I have started to print the test structures from Make:
That shows different problems of my printer.
The gantry is not perpendicular to the X-Axis which I see in the print and also looking from above. The Z-Pillar seems do be quite ok. So it is probably the guides of the gantry on the Z-Pillar.
Is there a recommended way to correct this?
The Z-Axis wobbling test shows a sine wave of the tower in Z direction especially on lower layers.
What does this mean?
I think it is also connected to the lead-screw-wobble issue
The top of the lead-screw is rotating dependent on the Z height. This changes the angle between X and Y axis.
With small heights objects it looks like a parallelogram distortion. At high Z displacements there are waves in Z direction.
I have my printer rotated on the desk so that I watch the x movement coming towards and away from me. Watching it this way I can see the bed move around as it slides. My z-axis also occasionally "pops". I think it's the flexible coupler. Looking at the printer now from the front with the x-axis all to one side it seems to hang down a bit. Tightening things just makes it bind.
I've ordered a new lead screw, brass threaded insert, and all metal coupler to hopefully help with the lead screw wobble. My Ender 3 wobbles but maybe in 2-5mm at most. This thing skates from under the bracket to all the way off the bracket.
I think we all need to get together and redesign the friction blocks that guide the platform and the gantry.
That would be great. We should collect a list of parts which have shown improvements to the printer.
I'm pretty good with the building and software side of the printers but am trying to learn the modeling side. I started a 30 day course for using Fusion 360. I was hoping to have enough under my belt to be able to model what I think we need. I might have to get my tablet and pen out and draw it up so someone else can take a wack at it.
I think they used the wrong sort of bending technique to form the "rails". ..or possibly just gave the manufacturers too much allowance in their specifications. It seems to me the lower lip is making it hard (impossible?) to get clean movement across the entire travel area. Most notably in my platform movement. I can see it tilt and shift in the X[0:100] range. If I adjust that out, it skips in the X[200:300] range. Same with the gantry guides, which allows slight rotation in the X and Y axises which in turn causes the screw to wobble or the gantry to stick and jump. Anyways, perhaps with either less allowance in the bend, or a more rounded die to create a "U" shaped rail rather than the simple "V".
At the moment, all I can do is adjust the guides to optimize printing in a smaller region.
I'm working on it :)
I think I have the "cups" in a place where I like them.
Waiting on the stand-offs to print.
All the metal parts for the AXIS have had their STEP files uploaded to Makertech's GitHub. I've been using that along with a lot of measurements and a pile of tests to work some of this out. I've also started toying around with the idea of just using a linear rail for the x-axis.
@Holger Well, mine might be better in the bottom third, but yours is definately better on the rest. I think my gantry might have slipped somewhere around 80mm ... or maybe my z-offset was off a smidge and that's where the nozzle pressing into the layer started to affect the stability of the part. In the upper third I could easily see the part moving with the print head.