Let's Discuss Maintenance
General Maintenance of a 3d Printer
As suggested by most manufacturers, you need to do monthly maintenance on your printer. I highly recommend taking some time to do regular maintenance every 3-4 weeks. Maintenance will prevent any possible issues that might keep your printer down for long periods.
Tools:
- Allen wrenches: I suggest investing in a good set of Wera Allen hex wrenches. It is well worth the cash.
- Pliers: I use two sets. LAOA Needle nose and Vampliers.
- Compressed air: You can buy this locally, but I buy them an eight pack from Amazon, I like the Dust off-brand.
- Lubricant: I use Magnalube, but you can use Superlube or whatever you can find locally. It is better to use a thin lubricant on the bearings.
- Brushes: I use cheap toothbrushes and nylon cleaning brushes.
- Paper Towels: I use Viva because they tend to be lower lint. I buy them at a local grocery store.
- Isopropyl alcohol: I use 99.5% pure. It is hard to find in the time of COVID. Amazon has it in a 4-liter pack.
- Dish liquid and sponge: I use Dawn Power Wash, but you can use standard Dawn Dishwashing liquid. I prefer Scotch Green Sponges. I use the sponge side most of the time and the scratchy side to restore the bed when it is not sticking.
The maintenance:
- Visual Inspection: I start with a general inspection of the filament path, rods, and bearings. I open the idler and look for bits of filament. I look for damage to the gears and rods. I look at the cable to make sure that none of them are loose or damaged. I look at the fans for dust and filament bits. Look at your fan shroud to find any damage.
- Removal all dust: I use the canned air and brushes to remove any dust of filament bits. Fans are also critical to check.
- Tighten screws: Make sure you also check and tighten the screws in your electronics housing and heat bed.
- Lubricate: Add a drop of lubricant to bearings, gears, and rods. If there is too much, use a towel to clean up the excess. I often use IPA and removal of all black residue and then replace the lubricant.
- Electronics: Check for dust and loose wires and screws. A good puff of air will remove all the dust.
- Wash your bed: I wash the steel sheet monthly to keep if clean. I use Dawn dish liquid and water. I prefer Scotch Green Sponges.
- Closeout with a Firmware Check: Update the firmware if needed.
Did I miss anything? I did this to initiate discussion. Please tell me if there is a better product out there.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
- Closeout with a Firmware Check: Update the firmware if needed.
With all of the reports here and on other fora of 'things going all to (expletive)' when an 'upgrade' is done, I'm very leery of doing any firmware upgrades unless there is a very specific reason to do so. I've changed the firmware once, when I added the MMU2S.
Ain't broke, don't fix it!
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@jsw
I have had mostly good experiences with firmware upgrades. I have one printer that I want to cuss because I keep getting an M112 Error.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
The one firmware upgrade I did worked well, and first time, no futzing around, and everything worked after.
I want to spend my time printing on this thing and not being obsessed with the latest version of everything. I'm inclined to leave well enough alone, firmware version wise, until there's a specific need.
In my previous life, I lost count years (decades) ago of the times we needed to back out of an 'upgrade' due to that upgrade causing something that was working to break.
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@charles-h13 I'd add periodic inspection of the extruder. Look for debris in the extruder, PTFE condition. Clean out as necessary, clear Bondtech gears. Do cold pulls.
I'd also add visual inspection of the heater block. Check condition of wires for indication of pending replacements. Look for filament oozing out the top. Clean the block and nozzle.
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
Great additions! Do you all cut your own PTFE or order it from Prusa? I ordered a 10 meter pack from Amazon.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@charles-h13 I'd add periodic inspection of the extruder. Look for debris in the extruder, PTFE condition. Clean out as necessary, clear Bondtech gears. Do cold pulls.
I'd also add visual inspection of the heater block. Check condition of wires for indication of pending replacements. Look for filament oozing out the top. Clean the block and nozzle.
Good Blog for sharing the experience and knowledge
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@charles-h13
Is that a MK3 with Octoprint? If so, you might want to look at 3.9.1 which was released yesterday 😉
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@charles-h13
i also keep it that i service my machines regularly. Sometimes irregularities are discovered early on and major consequential damage can be avoided. I recently discovered a melted heating bed cable on one of my printers, looked for the cause and then replaced the cables. Possibly worse things could have happened. Everyone has his own opinion and I think that most of them just print until the first defect appears and we can welcome them here in the forum.
I always find the topic interesting and often discover things I did not know yet. That can remain calmly in such a way.
Statt zu klagen, dass wir nicht alles haben, was wir wollen, sollten wir lieber dankbar sein, dass wir nicht alles bekommen, was wir verdienen.
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
@gordon-w
I installed it already. It works.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
I still wonder about belt condition and tightness. Rarely screw with it.
A brass brush and cleaning cleaning off black gunk on my hot end nozzle. I do that pretty often, usually while the hot end is waiting for the bed to get hot.
Agree on the steel plate beds. I think IPA leaves just a whisper of residue that needs a quick wash with soap to get off. I dry the sheets, and then wipe them down with IPA. That should help displace any water that might be in micro cracks in the powder coat surface.
Agree that Prusa firmware is pretty solid. In fact it seems that keeping PrusaSlicer and the Firmware ‘synced’ is key.
I keep spare FINDA, PINDA, and IR sensors (MK3S+). Those seem to die.
And a spare printer to print replacement parts when you first printer dies…. Two is one, one is none….
RE: Let's Discuss Maintenance
I still wonder about belt condition and tightness. Rarely screw with it.
...
Agree that Prusa firmware is pretty solid. In fact it seems that keeping PrusaSlicer and the Firmware ‘synced’ is key.
I keep spare FINDA, PINDA, and IR sensors (MK3S+). Those seem to die.
And a spare printer to print replacement parts when you first printer dies…. Two is one, one is none….
I check the belt tension on both printers fairly regularly, just give them a pluck or squeeze, rarely need to adjust them.
When the Covid hit, I printed spares of the extruder parts in black ABS, as in those most likely to be damaged, and put them in the printer 'crash kit', as in much better to have and not need than to need and not have. I had planned that if I needed those, I could book time on one of the machines at our local 'makerspace' and print them, but with Covid, they shut down the lab areas.
As for upgrading firmware, I have not done so since I added the MMU2S about two years ago. If there's a specific reason to upgrade, I will, but the currently-loaded version works fine and does everything I need.