Flashforge Adventurer 5M: Why It Heats the Nozzle Twice in Orca Slicer
If you have recently switched your Flashforge Adventurer 5M or 5M Pro over to Orca Slicer, you may have noticed a peculiar behavior: the printer heats the nozzle to a medium temperature, pauses or moves, and then heats it again to the final printing temperature. While it might look like a bug or a "double-take" by the firmware, this is actually a deliberate safety and quality feature programmed into the Start G-code.
The Mystery of the Two-Stage Heat Up
On the Adventurer 5M, the "double heating" is typically part of a Nozzle Oozing Prevention routine. When you start a print, Orca Slicer sends commands to prepare the machine in stages. Here is the breakdown of what is actually happening behind the scenes:
Stage 1: The "Standby" or "Soft" Heat
First, the printer heats the nozzle to a non-oozing temperature, usually between 140°C and 170°C.
- Why? This temperature is hot enough to allow the nozzle to be wiped or for the Z-offset probe to function without damaging the build plate, but cool enough that filament won't gravity-leak (ooze) out of the tip.
- What the printer is doing: Usually, during this stage, the printer is performing its Auto-Leveling or Vibration Compensation routines.
Stage 2: The Final "Print" Heat
Once the bed is leveled and the toolhead is in the "Home" or "Purge" position, the machine receives a second command (M109) to reach the target temperature specified in your filament profile (e.g., 220°C for PLA).
Is This Behavior Normal?
Yes. If you were to heat the nozzle to 220°C immediately, filament would leak out during the 2-3 minutes the printer spends leveling the bed. This "blob" could then get stuck to the nozzle or, worse, get dragged into your first layer, causing a print failure.
How to Modify This in Orca Slicer
If the double-heating process bothers you or you want to speed up your start times, you can find the logic in the Machine Start G-code settings:
- Open Orca Slicer and go to Printer Settings (the gear icon next to your Adventurer 5M).
- Navigate to the Machine Start G-code tab.
- Look for placeholders like
{first_layer_temperature[0] - 40}. This tells the printer to heat to 40 degrees below the target first.
Estimated Costs for Maintenance and Performance
While software settings are free, keeping your Adventurer 5M running efficiently involves occasional hardware costs.
| Item | Estimated Price (USD) | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Orca Slicer (Open Source) | $0.00 | Advanced control over Start G-code logic. |
| Replacement 0.4mm Nozzle Assembly | $25.00 - $35.00 | To replace nozzles worn by abrasive filaments. |
| Hardened Steel Nozzle Upgrade | $35.00 - $45.00 | Essential for Carbon Fiber or Glow-in-the-dark. |
| PEI Build Plate (Replacement) | $20.00 - $30.00 | If the "soft heat" probe cycles damage the surface. |
Conclusion
The Adventurer 5M heats twice to ensure that your first layer is as clean as possible. By holding the nozzle at a "Standby" temperature during calibration, Orca Slicer prevents the dreaded "nozzle booger" from ruining your print surface. It adds about 30 seconds to your start time, but saves hours of troubleshooting failed first layers.
