My H2D clocked in 4000 hours and I think it deserve some proper maintenance now. This is my first 3D printer so any recommendations about what I should replace and recalibrate is very welcome.
I have 2x AMS 2 pro (one almost brand new) + an HT. So far I didn’t change anything other than left nozzles heating block, but I have a few spare parts. %90 of my prints are PLA, %5 PETG, %4 TPU and 1% engineering materials.
Here are my questions ,
Belts , H2D doesn’t complain about belts and visually they look ok. (I have spare belts) Should I re-tension them or replace them?
Extruder gear, look ok, but I have 2X spares , shall I go ahead and replace ? Original one seems to be greased, I assume I should grease the replacement too.
Should I replace internal AMS ptfe tubes? I haven’t visually inspected them.
I think I shall replace the H2D internal PTFE tubes,
Filament cutter blades ? Wiki suggest every 10 rolls , I guess this is a joke as I think I might have run through 150+ rolls. I guess when replacing the extruder gear there is no reason not to replace it.
Since I’ve installed additional filters from almost day 1 , I didn’t clean the exhaust filter (I think it should be okish as there is a pre filter installed) but I think it’s time to remove stuff and give it a clean. Btw , vs other parts exhaust fan is expensive , can anyone recommend me a suitable replacements (I prefer one that’s a bit quieter and can move a bit more air perhaps )
I have 2x textured plates, they ares till doing ok , I guess they can go a few more hours.
Is there anything I am missing? Are there any spare parts you’d recommend me to stock based on my usage pattern?
Bonus Q : I bought an FTS , but I regularly use TPU and I didn’t read good things regarding issues come with it. Should I postpone getting it installed?
If the printer isn’t throwing an error or having any issues, why replace anything? These machines are quite complex, lots of tiny connectors and fragile components, so why risk damaging something when you don’t have a reason to?
Do the regular cleanings, lubrications, and maintenance, which includes inspecting and replacing PTFEs.
If you regularly use TPU either 1) don’t install the FTS and wait until firmware supports both, or 2) be prepared to be disconnecting and reconnecting whenever you need to switch between the two.
(Also, depending on your TPU. It’s sometimes possible to feed it using the AMS, but your mileage may vary!)
perhaps I should have shared a bit more information. Recently quality started to degrade. Afterwards (I continued printing since I am printing a large storage system) printer started trowing frequent extruder overload errors. And at soke point one of the internal buffers start stopping the filament.
I’ve cleaned and rebuilt the buffer dismantling completely (may be the magnet flipped, but since it dropped when I was dismantling I am not sure) and I have opened up cleaned the extruder assembly twice (it was already reasonably clean)
Issues are gone and interestingly my first layer print improved significantly. Though I still see some degradation in quality (I think) Hence the reason to replace the parts that might be a bit tired and out of spec.
I agree, taking out the extruder assembly is a bit risky, putting back the parts is no fun, I think I can do that part relatively easily. Haven’t done any belt replacements though.
a lot of people mention that they have changed the belts at 1-2k hours (high temp printing ?)
For comparison, my H2D is just over 4,300 hours. 60% PETG | 10-15% TPU | 10-15% PA/PC | 10% PLA. I do a thorough cleaning, lubrication, and inspection monthly, with filter replacements quarterly.
I have never replaced or retensioned the belts. At around 3,000 hours, Bambu replaced the dual extruder unit under warranty after toolhead and filament-sensor errors. I upgraded to the enhanced cooling fan at the same time and kept the working original as a spare.
At 2,500 hours, I replaced the printer’s PTFE tubes and cutter blades while rebuilding my AMS setup. Some PTFE showed wear, but I have not replaced the tubing inside my AMS 2 Pro or HT units.
My original PEI plate is also still good, although I rotate it with KDEAVI and Glacier plates.
I would replace the cutter while the extruder is apart and replace any PTFE showing wear or resistance. I would inspect the belts and gears, but not replace them solely because of the hours.
I have not experienced overloads, buffer problems, or declining quality, so I suspect your remaining issue may still be resistance or alignment somewhere in the filament path.
I have a variety of nozzles and sizes and I’ve tossed a few. They have seemed to last/wear better since I started dedicating nozzles to specific materials.