My printer is also doing this it only started today.
what did qidi get you to do about it if you dont minds me asking
Printable View
Loosen the 2 top front right screws that hold the right Y-Axis carriage and then move the extruder back and forth quickly along the Y-Axis. After that, put the extruder just slightly to the left of front dead center and then re-tighten the screws.
That is the exact process and they had me repeat for the rear right carriage as well with having the extruder finish in the same position before tightening (extruder just slightly to the left of front dead center). I'm going to really get in there and lubricate the bearings tomorrow to see if I can alleviate it because the bearings aren't easy to get to without a syringe or something along those lines.
I am so close to buying this printer BUT at over 6 bills and having these sorts of issues I can't do it. Now if the printer was 100 less I would do it and try to fix whatever is wrong but when we are talking about things that are more than half a grand we shouldn't be having these sorts of issues. I don't care if a Stratasys, or a UM, or whatever costs tons more or not because issues like these tell me this is a mechanical issue and over time it will only get worse.
Is everyone removing their build plate every time you print? I've been using the scraper to dig and pry off my model but I'm concerned I might be getting to rough and bend something. It seems like a pain to have to unplug then unscrew then have to level on every build?
For me it's definitely still printing good so far and I am hoping some sort of lubrication will alleviate the noise but I've had no specific instruction yet from Qidi on where to oil/lubricate to specifically target my creaking issue. Since my machine is so new I would like to correct this before it hits 1 month old whether it be a simple lubrication issue or a complete teardown and part/assembly replacement.
Do you mind sharing what your printer lifetime statistic is so far? It's in "Utilities > Bot Statistics > Lifetime" and I'm interested to know what some of the other Qidi printers are at. :)
I may be able to help out in creating the custom part if you have a solid idea for your setup. http://3dprintboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png
WD40 is not a good lube for this application.
Get some 3-in-1 High-temp Silicone lube, sole at any place like Lowe's or Home Depot. It will last longer, is cheaper than WD40, and much more suited for this type of application.
@ svt04cobra:
Most are using removable buildplates of some type, not removing the stock plate.
MagHold is a removable and flexable plate that many say works very well, though yet to try it myself.
My prefered method is to print onto a glass plate (that sits on the stock aluminium plate). Glass is easy-peasy...little bit of hairspray and print sticks like superglue, soon as glass cools to about 40c prints pop right off...sometime without even touching them.
This is a great printer! Have had mine for about 2 months now, its paid for itself near 3 times over. Will pass 700 print hours by end of this week. And even though I'm new to 3d printing, and this is my first machine, have still had an 85%+ success rate on prints....pretty damn good considering I am just guessing what I'm doing at least half the time lol.
Can you explain how you have your glass setup? How do you have it fastened to the original build plate? I like the idea of just spraying the glass with hair spray and having the model pop off when the glass cools. Also you mention you paid for your machine 3 times over...... Did you design something yourself that you are selling or printing something already made and selling? I am new to 3D printing / Design but want to make a go at making money with it.
Yep, I was hoping someone would ask that about paying for itself.
I don't have this printer but for mine I used bulldog clips and hated them. I crashed my nozzle into them so many times then I went to Silicone pads that were 0.5mm thick (called Gino pads made for CPU/GPU heat transfer to a heatsink) and with 4 of them my plate never moved again and no more clips. I plan on doing that with all future printers too.