Clicking from bearing(?) on X-Axis
Hi all, I've recently started having loud intermittent clicking from the X-axis during prints. I can replicate the clicking by moving the extruder manually when the printer is off, with or without loaded filament.
The clicking seems (as best I can tell) to come from the extruder assembly. Certainly I'm pretty sure it's not coming from either end of the belt, i.e. not the x-axis motor or the x-axis idler. The volume and frequency of the clicks is increased with the speed of the motion (it's especially noticeable on fast infill), and I have a feeling it's worse when moving to the left (but happens in both directions). Here's a clip of the clicking for reference:
This started a little while back, and has been slowly getting worse (more frequent) over time. I've not yet seen any printing problems that I think I can attribute to this, everything has been printing smoothly, it's just an annoying (and worrying!) noise. If I loosen the screws holding the back of the x-housing to the front, i.e. put a little less pressure on the bearings, the volume and pitch do also change. However they're already not exactly tight - I don't think I'd feel comfortable loosening them any more.
Something likely worth mentioning - when first assembling the x-housing, of the four screws that connect the back to the front, the lowest one snapped the plastic at that point. So it's only held together by the top two and the central. This hasn't caused any problems until now.
Does anyone have any advice on what needs replacing / adjusting / further investigated? Thanks in advance.
Clicking
Make sure your X-axis beings are not held too tight. I would guess that something is deformed and either holding them too loose or too tight.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
Clicking
Make sure your X-axis beings are not held too tight. I would guess that something is deformed and either holding them too loose or too tight.
Thanks - is there any way to tell whether that's the case? Loosening the brace that holds the bearings does reduce the volume, but it's still audible at the point that it's too loose to be secure.
RE: Probably the parts
Not 100%, but that sounds like it is probably the parts that hold the bearings. How old is the printer?
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
Age
Thanks. Under three months old, about 23 days print time and about 2km total filament printed.
Throw em out and put in drylins
When I built my second MK3S+ not too long ago, I just skipped installing the linear bearings and installed Ignus Drylins on day 1, born new with drylins. The linear bearings need to be very well grease packed before you use them - they do not come with grease in them, and that packing oil is not meant for preventing wear. You have to get it all out - it's a super messy drippy job so I just skip that now and go with lube free solution. Oh, and nothing to click.
Dryline
I have them on one printer. How long have they lasted for you?
When I built my second MK3S+ not too long ago, I just skipped installing the linear bearings and installed Ignus Drylins on day 1, born new with drylins. The linear bearings need to be very well grease packed before you use them - they do not come with grease in them, and that packing oil is not meant for preventing wear. You have to get it all out - it's a super messy drippy job so I just skip that now and go with lube free solution. Oh, and nothing to click.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
So far, 6 months and counting
I have one running totally dry, and one running with rod's having been lubed (seeing if there is a longer term difference). The only maintenance I see that I need to watch from the drylins is over squeezing and under squeezing. My first printer has the screws at the bottom of the X carriage almost totally loose - and I can actually wiggle that dimension - but it doesn't make a difference because gravity and the X carriage never moves Y motion.
Very happy with drylins. If I could print in delrin, I'd make my own, but they are so cheap, it doesn't pay to mess with making them.
RE: Maybe identified
Found the possible culprit. While researching the drylin bearings above, I found that Prusa-supplied bearings weren't pre-lubricated (or rather, the lubrication they had was for anti-corrosion properties, not lubricating properties). So I have nearly 600 print hours without any additional lubricant. I'm following https://help.prusa3d.com/en/guide/maintenance-tips_23200 to see if that helps.
I do also see now I have a long horizontal scratch on the lower X-axis smooth rod. It's not very deep. Unclear based on Prusa docs whether that warrants immediate replacement or not. I might try to rotate the rod slightly so it's less in line with the bearings.