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12.9
Plastic Parts
Certain plastic parts on the printer are prone to wear more than other parts, so once you’re up
and printing it would be prudent to print some spare parts for yourself.
Parts we recommend printing are the Extruder Drive Gear, The Extruder Driven Gear, The
Extruder, X Carriage, Hot End Clamp and Endstop Holders. The design files for these parts are
included on the software CD that came with your Prusa Mendel 3D Printer kit or you can
download them from our website
http://www.nextdayreprap.co.uk/downloads
. These parts are
more prone to wear as they are either heavily used or regularly adjusted.
You need to ensure all the LM8UU Bearings maintain their correctly seated placement within
the plastic parts. This is especially important on the Y carriage, as these bearings can be
knocked out of alignment with the bearing pillows, if the y carriage has been moved in an
erroneous fashion. For example you move the y axis 100mm away from home by pressing the
button in the pronterface software, but there is only 60mm left of free axis, so when the
instruction is sent the printer keeps trying to move the Y Axis for another 40mm after it has hit
the end, this could result in the bearings nudging within their mounting pillows. This would then
cause the bed level to be changed without you realising, so when you went to print the hot end
nozzle would either crash into part of the bed or be too far away from it.
Visually and physically check that all four of the LM88UU Bearings are mounted level and even
within the printed plastic bearing pillows on the underside of the Y Carriage, if necessary re
seat and align them ( as per section 5.0 Y Carriage Assembly).
For the X Carriage and Z Axis visually check the bearings are level and evenly located and that
the cable ties are tight and tighten them as necessary.
12.10 Bearings
12.0 Maintenance - Reprap Prusa Mendel Build Manual
©2012 NextDayReprap
Prusa Mendel Kit Build Manual V1.01 - 07/2012