3D printers have become a trend every day, being an excellent resource for the manufacture of homemade products and molds for projects, with the only problem being the cost, which is very high in our country. The material used by the 3D printer for printing is called filaments, which can be made up of different materials.
They are produced with special care so that each leaves the factory in the best condition – controlling the humidity levels and vacuum packaging in metalized plastic. It is also protected from UV rays and packaging with silica. However, all this effort may be in vain, for the simple fact that when the package is opened, the necessary care is not taken.
Thus, when purchasing one, it is essential to take the necessary care to keep it in an excellent state of conservation to guarantee a long useful life of the machine and its filaments and its best conditions. For that, here are 5 precautions you should take with your 3D printer:
1. Printer maintenance
The first care that must be taken with the 3D printer, like any mechanical machine, is periodic maintenance to maintain its high performance. Paying attention to lubrication, cleaning the extruder nozzle and gear, and cleaning and replacing the printing surface.
Lubrication is being done monthly or whenever the printer makes a hiss. We must lubricate the bars, guides, and lead screws.
On the other hand, cleaning the printing surface is necessary to preserve the surface and avoid residues that make it difficult for the pieces to be printed to adhere to the surface.
2. Observe the work environment
Depending on the environment where the printer will be installed, we can have a clearer idea of the care we will need to take to preserve the printer and its filaments. Paying attention to both where the printer will be used and where they will be stored.
Location temperature and humidity are the factors that can most affect printer filaments. For example, an air-conditioned environment influences, especially prints with ABS. At the same time, humid climates make the filaments brittle and create bubbles, as they are straightforward to absorb this moisture.
For regions with very humid climates, it is recommended to leave the filaments stored in silica boxes and dehumidifiers. They should not be left exposed unless they are used.
Other hazards in which the filament is exposed are dirt and dust from the air, which can accumulate on the filament and cause the printer's nozzle to clog must have the ideal characteristics for that filament. A storage mode that meets these needs is the previously mentioned organizer boxes.
3. Carefully observe the filament
A good practice is always to observe the filament, as it can demonstrate whether or not it is in good condition.
For example, we have the PLA and ABS filaments, where the PLA absorbs the ABS filament much more quickly. In this way, when using the filament in horrible conditions, you will hear bubble popping sounds.
The bubbles that you hear the result from moisture absorption from the environment, thus occupying the filament space. When passing through the printer's extruder, these bubbles burst and cause extrusion failure, making the product imperfect.
4. Always store the filament with the tip locked and tensioned
In the manufacturing process, when the filament is mechanically wound on the spool, its tip is cut and locked, to prevent the filament from having the famous knot on the spool.
This is a very common problem faced by 3D printing users. This problem is usually caused by poor filament storage, where the spool is stored with the loose end.
If we receive a filament in which the tip has not been locked onto the spool, we must contact the manufacturer to report the problem. In the case of routine storage, we must always keep the tensioned filament and the attached tip when not in use.
If the problem has already occurred, there is still a way to remove the node. However, it must be removed completely; otherwise, the crash will continue to happen with the printer. To remove the knot, we must follow these steps:
● Create a gap so that the knot can be undone;
● Order the turns according to the order of filling the spool;
● Undo the node completely;
● Rewind the spool, taking care to avoid creating a new gap.
5. Cleaning The Printer and Its Filaments
Some 3D printers leave small pieces of plastic leftover from the print. For this reason, it is essential to clean it periodically. Because these small pieces of plastic can harm the printer itself, preventing shafts from rotating correctly, for example.
The filament feeder is a trouble spot where a gear pulls the filament and pushes it to the hotend. It must sometimes be opened for cleaning to be carried out.
To preserve the filaments, it is necessary to use a filament cleaning filter. This filter can be purchased by downloading it for free from some websites.
The function of the filament cleaning filter is not to allow dust and dirt accumulated on the filament to be transported to the extruder, and consequently to the printing nozzle. Since having an amount of accumulated dirt can cause a nozzle obstruction, whether partial or total, thus harming 3D printing.
Taking these 5 basic care with your 3D printer, we can increase the life of our equipment and guarantee the quality of your material, and consequently, of the prints. As simple as these cares seem, each one of them brings significant results.
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