Lubricating the linear rails .... but How ...
Hi There ... I am currently performing the secon "large maintenance" on my XL 5T.
And I have trouble to lubricate my linear rails. I am aware of the guide:
https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/how-to-lubricate-linear-bearing-rails-xl_384273
I have the suggested grease / lubricant, I have a propper syringe with flat injection needle and large diameter ... But I am not able to get anything into the holes on the slides of the linear rail. As son as I try to bring in the lubricant it just spills out the hole to the sides of the needle ... already at 0,01ml roundabout ... so basically I just can fill the hole, but nothing goes into the bearing itself. It's the same with all sides of all rails.
During the first maintenance I just thought there still might be enough in the slides, but now I have several couples of hundred print hours ... and still the same. The rail also is starting to get dry. I don't want to damage them since the rails are not exactly cheap.
Did anybody have similar issues or is there a "trick" that can't be seen in the guide. I gently tried to press the needle in deeper, but didn't put too much force to avoid damage.
Anybody already successfully lubricated the rails?
Thanks for any ideas and help.
- Made by me -
It is theoretically possible for debris/stringing fragments to clog the hole - try cleaning them with a fine point first.
Cheerio,
RE:
Diem, I consider you one the stalwarts of his forum for giving good advice, but in this matter I disagree with you. As I said before, proper lubrication of the linear rails must be done BEFORE installing them on the extrusions. See in the link by LDO Motors how to do it the right way.
https://docs.ldomotors.com/guides/rail_grease_guide
I agree that it’s a PITA to have to disassemble the whole thing for this purpose so, as alternative and temporary solution, I’d follow Nero3D advice using lithium grease in spray. This does a good job for quite a long time, although sooner or later, if you wan to do it properly, you’ll need to disassemble the rail. These tiny holes for lubricating the rail with a tiny needle are worthless, this is more a marketing ploy than anything. If Prusa recommends this system, they’re either clueless or they’re taking the customers for a ride (as they do often lately ). The correct lube for linear rails is too thick to get injected through a tiny needle. That’s good only for light oil of sewing machine, that won’t last long because it will just drip of in a few hours.
I have lubricated by following the guide - it just worked, I don't recall any issues and the printer runs smoothly. My suggestion was one of the simplest do-no-damage actions that might have worked but which, more importantly, would cause the OP to concentrate closely on the area thus perhaps leading to 'accidental' discovery of other causes. It's an old trick I often use, not just in 3D printing.
Cheerio,
RE:
Hello.
I will also be doing this on my XL in the next few days, as described by Prusa, and will report back here once the work is done.
Bye Jan
RE: Lubricating the linear rails .... but How ...
Good morning.Yesterday,
I tested lubricating the linear rails for the X and Y axes.The first time, I didn't get anything in.
On the second attempt, I noticed that the syringe needle slides a little further into the linear bearing when you press harder.After the syringe needle had slipped a little further into the linear bearing, I was able to get the grease in. As a precaution, I moved the bearing back and forth while doing so.Afterwards, you could see the regular grease marks from the balls in the groove of the linear bearing.
I used Superlub grease.