MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
Hello:
What are MUST mods that I need to do to my Prusa i3 MK3S printer right-out of the box?
Thanks,
Brett
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
What are MUST mods that I need to do to my Prusa i3 MK3S printer right-out of the box?
There are no MUST do mods like with other printers. The basic hardware is sound and won't catch fire. You could update to the latest firmware if it's far behind. You can pick up some tools that will be immensely useful. The basic printer is very sound and will produce high quality prints out of the box. Spend some time getting familiar with it and understanding it before you go "improving" the hardware too much.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
While it's not a mod in the sense of new parts/part changes, *do*, however, read up on lubricating the bearings and do so during assembly. They come with a transport oil that is not sufficient for actual use.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
nothing is MUST.... nice are things like camera mounts for octoprint, pi mount for octoprint, better feet
upgrades open up another whole list - improved extruder bodies, x and y axis tensioners, Z top brackets , light mounts, enclosures
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
While it's not a mod in the sense of new parts/part changes, *do*, however, read up on lubricating the bearings and do so during assembly. They come with a transport oil that is not sufficient for actual use.
A MUST list for kits is a good idea. Not so much replacing things, but making sure to do certain things certain ways.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
What type of store bought lubricant is the best... from Home Depot, Ace, True Value, Lowes, Etc.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
What type of store bought lubricant is the best... from Home Depot, Ace, True Value, Lowes, Etc.
I'd like to second that request, and go further - does anyone know of a good, somewhat comprehensive guide to 3d printer (or Prusa-specific) lubrication? I have spent a fair amount of time googling it over the past few weeks, and there is a lot of contradictory info out on the interwebs (no surprise). Even the Prusa support documentation is somewhat fractured and inconsistent about what they recommend for lubrication-related maintenance.
Bearings - recommended lubrication (or at least a few examples, if there isn't a consensus on "best"), maybe instructions on how to do it - I've seen some examples about having to completely degrease them first and then pack them solid in grease, while other examples show just using a brush or applicator to smear some grease along the bearings, etc.
Smooth rods - oils vs grease, lithium vs synthetic vs organic, ways to apply, frequency, etc. There are contradictory recommendations all over the place. Even the Prusa documentation contradicts itself on this depending on which document or video you refer to. The two most common suggestions ended up being either a machine oil or a synthetic PTFE-based grease (like some, but not all, superlube products).
Z axis screws - should these be lubed at all? Prusa documentation seems to be mostly silent about this; the only reference I could find was some pictures in the smooth rod lubrication instructions with a big red X over the z-axis screw rods, apparently saying that you should not lubricate them the same way as the smooth rods. But nothing says what you should do to lube them, if anything. Other sources contradict each other, with some saying not to lube them at all, and others saying that it is mandatory and the most important part to lubricate.
I've now got tubes/bottles/cans of lithium grease, super lube, machine oil, and two other types I can't recall off hand (I'm not at home), because I kept finding new instructions that "sounded" valid that gave very different information than the sources I had found the week before. When I finally bit the bullet and did my first semi-comprehensive maintenance last week, I ended up using superlube grease (gel from a tube) on the smooth rods, and some lithium grease (spray from a can) on the bondtech gears. I ended up not doing anything for the z-axis screws since I couldn't find anything that really impressed me as a consensus opinion, nor did I do anything for the inside of the bearings since I wasn't prepared to take the whole thing apart to get at them. I'm hoping the grease on the smooth rods will provide some lube for the bearings as a byproduct.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
This is AWESOME!!!
I'm doing research too... and feel my mind going crazy trying to piece it all together from multiple sources.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
because the Z nut is plastic it is self lubricating ,you should not put any lube on the Z screws. the X and Y bearings have shipping oil in them and some lubrication is a good idea. they have wiper seals on the ends so you really want to apply lube before putting on the rails. prusa just started shipping a small packet with new machines. and has new maintenance instructions to lube during regular maintenance but not on assembly. Misumi who makes bearings and rails like the ones Prusa uses ( but does not make the ones Prusa supplies) recommends light oil after a cleaning for their bearings
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
Good info to know!
Question: Should I lube the X & Y rails and also the Bearings with oil only?
Will either of these two oils work?
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
I believe the new lube that Prusa just started including is more of a grease, which is why I ended up using superlube grease from a tube (link to Amazon) instead of a machine oil. I'm not sure that was the best choice, though - there are advocates for both oil and grease lubes, and I don't know which to trust more. In one of their videos, Joe Prusa suggests using machine oil, but then when they recently started including lube in their kits they went with a grease (I think; I got mine before they started including it). It seems like you might as well flip a coin and pick one. 🙂 Since I'd bought both, when it came time to make a final choice, I went with the grease since that was the most recent info I was seeing from Prusa.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
From what I'm seeing on YouTube... I'm kinda concluding a dry PTFE spray for the "smooth rails" and a PTFE grease for the threaded rails.
This kind of makes sense... wanting the smoother rails to collect less dirt and have less resistance from lube; Whereas, since the the threaded rails turn and carry weight, I could see needing more of a lube to keep them working properly to avoid wear.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
But David indicated that the Prusa doesn't need lube for the threaded rails (assuming that's the same as the Z axis screw rods), due to the plastic nuts, so it is not metal on metal. That makes sense to me, and help explains why some people are adamant that lubing the screws is critical due to metal-on-metal contact, while others say it is not needed. I hadn't paid attention to which YouTuber/blogger was using a printer with metal nuts vs plastic nuts on the Z axis screws.
Regarding the dry PTFE spray for the smooth rods, I also saw people suggesting it due to the reduced amount of dust it would collect. But the down side was needing to reapply it a lot more often. I went back and forth about that, and my printer isn't in a particularly dusty area, and I know that I can be a bit lazy when it comes to regular maintenance, so I went with the grease. I think that would vary depending on both your environment and your tolerance for frequency of application.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
MUST DO LIST: page 1
1) READ THE MANUAL
2) READ THE ASSEMBLY GUIDES
3) Get your tools ready
4) Get you parts ready
4.1) Clean and lubricate the bearings
5) Assemble the printer
5.1) Read and FOLLOW the on-line assembly guide
5.2) except for that part where it says the bearings are oiled from the factory
5.3) except for that part where is says insert the nylon filament ...
do this part earlier so you don't bend the rods trying to force it into the extruder housing
6) Calibrate the printer
7) Enjoy ...
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
Makes sense about jus using grease smooth rod but not threaded rod.
Question: where do I apply litheum grease on the Bondtech gears?
Do I put it on the actual bearings or on the gears... Or both?
Do I use grease on the bearings on the z axis?
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
Just my opinion here ...
Every bearing manufacturer I have checked and found recommendations for state quite clearly the bearings must be cleaned then packed with a Grade #2 Grease. None of them say using a light oil is okay unless in an oil bath (for bearings that have oil holes for lubrication). One engineer I was talking with suggested if you don't have suitable grease, then it is okay to use oil until you can properly grease the bearings.
Oilable bearings look like this:
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
Makes sense about jus using grease smooth rod but not threaded rod.
Question: where do I apply litheum grease on the Bondtech gears?
Do I put it on the actual bearings or on the gears... Or both?
Do I use grease on the bearings on the z axis?
Bondtech gears need grease on the large teeth (motion drive) and the roller bearings that fit on the axle in the door.
All linear bearings need grease.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
I just bought Superlube from ACE... will grease the bearings, rails (x&y) but not threaded rods.
RE: MUST mods for -- Prusa i3 MK3S printer
I just busted 5 ball bearings out of one bearing on the z.
Where should I buy L8muu bearings if things go a rye?
I shop amazon