Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
My y-axis keeps jamming (with loud grinding) on various levels of a print then resuming far off from where it's supposed to be so that the next level is over 10-20mm off from intended. I removed, cleaned (with 91% IPA), and greased the bearings (with Super Lube 21030), and ensured the bearings are offset by 45 degrees so that they are all riding on two rows of the ball bearings inside. I checked the set screws on the pulley gear and one is directly on the flat side and they are both tight. There is a visible gap between the pulley gear and the stepper motor face so friction is not an issue. I tightened every single screw and watched the wires during printing to ensure they aren't somehow becoming entangled or caught during the print. I have run the calibration multiple times and the belt tension is 265 on y, 244 on x.
I have slid the bed back and forth while the belt was off and it was smooth all the way through. I have tried gently pushing the bed back and forth with the motor connected and there were no snags, smooth sliding all the way through.
The most confusing part of it is this: There is no warning or indication on how/when the jam might happen, but if it jams on a print it will ALWAYS jam in the exact same point in that print file. I thought it was specific to a certain area on the print bed, but moving the object by just 0.1mm and re-slicing and sending that file through (with all the exact same parameters) will either get rid of the crash entirely, or relocate it to way earlier or later. Printing a solid-infill object in the exact same space where it crashes can be done successfully, indicating that it isn't a snag in that specific x/y/z coordinate.
Next, re-running the crashing file after the successful (virtually identical) print or solid infill print will still result in the same crash at the exact same point. It is not isolated to a specific layer height, since sometimes it will fail on the fifth or sixth layer, and sometimes after layer 50+. It is not after a specific amount of filament either, since I have successfully completed 90+ gram prints with over 100 layers while some 5-10 gram prints will fail.
I have been able to save a file where the jam is less than 3 minutes in to the print, and it will always crash at the exact same spot down to the second, but there is no indication why. I have tried using PrusaSlicer, Cura, and Slic3r, and still run in to crashes. I have re-calibrated the X/Y/Z axis 4 times already.
I installed Moons Stepper Motors MS17HD2P4100 for the X, Y, and E motors three months ago and they have never given me issues on prints.
My total print time is 23 days 11hrs and total filament used is 1153m. My firmware version is 3.10.1-4697.
I am not sure what other troubleshooting I can do, do I need to completely factory reset my printer somehow? Is there something critically wrong with my Einsy Rambo board?
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
Could you post your project file with this 3 minute crash print please. File>Save As from Prusa Slicer and then ZIP it up and attach it.
It must be zipped for the forum to allow the file type and iirc you have to have 5 posts before you can attach a file.
Maybe someone will be able to spot something in the slice preview (a very useful tool). Or if they can print it too they can see if it crashes for them.
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
The slicer file that I found to have a quick and predictable crash is actually in Ultimaker if that's okay. The Prusa files that I have with crashes were well into the print (30+ minutes). I will try to rack up 5 posts quickly so that I can post the file.
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
Could be the nozzle hitting infill. Without the 3mf we don't know your settings. Some infill patterns have lines crossing within a layer and the nozzle can get snagged by pileups at the intersections.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
@fuchsr
Ah that's a great point, I hadn't even thought of it being a z-axis issue. If the z-axis motors start going bad could they somehow drop back down a bit in the middle of a print so the nozzle drags on a layer? I got caught up in preparing for a presentation but I will meet the 5 post quota and upload my slicer file, thank you!
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
I have recorded video of the crashing from three different angles, please let me know if there are other more helpful angles to record from! I have tried looking from every angle while it is crashing and there is nothing colliding with any of the bearings, the extruder, the bed, the frame, etc.
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
I just have to make one more post before I can upload the slicer file, so this is the fifth post.
RE:
@Neophyl and @fuchsr
Attached is the zipped slicer file. PI3MK3M_Test RMS (8-36) to M43-0.75mm
The crash happens about 57 seconds after the initial line is printed on the front of the bed. (Not sure of the official name of that line... nozzle clearing line?)
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
Update: I uninstalled the Moons MS17HD2P4100 for the Y-axis out and reinstalled the original Prusa Y-axis motor, and now the crash file runs just fine. Going to continue to run prints with the original Y-axis motor and see if everything is resolved.
I'm incredibly disappointed that the Moons motor gave out just after 3 months, when stepper motor failures are virtually unheard of this early on. It may just be a matter of time before the X-axis and E motors fail too-- apparently Moons Industries has a 12 month warranty so I am going to pursue a repair/return if possible. The motors do run extremely quiet and I feel like there was a subtle but noticeable improvement in print quality, but if their lifetime is just a few months (less than 200 hours of print time in my case) then that just isn't a worthwhile tradeoff.
RE: Sporadic (Yet somehow consistent?) Y-Axis Crashes
Good to know you found a fix but sorry that it turned out a bad investment.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE:
I am not sure where the video link went, it was there while my post was pending approval. Embedded video below:
I have completed 3 (previously crashing) prints so far with the original Prusa Y-axis motor, so it seems like it was definitely an issue with the Moons Industries motor.