printer – layer.works

3-D Printer Maintenance

Basic preventative maintenance will keep you printing problem-free. Periodically check and fix the following areas of your printer.

Vacuum up all the little pieces and parts of filament that drop off as the printer heats up, failed print debris, etc.
Dust your printer. Canned air will work fine. Blow out the fans, controller box.
Check the extruder body internals for filament crumbs, buildup. Do a cold pull of filament.
Clean your linear bearings and load them with grease. If possible, do this during initial printer build, or the next time you do a major overhaul.
Check for wiring fraying or chafing.
Check X, Y, Z round rods for any marring or flatspotting (indicating not enough lubrication) or other unusual wear. Do all the axes run smooth and straight?
If your print quality is consistently low and no settings seem to improve it: it’s probably time to change your nozzle. They are relatively easy to change.

Check your printer’s vendor’s documentation or website for specific maintenance suggestions.

Prusa i3 MK3 Regular Maintenance

Prusa Maintenance Tips

6 tips for Original Prusa i3 3D printer maintenance

Just a little preventative maintenance will help your printer succeed in the tasks you give to it.

Help! My printer is broken

Blob of Death™, printer making weird clicking noises, parts dangling where they shouldn’t?

While using your 3-D printer, you may find that you come across a print-stopping situation. You are missing a piece, something isn’t working right, a part broke, etc. I’d always recommend exploring your vendor’s support offerings. They will frequently walk you through the issue and/or send replacement parts. But there are times when you just need a part re-printed (now that your printer is broken…) and you’re stuck in a catch-22: You can’t fix your broken printer problem with a broken printer.

If you have the .STL files for the piece or pieces you need, we’re always willing to help a fellow 3-D print enthusiast out of a jam. Just contact us with the details and we’ll see what we can do to help you get what you need.