Assembly X-axis smooth rod issue
Hello. During assembly I was having trouble getting the smooth rods in the x-axis - I was using a fair amount of force. I ended up leaning my upper body on it, and they finally went in, but one of them (top one) went in too far. I didn't notice this until the assembly was done, but its giving a slight bend to the z lead screw on the right side, and the little holder block (rod+screw top plate) in the very top right of the printer doesn't fit quite right.
It's printing beautifully right now, but I'm worried the long term strain will cause some problems. Is there anything I can do to fix this without totally disassembling? I was thinking of applying some heat to the guilty smooth rod (maybe with a torch or lighter) and hoping that it would loosen up from the PLA softening. Although I'm worried about ruining the temper on the rod or something else by heating it up.
RE: Assembly X-axis smooth rod issue
DO NOT APPLY HEAT to a thermoplastic ... lol.
Disassembly is the only option, and you don't want to wait too long or the plastic will deform permanently; and your bearings will wear rapidly until you do (they don't last that long in the first place, and you probably didn't clean and lubricate them before installing, either).
When you get the rods out - do a sanity check to ensure you didn't bend them. Roll them on a flat surface, any warp and they are no longer usable.
The rods do go in a bit stiff, but with constant firm pressure they seat nicely. Normally, you start both rods into one side, then start the other side, then press until they seat. I did a very very small bit of back-and-forth twisting to remove the rods from the holders - but there is a real risk of cracking them if twisted too far. And pliers aren't recommended, either. The surface is fragile.
RE: Assembly X-axis smooth rod issue
If your printer is working, just print a new part from PETG, toss the old one in the bin (it's damaged anyway if the rod went too deep) and reassemble. I think side cutters will work fine for removing the part from the plastic. Or just securine the rod in a vise (use plastic or copper jaw covers) and pull.
Carefully applying heat (100 °C in an oven) wouldn't temper the rods and could soften the PETG plastic enough to make it easier to take off, but the printed part will be trash in any case.