Regular lubrication of the X and Y Axis is important for the longevity and smooth running of
your printer. These axis should always move without much resistance, if you were to lift one
end of the printer the y carriage should move under it’s own weight by gravity. The rods can be
lubricated with oil or grease. Ideally bearing grease should be used (from a local auto supplier)
and apply generously to both the X Axis and Y Axis.
In terms of frequency, this will depend on how heavily you are using the printer, but as a
general rule, the axis’s should never be “dry” to touch, they should be lightly lubricated.
When lubricating the axis it is also recommended to rotate the axis slightly to prevent bearing
wear on the rod itself. Do this by loosening the bar clamps and rotating the rod slightly.
A step by step guide for building your Prusa Mendel 3D Printer Kit.
Some guidance and tips for looking after your 3d printer and keeping it working effectively and efficiently.
The extent to which this guidance needs to be implemented will depend on how heavily you are using your
3D Printer. This guidance should be read in conjunction with the rest of this manual.
12.1
Axis Lubrication
General
Visually check the printer before commencing a print to check everything is where it is supposed to
be to prevent any unexpected problems, because the printer has many moving parts it is important
to make sure nothing becomes disconnected or dislodged that goes un-noticed prior to
commencing a print.
Endstops -
Make sure they haven’t moved on their respective axis and that they are
connected electrically
Axis -
Make sure they are tightly gripped and don’t have any vertical or horizontal
movement.
When sending manual commands to the printer from the Pronterface software, always pay
attention to what the printer is actually doing and make sure you don’t issue any commands by
accident. As a rule always move the axis in smaller steps ie 10mm at a time rather than 100mm at a
time, this is because the printer is controlled serially and the commands will queue and execute
sequently irrespective of what happens physically. Don’t ever over/aimlessly click on buttons in the
software, as the commands will queue and keep sequentially operating.
For example, the z endstop becomes slightly loose and moves slightly, then when you home the z
axis (prior to printing) the endstop gets missed and the hot end crashes into your build bed, if
you’re moving in smaller increments you are less likely to do any damage etc.
Because the printer communicates serially and commands are queued in batches, there can be a
slight delay between pressing “pause” or “stop” and the printer actually stopping, so it’s handy to
always have quick/easy access to the power switch on the PSU, so in the event the printer behaves
unexpectedly or you enter an inappropriate / erroneous command you can just cut the power
before any damage is done ( this won’t damage the electronics).
12.0 Maintenance - Reprap Prusa Mendel Build Manual
©2012 NextDayReprap
Prusa Mendel Kit Build Manual V1.01 - 07/2012