New MK4 owner here. What replacement parts should I keep handy?
I intend to use my new MK4 regularly. I understand that maintenance schedules and replacement parts are a fact of life.
With this in mind, what replacement parts should I order and keep handy to keep my printer running?
What are your most commonly used replacement parts?
Thanks in advance.
RE: New MK4 owner here. What replacement parts should I keep handy?
I intend to use my new MK4 regularly. I understand that maintenance schedules and replacement parts are a fact of life.
With this in mind, what replacement parts should I order and keep handy to keep my printer running?
What are your most commonly used replacement parts?
Nozzles. Without a doubt the most commonly replaced part is the nozzle. The hole (bore) will erode after a few months of normal printing. More quickly if you use abrasive filaments. Print quality is directly correlated to the precision of the nozzle too, so the first troubleshooting step is replace the nozzle.
Printed sheets. It's nice to have a couple of sheets of different types. I always keep at least 1 textured, 1 satin & a bunch of smooths. The smooths wear out the fastest in my experience. Keeping the sheets clean and following the Prusa guide to sheet-filament compatibility will maximize their life but they are still consumables. I have restored smooths by removing the PEI sticker and applying a new one but it's honestly not worth the effort. Now I just buy new sheets with the sticker already applied.
I also keep some spare belts, spare heater cartridges, and spare thermistors. I don't think I've ever needed to use any these spares but it's nice to have them just in case. I regularly inspect the heater cartridge because frayed wires start fires - but mine look fine even after several years.
Nothing else strikes me as essential to keep as spares. If I burn a motor or fry the electronic board, I'll order the part as and when I need it. Having spares you never use is just wasted money.
RE:
If you treat the sheets well (see: prusa3d.com/materials) they last quite long and they are double sided. I still use the first ones on my MK3S+, mainly the satin-sheet for PETG, PLA, ASA, FLEX and PC. My foiled and textured sheets are also still fine. I haven't used them for a while though.
1 ObXidian nozzle (e.g. 0.4mm) that lasts long, especially if you want to print abrasive filaments.
Rather cheap things that have a higher probability to break and look comparable to the MK3S+ I have: 1 heat bed power cable, 1 x-belt idler (Its bearing broke on mine), 1 smooth rod for the x-axis (had it scratched), 3 linear bearings (x or y), 1 timing belt x-axis (the longer one you can always cut down). 1 hot end thermistor, 1 heatbed thermistor, 1 heater cartridge, maybe 1 heater block incl. grub screws.
Print yourself a fan shroud, preferably out of ASA.