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Unresolved Squeak Debugging, Oil Suggestion

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by Kaan, May 19, 2015.

  1. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Hi everyone

    I noticed a squeaking today while printing a prototype keyboard plate

    After researching possible causes, the Z-rod seems to be the prime suspect

    I've tested X/Y/Z free movements, X/Y seemed very robust, only Z could've been squeaky, but I didn't detect the same squeak that appeared when printing, however it definitely produced a sub-squeak at one point

    I also print ~0.2mm into the bed, so it sticks, however the squeaking was also present at upper layers too

    I'm going to lube all 4 Z-rods/sliders, all I have is yellow liquid machine oil, wd40 and some wd40-like bearing/chain oils, I guess I should use the bearing/chain oils? (As far as I remember, they were for motorcycles mainly, and they bubble a bit when spraying, however when sprayed, they seem like liquid machine oil in spray form)

    I would also appreciate some debugging/maintenance advice in the meantime

    Thanks in Advance
     
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Do not use WD-40.

    Use a light machine oil if you will (I prefer Lithium grease).
     
  3. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Thanks

    I'm guessing the WD40 could move down and get the rod screws loose?

    I don't have a thick oil like lithium grease at hand, but I guess I should buy some
     
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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  5. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    That is a very informative link, thanks :)
     
  6. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Turns out the squeak was coming from the Y axis / under the bed, I think the parts thats attached to the stepper motor has moved upwards, the parts that moves the belt

    The belt is leaning to the bottom of that parts, and to the top of the two sliders, that's whats causing the squeak

    I'm not sure whether I should loosen and relocate the part, or whether the situation is normal

    I would appreciate some advice, in the meantime I will research the issue (Taking photos seems like a good idea, however one of the magnets stayed on the tray, currently gorilla gluing that part)

    Edit: I also checked whether the sprocket was loose and that looseness was the cause of the dislocation and hence the belt squeak, however the sprocket didn't seem loose, even if it's loose, it's not on the easily detectable scale
     
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You need to fix this or the belt will bind. Loosen the drive cog attached to the end of the motor shaft and reposition it higher (mine had this same issue). Use loctite to hold that bad-boy in place (the set screw). You know you have it correct when moving the belt does not make it 'travel' up or down on the center pulleys. It should stay in the center.
     
  8. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Thanks for the reply, I read your post of the same issue earlier, In my case, I think it should be moved down, unless there is something else wrong with the assembly

    Do you have a picture of your fixed Y sprocket, or a picture of a calibrated one on the forums?

    I hesitated a bit because If I move it down a bit, it will be submerged below the enclosure plastic just a bit

    In any case, I will check the issue further in 1-2 hours and either fix it, or report my findings and update
     
  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Up is probably the way it needs to go if it is that low. Loosen the set screw (if it is actually tight) and try adjusting it and testing the movement. You can move the axis by hand with the printer off and watch the belt.
     
  10. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    There is a lot of empty space on top of the sprocket, yet at the same time, the assembly was very stiff

    The belt also pushes on top of the slider and at the bottom of the sprocket, so only moving the sprocket down will relax the system

    That's why I suspected another issue, either with the bed positioning or the 2 sliders
     
  11. Fart_Plume

    Fart_Plume Member

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    Stainless steel tends to gall against other stainless parts, in this case the threaded rod running through the nuts. A Copper based anti-seize lube (available at auto parts stores for exhaust manifold bolts) is a good choice.
    If it the the bearings squeaking against the smooth rods you need to check and see if the bearings are too tight and galling/scoring the smooth rods. There have been some units that have had smooth rods which the diameter was over the maximum tolerance for the bearings, as mine were.
     
  12. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Here is a photo of the issue, the screws are very tight, I wanted to ask the opinion of you guys before moving the sprocket down (maybe lubing is the solution?)

    As you can see from the photo, the belt leans to the bottom of the sprocket and to the top of the sliders IMG_0986.JPG
     
  13. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    You do not want that 'lean' in the belt. It should be level from the motor sprocket through the pulleys and sliders.
     
  14. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Thanks for the reply, time to remove the screws I guess

    They are so tight that I just hope they survive the unscrewing
     
  15. Kaan

    Kaan Member

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    Well, it needed to be re-seated, lowering the seating solved the issue

    However, I noticed that there was a very slight wobble on the sprocket when it's moving, much much less than how much the Z-axis wobbles

    In hindsight, I see that I didn't screw the sprocket well, I should've let one sprocket lock the stepper motor rod cutout, while the other one just increases the friction, I just screwed them both blindly

    At this point, I'm not sure whether I should just let things be until an issue occurs, or not occurs, or re-seat the sprocket right now

    I guess I will just let it be
     

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