Inconsistent first layer across bed (right side see-through) + bed mesh looks “off” even after heat soak

Sovol SV08 MAX
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1

Screenshot 2026-01-02 at 4.41.53 PM
Screenshot 2026-01-02 at 4.41.53 PM1920×1176 195 KB

Hey everyone, looking for advice from other SV08 Max owners.

I’ve had my SV08 Max for a while, and I keep running into inconsistent first layer issues specifically when printing parts that use most of the bed area.

Problem

I didn’t get a chance to grab photos of the failed first layer, but the behavior is consistent:

  • One part/area of the bed has excellent first-layer “squish” (fully opaque lines, cannot see the bed through it).

  • On the right side of the bed, the first layer becomes see-through and I can clearly see the bed between lines / gaps.

This makes me think it’s a bed leveling / gantry leveling / mesh issue rather than slicer settings.

What I’m printing with

  • Filament: SUNLU PETG HiSpeed (Black)

  • Bed temp: 75C

  • Nozzle: (see attached settings)

  • Slicer & profile: (see screenshots)

Attached screenshots:

  1. Bed mesh heatmap / visualization (after leveling)

What I’ve tried

To remove thermal drift as a variable, I did a long heat soak:

  • Bed at 75C + nozzle at 150C for ~30 minutes
    Then ran:

  • QGL

  • BED_MESH_LEVEL

Even after that, my mesh heatmap still looks very “off” / uneven, and it matches what I’m seeing in the first layer (good in one area, too high or too low on the right).

Z-offset / filament gcode

To make sure this isn’t a Z-offset inconsistency between starts, I have this in filament gcode:

; Filament gcode
SET_GCODE_OFFSET Z=-0.07 MOVE=0

What’s weird is I can dial in a Z-offset that looks perfect on one side, but it will still be under-squished and gappy on the right side.

Questions

  1. What are the most common causes of a right-side first layer under-squish on the SV08 Max even after heat soak + QGL + mesh?

  2. Does this sound more like:

    • Gantry not actually leveling correctly (QGL issue / mechanical)

    • Bed mounting / bed warp / bed tension

    • Probe inconsistency / probe mount looseness

    • X-axis twist / loose wheels / belt tension / frame square

  3. Anything specific I should check or run (commands / tests) to isolate whether it’s probe accuracy vs mechanical vs mesh application?

If there are any recommended diagnostic prints or commands, I can run them and report back.

2

I’d add eddy edge effect to your list. Try adjusting your mesh area to end 10-15mm further from the edge.

3

I didn’t even know you could do that. Is that a parameter you can adjust in the console when doing a “bed_mesh_level”?

4

See the [bed_mesh] section of printer.cfg

[bed_mesh]
speed: 400
horizontal_move_z: 1.5
algorithm: bicubic 
mesh_min: 13,15              
mesh_max: 476,490
probe_count: 60,60
fade_start: 0
fade_end: 10
scan_overshoot: 4

The parameters mesh_min and mesh_max are X,Y coordinates for the rectangle that gets measures.

As far as I can tell Sovol uses stock Klipper [bed_mesh] settings.

5

I changed the x, y to 486, 490 and I got these errors when running bed_mesh_calibrate.

!! Move out of range: 505.390 15.750 1.500 [0.000]

!! Move out of range: 505.390 15.750 1.500 [0.000]

6

You need to decrease the size of the mesh. Try

Be sure you are in the [bed_mesh] section.

7

Maybe just me, but I had similar experiences. And then I had bed heating issues so I took the heater out and inspected it. all of the screws holding the heating element to the bed plate magnet were slightly loose. After warming the plate and re-torquing all of the fasteners from the center out, I was able to eliminate the bed heating issues and the un-even bed mesh. May be worth a look on your unit.