My printer has ran into the bed many times before, but this time it loosened the reamed holes (3D printed) that the smooth rods sit in. Only my Y axis and left side Z axis smooth rods seem to be affected. I caused the collision and there isn’t anything that the printer did to cause it. I forgot to change the nozzle diameter on the printer before printing and started a print. I thought it wouldn’t take more than 15 seconds to change. I was wrong! While removing the nozzle and almost completely removing it, it started to begin wiping. Crash into the print bed with the nozzle wrench still there! I was quick enough to hit the power button but it seems it may have loosened the 3D printed mounts for the smooth rods.
I printed after the incident without any problems but am concerned about it becoming one. The Taz Workhorse is clearly built tougher than a tank!
I clearly learned my lesson. Do not ever change a nozzle unless the printer is parked or off! Also don’t rush anything with these printers! If something isn’t right just stop the print and fix it! Do not try and fix something before the wiping process or during a print.
Hopefully there isn’t any damage to the machine and I can just buy new 3D printed parts or tighten something. I could print them but since they need to be made out of ABS or high temp prone to warping plastic, it might be better to just buy them. Do they sell aluminum or something else instead of the 3D printed parts?
Are you running in an enclosure? You can certainly get away with using PETG or even PLA for those supports, especially on a temporary basis. They’re not directly exposed to any heat source. I had to get by with PLA parts on the toolhead while printing ABS replacements. It survived for a couple of prints.
Changing nozzles is definitely not a quick task, since it needs to be done over increasing heat steps, and without power applied at the time you’re using metal tools around it.
@Wrathernaut Thanks for the feedback! I didn’t realize you could use PLA!
I will be using an enclosure soon because I recently got a Taz guard enclosure. Only problem is if I use the enclosure to make the parts it might be a pain to assemble, print the parts, and then disassemble the enclosure to install the parts and reassemble after everything is fixed. Oh well, I guess that’s a summer project!
How important is fixing the smooth rods if only one side of the z and one rod on the y are slightly loose ~ 1mm? Can I still print those parts with the loose smooth rods?
I currently have some red and jet gray PRO PETG. White poly max PC. Old yellow ABS. The rest is PRO PLA. Probably will buy some filament. Maybe make the parts lime green to match the Lulzbot colors! What material would be best?
Also is there a way to get the STL’s needed for the 3D printed parts of the Taz Workhorse?
I believe there is no loss in the accuracy because my tolerances remained what appears to be the same when I printed the part after the incident.
Maybe I should print the printer parts closer to the side with the sturdy smooth rods to ensure the print remains more dimensionally intact just in case.
What infill, top / bottom layers, and walls do you recommend for printing the parts?
Is PETG as heat resistant as the stock 3D printed parts? I’m concerned because I don’t want to have to print them again in ~ 2 years. What brand and or material does Lulzbot use in making the printer parts?
Also my printer is soon to be 7 years old and I haven’t maintained anything with any of the axis on the printer other than the belts. Is there anything else like the ceramic bearings that might need replaced? I’m asking because I don’t know how long the parts for the printer are supposed to last. It could mean how well I take care of it. I was a newbie when I first got my printer and have learned through trial and error. I have to say I crashed into the bed about 10 times and done lots of other things that weren’t done correctly in the first 3 years of owning.
I also have a strange nose on the moving bed axis when it moves fast. In addition the motor skips for a second while presenting the bed. Could it be that dust built up over time and got clogged in the ceramic bearings creating friction? It is pretty dusty where the printer is now. It has had some long periods of time where it was not being used. No issues while printing.
The bearings aren’t ceramic, they’re Igus bearings. It’s a proprietary blend that’s kinda like delrin, but not. They wear out over time, but unless you’ve been printing on an industrial-scale amount, they should be fine. I haven’t had to replace them on the Taz6 that’s got several thousand of hours into it. The only maintenance for the Igus bearings I do is wiping down the linear rods occasionally.
Any long Y or X axis moves may have to slow down for the Z to keep up with bed leveling.
Strange noise, I’d have to hear and see when it’s happening to be any help.
I will try to get a video of the strange noise. It sounds like friction from the bearings or maybe a motor needs oil or lubricant.
Once I find any issues, I will possibly disassemble the printer. Is there a more interactive manual than the OHAI? Maybe a CAD model of TAZ WH?
I’m hoping that I can learn more about how the printer is put together before I am a mechanic.
For the latest version of all every part on the printer, use the Gitlab repository. There have been many revisions of parts since Lulzbot moved from Colorado to North Dakota.
Actually depends on the model year because some people found certain brands of PETG excessively adhering to the Glass PEI but if it has a magnetic upgrade or is the plus version yes it’s a better situation & PLA has less foot prints on a build plate correct me if I’m wrong
I emailed Lulzbot about printing the parts for the WH and they don’t make the same parts for the z axis motor mounts anymore.
I could print the parts myself, but am worried about something else going wrong with my printer. I bought an enclosure for printing with ABS, but since it’s not installed and I will need to disassemble the enclosure and printer to install the parts after setting it up to make the parts. Is there any way I could buy the z lower left & right for the original Taz WH? My printer still uses Moons Stepper motors.
Would anyone be willing to print the parts out of ABS? Preferably LulzBot green or black ABS.
I will pay for the material. I will even buy a spool and ship a spool to the person specifically for the print if needed.
Print settings recommended by LulzBot:
Global Settings (Printer Profile: lulzbot_hibiscus)
Layer Height: 0.27 mm (Initial: 0.4 mm)
Wall Thickness: 1.0 mm
Wall Line Width: 0.5 mm
Wall 0 Wipe Distance: 0 mm
Top/Bottom Thickness: 1.0 mm
Top Thickness: 1.0 mm
Bottom Thickness: 1.0 mm
Infill Pattern: Tetrahedral
Infill Angles: [90, 180]
Infill Density: 60%
Enable Travel Optimization: True
Zig-zaggify Infill: True
Skin Angles: [90, 180]
Seam Alignment: Back (x=0, y=0)
Magic Mesh Surface Mode: Both
Temperature Settings
Nozzle Temp:
Initial: 245°C
Final: 245°C
Default: 245°C
Bed Temp:
Layer 0: 116°C
Regular: 115°C
Part Removal Temp: 70°C
Cooling Settings
Fan Full On Height: 5 mm
Fan Speed:
Min: 2%
Max: 2%
Minimum Layer Time: 8 seconds
Speed and Motion
Print Speed - Outer Wall: 15 mm/s
Travel Speed: 150 mm/s
Initial Layer Line Width Factor: 125%
Jerk Control:
Enabled: Yes
Jerk Print: 10 mm/s
Acceleration:
Enabled: Yes
Print Acceleration: 800 mm/s²
Speed Equalize Flow Enabled: Yes
Other Settings
Support:
Enabled: No
Support Overhang Angle: 65°
Sparse Support Thickness: 0.4 mm
Relative Extrusion: Enabled
Fill Outline Gaps: Enabled
Skin No Small Gaps Heuristic: Disabled
Any other alternatives or suggestions?
Also, what do you guys think about these perpendicular lines on the left bed smooth rod?
Should I replace it? The bearings are worn down a good bit that run on this smooth rod.
Correct me if I’m wrong but pre 2024 tax workhorses are mostly compatible with the plus versions
I say mostly because the plus has a magnetic bed for instance
The original WH has Moons Stepper motors which are incompatible with the new z left and right mounts for LDO motors. This is what I was told.
I could buy new motors but I don’t have any reason to replace them. They do however get hot, but I think that’s normal.
I would really appreciate if someone could print the parts and ship them!
I can’t believe they didn’t have any spare parts for the original WH.
I could try and print them but I don’t know if they will turn out without an enclosure. I could print with ABS at standard or slow speed with a raft and draft shield maybe?
I would feel much better if I could just get the parts from a printer that doesn’t have a problem.
The linear rods should only need a wipe down with a clean cloth every now and then. I don’t think you’re printing on an industrial basis, so you shouldn’t need to replace any bearings for many years.
In lieu of a fancy enclosure, you can put a carboard box over it. Roughly the same effect, it’s just harder to see your print being built.
Cardboard boxes have been used for enclosures for a long time.
The heat of the chamber, bed, nor hot end is enough to cause it to ignite (400c or so), unless you already have a serious malfunction that would make the cardboard irrelevant.
