As a precision mechanical device, 3D printers will gradually wear out some parts due to frequent operations and physical and chemical reactions of materials during use. Understanding these vulnerable parts and their maintenance methods is crucial for extending the service life of the printer and maintaining printing quality. Here are some common 3D printer vulnerable parts and their maintenance guidelines.
Nozzle
The nozzle is one of the most easily worn parts in 3D printers. Long-term work at high temperatures and contact with various printing materials will accelerate the wear of the nozzle. The commonly used nozzle materials on the market are mostly brass or steel. Although these nozzles are made of metal, they will still wear out due to long-term use. To reduce nozzle wear, it is recommended to regularly use needle tools or thermal stretching methods to remove blockages remaining in the nozzle, and replace the nozzle according to the frequency of use and the materials used.
When is it necessary to replace the nozzle of a 3D printer?
1. Decreased print quality: If the surface of the printed model is rough, uneven between layers, or has a drawing phenomenon, this may be caused by nozzle wear.
2. Nozzle clogging: The internal passage of the nozzle is blocked, resulting in difficulty in discharging, which may be due to long-term printing or printing materials containing fibers.
3. Extrusion is not smooth: After the nozzle is used for a long time, there will be more residues inside, resulting in unsmooth extrusion. If it cannot be cleaned until the extrusion is smooth, replacing the new nozzle is recommended.
4. Nozzle temperature abnormality: If the nozzle temperature is too low to smoothly extrude consumables, or the heating plate of the nozzle is aging and damaged, it needs to be replaced.
5. Flow ratio is too large: if the actual extrusion flow is too large, it may be due to nozzle wear, and the nozzle needs to be replaced.
6. Consumables sticky nozzle: If the consumables are often stuck to the nozzle, it may be because the nozzle wear or flow ratio is large, resulting in a large actual extrusion flow.
7. Nozzle caliber change: the nozzle has been used for a long time, obvious wear, resulting in more consumable melt flowing out of the nozzle, and a new nozzle needs to be replaced.
8. Print speed and temperature adjustment is ineffective: If the print quality problem persists after adjusting the print speed and temperature, this may be a sign of nozzle wear.
9. Nozzle Physical Damage: Visible physical damage to the outside or inside of the nozzle, such as cracks or deformation, can affect print quality and require replacement.
10. Frequent nozzle cleaning: If the nozzle needs to be cleaned frequently to maintain print quality, this may mean that the nozzle is worn and needs to be replaced.
Extruder Gear
The gear of the extruder is responsible for feeding the printing material into the nozzle. Due to continuous squeezing and friction, these gears will become dull and eventually unable to grasp the material properly. Regularly check whether the gears and bearings of the print head are worn or loose, add appropriate lubricating oil, and replace them if necessary.
When is it necessary to replace the extruder gear of a 3D printer?
1. Inconsistent printing texture: If the surface texture of the printed model is inconsistent, it may be due to the wear of the extruder gear leading to uneven delivery of consumables.
2. Consumables clogging: Extruder gear wear or damage may cause consumables can not pass smoothly, causing blockage.
3. Premature wear of components: If the extruder gear is severely damaged and cannot be repaired, it is recommended to purchase a new extruder gear kit for replacement.
4. The extruder emits abnormal noise: the extruder emits obvious abnormal noise, and there is no consumables flowing out of the nozzle, which may be due to the damage of the extruder gear.
5. Printed model drawing, lack of material: If the printed model has insufficient extrusion problems such as drawing, lack of material or virtual layer, it may be caused by damage to the extruder gear or uneven installation.
6. Gears and consumables wire slip: If the extruder gear cannot grasp the material normally, causing the consumables wire to slip, it may be gear wear.
7. The gear of the extruder does not rotate smoothly: If the consumable wire cannot be extruded at all during the feeding or printing process, but the gear of the extruder can rotate, it may be that the gear is worn or not installed properly.
8. Extruder gear wear: If the extruder gear has obvious wear or missing teeth, it will affect its normal operation and need to be replaced.
9. Extruder gear idling: If the extruder gear is always idling during extrusion and there is no consumable wire extrusion, this may be due to gear wear leading to the inability to grasp the consumable wire.
10. Accumulation of debris inside the extruder: After long-term use, the extruder may accumulate consumable debris and dust inside, which may affect the normal operation of the gear and require regular cleaning.
Print Platform
Printing platforms, especially detachable PEI spring steel printing platforms, are actually consumables. Each printing will peel off some very thin coatings. Over time, the coating of the panel begins to show gaps, which need to be replaced. In order to extend the service life of the printing platform, the wear and tear of the central part can be reduced by randomizing the printing position.
When is it necessary to replace the printing platform of a 3D printer?
1. Printing platform with protrusions: This type of printing platform is considered unusable if there are protrusions on or around the flat surface of the printing platform, as raised areas may damage the LCD screen or compromise leveling accuracy. To solve this problem, a new printing platform needs to be replaced.
2. The printing platform has scratches but no protrusions: If the printing platform has slight scratches, but the side in contact with the release film is flat, and there will be no visible deformation, such a printing platform does not affect the printing effect and can continue to be used.
3. Model adhesion ability decreases: Flash casting 3D printers are uniformly equipped with blue frosted stickers, and their model adhesion ability will decrease with the increase of usage frequency. When the model adhesion ability decreases significantly, or even the printed stickers are damaged, please replace the printed stickers and level them again.
4. Print platform scratches: When taking the model, if the model is violently pulled, it may cause platform scratches to affect the secondary printing adhesion. If the platform is severely scratched, it may be necessary to replace the printing platform.
5. Printing platform heating abnormality: The main reason for the abnormal heating of the printer platform is the heating cable problem or the heating plate short circuit. If there are scratches on the heating plate, causing an open circuit, or the platform heating cable is bad, the printing platform may need to be replaced.
6. The bottom of the printing platform is not clean: The bottom of the printing platform must be kept clean, and models and other foreign objects should not be placed to avoid damaging the platform during the platform descent process. If the platform is damaged due to the uncleanliness below, it may need to be replaced.
Belt
The synchronous belt of the X, Y, and Z axes is a transmission component that realizes the movement of the tool head and hot bed. Timely adjustment of the tension of the synchronous belt is an important guarantee for maintaining printing quality. If the synchronous belt has shown obvious wear and tear after long-term use and affects printing quality, it needs to be replaced.
When is it necessary to replace the belt of a 3D printer?
1. Loose or loose: If the belt becomes loose and cannot maintain proper tension, this can cause inaccurate movement of the print platform or print head.
2. Increased noise: When belts are worn or aged, they may make abnormal noise, especially when the machine is running.
3. Decreased printing accuracy: If the belt is worn, it may cause the movement of the print head or printing platform to be out of sync, thus affecting printing accuracy.
4. Stepper motor overheating: If the belt is loose or worn, the stepper motor may require more force to drive the machine, which may cause the motor to overheat.
5. Printhead or platform shake: If the belt is loose, the printhead or platform may shake when moving, affecting print quality.
6. Belt wear or tear: If the surface of the belt is worn, cracked or torn, it indicates that the belt has been severely worn and needs to be replaced.
7. Printing speed slows down: If the belt is worn, it may cause the machine to move slower, affecting printing efficiency.
8. Stepper motor out of step: If the belt is loose or worn, the stepper motor may lose synchronization, resulting in printing failure.
9. Print layer misalignment: If the belt is worn, it may cause print layer misalignment, especially when printing large or complex models.
10. Belt slipping: If the belt cannot tightly grasp the gear of the stepper motor, it may cause slipping and affect the precise movement of the machine.
11. Machine alarm: Some 3D printers will sound an alarm when they detect a belt problem, such as “loose belt” or “stepper motor out of step”.
12. Frequent adjustment of belt tension: If frequent adjustment of belt tension is required to maintain normal printing, this may indicate that the belt is worn and needs to be replaced.
Idler Wheel
The idler wheels of the X and Y axes require regular lubrication and maintenance to effectively prevent abnormal noise and resistance.
When does the idler wheel on a 3D printer need to be replaced?
1. Abnormal noise: If there is abnormal noise during the operation of the idler wheel, even if the problem is not solved after lubrication, this may be a sign of damage to the idler wheel bearing and the idler wheel needs to be replaced.
2. Bearing damage: The idler wheel has a sealed bearing inside, which usually does not require lubrication, but if the bearing is damaged, it may cause abnormal sounds during the printing process or the XY axis movement process, and the idler wheel needs to be replaced at this time.
3. Squeaking: If there is a squeaking sound during printing or XY axis movement, this may be due to a lack of lubrication between the idler wheel and the belt or wear of the idler wheel. If the squeaking sound persists after adding lubricant, the idler wheel may need to be replaced.
4. Abnormal resistance: Regular lubrication and maintenance of the idler wheel can effectively prevent abnormal noise and resistance. If there is abnormal resistance, it may be a sign of wear of the idler wheel and needs to be checked and possibly replaced.
5. Wear signs: If there is obvious wear on the surface of the idler wheel, it will affect the print quality, and the synchronous belt needs to be replaced and the state of the idler wheel needs to be checked.
Hot End Silicone Sleeve
The hot end silicone cover helps maintain the stability of the hot end temperature. If there are signs of damage on the silicone cover or it cannot be fixed well on the hot end, the silicone cover should be replaced to avoid some printing quality problems caused by temperature differences.
When is it necessary to replace the hot-end silicone sleeve on a 3D printer?
1. Silicone sleeve cracking: If the silicone sleeve cracks, it will affect its function of keeping the nozzle temperature stable and needs to be replaced.
2. Silicone sleeve loose: If the silicone sleeve is loose, it may not be firmly fixed on the hot end, which will cause abnormal temperature control and need to be replaced.
3. Silicone sleeve damage: If there are obvious signs of damage, such as wear, tear or deformation, which will affect its protection of the hot end and maintain temperature stability, it need to be replaced.
4. The silicone sleeve can not be well fixed on the hot end: If the silicone sleeve can not be firmly fixed on the hot end, it may cause temperature differences, cause printing quality problems, then need to replace the silicone sleeve.
5. There are signs of wear on the silicone sleeve: If there are signs of wear on the silicone sleeve, it may mean that it can no longer effectively protect the hot end or maintain temperature stability and needs to be replaced.
PTFE Tube
PTFE tubes are used to transfer printing materials from the feeder to the five-way assembly. Long-term friction will cause varying degrees of wear and increase feeding resistance. When there are obvious signs of wear on the PTFE tube, it should be replaced.
When do you need to replace the PTFE tube on a 3D printer?
1. Visible signs of wear: When there are obvious signs of wear on the PTFE tube, it should be replaced. In most cases, when printing abrasive consumables, the inside of the PTFE tube will wear out quickly.
2. Consumables cannot pass through pneumatic joints: If consumables cannot pass through pneumatic joints, it may be due to internal damage to the PTFE pipe, and the PTFE pipe needs to be replaced at this time.
3. PTFE tube cannot be fixed: If the PTFE tube cannot be fixed to the extruder, this may be a signal to replace the pneumatic connector, or it may be a problem with the PTFE tube itself.
4. Damaged pneumatic connector: If the pneumatic connector is damaged, the PTFE tube may need to be replaced.
5. Inspection cycle when printing regular consumables: When printing regular consumables, it is recommended to check the PTFE tube after about 10 rolls of material.
6. Inspection cycle when using consumables with strong wear: When using consumables with strong wear (such as carbon fiber and luminous series consumables) for printing, the PTFE tube should be checked and replaced every month or when the material tube is obviously worn.
7. Consumables movement is obstructed: under normal usage frequency, the PTFE tube should be replaced every two months to ensure that the consumables movement is not obstructed in any usage scenario.
8. Teflon tube carbonization: There is a small section of Teflon tube in the machine throat, Teflon tube is high temperature resistant, but the Teflon tube will gradually be carbonized when working in a high temperature environment for a long time, causing the originally relatively small Teflon tube channel to shrink, and then causing subsequent extrusion not smooth, resulting in insufficient discharge and card phenomenon. If this problem occurs, a new Teflon tube can be replaced to solve it.
Fan
The fan of a 3D printer needs to be checked regularly and foreign objects cleaned up in a timely manner to ensure that the machine has good heat dissipation.
When do you need to replace the fan on your 3D printer?
1. Fan does not rotate: If the fan does not rotate after turning on, especially when cooling is needed during printing, this may be a sign of fan damage.
2. Fan noise: If abnormal noise occurs when the fan is running, it may be because there is debris interference inside the fan blade, such as consumable wire, or the fan blade is damaged or broken.
3. Insufficient fan speed: If the fan speed is not sufficient to cool the newly extruded material, it may cause print quality problems such as interlayer adhesion or material deformation.
4. Dust and debris accumulation: Long-term operation of the fan is easy to accumulate dust or debris, if not cleaned regularly, it may affect the operating efficiency and life of the fan.
5. Loose fan fixing screws: If the screws fixing the fan are loose, it may cause the fan to produce noise or vibration during operation.
6. Fan does not respond to control signals: If the fan does not respond to control signals from the motherboard and does not turn even when cooling is required, this may indicate a problem with the fan or its wiring.
7. Fan motor failure: If the fan is found to have no foreign objects stuck after inspection, the wiring is not disconnected or loose, but the fan still does not work, it may be a fault of the fan motor itself.
Cutter
The cutter is used to cut printing materials. The blade may become missing after prolonged use and needs to be checked and replaced regularly.
When do I need to replace the cutter on my 3D printer?
1. Blade becomes dull: After printing several rolls of consumables, the blade of the cutter may become dull, so it should be checked regularly to ensure that the blade is still sharp. For regular consumables such as PLA/PETG/ABS/PC, it is recommended to check the blade every 3-5 rolls. For abrasive consumables such as PA + CF/PA + GF, the blade will become dull quickly. It is recommended to check after printing 1-2 rolls of abrasive consumables.
2. Cutter jammed: If the printer indicates that the cutter is jammed, this may be a sign that the cutter handle or blade is jammed. When the handle does not bounce back to its original position within two minutes, the screen will pop up a prompt.
3. Unable to cut consumables smoothly: If the cutter is worn out and cannot cut consumables smoothly, this will cause step loss and affect the printing success rate. At this time, a new cutter needs to be replaced.
4. The blade has a gap: After using multi-color printing, the blade of the cutter may become dull or even have a gap, which requires replacing the new cutter to ensure the cutting effect.
5. Cutting resistance is large: if it is found that the cutter has a large resistance when cutting consumables, this may be caused by blade wear, and a new cutter needs to be replaced to reduce resistance.
Mouth Wiping Assembly
The wiping nozzle assembly includes a silicone wiping nozzle and a metal wiping plate for cleaning residual waste on the nozzle. If the wiping nozzle assembly is damaged or deformed, it needs to be replaced to ensure the nozzle cleaning effect.
When is it necessary to replace the nozzle assembly on a 3D printer?
1. Rubbing nozzle assembly deformation or rupture: When the wiping nozzle assembly is deformed or ruptured, its cleaning nozzle overflow waste function will be affected, and it is necessary to replace the wiping nozzle assembly.
2. Rubbing mouth effect becomes worse: if after using for a period of time, the wiping mouth parts have been worn, loose, highly small or damaged, resulting in poor wiping mouth effect and residual material sticking to the nozzle, it is necessary to repair or replace the wiping mouth parts.
3. Nozzle cleaning problem: If the wiping nozzle assembly is damaged or deformed, it needs to be replaced to ensure the nozzle cleaning effect.
4. Silicone wiping nozzle damage: For 3D printers that use silicone wiping nozzles, if the silicone wiping nozzle is damaged or deformed, it needs to be replaced to maintain the cleaning effect of the nozzle.
5. Nozzle wiping assembly damage: When the wiping nozzle assembly is damaged, a new wiping nozzle assembly needs to be replaced to ensure the normal operation and print quality of the printer.
Conclusion
As a precision mechanical device, 3D printers inevitably experience wear and tear in their components during long-term use. Understanding these vulnerable parts and their maintenance methods is crucial for extending the lifespan of the printer and maintaining print quality. Secondly, nozzles, extruder gears, printing platforms, and belts are the most easily worn components in 3D printers.
Regular inspection and maintenance can effectively extend the service life of 3D printer components, maintain printing quality, and reduce printing problems caused by component wear. Therefore, users should develop a reasonable maintenance plan based on the frequency of printer use and the characteristics of printing materials, and replace worn components in a timely manner.
