3D Printing Stack Exchange
3D Printing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [maintenance]

Questions about general maintenance and upkeep of printers.

This tag is for questions about general maintenance and upkeep of printers.

This can include generic items like motor and rods or maintenance questions for specific printer models.

42 questions
25
votes
5 answers

How should I clean my extruder when changing materials?

I often switch my print material, i.e. ABS / PLA / Wood / Flex, How can I best clean out my extruder between them to ensure I don't contaminate my next print?
Matt Clark
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24
votes
2 answers

Do stepper motors require any maintenance?

I've had my printer for almost a year now. Is there something I should be doing to maintain the motors?
kareem
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23
votes
6 answers

How can I best clean the print bed after a print?

I've occasionally had issues with excess filament residue getting stuck to the print bed. There are ways to prevent this, but sometimes even these precautions aren't enough. Over time, residue can build up. I've observed this in some printers,…
HDE 226868
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22
votes
2 answers

Mushy small top layers?

I just added a fan to my printer because very small layers seem to come out very badly. For example, the 5mm PLA cube that's the top level of the test shape shown below. Watching closely, I can see that the newly-extruded fiber is pushing the…
TextGeek
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22
votes
2 answers

How to get consistent and accurate readings from thermocouples?

I upgraded to an Mk9 dual extruder, and it came with thermocouples installed instead of the thermistors I had before. No matter what I did with the thermocouples, the indicated temperature jumped around by as much as 30C or more. In short, after…
TextGeek
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21
votes
5 answers

How to identify nozzle wear

E3D-Online and Make Magazine have written about the potential damage printing carbon fiber and glow in the dark filaments can do to your printer's nozzle. What I can't seem to find is what clues or warning signs to be on the look out for if your…
TheNewHobbyist
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19
votes
3 answers

Filament extrudes at an angle

On one of the nozzles on my printer, the filament comes out at a 45 degree angle. It seems that this causes problems with adhesion to the bed and overall quality. What caused this problem? How do I fix it? How do I prevent it from happening in…
Eric Johnson
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18
votes
4 answers

How do I keep my extruder head from getting clogged?

Using a thermoplastic MDF printer with a 0.4mm extruder nozzle, I frequently have trouble with the nozzle getting clogged. I am not sure what's causing the clog, but my guesses are dust and/or burnt filament (from leaving the hot end on without…
Martin
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11
votes
3 answers

How can I stop my print bed tape from sticking to the filament?

I made a test print for a small gear (~ 1.5 inches in diameter) a few months ago, with a hole through the center. On the first try, the filament (ABS) fused to the print bed, meaning that I had to spend ten minutes scraping off material to loosen…
HDE 226868
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9
votes
2 answers

Cons to UV printing

I've been curious about the various UV/Laser printers in (or coming into) market that use liquid resin. I've seen the samples of the Pegasus Touch, Form1, and the Carbon3D as examples. I like the specifications of the quality that machines can put…
tbm0115
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8
votes
2 answers

z-axis hard to move in some areas - what could be faults, how to improve?

I have a z-axis which follows schematically the same principle as the makerbot one's (threaded rod and two leading rods with linear ball bearings carrying a level). It is from an old experimental lab doing physics or chemistry. The axis move…
kamuro
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7
votes
1 answer

What is the MakerBot Grip Surface lifespan?

I've done a few prints on my MakerBot Replicator+ now and I'm curious if anyone else knows what the typical lifespan is signs of degradation are for the grip surface tape? I'm used to using Kapton tape in the past. Which will bubble, scratch, and…
tbm0115
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7
votes
1 answer

da Vinci Jr. nozzle diagram

Has anybody taken apart a da Vinci Jr. 3D printer nozzle? My first time trying to clean the nozzle after it jammed, I broke off the filament immediately before it gets heated, inside the nozzle assembly. The XYZprinting video, "da Vinci Jr. 1.0 -…
user27068
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6
votes
5 answers

Polyurethane-and-steel timing belts?

Has anyone tried the steel-reinforced polyurethane timing belts? If so, how do they compare to the rubber ones?
nebogipfel
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6
votes
1 answer

What's the best way to clean PETG residue from a magnetic steel sheet PEI?

I have the MK3 with a magnetic PEI and some PETG residue is stuck on the surface. How can I remove it? Does acetone work? Thanks
NLed
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