Linear rails maintenance and life span

That’s a bit more often than I use my Original. I use it probably 1-2 days per month, only 3DP so far. I got mine in 2018, and haven’t done any maintenance. I do have to occasionally retighten the build plate thumbscrews and recalibrate, but that’s it. Early on, I did have problems with my build plate getting dusty, which caused some adhesion problems (no enclosure). Now I keep it covered when not in use, and I haven’t cleaned it since I replaced the sticker a year ago (that was my fault, I gouged the sticker and bed getting a print loose).

Note that the Original’s linear modules are open; they don’t have the dust cover. I can see the thread screws, and have dropped thing into the Y axis that I had to retrieve before being able to print.

The CNC is probably the hardest on the linear rails, since it gets some resistance from movement that the laser and 3DP head don’t have. So depending on which combo of tools you use, you mileage will vary.

According to a previous employee, you can lube the linear modules. Here’s his replay in a previous discussion: How to maintain the snapmaker in perfect condition? - #5 by Edwin . The whole discussion has a lot of good advice.