"Clicking" in the wood. Normal?

[anaxyd 0]

Hello!

Almost gone a week since I built my Ultimaker, and lately I have experienced a "clicky" sound sometimes from the machine. I think it is coming from the wood or something. Is this normal?

This happens when the machine works, not when it is idle.

Uploaded a video of the issue:

 

 

[illuminarti 16]

Could be lots of things, lol. Things to check:

1) are the axis rods sliding back and forth as the head moves and hitting the end caps? That's annoying, but not too serious. You could try replacing the end caps with adjsutable printed ones if so - but be careful, you don't want too much pressure on the rod ends, as they need to spin freely.

2) Check the belts to make sure that they are all running freely. The long belts, axis rod and sliding block need to all be properly in a line. Power the machine off, and move the head by hand to the ends of the rods, and make sure that the belts stay straight and don't twist or deflect as the head gets closer to the corner. If they do, then everything isn't lined up straight.

3) Check the short belts. Make sure they aren't rubbing on the frame, and make sure that they aren't riding up slightly on the side of the pulleys, and then snapping back down into place. That can cause clicking, and other print quality problems.

 

[gr5 898]

I like #3 above. This is very common and it might not ride up very much to make the click. I looked specifically for this in the video but it happens so fast in real life I'm not sure it would be visible in any video. It could be on short or long belts but usually happens on the long belts.

If it's #3 then the belts will start to wear away. Plus you will get black rubber powder in the area where it happens.

 

[IRobertI 428]

It sounds like you're pretty sure where it's coming from but just in case. I had a ticking sound that was driving me nuts a long time ago, I finally tracked it down to the wire wrap around the bowden. As the head was moving back and forth something in there was rubbing against something else and made a similar sound like in the video that was hard to locate.

Probably not the issue in your case but, you know, just in case.

 

[anaxyd 0]

I found the source to the sound, and it was the belt in the front, the X axis belt. I had to loosen the pulleys, realign the belt and tighten it again. Now the sound is gone. I am not sure why, but maybe the pulleys were a bit "off" each other or something, in combination what is written in the posts in this thread.

Anyway, its gone now, thanks to your help!

Also found another thread about this issue, so I link to it here for others to see. http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/2560-can-anyone-explaindiagnose-this-loud-crackingclicking-sound/