Hello.
All of you who have had the U1 for a while: Does it notify you via software when maintenance is due, or do I need to schedule this in my calendar?
Once a month can make a significant difference for a heavy user compared to a light user.
How do you handle maintenance?
I’ll be watching this post; great question 
Good suggestion, I’ve forwarded it directly to the software product manager.
It is an interesting topic, but if a software modification has to be made to alert the user that it is time for maintenance, you should consider how many printing hours have elapsed (or how many mmÂł of filament have been extruded, or how many km the X, Y and Z axes have moved), instead of using a temporary (monthly, etc.) alarm.
Great suggestions that the software could alert you to.
Another option may be an AI connector that monitors these stats and alerts you when parameters you set are reached.
That’s all very well, but how / who determines the thresholds which trigger the “service light”? Without data, it’s pointless.
Correct, and the OP is asking for guidance on what data would be needed to trigger when to run maintenance on the machine.
That’s not how I read it, but it didn’t aid my comprehension that the attached screenshot is in German (I think).
So: Does software trigger a “service light”? Apparently, not at the moment.
Does he need to schedule it in his calendar? Personally I would wait until print quality starts deteriorating and then find out why. However, if you’re involved with time-critical work and can’t accommodate interruptions for remedial action and reprinting, you might want to take pre-emptive action – ie have a routine maintenance schedule – but that’s going to be very user specific, and will sometimes be time spent that wasn’t necessary.
Perhaps this thread could serve as a notepad for people to record their experiences. Have you had to re-adjust belt tension, or replace a belt, or whatever… and after how many print hours?
The machine itself records information such as print duration.
When this plate is finished my U1 will have run ASA for close to 36 hours in a 48 hour span. I’ve got two more plates two run that will be another 32+ hours of ASA. I can definitely see how my general hour count of machine uptime would be different that printing PLA over that timeframe.
Does Snapmaker have a Community Wiki we could contribute to? Everyone’s suggestions and methods here would be fine but might get lost…
I think you are looking for this:
If I understand right, it’s open for contribution @nweolu ?
Yes indeed! Multi lingual contributions are very welcome! We have a some gaps to fill 
Markdown is supported, so there are tables even - for example Collection of 3D Printing Settings and Profiles - Awesome Snapmaker List
This is insane! Can’t wait to take some time to look through it
I adhere quite strictly to my own “calendar,” but I always clean and service the printers immediately after any error occurs. Since the U1 has had not a single misprint to date, they receive their maintenance every Wednesday evening. During this process, the axes and spindles are cleaned with IPA, and metal parts are oiled/greased (lithium grease).
Additionally, all transparent surfaces, as well as all print beds, are cleaned with a mixture of dish soap, warm distilled water, and IPA.
Finally, a complete calibration is performed. I have adapted the scripts to run automatically without user intervention, as I do not wish to stand waiting in front of the printer during calibration: at the beginning, I remove the build plate from the bed and clean the nozzle before each calibration—this way, I do not have to confirm the action on the display every time.
My other printers (BAMBU/QIDI) are also cleaned and serviced, and I can say that their last errors occurred several months ago—it seems to do no harm to dedicate 1-2 hours per week to the proper care of one’s devices.
PS: As a craftsman (electrician), I do the same with my work tools and their cases: the drill, cordless screwdriver, angle grinder, and multitool are cleaned of dust and dirt on the last working day of the week; all movable metal parts are oiled/greased, and the batteries are fully recharged. The tool bag is completely emptied, vacuumed, and restocked with tools.
A clean presentation to the client always leaves a good impression; the clean and orderly work delivered as a result almost always leads to referrals, and to this day, I have never had to chase after an invoice or advertise:slight_smile:…
This gives me a good idea! The Snapmaker U1 needs a “Quick Calibration” Mode… Similar to the current calibration but with less user interaction required. I know you can choose which calibrations to run, but I’m talking about a complete calibration that is less user dependent. Remove the “brush your nozzle tip” pause… Stuff like that… @Simon_Zhi what do you think?
I think this idea of his is really very convenient. I’m not sure if it’s what I understand: directly adding cleaning materials (such as alcohol or acetone, etc.), then setting a cleaning time, and the machine automatically runs a self-cleaning procedure, similar to how a robot vacuum cleans its tray. I haven’t seen the video of it in action that he mentioned. If anyone has it, please share it so we can see how it’s implemented. @TierParkToni
From what you said, I understand it as: calibration that requires no user involvement at all, where the machine can perform self-calibration during idle periods or non-printing times (e.g., bed leveling, nozzle cleaning, flow calibration for the current filament, etc.).
I think it’s a great user scenario, and I’ve already submitted it to the product manager!
Somewhat, just a quicker calibration process that doesn’t pause for cleaning the nozzle. Its an important step but I don’t need to be reminded to do it every time I calibrate the machine.
You’re the best @Simon_Zhi keep up the good work!
There seems to be a misunderstanding: I do not add any chemicals beforehand; instead, I manually clean the spindles and axles first, then remove the print bed, and only after that do I run the 4-head calibration script.
I also manually clean the nozzles before running the script—if it’s even necessary, since I usually skip this step because the cleaning wipers in the U1 do an excellent job, and the hardened nozzles are already very clean after printing.
After that, I place the print bed back on, perform a full Bed Leveling and Vibration Compensation cycle.
This means that after cleaning/maintaining the spindles and axles, I need to visit the printer exactly twice: once to remove the print bed and once to put it back on. In between, the script runs automatically.
Your idea of an “off-time maintenance calibration,” similar to the one on Bambu printers, is also excellent and definitely worth a closer look. Thank you very much for this suggestion!
@ TierParkToni
Dumb question: where can I find the “Calibration Script for the 4 Heads”?
