Bed Spring Replacement (Ultimaker Original)

[printerfan 5]

I have an Ultimaker Original and the 4 bed springs seem to have lost much of their resistance. For example, when trying to raise my print bed, I cannot bring the bed closer than about 1 mm away from the nozzle because the springs don't have the strength to push the bed up higher. Loosening the screws is futile as the problem is the weak springs. I have also tried raising the bed via the z-axis adjuster at the bottom of the printer, but I've already maxed out the height and it hits the stopper.

Where can I purchase new springs? Someone mentioned D2150 springs are used in the ultimaker 2 and are superior. Will these fit an Ultimaker Original, if so where can I buy them?

 

[peggyb 142]

maybe you can adjust the position of the top z-limit switch at the back of the printer. Take a look at the build manual.

Turn down the 4 screws on the build plate until they are in the middle of the spring and then manually raise the platform with the grey z-coupler on the bottom-inside of the printer until the nozzle just touches the build plate. Then loosen the z-limit switch on the back and slide that into a position that you can hear the click when it touches the wooden pin. After that you can fine tune with the 4 springs on the bed.

 

[peetersm 120]

i had a similar issue with 2 of my springs i added small washers under the spring to shorten the gap it filled. if this is not clear I can post a photo.

[printerfan 5]

Peetersm

Thanks for the reply, pics would be great. Why did you decide on washers instead of purchasing new springs? Were you also having difficulty sourcing a spring of appropriate size and tension?

Peggy

Thanks for replying, I tried moving the z-limit switch box, but the bed still contacts the switch above the point that the springs can extend. So ultimately the issue is with the springs not being strong enough to raise the bed high enough.

 

[peetersm 120]

here's a photo. I did not try to find new springs just because this worked and I'm lazy that way.

I had tons of these washers, they are the kind used with pop-rivets. Two washers is what works well now. I started with 3 and that was too tight, one too loose.

 

[johanw 0]

Great tip! I had the same problem with weak springs, and washers fixed it very nicely.

In the long run, though, the springs will likely need to be replaced, so it would be good to have some advice on where to find them.