The problem is the Z axis does not move up after the printing starts. It DOES however move during homing and in manual control. This results in the everything getting printed on first layer I am using firmware Repetier 0.92 btw. And the driver currents are adjusted correctly. (0.12 mA, they are small steppers!) The Z-Axis just seems to be completely disabled during prints. Here's what I tried (none of them solved the issue) Swapping the X an Z axis to see if the stepper motor is broken. Resetting all my settings. Inverting the Z-Axis. Trying new G-Code from Cura as well as the sample G-Code models included in the SD card. If you find that your Z-axis leadscrew is properly installed and is not binding, then you should try lubricating your 3D printer, especially around the Z-axis. This can be as simple as using a lubricant PTFE spray or using a popular lubricant like Super Lube Synthetic Oil with PTFE from Amazon. During prints, the Z axis does not move and this causes the layers to print on top of one another. The nozzle ends up digging into previous layers. A 3D printer's Z, Y, or X-axis may stop moving due to loose nuts, inadequate lubrication, binding with the lead screw, a loose Z coupler, or faulty wiring. It can also occur due to a worn-out drive belt, a broken stepper motor, or a short circuit in the motherboard. I would test to see if your Z is moving backwards - with Z=0.3 I could see it was printing about half way up - if you move to z=10 it should move the bed down. Does it? I'm hoping it moves the bed up. If so then you can simply swap Z direction (several ways to do that) and swap the end stops. Problem: Z-Axis doesn't work during a print. It attempts to work, maybe climbs on the Z-Axis, but screws back down. It whines, too. But, Z-Axis DOES work while not printing. It doesn't matter if the bed and nozzle heating or not, if it's not printing, it works as it should. I will check that out. When I auto home, it will move down just fine and will all be at 0 , 0 , 0. However when I try to manually bring up the Z axis on the screen, it doesn't move up, but the motor will run as if it is trying to. If I remove that z switch wire (I think it's called? The motor wire.) However during printing of some test squares, its pretty clear the bed isn't printing level (some are clearly too close, some too far away), and watching the Z-Axis like a hawk, it doesn't move at all, which I am assuming it is supposed to? Using cura to print. Here is my start code: You could write a small gcode with z moves and some xy moves in between for testing. That should work. Then add more and more of the print gcode making problems in the beginning until the problem reapears, then you know which commands cause the problem which should help finding the reason. 4wcDR.