How To Maintain A 3d Printer? Protect Printer From Dust

How To Maintain A 3d Printer? 3D printers are becoming more popular in households, but not everyone knows how to maintain them.

A 3d printer is like any other machine and needs regular care to keep it running smoothly. This blog will teach you the basics of maintaining your 3d printer!

Table of Contents

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How to maintain a 3d printer? Printer maintenance (dddrop)

First off, every 3D printer is not alike. A basic understanding of the mechanical workings of your device is necessary before you attempt to maintain it. Typically manufacturers have hardware documentation available on their websites for this purpose. In general, the following steps should be followed:

Keep the 3D printer clean with Pptfe tube

It sounds silly, but as with any machine that prints items, dust and debris can mess up your prints and cause all sorts of issues, including damaging sensitive components. When I was at MakerBot we used to say “if it’s not dirty, don’t clean it”.

However, you should try to avoid touching the nozzle with your bare hands, or oil from your fingers might get left behind on the surface of the heated part. Wiping it down regularly with a soft cloth is usually all that’s necessary when maintaining basic cleanliness.

Keep your X-Y gantry clean.

The above advice applies here too – I’ve seen one MakerBot Replicator where after only 50 hours of use the gantry rods looked like they had been used for hundreds of hours.

If the filament doesn’t extrude properly along these rods it can cause issues in leveling and calibration, so make sure they are maintained accordingly. You will also want to periodically remove any filament residue that hardens around them during normal operation (this does not happen on Stratasys systems, which are closed).

Keep your Z-axis clean.

Nozzles should ride fairly freely up and down the threaded rod of the Z-axis, but if filament gets stuck or not fed properly it can cause the nozzle to bind.

If this happens, heat up the hot end to melt any existing filament in the path of travel, then carefully remove it by hand or with a pair of pliers. You can then pull out any residue stuck inside using tweezers or another tool that won’t damage plastic parts under the heat of operation. Sometimes excess filament builds up on top of extruders as well – just clean these off whenever you see them build up too much.

How To Maintain A 3d Printer?

Make sure the X-Y gantry moves smoothly.

Sometimes printed parts can interfere with the smooth movement of a machine’s extruders.

For example, a poorly designed filament spool holder might cause a Makerbot Replicator 2 to stop extruding from one side or another because it gets jammed up against the metal frame.

This is easier to diagnose if you have access to hardware documentation. In general, moving parts should operate as expected – belts and pulleys should turn the appropriate shafts without binding up, for instance. Inspect any cables going into your 3D printer as well – they should not be crimped or frayed where they enter components like motors or control boxes.

Make sure the Z-axis moves smoothly.

There are usually two rods that make up the Z-axis of a 3D printer – one on the top and one below.

These should be as smooth as possible, with no visible ridges or burs from filament being pushed through them. Some machines have a single-threaded rod for this axis that can occasionally come loose or bind up if not properly maintained, so keep an eye out for that too.

Make sure all motors move freely.

If your machine has a hot end it will typically have a control box with a heating element inside, which means there is usually some sort of moving component in there as well (e.g., fans).

In general, these components should spin freely without binding up or making noise – overheating can occur if they are jammed up or not spinning at their usual speeds.

Finally, some machines have heated beds that require a pair of fans to blow cool air across the surface as it prints. Make sure all of these components operate as expected and don’t make any unusual noises – if you hear grinding, creaking or motor whirring, something might be wrong.

Calibrate your machine.

This is the most important step of 3D printer maintenance and should be done after every single print (for this reason I recommend always printing with a brim ).

The basis for calibration is to properly level each of the axes so that the extruder nozzle moves in a straight line up and down when moving through X-Y space.

If your machine uses threaded rods you will have to manually calibrate these every time you use them – this involves turning knobs or loosening/tightening screws based on how far each rod moves. There are several methods for doing this, but I recommend using “The Z-Axis Calibration Method” to get started (credit goes to Stratasys ).

How To Maintain A 3d Printer?

Check your bearings.

Bearings allow components like gantry rods and axes to glide smoothly up and down without making any noise or coming loose during operation. Always make sure they are properly seated before use by pushing inward with tweezers. If they are wiggly, don’t use the 3D printer until you can purchase or replace them (if you know what you’re doing).

However, if your bearings are not properly attached to their axis (e.g., clamps are missing) make sure to fix this first before proceeding – noise and wobbling components will seriously undermine print quality.

Check your stepper motors.

Stepper motors on Makerbots and other FDM/FFF-based printers should always turn smoothly without making noise or grinding up filament into powder first. If they do grind first then there’s probably something wrong with the filament drive mechanism, which is usually too hard for new users to fix themselves anyway so I recommend taking it to a shop.

If the stepper motors turn but make squeaking or grinding noises, try greasing them with lithium grease (available at any hardware store) – this should solve your problem if they are just dry.

The last step here is to check that all cables are plugged into each stepper motor in the right way. If you’re not sure how to do that then don’t worry about it yet – after maintaining your 3D printer for a while you’ll be able to tell which way is correct by looking at them!

Check your hot end.

Make sure there is no clog in the nozzle, and verify that it has reached temperatures of around 200-230 degrees Celsius before using (you can usually set these using the control panel).

If you’re printing PLA then make sure it doesn’t exceed this temperature, otherwise, your plastic might start to turn opaque white instead of its normal color! Finally, always keep an eye on the hot end while 3D printing so you can stop if anything goes wrong.

How To Maintain A 3d Printer?

Try out other print materials.

All FDM/FFF-based 3D printers only extrude one type of plastic at a time (e.g., ABS or PLA), but many more are available including Nylon, Carbon Fiber PLA, Laywood, and Laybrick.

Experimenting with other types will give you a better idea of which material is best for your specific application, and will help you identify potential issues that arise when using each type – e.g., some ABS filaments are highly toxic, whereas Laybrick adheres to the printing bed too well and needs a heated surface for release.

Learn how to do other modifications yourself.

The first thing most users want to print after their initial calibration is a wrench or other tool, but there are also options for improving print quality (e.g., gluing glass plates on top of build plates), adding spool holders to the side of your printer, or converting them into CNC machines using various Dremel attachments.

There are even more options available which you can easily discover online – pretty much anything you could ever want!

Maintain your machine while not in use.

A few simple tweaks here and there are often all it takes to keep your 3D printer in great shape.

For example, when you’re not using your printer lightly tighten the build plate leveling screws (make sure to use a non-conductive screwdriver !), and check for loose filament before each print by giving it a few tugs with pliers or tweezers.

If the filament is tight then it shouldn’t wobble at all during printing, otherwise, your point of extrusion will shift slightly which causes issues like gaps in walls or strings between different parts.

Relax! FDM/FFF printers are pretty simple devices once you get used to them, but even experienced users make mistakes from time to time.

Always try to fix things yourself before taking it into a professional, but in the meantime don’t be afraid to have some fun by trying new things with your machine.

Your 3D printer will still print just fine even if you ignore all of these tips for maintaining it, but why not get the most out of your investment?

A few hours spent looking after it can save both time and money in the long run, sometimes even months’ worth! There are countless ways you can improve 3D printers, so make sure you (and everyone else) know about them! Good luck on printing something today 🙂

How To Maintain A 3d Printer? (cre: pinshape)

3D printer lubricant

3D printer lubricant is necessary to keep the printer running smoothly, with reduced friction and wear on the components. It ensures that your hot end is capable of extruding easily through the filament.

You can buy lubricant for your 3D printer, but there are also ways to create it without spending too much money. Let’s take a look at some options you have!

Before we start…

Here is some important information about oiling your machine: Be careful which kind of oil or lubricants you choose to use on your 3D printer. Some oils will not solidify when they cool down (meaning they turn into a gel). If this happens, the oil could solidify in one of your motors (and burn out), or inside one of the plastic gears.

Additionally, if your printer is a RepRap or a delta of any kind, avoid WD-40 because it will make the joints very wet which could cause problems later on. If you end up using some lubricant that has a gel consistency, be sure to clean out the head of the hotend before going to print with filaments like PLA or ABS. You can do this by heating up MK7/MK8 nozzles, too (but use caution). Remove filament and heat nozzle to ~160C.

Then insert 4-5 M6x20 bolts into the top two holes (keep trying until they fit nicely) and try pulling them out; excess oil will drip out onto your table or workbench; use a paper towel to clean it up. Cleaning is not necessary with heat-resistant materials like polycarbonate or Teflon.

How To Maintain A 3d Printer? (cre: matterhackers)

Oil for 3D printers (printing service launch)

There are several different types of oil that can be used for lubricating 3D printer mechanisms (and anything else, actually). Here’s a list of the most common types:

Printing machine oil

– This type of oil can be found in any local hardware store and is what you should buy if you want to save some money on this project. It comes in small bottles that cost ~ 2-3$.

The only downside is it doesn’t solidify when cooled down so you might have to throw away a lot of oil after your printer has been sitting in one place for a few months.

Mineral oil

– This type of oil can be found online, or in pharmacies/drugstores. It will solidify when cooled down to room temperature, which means you don’t have to worry about throwing it away after 6-12 months of use.

However, you might not find mineral oil easily depending on where you are located. You’ll probably need to buy it online (10+$ per liter), but the good thing is that this oil comes with little risk of damaging your 3D printer’s components because it isn’t made for machines, but rather human consumption!

Here’s an example link though there are many brands available I suggest checking at your local pharmacy first before buying on amazon.

How To Maintain A 3d Printer?

This oil is a little expensive but it’s worth the money considering you won’t have to change lubricant for a long time.

It solidifies when cooled down which makes cleanup easy, and it also reduces wear on your printer’s components (so they will likely last longer).

If you want to save some money on this project, I suggest buying mineral oil online because it’ll be much cheaper than buying at local stores. Here is an example link though there are many brands available I suggest checking at your local pharmacy first before buying on amazon.

There are other types of oil that might work (and even be better), but these are the most common ones that I use/have used in my 3D printers. Other types of oils that you might find inside your printer, like sewing machine oil or WD-40, are not recommended.

Conclusion

If you are looking for tips on how to maintain your 3d printer, the best thing that you can do is invest in a high-quality machine. These machines will be able to withstand the rigors of daily use and keep functioning at optimal levels. Take care of it by following these simple maintenance guidelines so that you have peace of mind knowing that it’s running properly!

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