Add A Wiki for Lubricating A1 Series' Yellow Extruder Gear

Bambu Lab A1 Series General Discussions
1

Shouldn’t there be a lubrication guide for the A1’s extruder gear?

Potential Issues Without Lubrication:

  • Debris buildup – Can cause uneven extrusion or gear slippage.
  • Hard particles in gear teeth – May lead to premature wear or damage, especially for plastic gears.
  • Noise and vibration – A dry gear may produce more noise and wear faster.

Benefits of Proper Lubrication:

  • Smoother filament feeding – Ensures consistent extrusion quality.
  • Reduced wear and tear – Extends the lifespan of the gear and extruder components.
  • Quieter operation – Less friction means a smoother, quieter printing experience.
  • Prevents filament grinding – Helps maintain a firm grip on the filament without excessive force.

Surprised there’s no official guide or wiki on this!

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2

Apply small amount of grease (white lithium or Bambu little tubes, Super Lube) to one side of the drive gear. Apply small amount of liquid lube if needed to inside bearing races.
Install and turn gear manually to spread lubrication.

Really not sure why a wiki would be needed. If it’s needed at all it could be a line added to the cleaning guide for the A1 extruder.

2 Likes
3

Hey, thank you for this. I just replaced my extruder gear and noticed after 1200 hours printing, it had a lot of debris in there. I’ll definitely add some superlube to the new gear to help it out. Thanks again for posting this info :slight_smile:

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5

you are correct about using superlube. Oil or grease? I used oil since it moves a lote during printing…

6

I think Oil is much more suitable. The gear moves like a lot during printing. And the convention is to use oil when a part moves a lot. Retraction movements are like an explosive movement during printing

I already tested grease and it blackens for like 5 days of use. also all the grease collects at the bottom part of the white plastic where the motor grear seats

7

well not all bambu users are nerdy enough to know about this. Some just wants to print and might forgot the simplest part of maintenance.

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8

I don’t think you need to “be nerdy” to do basic maintenance steps

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9

Oil or thinner lube on the bearings given how small.

If you choose oil you will be replacing it more often. Much more.

Color isn’t an indicator of effectiveness. Rapid movement will fling lighter viscosity oil much quicker.

Use what you want, your machine. I just disagree with your reasoning. Besides, it doesn’t need to be done often. I think I did mine about 1000 hours ago and it’s still great.

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10

I’m gonna open my extruder again in 5 days and gather results. If it didn’t fling around oil and stuff then I’m gonna keep it as my own little recipe.

11

I agree with you. I view it like the open gear teeth on a crane slew ring.

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12

Fwiw, Biqu has a metal gear upgrade for the a1. It replaces the plastic gears and has a new set of bearings. Don’t know anything more about it though, and it’s not a rec. just a heads up.

13

I hear you, but keep in mind these are better printers, not perfect printers.

They still are complex electro mechanical assemblies run by a dodgy computer. At some point, you will need to break them down to fix something.

14

Heard a phrase “The Biqu matal extruder gear solves a problem that might not even exist”. Gonna Hold on to that till I see a ware in my extruder gear

15

they should have built a dual gear drive mod instead of making a metal mod tho