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I just got a Hictop Prusa i3 printer and I have it fully assembled. When I tested out the motors to check them the Z-axis motors were not moving and it was making a grinding sound. I have lifted the screw rods out of the coupling to see if the motor would move the coupling would move and it did. I can move the screw rods manually and it works. How can I make the Z-axis work?

Thank you in Advance!

Edit

Here is the vidoe of the problem https://www.dropbox.com/s/93g0pg0qfhq965d/IMG_0369.MOV?dl=0

enter image description here

user3557707
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    Are you sure the extruder & drive assembly are mounted at the same height on both Z-screws? If they're cocked, that'll cause a lot of binding. – Carl Witthoft Dec 28 '16 at 17:49
  • @CarlWitthoft I second that. Bubble level Everything. – StarWind0 Dec 28 '16 at 22:25
  • If you wouldn't mind uploading the video to youtube so that the question will be of use for future people. Dropbox is not known for its long term use. – StarWind0 Dec 30 '16 at 02:06
  • At this point we can take it into Chat http://chat.stackexchange.com/?tab=site&host=3dprinting.stackexchange.com Or I might suggest a few groups that can add more interactive answering. As there is a need of a bit of back N forth. – StarWind0 Dec 30 '16 at 02:06

1 Answers1

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Welcome to the group! A video would help. Or at least some photos.

Are both the motors connected? If you remove them from the coupling do they move? Likely it is binding (too much friction, not level etc) or you need to adjust your voltage controller. I am going to say 80% confident you need to play with the voltage.

Chances are it's just the voltage. I do not know what electronics you have but if they are RAMPS 1.4 then you are looking for these

enter image description here

Also here is the wiki on the 1.4. Just turn the screw gently. One direction will give it more power. The other less. When it has too much power your motors will start making a thud noise.

EDIT post adding the video

Oh yeah that is binding. If you wouldn't mind putting the video on youtube to that the video can help people for years to come? Dropbox is a bit volitle.

I would also in addition to my advice in your other question take a bubble leveler to all the rods. It could be a distortion on your camera but it looks like the rod is a bit bent. Also in my Prusa (original) I used to have to make the motor mounts lose, as it did not fit all that well and had binding issues. Try making the screws loose enough so that they float and can move around a lot. The lead screws are less important to the overall stability.

Community
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StarWind0
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  • I found out the issue. Thank you for your answer. I have posted another question (http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3294/is-there-a-problem-with-removing-a-polished-rod-from-the-z-axis) seeing if what I did is okay. – user3557707 Dec 28 '16 at 21:15
  • The rod is very slightly bent. I have put the rod back into the printer and it is not aligned with the hole. I was thinking of cutting the acrylic piece so the rod would fit into the hole, since I have tried running the z-axis when the rod was out of the hole and there was not problems, is this a bad idea? I have updated my question with a picture of this. – user3557707 Dec 29 '16 at 15:34
  • I would replace the rod. Should only be a couple bucks from mcm or other online sites. You can cut it to length with a saw or Demel. Changing the mount won't fix the issue which is the rod is bent. – StarWind0 Dec 29 '16 at 19:30