I noticed my prints with x-axis facing surfaces are getting very uneven print. I have calibrated my e-steps, flow rate, etc. So, I don’t think it has to do with those.
Attached are a series of calibration cubes I printed from my very first print (far left, black cube) with my A350 till the more recent print (far right, yellow cubes). As you can tell, the x-axis faces are progressively getting more and more uneven. The very first cube (black) barely has some ripple-like marks on it. But the last one (yellow) looks like a textured surface.
However, the Y-axis faces are fairly nice in general. Will attach more images after this post.
I tried to tighten the z-axes thinking it may be due to z-axis wobbling, but it didn’t improve anything.
I also changed my nozzle thinking that potentially it is wearing in ways that only affect the x faces more, but the new nozzle didn’t help improve anything.
Does anyone have any idea what may have caused this uneven print?
UPDATE: I tried switching to the laser module, and when camera calibrating, the lines on the x-axis is no longer straight like it used to. It now engrave squiggly lines on x-axis. See picture below.
The x-axis engraves in squiggly line instead of a straight line. Note, my piece of paper is very flat, so it is not because of a wrinkly curly piece of paper that causes the squiggly cut. The last time I used the laser module, it engraves perfectly straight lines.
Well both the laser and the printing things might be related. If you grab whichever tool head is mounted on the x-axis and you firmly wiggle it up and down is there any detectable motion or looseness in the axis that allows it to click and clack in the rails. Check the y-axis too, you can also use the touch screen to jog the y-axis back and forth and see if it rocks at all when the direction changes.
I tried wriggling the tool head, I don’t think there is any detectable looseness with the head. However, I just tried to manually move the tool head along the track, and there seems to have some tiny bumpiness to it as I slide the tool head from one end to the other. I tried to compare it with the y-axis. I slide the bed manually along the Y-axis, and it does not have that tiny bumpy feel to it.
Any idea what can I do to see what causes the tiny bumps on x-axis?
Is this a defect? or just normal wear that just needs some maintenance?
You can take off the cover strip and see if there’s debris on the round-rod rails or on the bearing wheels the carriage rides on. Could be external debris; might be manufacturing debris that’s jarred loose during use.
Could be some other things, like premature failure of one of the ball bearings in the carriage.
there doesn’t seem to have any visible debris on the track.
I can’t seem to slide the slider out of the metal “casing/track” from the non-cable end of the module. I haven’t forced it yet, I’m afraid I’ll break something.
I opened the track from the cable end of the module, and slide the motor out, noticed as I pull out the screw-rod/rail, it pulls the slider along, and the slider has a very bumpy ride. But if I hold on to the slider in place in the metal casing/track, and simply slide the screw-rod/rail in and out, it’s very smooth.
So, it seems like the bumps may be coming from between the slider and the casing? Should I force slide the slider out? I was only able to pull it halfway out and then it seems to be stuck. Can’t seem to tell what/where is getting stuck.
Sounds like you have bad bearings or a bad set of internal rails. You could continue troubleshooting, but at the end of the day I think you’re going to need a new module. Contact support, tell them when you turn the machine off and move the carriage left and right there’s a serious bump that requires you to force it past, and that you need a new module sent to you under warranty.
