Bearings
I will soon be getting the kit to upgrade my mk3S+ to 4S. To prepare I've been going through the manual for that upgrade. I noticed that Prusa is again claiming that the bearings in the kit are pre-lubed from the factory and no additional lubrication is needed. Given the issues I encountered with the 3S+ kit and it's bearings not actually being lubed, are the bearings now being supplied in the 4S kit properly lubed?
RE: Bearings
You'll know for sure when the kit arrives. Anyway, get a tube of lubricant ready, I suspect you'll need it.
RE: Bearings
With the full kit you do get a tube of lubricant for applying to the extruder gears - no bearing lubricant tool is supplied however.
Nevertheless, I found that my bearings were VERY well lubricated - a little too lubricated in fact. I had to keep wiping my rods down for a while due to the lube deposits being left on it! You'll probably see it in my build videos - either way, you shouldn't need any at all this time round.
--> MK4 - MK4S - MINI+ - Accelerometer Guide <--
RE: Bearings
It's understandable to be cautious, especially after your experience with the MK3S+ kit. While Prusa claims that the bearings in the MK4S upgrade kit are pre-lubed from the factory, some users have reported varying experiences.Before installation, check the bearings for any visible lubrication. If they seem dry or if you're uncertain, a light application of lubricant can help.
RE: Bearings
Maybe Prusa has changed their preprocessing on the bearings, but 1 year ago when I was building my MK4 kit they provided a small squeeze tube of lubricant grease along with a custom nozzle. The instructions were to clean the shipping oil off of the bearings (light machine oil) by soaking and rinsing with IPA, then pack the bearings with grease using the custom nozzle screwed onto the squeeze tube of grease.
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RE:
Oil or no oil.... this has been a long debate on this forum.
Prusa has not been of much help either by changing their positions over the years it looks like. So I am a bit puzzled that this is still an issue with the MK4 series.
When I got my MK3S kit about 5 years ago the instruction said the bearings were pre-lubricated. The oil looked thin and the manufacturer only had a comment that this was shipping oil ( anti rust I guess). Still I assumed Prusa knows better (light loads on the bearings, so probably OK) and assembled the printer. As time passed the rods felt quite dry to the touch so I took the plunge and started to use SuperLube synthetic oil ISO100 (Amazon) to smear on the travel path. Everything is still perfect and it looks like the bearings and rods are happy to this day.
My kit also included a small tube of lubricant as you mentioned but no custom nozzle. I guess they assumed that when applied to the rods enough oil will go passed through the bearing seals to keep them happy. I use my printer 3 to 5 days a week and I have to oil the rods about every two to three months when it feels dry to the touch.
Now I know mine is an MK3 and the MK4 has much higher linear speeds so it might need more attention... YMMV applies.
Comments welcome.
Cheers and happy printing.
REPAIR, RENEW, REUSE, RECYCLE, REBUILD, REDUCE, RECOVER, REPURPOSE, RESTORE
RE: Bearings
It's understandable to be cautious, especially after your experience with the MK3S+ kit. While Prusa claims that the roller bearings in the MK4S upgrade kit are pre-lubed from the factory, some users have reported varying experiences. Before installation, check the bearings for any visible lubrication. If they seem dry or if you're uncertain, a light application of lubricant can help.
While Prusa does claim that the bearings in the MK4S upgrade are pre-lubricated, it's always a good idea to double-check before installation. If they appear dry or if you're unsure about the amount of lubrication, applying a light layer of grease can prevent issues down the line. Better to take the extra step now than to face premature wear or performance issues later!
RE: Bearings
With the full kit you do get a tube of lubricant for applying to the extruder gears - no bearing lubricant tool is supplied however.
Nevertheless, I found that my bearings were VERY well lubricated - a little too lubricated in fact. I had to keep wiping my rods down for a while due to the lube deposits being left on it! You'll probably see it in my build videos - either way, you shouldn't need any at all this time round.
@richnormand
See my original post above - the small tube of lubricant supplied with the MK4S is used to grease the extruder gear set.
--> MK4 - MK4S - MINI+ - Accelerometer Guide <--
RE: Bearings
Thanks for the clarification.
I was referring to the tube included with the MK3 that, according to the instructions with the kit, was to lubricate the rods as a maintenance procedure.
REPAIR, RENEW, REUSE, RECYCLE, REBUILD, REDUCE, RECOVER, REPURPOSE, RESTORE
RE: Bearings
After reading all replies, I think I will just shoot a bit of SuperLube into the bearings as a precaution so I won't have to do a tear down in a few months like I had to with the 3S+. The bearings on the 3S+ were the supposedly pre-lubed Misumi bearings and having to lube them has been the only issue with that printer to date.