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Solved Z ribbing

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by Wikid, Mar 21, 2015.

  1. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    Hello everyone,

    So this issue seems to come and go and its rather annoying on a new printer. I have looked through the forums and do a few upgrades to try to help with the issue but have had no luck. Last night when I was printing my stabilizers for the Z axis rods it was extremely bad, about .05mm worth of ribbing that I had to clean out of holes and slots.

    I have an R1 with the 8mm rods and auto leveling, I was going to modify the firmware to keep the Z axis on all the time but had a hard time trying to find the R1v2 firmware to adjust it. Plus they seem to be on most the time with the autolevel correcting going during prints. My Rods were up against the motors in the Couplers so I pulled them out a little. Added some more lube to the rods and screws, and my stabilizers.

    Then I printed my test cube and circle to see if i was getting any ribbing.....nothing they are both perfectly smooth and also perfectly on size 20mm to the thousandth.

    Then I started to print the feet to raise my Robo and they have ribbing all over them exactly the same as before. I have not tried different slicing software yet.

    All the print settings are the same, .2 layer 40mm/s, 50mm/s infill 210 temp 60 bed 15% infill. This is rather annoying, Ill do a fix then test it and the test works fine then when I try to make sometime I want to keep I get this ugly ribbing.

    I was thinking of adding the stabilizers that attach to the Z nut on the bottom and ride up the Z guide rod to keep them from rotating but when I watch the nut I do not see it rotate.

    Could this be an issue due to the part size, ie. my cube was 20mm these feet are much larger so there is more travel across the x and y. I am wondering if the load shifting on the X axis could cause this?

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Regards,
    Wikid
     
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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  3. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    Should i repost it over there? I just realized that my z stabilizers came loose from my double stick tape so I am going to epoxy them on. I also just found this mount is cracked while waiting for those to cure.
    [​IMG]

    Regards,
    Wikid
     
  4. Ben R

    Ben R Active Member

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    if you have the variety with the holder at the top and bottom for the smooth z rods ,you won't be hurting too much.
     
  5. Ziggy

    Ziggy Moderator
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    The cracked mount will need to be fixed. On a new machine you may be able to request a replacement under warranty.

    Having the Z smooth rod stabilized at the top end will minimize the Z wobble but still need to replace a cracked mount.
     
  6. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    After fixing my stabilizers I am still getting the same Z ribbing. It is not even across the build plate though. The parts printed on the side with that cracked mount show it more, parts in the middle show minimal to none, and parts on the other side show some but not as much as the cracked side. Not sure what could be causing it to be different across the build plate.

    I am working to print a temporary mount then have some made out of aluminum. I also made up some Z axis isolators to replace the ones on the machine to prevent them from forcing any movement on the X carriage. Though they are going to all have to be re-printed if it removes the ribbing.

    Regards,
    Wikid
     
  7. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    After adding my isolators it completely removed all the Z axis ribbing, now to smooth out x and y while still maintaining speed.

    My isolators worked really well, needed some fitting and just epoxied the 8mm nut into them(flush on the top so it no longer pushes on the carriage, smoothed out the opening that runs on the guide rods with a file and screwed the Z axis leveling switches onto the back. One switch is a little off so it is hot glued on atm but they are working great now running my final tests.

    [​IMG]

    Regards,
    Wikid
     
    Mike Glass and Mike Kelly like this.
  8. Stephen Capistron

    Stephen Capistron Active Member

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    I like where you are going there. I have some spare bearings i could use on the smooth side of your part there.
     
  9. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    I tried that but didn't think to use epoxy. Good call.
     
  10. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    They are loose enough it shouldn't be an issue but snug enough that the z nut rotation should be held accurately. Now the threaded rod wobble is horrible so I added some quick mounts to the top of the case to just reduce wobble but they need a bearing to ride in.
    [​IMG]

    Wikid
     
  11. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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  12. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    It had some rod caps on it but they didn't reach the top of the case nor did they fit into the locations at the top of the case. Yours however look different than what came on the machine. longer, not sure about diameter. May try that and see how they do. Make it easier than having to unscrew those mounts each time I need to take the top off.

    BTW did you ever find a nice set of ball screws for the Z axis to go along with that beautiful aluminum base plate?

    Wikid
     
  13. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    I've found ball screws but not for a price I was comfortable paying. I ended up with lead screws and like them.
     
  14. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    Yea there proud of those ball screws.... I don't think i could justify buy them unless i knew I wouldn't have any z issues.

    Wikid
     
  15. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    Wikid and mark tomlinson like this.
  16. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    What makes these "The" solution, I have seen them posted before. Is it because the rod is integrated into the motor?

    Wikid
     
  17. Stephen Capistron

    Stephen Capistron Active Member

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    Well you could convert to a cable / belt driven z ...
     
  18. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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    The helical coupler is a big contributor to ribbing since it allows for the threaded rod to translate. This is a fixed rod so it prevents any and all movement that would induce ribbing.

    Belt driven Z's are cool but require a lot of hardware and don't support against gravity well
     
  19. Wikid

    Wikid Member

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    I am thinking of going with dual smooth rods on each side for the Z, if i go that route I will upgrade to these steppers, if they don't work out I'll send Mike the bill. =P

    Would a belt work very well with a z axis? seems like a lot of mass to lift then counter gravity.

    I just ordered some spider couplings so hopefully that will help out with any translations. I am still kinda amazed that I get some Z variations even with removing the threaded rod from being able to induce movement on the carriage. Maybe it is moving it with the force......

    Wikid
     
  20. Mike Kelly

    Mike Kelly Volunteer

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