Regular Maintenance/Upkeep Suggestions?

[Simian 0]

Hi,

I've been using my Ultimaker 2 for a couple months and I've logged a little over 200hr of printing. The printer has been working fantastically so far and I'd like to keep it in tip-top shape. What kind of upkeep maintenance is suggested? In the Ultimaker manual all it says is that every 6 months sewing machine oil should be applied on the rods that the printhead slides along. Is there anything else? Some options I could think of are:

- Belt tightening

- Printhead cleaning

- Firmware update

- Re-level bed

Is any of this necessary? What is the frequency people have found to be optimal?

Thanks!

[Labern 734]

The rods may need to be lubed a bit more frequently if they start to blacken or dry out.

Bed leveling can be checked and have minor adjustments while it's printing the skirt.

You will need to clean and lube the Z axis screw once a year.

The belts have a spring tensioner in the black thing that's holding the small shafts. It's a good idea to make sure all the pulleys are tight every so often.

You will be prompted to update the firmware in Cura when new releases come out.

Atomic pulls are a good way to clean your nozzle. It can be good to do this on material changes or before a really long print.

Cleaning your glass with isopropyl alcohol every so often can be good also.

There is a app that has maintenance guides with pictures also.

[Simian 0]

"There is a app that has maintenance guides with pictures also"

What's the name of the app?

[Labern 734]

Its called Ultimaker.

[JohnFox 25]

SMALL amounts of light oil to the X&Y axes, I do this every 3 weeks or so. Remove any excess oil from the bottom of the X&Y bearings. If the first layer is going down OK, then don't alter the bed height. Remove any bits of filament from the feeder. Wipe the Z pillars to remove oil. Do an atomic clean whenever you change filament.

Build a little 'wiper' to clean the filament before it goes into the feeder, it's surprising how much muck it removes.