print shifts slightly to the left mid print

[ednisley]

Do ALL of these things

Also, whenever you change anything that affects the Z-axis position of the platform relative to the nozzle or its thickness, run off a set of thinwall squares to verify the first layer thickness. If the platform is properly aligned, but too low by a mere 0.05 mm, you'll have adhesion problems.

All I did was move the job away from the the centre of the bed to the left far corner away from where it always lifts.

That tells you the platform isn't properly aligned, no matter what it feels like.

If the platform isn't exactly the same thickness overall or has an imperceptible warp, then flipping it over or rotating it end-for-end will change the leveling and initial Z position. Not by much, mind you, but 0.05 mm isn't visible to the naked eye. In this situation, "looks good" and "feels good" simply don't help.

Printing and measuring a handful of thinwall squares sounds tedious, but that's how you get the data you need to solve the problems you're having. Printing a big object over and over again just wastes time & plastic.

[cosi]

Do ALL of these things, in this order:

1. If you insist on using masking tape on the plate - spray a thick layer of hairspray on top of the masking tape, let it dry completely, spray another thick layer of hairspray. If you want to do it in one pass, spray until it puddles on the tape, then spread it around with a finger. Put it on the HBP and turn the bed heat on 50°C until it dries completely. (Speeds up the drying.)

(This is a temporary fix for your adhesion problem - eventually you will want to look into a PEI surface for the plate instead of the masking tape and hairspray. It will mean re-setting the gap if you choose this option, but you will then never have to mess with hairspray or tape again. - Highly recommended.)

2.

I am running 60 on the bed and 210 for layer 1 and 215 for layer 2...

This is backwards. You want to run the first layer temp a little higher, and all subsequent layers lower with PLA. The hotter you print PLA, the more it warps, because the warping only happens while that filament is cooling - if it doesn't have to cool off for as long, it warps less. When it cools off completely, it stops warping.

Use these:

Bed temp: 60°C
First layer temp: 210°C
All other layer temps: 205°C
Full fan after first layer (Additional fan is always a good idea with PLA - removing the fan guard on the bed fan will exponentially increase the cooling power, which you want with PLA.)

Your main problem is adhesion - you still have not gotten a good bond between the plate and the print. PLA wants to warp - you have to make it stick. (Get tough with it!)

I have bought a dial indicator and am trying to figure out in what order to measure and adjust the bed. Also, what height should the hot end be from the bed?

I don't have use the blue tape, it was suggested to me by another user/post. I will take it off and do as you suggested with the hairspray. I have also adjusted the temperatures as advised.

I did some research on the PEI surface but unsure what thickness to buy, is that supposed to replace the glass altogether? Any ideas where to buy it from, I have found some on Amazon.

[Jules]

I don't have use the blue tape, it was suggested to me by another user/post. I will take it off and do as you suggested with the hairspray. I have also adjusted the temperatures as advised.

If you remove the blue tape, you might need to reset the gap between the nozzle and the plate for the first layer. You can just spray the hairspray right on top of the blue tape for now. Re-set the gap later when you get the PEI sheet installed.

I did some research on the PEI surface but unsure what thickness to buy, is that supposed to replace the glass altogether? Any ideas where to buy it from, I have found some on Amazon.

This PEI sheet:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013H ... ge_o04_s00

This tape to attach it to the glass:
http://www.amazon.com/TapeCase-squares- ... VRQQCX5H5J

This tool to cut the PEI:
http://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-45730- ... utter+tool

These are the instructions for attaching the PEI sheet:

Start peeling the liner off of 1 side of the tape by slooooowly pulling the liner off one side of the full 12 inch sheet while holding the corner down flat, and doubling the liner back on itself sharply. It's impossible to describe with words, but it's a technique used by vinyl cutters to apply vinyl transfer tape and there is a video of it below. It's all in the peeling.

After you have removed one side of the tape liner, lay the tape on a flat desk, sticky side up. Lay the glass down on it. Cut the excess tape from around the glass with an exacto knife. Turn the glass over and brayer the tape down and pop the bubbles in the tape with an exacto knife through the remaining liner, before you pull it off. (Small slashes cut into the remaining liner to let the air out.)
Get it as flat as you can before removing the remaining liner on the tape, using the same technique you used before, to keep from pulling the adhesive off the glass.

Remove one liner from the sheet of PEI, and lay that side facing up on the desk. Flip the sticky side of the glass facing down, and set the glass down on the exposed PEI surface. Press down well. Use the plastic cutter to score the PEI around the glass deeply. Flip the whole thing over and carefully score (using a straight edge) on the other side of the PEI, trying to line up your score marks with the ones underneath. Keep scoring until you can snap the PEI away from the glass.

Sand the edges, remove the top liner on the PEI, scuff the top of the PEI sheet with fine sand paper (1000 grit) and you're done.

Video showing the peeling technique :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-PRVLEaDRY

Also, what height should the hot end be from the bed?

0.13mm -0.15mm when the nozzle and bed are heated to printing temps, with a correctly calculated Z-Offset, determined by using the calibration square method that Ed described for you.

If you have not done so, please read the Beginner's Guide (all of it) for your machine here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3342.

The troubleshooting section will save you a lot of waiting for answers, since most of the problems you've run into so far are discussed there, along with suggested fixes. There are about six things you need to do to get the machine set up correctly, and skipping any one of them can cause a lot of wasted time. (And the guide was likely published after you got your machine, so you might not have known about it if you didn't hang around on the forum.)

[cosi]

Thanks Jules & Ed.
I'll try your what you've said and buy that stuff and get this sorted and report back.

[cosi]

This PEI sheet:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013H ... ge_o04_s00

This tape to attach it to the glass:
http://www.amazon.com/TapeCase-squares- ... VRQQCX5H5J

This tool to cut the PEI:
http://www.amazon.com/Hyde-Tools-45730- ... utter+tool

Well that sucks, I won't be able to buy that stuff from Amazon as they won't send it to Sydney, Australia
Are there any other sites you recommend? I can do some digging but I thought I would ask here first.

[Jules]

Bummer! A google search turned up this:

http://www.cvplastics.com.au/pei-1000-ultem