Jump to content

Y-axis movement problem.


edr360

Recommended Posts

Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

Hello everybody, I have encountered a problem.

The printhead moves normally in x-axis, but struggles to move normally in y-axis. It looks like it hits an invisible obstacle from time to time, therefore, when printing, models are not scaled correctly. Belt tension seems to be normal, there are no strange sounds from stepper motors as well. Re-installing standard firmware did not give any results (I use custom firmware for heated buildplate).

Previously this day, the printhead has hit a part of a print, due to my lack of attention. After that everything was ok for a few hours, then the problem appeared.

Can it be a motor failure, do I need to get a new one?

Thanks in advance.

 

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

    Try powering down the motor, and move the print head by hand, by pressing lightly on the sliding blocks. How does the movement in the Y direction compare to movement in X?

    Also closely inspect the belts, and rods to make sure that everything still looks square, and level, and the belts are all running smootly.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

    Thanks for such a quick response, I guess I have figured out, what the problem is. The motor runs smoothly, but the pulley doesn't. So, either it is loose, or broke down. I need to disassemble the machine a little and check.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

    This is a common problem but with many causes. The most common is slipping pulleys. There are 6 pulleys on the Y axis. If you are anything like me you probably only tighted the 4 obvious ones but missed the 2 on the short belt. Tighten the hell out of those 2 pulleys (as well as the other 4 pulleys).

    Consider marking all 6 (all 6! Even the one on the motor) pulleys and their shaft so you can see which one is slipping. Also the UM came with higher quality set screws (versus the ones that are already inside the pulleys). You might want to replace the 2 on the short belt with the better set screws.

    Also sometimes the Y belt is rubbing against the wood. It is very subtle and difficult to see or hear. You can tell it's rubbing because the belt twists a different way each time it changes direction. If you see this, move the motor pulley as close to the motor as possible without touching (about 1/2 mm) and you probably also have to add washers under the 4 plastic spacers. If the Y belt is rubbing it causes this slipping also but usually not sudden like you describe - usually it causes missing steps on the motor and it's more of a tilt to all your printed parts.

    There are other potential causes but do this first.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

    Yes, the pulley on the short belt caused the problem, actually it was very easy to notice while checking the motor, not really worth creating a topic)

    Thanks for advice.

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Y-axis movement problem.

    No problem!! Glad you got it fixed - that's what we're here for :-)

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • Introducing Universal Cura Projects in the UltiMaker Cura 5.7 beta
        Strap in for the first Cura release of 2024! This 5.7 beta release brings new material profiles as well as cloud printing for Method series printers, and introduces a powerful new way of sharing print settings using printer-agnostic project files! Also, if you want to download the cute dinosaur card holder featured below, it was specially designed for this release and can be found on Thingiverse! 
          • Like
        • 10 replies
      • S-Line Firmware 8.3.0 was released Nov. 20th on the "Latest" firmware branch.
        (Sorry, was out of office when this released)

        This update is for...
        All UltiMaker S series  
        New features
         
        Temperature status. During print preparation, the temperatures of the print cores and build plate will be shown on the display. This gives a better indication of the progress and remaining wait time. Save log files in paused state. It is now possible to save the printer's log files to USB if the currently active print job is paused. Previously, the Dump logs to USB option was only enabled if the printer was in idle state. Confirm print removal via Digital Factory. If the printer is connected to the Digital Factory, it is now possible to confirm the removal of a previous print job via the Digital Factory interface. This is useful in situations where the build plate is clear, but the operator forgot to select Confirm removal on the printer’s display. Visit this page for more information about this feature.
          • Like
        • 0 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...