Grease vs ptfe dry oil
I contact prusa how to take care mini. They suggest to use litium grease all over machine(smooth rod,gear, bearing)
For bearing I understand that litium grease is better. But for smooth rod isn't ptfe dry oil better than litium grease?
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
Technically, PTFE dry lubricant is not oil, the distinction is important and may confuse readers not familiar with lubrication options.
But I don't think there is any "better" here, when you get into the details all have pros and cons. Lithium grease is probably the best general advice. All options are better than doing nothing.
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
@bobcousins
thank you for your reply. i try to search many suggestion, i also want deep detail of every option too. I understand that ptfe lubricant is teflon film but i do not know pro and con when compare to other option. Can you explain more detail?
thank you 🙂
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
I contact prusa how to take care mini. They suggest to use litium grease all over machine(smooth rod,gear, bearing)
For bearing I understand that litium grease is better. But for smooth rod isn't ptfe dry oil better than litium grease?
Why wouldn't you use what Prusa recommends? Prusa runs thousands of their own printers that they designed and engineered 24x7 in their factory, they have more print hours than your lifetime! Don't you think they would know best what lubrication to use? LOL I'm always amazed when people don't accept Prusa's own recommendations. My suggestion is to listen to the manufacturer.
I use Prusa's lithium grease (its in their store) on my MK2, MK3 and Mini. For the rods you only need tiny amounts (around the circumference) but note the linear bearings have dust caps so you are NOT lubricating the bearings inside - you would need to remove the bearing to do that. And again on the gearscrews you only need tiny amounts and very infrequently. Each printer gets light to moderate use so this is part of my annual maintenance routine, if you have a high volume printer you may consider doing it more often.
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
@steve-e3
thank you, i cannot order prusa lubricant because i live in thailand. And at my house there is dusty, high temperature(now 39-41 C at noon) and moisure(normally 60-70%). Because of that i try to find reason how lubricant work then i can choose from my local store.
Please make suggestion
thank you
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
I guess the reference is still https://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication, there are other posts around the web on the subject, https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/7i7x1y/what_lubricant_should_i_use/ as you can see opinions vary 🙂
In general, WD40 "Classic" (mostly kerosene), natural or non-synthetic compounds, or light oils should be avoided.
PTFE spray is good for dusty environments, but may still need re-application. You also want to keep it well away from print surface.
PTFE spray may contain petroleum products that often don't go well with some plastics, depending on the type. Plastic compounds for commercial products have various stabilizers added, so will be more immune than the raw polymers used for printed parts on the printer. I don't know if this is an issue for ABS/PLA/PETG, but I would try to avoid spraying the printed parts.
I said "anything is better than nothing", but actually just regular cleaning should work for smooth rods with sealed bearings or leadscrews with brass or plastic nut. A small drop of oil or of grease is enough to lubricate unsealed bearings.
RE: Grease vs ptfe dry oil
@bobcousins
thank you 🙂