So…last summer I moved out into the desert on a property that I purchased. I moved the Snapmaker into my home and it’s just sat there since then collecting dust as I worked on getting the home to be more livable. I would like to start 3d printing, etc., again but I’m worried about the amount of dust that has collected. How do I clean the Snapmaker and not damage anything…for example I know we are not supposed to touch the rails with our hands…so…
Any kind of guidance would be appreciated. I am attaching pics so that the current state can be seen.
Snapmaker manual says to use a soft cloth (supplied with the machine) to do the rails. As for the rest, a common linen duster will be fine as that’s all I use. Based on your pictures and the amount to dust that settled over time and maybe even recently, I would drape a cotton sheet over the 3d printer when not in use, if you don’t already have or plan to buy an enclosure for it. That will help to keep a lot of dust settling on the machine when not being used.
The covers on the rails are thin but not that thin. When its says ‘don’t touch’ I think it means don’t be so rough as to crease them, as long as there is no permanent deformation of the strips they will be fine.
They just tell you not to press on the steel plate when you clean it.
I would use a cotton cloth to carefully remove the dirt on the steel sheets with the heavy soiling that they have.
2. then I would spray another cotton cloth with some Brunox gun oil and again carefully go over the steel plates without pressure.
3. finally, wipe the steel plates again with a dry cotton cloth without pressure, so the oil comes off the steel plate again and the steel plates are really clean again without dust residues, which could otherwise damage the plastic guides of the steel plate inside.
Also, fingerprints contain acids and oils. You need to be sure to clean both away; otherwise, your fingerprint will forever be part of the cover on your Linear Module.
You can basically dump the build surface into an oil free sink or tub, so the kitchen sink is usually out. The shower works really well. It’s good practice to keep a spray bottle with a small amount of dish soap and water, for cleaning the build surface.
