Bearing noise
Is it possible that linear bearing noise is not related to friction with the smooth rod, but some kind of resonance from the stepper motor vibrations? I was thinking about this after doing an MK2->MK2S conversion. The new bearings and rods seemed perfectly smooth before going on, the old bearings and rods seem perfectly smooth after coming off, but the new ones are louder. I'm thinking about the X axis in particular because there's really no particular load on those bearings. Before attaching the belt I ran the extruder assembly back and forth on the rails and it seemed perfect. It even slides smoothly via gravity if I just tip the printer to the side. Yet while printing it howls at low speeds. The only thing that really seems different between me sliding the thing back and forth and the stepper sliding it back and forth is the vibration from the stepper. Could this be making all the ball bearings rattle against each other? If so, might packing the bearings with white lithium grease hold them still?
The bed leveling routine gives a pretty good example of the difference in noise levels with my new build. The X and Y axes move fairly quickly when moving between the 9 points and the noise level is fine. However after the ninth point the printer returns to the home position at a much lower speed and this movement howls.
Henry
Re: Bearing noise
Hello Henry!
I have a suggestion; could you put a finger on the bearings on the x-axis while the machine moves and try to feel the vibrations on those spots? Maybe also in the neighbourhood of the bearings (on the plastic part holding the bearings) and you may pinpoint the cause of the noise.
/Henrik