Flashforge Maintenance Tools

[anthony27]

Hi All,
I thought it might be good to start a thread , that collates all the tools one would need for the proper upkeep of their creator pro,
I am thinking lubricants, cleaning tools, clamping and all sorts of tools for the common operations,
Cheers
Anthony

[Syden]

Here is my list of essential tools.
1. A good pair of snips and or pliers. You are going to have to cut a lot of filament.
2. Scotch brite heavy duty sponge the one with the rough green side. I use this when filament sticks to the extruder heads go in with the rough side while it's hot and keep those things nice and clean
3. Canola oil. I was getting lots of filament jams now ever 3rd or so time I change the filament I dip the end in the oil and haven't had a jam since.
4. Rubbing alcohol. Good for cleaning up hairspray or whatever you use to keep your prints on the bed or just cleaning the bed
5. Plastic putty knife scraper. For getting under stuck on prints or cleaning gunk off the bed or for getting a smooth kapton tape to lay down. I use mine constatly
6. Xacto knives these are mostly for after the printing is done but they come in handy for cutting kapton tape and other things.
7. Lube for your machine. I use super lube synthetic grease to keep things moving smoothly
8. Nitrile gloves. They are disposable and you will be using chemicals like acetone that you don't want to make a habit of getting on your skin.
9. Digital caliper. Lots of settings and prints need exact measurements.
10. Binder clips. If you need to hold down some wayward tape or keep a new glass bed from moving around binder clips are great for easy adjustment and being cheap.
11. Flashlight. you need to see what the hell your printer is doing and the lighting inside is much to be desired get a good flashlight you are going to drop a black screw in a black background eventually and a flashlight will save your sanity

[anthony27]

Hi Syden,
some great suggestions there, I will add some of my own,

1. .38 and a .32 mm guitar string, for cleaning nozzles
2. Butane Torch, for cleaning nozzles
3. A endoscope for seeing in hidden parts of the machine
4. A wire brush for cleaning filament loaders
5. Vise grips with padding to lock the alumium blocks when removing nozzles
6. A torch wrench and socket for removing the nozzle.
7. Cover the holes in the bottom pnale when tinkering, so you don not lose parts ,

once we have a few more, I can collate and make a working file, that we can update with suppliers etc?
Cheers
Anthony

[mightybhwk]

Here is my list of essential tools.

3. Canola oil. I was getting lots of filament jams now ever 3rd or so time I change the filament I dip the end in the oil and haven't had a jam since.
7. Lube for your machine. I use super lube synthetic grease to keep things moving smoothly

I've been using Canola oil since the beginning and never had one jam up.
I printed a small container that I keep right next to the printer. Don't need much.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:954322

Which parts are you lubing up? The rails and/or Z axis? I've had mine for a few months now and was just thinking if it needed it.

[Joymaker]

Yes, please talk in detail about lubrication. I completely missed this issue.

[Syden]

As for the lube it started for me as a loud squeak when the z axis would move up and down. So I asked a professional 3d printing friend about it and he recommended that I lube the z screw with super lube synthetic grease http://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-210.../dp/B000XBH9HI
I emailed the guys as flashforge and asked them what they thought and they recommended lubing all the rods every other month or so. So I wipe down each rod so X, Y, and Z with a paper towel as they can get build up on the ends. The build up kind of looks like a black ring around usually with like hair and dust in it. So I clean all the rods with a paper towel then lightly apply grease to each rod. Be careful not to get it on your skin it's not the most friendly stuff. I use the nitrite gloves and just administer it by hand. It doesn't take a lot then I move the heads around and the platform up and down a few times to make sure it is all evenly distributed. And Clean up any spots that look like they are over done. It got rid of my squeaking which was nice and runs a bit quieter in the mean time. I just don't like it when my z axis skips steps or moves in a jerky way. When that happens I tend to get random layer gaps and other problems. Lubing every other month tends to take care of the issue.

[anthony27]

As for the lube it started for me as a loud squeak when the z axis would move up and down. So I asked a professional 3d printing friend about it and he recommended that I lube the z screw with super lube synthetic grease http://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-210.../dp/B000XBH9HI
I emailed the guys as flashforge and asked them what they thought and they recommended lubing all the rods every other month or so. So I wipe down each rod so X, Y, and Z with a paper towel as they can get build up on the ends. The build up kind of looks like a black ring around usually with like hair and dust in it. So I clean all the rods with a paper towel then lightly apply grease to each rod. Be careful not to get it on your skin it's not the most friendly stuff. I use the nitrite gloves and just administer it by hand. It doesn't take a lot then I move the heads around and the platform up and down a few times to make sure it is all evenly distributed. And Clean up any spots that look like they are over done. It got rid of my squeaking which was nice and runs a bit quieter in the mean time. I just don't like it when my z axis skips steps or moves in a jerky way. When that happens I tend to get random layer gaps and other problems. Lubing every other month tends to take care of the issue.

Thanks Syden,
very helpful info!
do you take the belts off and clean the pulleys and all the other gear while you are at it?

[Syden]

Thanks Syden,
very helpful info!
do you take the belts off and clean the pulleys and all the other gear while you are at it?

No I don't. I don't like to mess with the belts and pulleys if I tighten them to much or misaligned something I would have to go throw all the calibration stuff again. And I just don't want that headache

[anthony27]

No I don't. I don't like to mess with the belts and pulleys if I tighten them to much or misaligned something I would have to go throw all the calibration stuff again. And I just don't want that headache

I hear ya!

[mightybhwk]

Thanks. Just ordered a tube of lube.