Does anyone have instruction/guide for aligning the gantry on a Flashforge creator pro 2016? It looks pretty straight forward but I do see that the pulley's do not have set screws.
Thanks for any tips.
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Does anyone have instruction/guide for aligning the gantry on a Flashforge creator pro 2016? It looks pretty straight forward but I do see that the pulley's do not have set screws.
Thanks for any tips.
Can you be more specific? The printer should be aligned out the box. Are there any issues?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke
Yes I can be more specific. The gantry is out of alignment. I can see that it is. I know how to do my other machines that have set screws on the pulleys but this one does not so before jumping in to align I was wanting to see what the process is to align it.
Pretty simple, just looking for tips or a procedure on aligning it.
Thanks.
Out of alignment how? The X and Y axis need to be square to one another and perpendicular to the Z axis. What exactly is out?
The pulleys don't align anything. Linear bearings on rods do that.
What is not clear? The X is not perpendicular to the Y. It looks like the belt on one side jumped teeth on the pulley. In other words the gantry is crooked when you look down from the top.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke
The pulleys most certainly do play a part in alignment. On my other machines (same style) you loosen the set screws on the pulleys in each corner then move the gantry back and forth to "exercise" it then move it to the front stops making sure both sides are touching then retighten the rear pulley's set screws then repeat for the front. This is standard practice (straight from the Makerbot manual) but since this printer does not have set screws on the pulleys this method is not applicable.
does it print okay ?
Or are you basing the desire to fiddle just by looking at it ?
I am basing it on when I look down from the top it is very obvious it is very crooked. If I run the gantry to the back the right side will touch and the left is about a 1/4" from the limit switch. There is no mistaking it is way out.Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
I know everyone is wanting to help but I don't get the 20 questions!! I just asked for a procedure or method to re-align the thing!! I have goggled and found nothing other than jumping teeth on the belt.
Like I said my other machine are slightly different with set screws on the pulleys in each corner. I was just hoping for a little insight before jumping in!!
does it have the standard metal belt tensioner ?
Looks like the spring that works a clothes peg.
If so just take that off to remove belt tension, adjust till you think it's right and put the tensioner back on.
At least that's how I would do it.
And the reason for the questions is that a lot of people will leap at a printer with a tool kit, when there's nothing wrong with it and the issue is often something simple entirely unrelated to the hardware setup :-)
We like to cover all bases before telling someone to start dismantling a working printer.
Given that most questions are asked by people fairly new to their printers, it's an approach that we have found works.
Sorry if it's annoyed you, but most people just don't give enough information for someone, who has not seen the machine in question, to base a proper answer on :-)
I do appreciate the help and I understand - was just messing a bit!! I know you guys were just trying to make sure I was actually explaining a real issue and not just a bad print!! I forget sometimes that I need to be more detailed and remember that just because I know what I am looking at I shouldn't assume that my brief question is crystal clear!!Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
I was thinking to take off the tensioner and try jumping teeth and see how that goes. I have had to take a different one apart once and that was not fun. I never thought of the clothes pin analogy. I will have to see if I can squeeze that thing like that to get it back on. That would so much easier than the way I have fought it!
never removed one - but looking at it - sees pretty simple.
Squeeze it flat, slide belt out. And reverse to put back.
having just had a tentative squeeze - it's not going to be that easy, and I'd use pliers, the metal ends of the spring are sharp :-)
But i'd put money on them being based on clothes peg springs, they are virtually identical.
Apparently I'm not the only person who noticed either:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgOsRUsS4VI
Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
Yea, I've done it sort of like the video. When you look at the spring one end is hooked at the end of the loop so it will stay on the belt and the other is straight like in the video so it can slide onto the belt. It was a pain to do in close quarters with needle nose pliers. I think if you could compress it so the two ends are up and the coil part is lower then it could slide onto the belt and when you let go the ends would go out towards the sides and the coil part would move up. I'll have to try and if it works take some pics.
Here is just what I did before on another machine. It's not so easy when it's up in the machine and you have no room or visibility!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO-0IJuC9UM
but did it work ?
On the one I did this on I was replacing a belt and the clip was a pain to get on while it was all in the machine. I will try another method later to see if the idea will work.Quote:
Originally Posted by curious aardvark
Generally to realign the gantry with fixed pulleys, you have to kind of grip it and rip it. Essentially skip the belts into position.
Got the gantry re-aligned. Undid the belt on one side and got it straightened out then got the belt back on. A bit of a pain but it worked and we are up and running.