Recently it started doing weird squeaky noises at some points during the printing process.
Anyone has any idea how to fix it? I am reluctant to print things with long times for fear of something breaking.
I have also been getting the Y axis frequency something but searching through the QR codes takes me to an X axis error.
I have done extra calibrations but the problem persists.
Some info:
Machine: A1
Regular slicer settings for .4 nozzle. Nothing fancy.
Overture Matte Light Grey
Have you inspected the extruder assembly?
When did you do the last full maintenance/clean up of all gear assemblies?
Have you inspected the Y-axis belt and gears?
How many hours do you have on the printer.
Edit: Added questions and thoughts.
Did a full change of the extruder gears, also changed the magnetic and heating part that holds the nozzle because an earlier clog had damaged it. Also had to change the small ball bearings for the X axis that moves the print head since a mistake had damaged that part too.
Everything was functioning correctly until this two errors came almost side by side.
1492 printing hours
Gonna try to find the full error name for the other issue.
Have you checked the Y-axis bearings? To be honest the it sounds like a bearing is going out.
Any guide on checking that out? Going to try finding some myself then.
Honestly?
No.
I tend to dig deep into YT to find speculation data, then go poke my nose are at the “thing” that I’m working on. if it holds true, I run with it. if something seems off, I talk to my brother who’s a structural engineer and we hash out the math together or go talk to a friend of ours who’s a chemical engineer.
But I’ve heard that squeak on other items. It really sounds like a bearing. probably the front Y-axis bearing. I looked for parts for it on the BL site, but I only saw the belt, so, without tearing into my A1, I’m not going to be a lot of help for the repair if it’s needed.
Make sure all the belts are tight. A little grease wouldn’t hurt either. 51004 lube should do the trick.
You didn’t answer how, with what frequency you service your printer. Mine has almost 7000 “mileage”… Never had a problem with the mechanics. The printer loves regular maintenance and then it will print for a long time and beautifully. On my printer, I changed only the heating element of the hotend to 5000. There were some nuances with the AMS, but the warranty and service fixed this problem.
The carriage on the Y axis is assembled at the factory. The only thing you can check is the smoothness of the movement and that there is no wobble on the rails.
@Ringworld So i want to preface this by saying I am in no way criticizing your statement.
It is in fact great advice, and I suspect that, as @Neznajka123 stated, there may be maintenance issues involved here, and a full maintenance work up should be the first thing preformed anytime issues like this crop up (full coodos to @Neznajka123 on that front).
With that said, we all know that when we get a spaghetti print, that stuff goes everywhere, not to mention plastic dust is created every time we print (a significant consideration towards a VOC hood vented outside).
What I’m thinking is that a dust or pieces of spaghetti may have gotten into the bearing and, because they are a crystalline structure, are auscultating at a frequency that humans can hear. Obviously you can’t open up a bearing, clean it out, close it, and reinstall (well, you can but it’s typically easier just to replace it). I was not aware that the Y-axis assembly was a factory built part. Considering the load it’s expected to carry, it make sense.
So, to my question for you @Ringworld. Do you think the bearing is not the issue? Are you recommending the 51004 for the bearing or for a different part since the problem has not been directly identified? Is it something else? Could you help us understand your thought process on the matter?
Edit: spelling and grammar.
Nothing can get into the roller on the Y axis, it is a closed type. For the Y axis, the main thing is to regularly lubricate the rail itself. I lubricate it every 2 weeks with dry grease and regular sewing machine grease. I service the X axis once a week with dry grease for sliding. I lubricate the Z axis once a month. Once a quarter I do a full maintenance, and then a full calibration.
@Neznajka123 So the bearing isn’t going to be the issue. What are your thoughts on the squeeking?
@Remote_Sailing if you read his description the squeaking occurs at specific points. If it were a bearing it would be continuous squeaking, almost rhythmic. As for “dust” in a bearing, most bearings of this size are small and mostly enclosed. The last thing you want to see is a bunch of ball bearings dancing around an enclosure because the bearings tore through the casing. If you do see that then you’re really in a heap of trouble. It means the housing as well as the bearing may be in trouble.
Without going into much detail some lubrication of a specific rough spot or some proper preventative maintenance (aka cleaning) would be the simplest and perhaps the most prudent measure. Think of it this way – do you want to tear your machine apart or do you want to wipe off a dirt stain and then if that didn’t work proceed from there?
@Ringworld Thank you for the insight on the bearings. I have 608 bearings hanging out around my bench and I thought that even though they are enclosed, those small creased on the housing might be large enough to be an entry point.
Like both you and Nexnajka123, I’m a big proponent of maintenance, my wood shop sees a lot of sawdust, but my tools are always clean and have lasted me, in some cases decades.
And now that I’ve listen to it again, your right, it seams to be only on the y-axis forward movement. My vote still leans toward a piece of spaghetti somewhere, but again, a maintenance clean up would resolve that.
We’ll just have to wait for his response and diagnosis.
Hey, just wanted to leave this here in case it helps someone else.
I had a similarly weird issue with the Y axis on my A1 mini. It started like yours, prints were fine, but the process was noisy, but I ignored it, but then prints failed. At first, I thought it was just a belt tension problem, because my prints were getting misaligned on Y, the movement was kind of jerky/not smooth, and sometimes it looked like the printer was taking weird breaks and going back to the purge/cleaning area. The print also came out messy and stringy.
I compared the Y movement with my other A1 mini and this one definitely felt worse. Even when manually (through the arrows) moving the Y axis, it looked like it was not moving smoothly, almost like it was moving back and forth a bit.
I followed the Y-axis tensioning guide, but that didn’t really fix it.
What eventually helped was taking apart the Y rail / bottom area and checking inside. I did find a loose piece of plastic there, but I’m not 100% sure if that was the actual cause.
The thing that seemed more important was that the Y belt / Y-axis area was really dirty. The guide says to add lubricant oil, but in my case I think just adding oil over the dirt wasn’t enough.
So I cleaned the dirty area with isopropyl alcohol first, let it dry, and only after that I added the lubricant oil again. After putting everything back together, the Y movement was smooth again and the print issue was fixed.
So if anyone has similar symptoms — Y layer shifts, jerky Y movement, messy/stringy prints, or the printer behaving like it keeps going back to clean/purge — and belt tensioning doesn’t solve it, maybe check if the Y-axis area is dirty or if there is any loose debris inside.
Now I want to print a cover for those areas, to prevent dust and debris getting inside.
I’m not saying this is definitely the fix for everyone, but in my case cleaning first and lubricating after made the difference.