wavey lines on one side of the print  

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

I would guess one of your axes is off.  Check the belts tension.  

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

Thanks Charles for your reply. 

I did the calibration twice and did the belt tension test with no issues.

Which axis do you think has the issue?

thanks

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

I had, and still have this same problem. From what I can tell it is a combination of things that I'm still fiddling with. Primarily though, I think its a problem with friction and tension. your belts could be slightly too tight, and they could be rubbing. The reason for it appearing on one side is probably how the belt shifts position when it shifts direction, causing it to rub, but then not rub as much, or at all when it moves to the left side of your tray. Try placing prints in different areas on your bed, if the wavy problem continues, then that is likely a large part of the problem.

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

thanks will for your reply.

I have actually started doing what you suggested, printing in different objects in different orientations. I think, not fully sure yet, the issue is with the X axis. I going to dismantle and reassemble  the axis and see if anything changes. The Y carriage is also ratting a bit, but I don’t think it is the primary cause. Will update after I’m done.

thanks

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

Hello,

so I did some work on my printer and here are the results.

I believe the waviness is gone, I’m going to do more prints to compare with previous prints.

So, here what I did:

1) contrary to what I thought, the issue was in Y-Axis.

The y-axis belt bully at the far end of the printer was not installed correctly. One of the nuts should be tightened against the flat side of the bully shaft. I though I did this correctly during the assembly, but when I checked it wasn’t. I disassembled the Y-Axis motor by removing the two nuts connecting the motor to the frame. I removed the belt, just pulled it over to bully and then adjusted the nuts of the bully against the flat site.

2) the Y carriage was wobbling a bit, so i tightened the U bolts holding the linear bearings.

3) The nut at the X-axis motor side was loose. I don’t know if this had any effect but I tightened it anyway.

One thing I still need to check, are my lines too high?

I’ll update again after doing some more prints.

Thanks

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

been a while since i last updated. here is a picture of my ever first print and my last print for comparison.

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

Picture failed to upload.

here it is

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

The bottom of the frog looks like layer one is still a bit too high.

On the Prusa logo, and even the frog, it looks like there is still something marginally loose. Usual suspects are the belt drive gears were attached, but not tightened correctly: these need to be set FLAT FIRST. With both set screws loose and the gear free to rotate on the shaft, align and tighten the flat set screw. Once it is tight, then tighten the jamming set screw on the round. Unless you do it in this order, it will come loose.

Next is friction - bearings installed without lubrication. For whatever reason, Prusa swears they don't need grease. They do. Ask any bearing manufacturer and they all say bearings are shipping in a light preservative oil and need cleaning and greasing before being used.

Next is belt tension. Again, Prusa has fallen short. The numbers displayed in the LCD are not belt tension. They report friction. Tension must be measured. The two common methods are deflection and harmonic. Deflection is easiest for most home users. Move the axis to a stop, push midway on the lower belt with 200 grams force, the 5 belt should deflect about 6mm, the X belt about 5 mm.

ps: if you check the gears and belts and find nothing, it could be elsewhere, but there comes a point of diminishing returns. Just how much tweaking do you want to do?

RE: wavey lines on one side of the print

Thanks Tim, I sincerely appreciate taking the time to provide your input. I’ll be tinkering a lot, this is my first printer ever, and I want to learn and get out of my printer as much as possible. I’ll be updating again.

thanks