UM3 Critical Failure X_x

[Ronan 58]

Well one of our UM3's had a critical failure, 90% into a print (that specific print has been done before with zero issues).

The rod of the X axis seemed to have unclipped itself from the 2 white 'holders' that travel on the belt. When i arrived at work this morning i saw the mess (and what a mess!).

Is this a freak accident? The 2 white holders seem fine, i was able to easily clip the rod back into place and home the head (checking to make sure everything was square).

I will be doing a test print asap. Is there somekind of calibration to do, or something/process to go about it to make sure everything is fine?

@gr5 @SandervG @Tomnagel

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @Ronan, thank you for your message.

Ohh, must not have been a pretty sight to walk into. I'm happy to hear you were able to put the rods back in place, which seemed to have worked.

Are you sure the slider blocks do not show some kind of crack? This could reduce the amount of force which is necessary to make it 'drop' the rods.

Can they easily be pushed out now, after you put them back in?

In a normal scenario, this must not be possible of course.

It could be that for some reason during the print, the head repeatedly ran into a part on the buildplate which lead to a rod getting out of its socket. With good slider blocks the chance this happens would look very small to me, so if there was a crack in one of them it could be more likely.

Alternatively, could there have been a collision with the switch dock or something?

In any case, regarding a calibration, I would run the switch dock calibration, and calibrate the Z stage again, just to be sure. The margins between a good and bad layer adhesion are small.

When the Ultimaker 3 is turned off, can you easily with your hand move the print head around? No uncommon friction coming from the rods anywhere?

Looking forward hearing from you,

[Melka 57]

Hmmm... I really think there is some kind of cracks in your slider blocks.

It's not always easy to see but I would suggest you to change them, just to be sure.

On our machine, all 4 white slider blocks cracked so I'm pretty sure you should take a more careful look.

Note that on the UM3 currently sold, they used the UM2/UM2+ black slider blocks. Those are less slick than the white ones, but they are sturdy!

By the way @SandervG , I think it would be nice of you if you send 4 black slider blocks and a roll of filament to each UM3 customer that happens to have the white slider blocks. It would be fair as we trusted you by betting on this new printer and end up loosing many hours understanding the issue, posting, requesting parts and replacing them on a brand new machine.

Edited March 31, 2017 by Guest

[SandervG 1,521]

Let's determine if it is indeed the slider blocks, or perhaps something else.

We have made arrangements with every reseller that if a user checks in with a crack we will give him the help they need and replace the slider blocks. Indeed, with black ones.

There are some nuances to the story, that it's not the case that white slider blocks are by definition doomed or broken. There can be an increased risk they show a crack over time. We took our responsibility to inform and supply our partners, so everyone affected can be helped as soon as possible. Sending out slider blocks to everyone would be a much bigger operation, which cost significantly more resources from every direction, and would affect people who don't even need it. Potentially resulting in an increase in demand for technical support during installment, which results in more technical support, when it was not even necessary in the first place.

We did our best to lay the foundation for everyone who needs help, to get it as soon as possible.

[gr5 2,172]

Don't change your blocks. Too much work. Just print this thing:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/cracked-slide-block-cap

[Ronan 58]

I will know tomorrow how the reprint goes.

I could not see any cracks, definitely not like the one posted by gr5 (will print a few of those, just in case, for a pre-emptive temporary solution)! Once the rod was put back into place after a sturdy 'snap', it doesn't move.

I will monitor this closely to see if there is a crack happening, or if it was a freak accident.

[SandervG 1,521]

Thanks, keep us posted!

[Ronan 58]

Print came out fine

[Ronan 58]

Happened again on a 50+ hour long print for a customer. Same UM3.

Urgh... contacting our reseller under warranty... Very frustrating, exact same issue, yet those 2 white 'holders' look perfectly fine...

I am worried there is an issue with the bed not moving up/down when it is suppose too and causing issues. I have noticed some 'banding' in latest prints...

@Sandervg

Edited April 21, 2017 by Guest

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Ronan, I'm very sorry to hear the rods came out again. Very peculiar.

Ive been out of the office on some holidays last week, hence my late reply. I assume you have spoken with your reseller by now. Are you on a path to salvation now?

[Ronan 58]

Boxed up and shipped today for warranty repairs :(