I finished a print, removed the bed, removed the print, and replaced the bed. I tried to level my platform, and this horrible noise, like a creaking door, appeared. Each time I move my z-axis up or down. It is really loud. I checked to Zortrax support page, and as suggested, I used the supplied grease to lubricate the rods, screws, and nuts. But the noise persists.
This link is a video of me pushing the Move Down 5mm button to show you the sound
I just tried it, and yes, the creaking happens when i turn it by hand.
It's pretty strange, I can't pinpoint the source of the noise by ear. Sometimes the noise is coming from the right, then the left. When I put my hands on the sides of the frame and move the Z-axis, I can feel the frame creak along with the noise
There’s a coupler right underneath the lower bearing block that connects the stepper to the z screw. It uses hex grub screws for clamping. Turn the z screw until you see the grub screws of the coupler and loosen them with an allen key…after that you can turn the z screw without moving the stepper. Tell me if the noise is still there then.
Hi there cwmain, could you send an Email to michael.p@octave.com I do not see any open tickets in our system, and it would have just gotten to me anyways.
Hi there cwmain, could you send an Email to michael.p@octave.com I do not see any open tickets in our system, and it would have just gotten to me anyways.
There’s a coupler right underneath the lower bearing block that connects the stepper to the z screw. It uses hex grub screws for clamping. Turn the z screw until you see the grub screws of the coupler and loosen them with an allen key…after that you can turn the z screw without moving the stepper. Tell me if the noise is still there then.
Andre, I loosened the grub screws but I wasn't able to get the bigger clamp screw undone to turn the screw without the stepper. But when I turn by hand, I hear a creak from where the z screw connects.
Here is a vid of the printer doing platform leveling, then me pushing the Down 5mm button.
While the printer is off and unplugged, push the platform down slowly not using to much force. The on that attaches to the screw, do you feel any crunching or skidding?
While the printer is off and unplugged, push the platform down slowly not using to much force. The on that attaches to the screw, do you feel any crunching or skidding?
Hi Michael,
Sorry for the big photo. I pushed down where the green arrows are, I didn't hear any crunching, but I did hear the creaking/groaning noise as it moved down.
And as I was doing that, I discovered that the screws/nuts circled in red have come loose. Could that be involved with whats going on?
Blue Coupler, loosen the top screw on the coupler, this will allow the screw to free spin. on your picture it is below the main bracket.
Caution: do not loose the screw, be careful to not drop it inside the printer.
I got the coupler screw and the grub screws loose almost to the point where they were going to fall out. I turned the z axis screw with my hand and could still hear the slight hum of the motor, so it didn't disconnect. I'll try again right now. But as I was turning it, the creaking/pop sound would come from the top of the printer, or atleast it sounds like it came from there.
Edit:
First of all, this feels like heart surgery haha, anyway, I loosened all the screws again, grub screws almost falling out, and the coupler main screw almost did fall out but I was holding it with the allen wrench. The motor still purred as I spun the z axis screw, unless there is another small noise that would sound like a stepper.
Michael, as far as I understand he meant that the stepper is still connected and spinning when he spins the screw by hand. So we are not much further… It’s probably just a tight fitting coupler…
OK…another idea. Tighten the coupler again. Now take the four screws out that hold the ball nut (the “loose ones”…just remember roughly how tight, or better, “loose” they were…it’s not overly critical). Now you can move the platform up and down freely without the nut. This way we can see if it comes from the linear bearings… If it’s not the bearings then you can spin the nut around the (fixed) screw by hand and see if the noise comes from the nut. As a last test you can tape the nut to the screw with some scotch tape so that it spins with the screw…now jog the z axis…if it then makes the noise then we know it’s from the coupler, motor, or the bearing blocks.
