How to do maintenance to a 3D printer: a complete Guide

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Maintaining a 3D printer is essential for it to work efficiently, reliably and safely.

Today I'm going to show you a series of steps to keep your 3D printer in optimal condition over time.

1. Cleaning dust and plastic debris
2. Wheel and belt adjustments
3. General lubrication
4. Electrical system
5. Nut and bolt adjustments
6. Parts to check
7. Conclusions:

1. Cleaning dust and plastic debris

Dust buildup is one of the most common and most noticeable problems in our printers. Luckily, it is also one of the easiest to solve.

You can use different tools to perform this cleaning, and thus reach all corners of your printer.

• a compressed air
• a dedicated rag
• a paint brush
• A toothbrush
• Paper napkins
• Isopropyl alcohol
• alcohol swabs
• A vacuum cleaner

General cleaning of the structure

You can begin maintenance on a 3D printer by performing a general cleaning with a can of compressed air, blowing all over the printer to remove dust and plastic particles that are deposited on the surface.

If you don't have or can't get a compressed air, you can use a rag to clean the printer. You can wet this rag with isopropyl alcohol for better cleaning.

In the case of hard-to-reach parts, you can use a brush to remove the dust.

Cleaning moving parts and difficult access

Bearings are one of the places you should clean, as they tend to accumulate dust and all kinds of dirt. V-Slot wheels are a clear example, as they perform a very important function and their movement should be as smooth as possible, without any surprises.

Here you can use a rag or paper soaked in isopropyl alcohol. While moving the wheels from one side to the other, place the wet rag on the bearings so that they clean as they move.

If you use paper napkins to perform this cleaning, you must be careful not to leave small pieces of paper everywhere.

On printers with linear guides, dirt will accumulate at the ends, here you can also use paper to clean.

Another place where dust and dirt can accumulate is in the hood fans.

If these fans collect too much dirt, their performance may be affected, which will negatively impact the operation of the Hotend.

In this case you will have to disassemble the fan cover, whether it is the factory one or the one you have, by removing the screws.

Make sure to clean the fans well with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. If there are plastic hairs, you can remove them with tweezers. If necessary, use a vacuum cleaner.

Some fans like those of the mother board The Ender 3's (first generation) hotends point up and can be a prone spot for plastic pieces to get into or fall onto the motherboard.

In this case, disassemble the cover by removing the screws, and take the opportunity to clean the fan, as well as perform a check on the motherboard that We will see later.

And finally, you can run the brush through any crack or nook where you see there is dirt or grime.

If you know that one of your printers will not be used for a long period of time, you can cover it with a bag to prevent dust from entering and getting dirty.

2. Adjustment of wheels and straps

The constant rocking and vibration of the printer can cause some eccentric screws or nuts to loosen. It is important to make sure everything is properly adjusted and calibrated.

V slot wheels

As a first step, you should check that the wheels on the Hotend carriage are not too loose, to the point that it is almost loose.

Remember that this system must be able to move smoothly from one end to the other (it cannot be too tight).

• If the wheels are too loose: The Hotend carriage will wobble and may have consequences on the quality of your prints.

• If the wheels are too tight: The Hotend carriage will be too tight, potentially wearing out the V-Slot wheels

If any of the wheels are damaged, you will need to replace it with a new one.

Belt tension

Once you have checked and adjusted all the bearings, you can check the tension of the belts.

The straps must be well aligned and sufficiently tensioned. They cannot be loose, nor can they be too tight.

If your belts are not tight enough, you will need to loosen the tensioner screws, then stretch them to give the belts more tension. Immediately afterward, you will need to retighten them without losing that tension.

You can download and print a tensioner from thingiverse, which will make this task easier.

3. General Lubrication

Once we have finished with the tension of the belts, we will move on to lubricate all the moving parts, especially the Z axis.

It is a good idea to have fat at home, since you will put it to good use and you will have it available for any need.

If you want to know which is the best grease for 3D printers, I recommend you read the following post: What grease to use in 3D printers?

linear bearings

For reels that run on linear bearings, you will place grease on a piece of paper and apply it over the entire tempered bar.

While the Hotend is on the left, you will lubricate the entire right side, when you are done you will move the Hotend to the right and lubricate the left side. When you are done, you will move the reel from one side to the other so that the grease is distributed evenly throughout the bar.

You will use the same lubrication process for the linear rails, placing on the sides and top of the rails. You will move the reel from left to right to help the grease distribute.

Z Axis Rod

One of the places that also needs this grease is the Z Axis, the most appropriate way may be to remove the rod from the printer and place the grease on the Z Axis guide thread and then replace the rod.

In this way, as the rod passes through the guide thread, the rod will be soaked in grease until it reaches the bottom.

Another way without removing the rod would be to place the grease on the top of the guide and ask the printer to raise the Z Axis until it stops at the top.

4. Electrical system

When performing maintenance on a 3D printer it is important to check the electrical system.

In the next point you are going to inspect the entire wiring system of the printer, including its chips and connections.

connectors

on some printers the chips that connect to the source can overheat. You should check that these connectors are free of burns, melted parts or any parts that attract your attention in any way.

Then you can perform a check of the connections on the entire printer. Make sure the chips are connected correctly.that there are no loose wires.

Motherboard

You can also check all the connections on the motherboard, verify that there are no loose cables and that all the screws are properly tightened.

The cables entering the motherboard must be healthy on the outside, they cannot be burned or broken, as well as their coating.

hotend and hot bed

The Hotend cables should not rub against any metal parts that get hot, nor should they be pinched in any way. You should look for any signs of damage on the outside of the cables.

Likewise, you will check the cables of the heated bed, that they are not burned, or damaged in any way.

These cables must be correctly fixed with their support.

5. Adjustment of nuts and bolts

When servicing a 3D printer, you'll first want to check and tighten all the screws that support and hold the printer's frame together. These will be the screws that are easiest to access.

Check the screws that adjust the eccentric wheels, verify that they are tight.

Another point to consider is the Allen screws on the pulleys of the Nema motors. It will be relatively easy to check that these screws are tight and therefore the belts are working correctly.

hotend

One of the most important points is the Hotend, since if its screws are loose, this could cause quality problems in your prints. Make sure that all its fasteners to the carriage are properly tightened.

With the casing disassembled, you will also check that the thermistor (temperature sensor) and the heating cartridge are tight, since if the latter comes loose and falls onto the print, it can cause a fire. Do not over-tighten, as you may strip the thread of the aluminum block.

6. Parts to check

extruder

One of the parts that you must check (even more so if you have a printer with factory components) is the extruder arm. It is one of the components that can break or wear out.

Especially the poor quality Creality brand plastic extruders can break or wear out in the area of the extruder arm where the filament enters.

Nowadays these parts have a metal insert, but they can still break on the plastic part.

If this is your case, I recommend that you upgrade to an aluminum extruder. They are much more reliable and fail very little. At least they haven't failed me yet.

Another item to check is the extruder sprockets., which may be worthy of a cleaning, you can use compressed air or an used toothbrush to clean it.

bowden system

This system often has problems, as the Racor couplings (mostly the factory ones) fail and the tubes come loose. You should check that the Teflon tube is correctly positioned, without being distorted.

Note that the Racor couplings have your lock on, and that they are well fixed in the Hotend and the extruder.

7. Conclusions maintenance of a 3D printer:

Performing maintenance on a 3D printer can be very beneficial, it can extend the life of your printer (which means spending less money on spare parts) and will also allow you to make better quality prints.

Performing maintenance on a 3D printer can give you the assurance that everything is working properly and that fire risks can be reduced if everything is within normal parameters.

I invite you to read: «Consequences of humidity in 3D printing filaments» una publicación que puede interesarte.