Z-offset 9 out of 10 times there was a nub which affects offset directly.

[@RobertHTaylor-z2w]

This is my first printer, and I have been having bed adhesion issues. I found if I scrapped a part early in the print process, and immediately reprint, the issue seemed to evaporate. I also noted bed temperature variance with a non-contact thermometer when performing the auto leveling task. I had not yet done the dial indicator test. Still running Cura 4.8.xx that came with the machine. Printing a part about 3x10 inches, I found the corners and edges curling up away from the bed. My first thought was thermal residual stress due to the cooling of the molten plastic away from the bed. My fix was to place engineered breakaway supports in the model, and this was relatively successful. So far only tried PLA filament from Elegoo. I would like to see detailed tech info provided by Elegoo ( schematic, wiring diagrams, parts lists, to aid in accurate troubleshooting). Have had two incidents of death blobs requiring parts from Elegoo, which were promptly supported by Elegoo warranty. It was just a bit unnerving to appear to be throwing parts at it without my understanding exactly what had failed and why.

[@monkeyflyer410]

Nice video! One thing to mention is, that is not a dial test indicator! That in fact is a test indicator, non linear and very sensitive over a short range. The other type is a dial indicator with a plunger type probe, those give linear measurements and generally have a much larger range. DTI is basically slang workshop language for a small distance measuring device that looks like a clock.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Thanks for the info!

[@chrismba777]

Bought a Max several months ago, and it's been a door stop; haven't had one successful large-format print, so I will give it one more shot and employ these methods - otherwise I am feeling pretty ripped off considering the other options that are out there. Definitely going to be looking at Elegoo's products with skepticism in the future.

[@DieterStapelberg]

Excellent video - very informative and detailed. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This specific problem has had me very frustrated for a while. The usable volume on the Neptune 4 Max is now within reach of reliable & repeated use. Like and subbed. I'm also adding a metal extruder gear and the Microswiss hotend for the Neptune 4 Max. Hope to get it to reliable workhorse status.

[@newCrysis]

How did Elegoo not catch any of this? Up to the community to fix poor quality again. Great job and thanks!

[@joeking433]

I'm sure they know. They probably get a 50% return rate and the other half they probably send part after part.

[@MrCowboy6588]

I've been looking to add a larger format fdm printer to my collection, and been waffling between something like the neptune 4 max/plus vs the neptune 3 max/plus. This video has sold me on the 4 series, not because they are issue free but because it shows that you can tackle the problems they present with a little critical thinking and experience. I've been using an ender 3 s1 pro for almost 2 years, and have enough experience in fdm printer maintenance and operation, I think, to tackle the challenges of the 4 max/4 plus, in order to achieve the faster printing speeds and larger build volume that I want to add to my repertoire. I always let my bed heat up, even on my ender 3, for like 15-20 minutes before leveling or before a print, so doing so on the larger printer not only sounds logical but would have been part of my process anyway even without seeing this video - and if you're printing at 250mm/s instead of 50-80 anyway, that extra 30 mins on the front end, to get a 3 day print done in 20 hours, will have been worth it!

[@ace25805]

I was loving the printer (4 Plus) until today. Now I can't get anything to print. I did about 100 perfect prints out of the box just making sure everything was tight but today the nozzle just hits every print about 10 layers into it causing it to fail. I verified the Z offset and tried multiple files and different filaments and every setting I could think of in Cura to no avail. I just updated the firmware to the latest and doing a 30 minute heatup on the bed before I do a new level. I have no idea why it worked perfect for so many prints and now just fails every time now. I will try some of your fixes in this video and hope something changes for the positive. If nothing changes I will try replacing the nozzle. Thanks for the great video!

[@GMAC84]

Did you fix it?

[@James01520]

@ace25805 any updates?

[@danmglover]

This was my first printer. I got it because I wanted to do large prints, but started out with small prints for practice. Got blob death 1 week into owning it. Fixed it, and I've been tuning it and tuning it video after video, and even my small prints either end up not sticking to the bed or over extruding somewhere. Warming up the bed and waiting now to level. I hope this works. I have a huge back log of prints I want to do in the weeks I was waiting for my new hot end.

[@nephalem_d3887]

I have had so many issues getting my prints to work properly. I noticed the exact same things you did, but I don't have enough experience to have identified the issue as you have here. In fact, recently my printer had the dreaded blob of death, and ruined my hot end, one of the wires came off when trying to remove the blob. I was leveling non-stop and I also noticed the issue with Screw_tilt_adjust not being accurate. I hope this resolves my issues, once my new nozzle comes in. I have also ordered some of the new nozzles form Elegoo for the 1mm size, and I hope to be able to make larger objects more quickly and accurately with your guidance here. Thank you.

[@trajedy-inspiredbyspiff148]

I just bought one myself and I'm hoping it works out. I had another brand before but had to return it after an issue with the threaded rod ultimately resulted in the printer having to be returned. I got this one since the threaded rods are pre-installed in the uprights but all the stuff I'm going to have to try and remember is making my head spin. I'm grateful this video is here I just hope I can figure it out.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

it's *not* a turnkey machine, but it's still a great deal for the overall size and capabilities once you've tuned it

[@trajedy-inspiredbyspiff148]

Thanks to you and others doing similar content I think I will be ok. The issue I am having at the moment I feel may have more to do with a bad model or my inexperience with Cura (Elegoo says it's the most popular but I see maybe 1% of people online saying they use it) but sadly the model I found was distributed as a Cura project instead of STL or SCAD. I am going to try a simple benchy in the center of the bed to examine for irregularities. The model was a test for after you do auxiliary leveling that prints the 11 x 11 mesh patter in connected squares. Sadly it went horribly wrong and I had to stop immediately.@@FunctionalPrintFriday

[@Weeble_Warbles]

Great video. I learned a lot. I haven't ventured into messing with gcode or printer programming at all so I'm spitballing, but would there be a way to the set the desired temperature of the center of the build plate to a value and installing a temperature probe at the corner then telling the printer if temp probe == center temp value then start print? I was just thinking this would possibly eliminate the ambient temp variable.

[@James01520]

This is my first printer. It still sits in the box, unopened. I'm researching as much as possible. You say at the beginning this isn't a good 1st printer. Hopefully following instructions like these, before my first print, will help from me being instantly discouraged and throwing the 4Max into the dumpster. I'm going to do several upgrades before I even power it on, like X & Y linear rails, and a pair of front stabilizer bars. I'm undecided on a better (?) hotend like a Micro-swiss.

[@chrisPbacon3218]

Just pull it out and print. Don't be scared, don't do upgrades before you understand the printer. Print, diagnose, fix. I'm not new to printing, I purchased this and I'm happy. I'm running into under extrusion so I'm playing with that. But I got 4 great prints already with nothing done.

[@joeking433]

How did all that go? You sound honest, I don't trust many of these commenters.

[@GarryWButler]

Thanks for the video. Cura has been a staple of the low-end printer market for years. It shipped with the Creality machines and most of the other clones that came after. Cura is also used for both Resin and FDM printers. I got it with my Mars 2Pro and the Npttune 2S. Most people do end up switching to more advanced slicers.

[@TimothyBoyden]

I'll be honest, I bought this printer for the parts to convert eventually to a pellet printer. But super appreciate your video that I will likely use to do a baseline setup. That said, do you think it would be worth it or know the availability of a bed heater mod for this printer that would heat the bed more evenly and reduce or eliminate the warmup time?

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

I think the bed itself needs to be a thicker aluminum with better insulation. probably not worth spending the cash on it. I've been just living with the long preheat. The parts are quite good if you wait it out

[@Nocturnaldude]

i can't say much about the n4 max but i got the n4 pro and it took me a while to get this to lvl the way i want. The thing is with the neptune4 pro that the leveling of the auxiliary (the 4 knobs) bed corners are done in cold condition when you start the leveling from the menu. It only heats up for the auto leveling part which is not helping at all. First I tighten the 4 corner knobs completely and then loosen it a few turns so that i have some play. My fix is to manually heat up the nozzle to 150 - 200 and also the bedplate to 50-60 and then do all the leveling. But be aware if you finish a part of the leveling and save it ...your heating will be reset so keep an eye on the temps and maybe heat up again if it was reset. Then i start Auxiliary leveling the 4 corners but if its way off then do it on every corner 2 or 3 times this is where i got the best results. Then after the auto leveling starts let it finish and do the z offset also in heated state. In heated state i do the leveling with paper if you feel a slight resistance its good. That helped alot so that i can print flawlessly for a few days and then if a print starts to fail i will do it again. That is ok for me maybe it helps someone. I don't have to wait 20-30 minutes... i just start and it prints perfect if lvled

[@StewartHoo]

I too also have a N4 Pro and noticed the same thing as you and also did my levelling with the nozzle and bed pre heated.

[@thecalipercnc2800]

Thank you man for such explaning For me im waiting my machine to reach but i had already 5 Neptune 4pro and i have some of that issues Any time im printing and keep the machine running i have no issues what so ever Thank you again for that information and i really wish you good luck

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Glad I could help

[@zaphodb.5085]

OMG bro I have been pulling my hair out with my 4 plus trying to get a solid 1st layer.... Thank you.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Glad I could help

[@zakspop]

I will be getting mine tomorrow and this video is scaring me but then I read some comments and people say they are having no issues. Could it be some are better than others? I've also watched other videos about this printer and no one is mentioning this stuff. Because if this printer is this messed up, Elegoo should be working on fixing these issues.

[@joeking433]

The people that said they aren't having any problems work for Elegoo. ;). It's really hard to send it back. If you don't open it and send it back it. costs you around $100 in shipping plus Elegoo charges a 5% restocking fee. If you open it and don't use it and send it back they charge you a 15% restocking fee.

[@GryphonIndustrial]

This is unreal! I just got into 3D printing and got a Voxelab Aquila X2 printing perfect and then got a deal on a used 4 Max and I've had hell with it. Coming from a background in a machine shop when you brought out the test indicator I knew this was gonna be good! Once I get this long print off my 4 Max I'm gonna start working with your profile. Quick question as a very new 3d printer operator: In your orca profile how did you determine the acceleration numbers? Been down a rabbit hole the last few hours trying to understand how to get a baseline and tune accelerations. I started with a profile off the Elegoo discord and when I fired up my first print the damn thing sounded like it was letting go!

[@Gork_Games]

I normally don’t comment on videos like this, but you kept me from going insane. I’ve spent the past week trying to get a “level” print out of this printer. Coming from an ender 3, but I’ve been out of the 3d printing game for like 3 years lol.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

yeh it's a frustrating experience with this machine

[@michaelgaraphoto]

Thanks so much for putting this info out! Would appreciate seeing how you've modified your printer.cfg? I'm still also a little unsure how to add screws tilt for the max... Thanks!

[@pperry6715]

So I am fairly new to 3D printing but I'm a bit of a control freak and the more refinements the machine has the more interest I have in working with it. You have actually made me more interested in the printer know how you were able to basically set a macro that resolved your issues. I would be curious how different this was from the Max 3 for start up and print consistency.

[@tactikool4740]

So I got mine around the same time you got yours and I have had all the issues.Blob of death yup had it 4 times to the point where they sent me new heads. Firmwear def fixed a lot of the issues for sure. The issue I noticed that you did not mention was the back bed level screw knob backing off after a while. Like the movement would cause it to shimmy and next thing you know you have so really bad prints or worse the nozzel toughing the build plate something horrible Great tip thanks.

[@edwardmungle2123]

I read in the manual that you want to level your bed when it is heated up

[@taomenshuifilmstudio34]

Great Review !!!!, My question is, what other printer would you recommend if someone needs 420x420 build plate??? Beside the anycubic kobra max.... Thanks in advance....

[@TripodsGarage]

First and foremost great video! I appreciate all the time and effort that you put into this machine. However, I believe the only way manufactures are going to learn, is the hard way, and have customers return machines that simply do not work as advertised out of the box. A 25min heat soak? The when it already takes forever and a day for the bed to heat up. For a bed of this size, maybe it should have been an AC heated bed? To me this machine was rushed to the market, and didn't have a proper QC process. Keep up the great work!

[@zero00044]

I've only ever used cura. Wonder if that's why my delta style printer (discontinued and the newest firmware isn't available from the manufacturer anymore) has issues with hitting the print constantly. Just downloaded orca because someone I talked to mentioned recently, but it has so many things that you have to program in for my printer (because mine is 4 years old and not on the list during setup) that I just don't understand what it all means or what they do. Cura is really simple compared to that. Plus my printer is on the list lol.

[@kristeenbeck2609]

Thanks for posting this video, I'm very new to 3d printing! This is my 2nd Elegoo Printer I now have the 4 Pro and the 4max. I have not had very good luck with this 4 max so far, I have only been able to print 1 piece with it. I am hoping this video instruction will fix my problems.

[@FunctionalPrintFriday]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GummyMann]

Thank you for this video and sharing your finding.

[@Senbonzakura776]

Very cool review. I have two of the Neptune 3 Max, and have thought about a 4 Max. Yet, I see a lot off issues with it that keeping from getting it. I'll probably just pickup another 3 Max. Oh, I jump around on slicers with using Simplify3D, Cura, and Orca (though I'm still learning it) 😅

[@a.nonamoose]

I have a 3 Max and a 4 Max and I definitely wish I had just bought a second 3 instead of the 4.

[@Kputz]

Great work here and thanks for all your hard work and efforts!

[@roderickallenmusic]

I am fortunate that my vendor is replacing my N4M after 2 months. This comes after multiple failed prints, hot-end replacements, and an extruder replacement. I am thrilled to get a fresh start. I want to be absolutely certain that I avoid the erroneous default software included with the impending machine. What version am I to install? Also, to summarize, I should install OrcaSlicer, but with the modified G-codes? You video is very informative. Can you please guide me the correct sequence in setting up my new N4M?

[@driftlessheights6177]

Wow, I learned so much. I also have been having these problems. Wonder about acceleration too. If that can cause layer shift. Besides this I changed to a .9mm nozzle and that has not yielded great results. Tried Orca and Elegoo Cura slicers, but no help. Any good vids on changing the nozzle settings on the 4 Max?

[@FreshErBz]

I mainly only print helmets are you recommending to just leave the Part cooling fan in the off position on top of the printer, or adjust it in filament settings to turn off keep fan always on, min /max fan speed threshold 0%??

[@AntonLauridsen]

Thankyou for all your effort. I believe you've helped point me towards a solution for getting decent prints on my N4 Max. A few observations though: 1) 0.004 inches is 0.1016 mm, which translates to 1/2 a layer height. 2) Would an enclosure help? 3) The default tolerance is 0.05, which incidentally lets it accept almost all samples, regardless of deviation 4) With 3 samples taken, wouldn't 'average' be better than 'mean'? 5) With bed levelling done on every print wouldn't it make sense to look into the Beacon probe? Regardless, thanks! I didn't fully realise the amount of heat expansion on such a large bed

[@a1hamer]

Thank you for sharing and superb video on this topic. Would an mains electric heater pad solve it ?

[@matth1017]

THANK YOU!! I was about to freaking hammer-throw this printer out in to the street and give up on printing completely! I was letting it pre-heat before prints but z-offset and bed mesh were always inconsistent I should've known there was a better way. Thanks for the G-code! The bed mesh before every print has helped a ton. Smaller prints are turning out fine now, haven't tried a large print yet but I have faith now that it will turn out fine :)

[@haylspa]

I honestly just bought one, so I have not got to try it out yet. But thank you. I can see the issues by your video. I will. most likely be putting on one of my H2O's or H2 v2s extruders in place because I already seen multiple blobs of death as a complaint. but this helps me a lot. Thank you very, very, very much.!!!! It's nice knowing what to expect.!

[@skaltura]

Considering the size, even with that bed issue it's been amazing printer. Coming from CR-10 S5 30minute wait is no go for most prints. Only for say 5kg+ prints -- at which point just the weight of the print is going to affect level over time, fortunately spread over the full print. Right now doing ~2kg print. Insane how fast these new printers get stuff done, that's only 1½ days.

[@TheMajorKC]

This would make sense why I was having issues. I was trying to do smaller prints quick and notice the first one would be amazing. Then the second ones would having first layer issues. I'm guessing from not having the bed warmed up enough after cooling down.

[@kingdwight1]

Wondering if you ever considered going hotter on the build plate for the warmup period, then letting it cool to the print temp. Would that help you get to stable bed faster? So if you printed at 60C why not run it up to 90C for 5 min then bring it down to 60C. Would that get you to a stable point for your bed so it can auto calibrate at that point? Curious to see if that sensor of yours gets to the stable point faster.

[@georgemichalopoulos5169]

I find it a miracle printers of this bed size manage to print half-decently at all. It is to be expected that heat expansion, bed movements, wear on belts and bearings will have a major effect on z height, especially when we are looking for precision of 0.1mm! Look at your metal lathe, then look at this printer. The difference in rigidity and moving part quality is immense, yet the printer (and others like it) still manages to print at a reasonable quality. It is impossible to tune perfectly and for this tune to remain perfect long term, so I think we should cut Elegoo some slack here. As you said, the only way to counter this is to smartly compensate for the inevitable mechanical inaccuracies, in software. It is most likely what printers of other manufacturers achieving "perfect" results do without us realizing.

[@802Garage]

I think Cura is actually still quite popular. Not sure if you have actual statistics for market share. I think especially for Marlin users, like anyone just using an Ender, it's still very prevalent. I personally prefer the Cura interface to most other slicers, but I have moved over to Orca slicer quite a bit because there are certain aspects which allow me to get better print quality, especially on certain prints. Sometimes, I actually find Cura provides a more logical slice of a part, but it is also missing features like support and seam painting that I really appreciate in other Prusa based slicers.

[@saitekh]

Ya I don't know where this guy is coming from with that. Maybe most enthusiasts aren't using cura? I think 90% of people who buy an out of the box printer are going to go get cura.

[@802Garage]

@@saitekh Yeah just a bit of confirmation bias I think. I do think Orca is superior in a few ways, but I think Cura is very competent.

[@yoululauren5340]

I have used other slicer, Cura is still the one I like. Especially, the rich set of plug-ins. It's really a nice software.

[@martinrayner6466]

I like Cura because is works on all my different machines, and yea I'm used to it. _(Love the lightning infill)._ That was a factor when buying the machine.