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It is recommended to regularly take some time to maintain your Prusa CORE One/+. This should be done even if the printer is working perfectly.
Besides the usual tools, such as Allen keys, needle-nose pliers, and IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) + paper towels, you might need:
The following points should be checked before every print.
After several hours of printing, various kinds of debris may start to accumulate around the printer parts or under the heatbed - pieces of filament, dust, scraps, broken supports, etc. Always make sure that the parts of the printer are clean. You can use a brush, a small broom, or a vacuum to remove debris.
It is fundamental for the hotend to be clean. Debris on the nozzle or heaterblock can cause printer failures, for example, with the residue falling onto the printed model while the print is in progress.
To clean the nozzle and heaterblock, heat the nozzle for three to five minutes at 250 °C, as the remains of the filament must be warmed up slightly so that they can be removed more easily.
Use a small brass brush to clear away any old plastic stuck on the nozzle and heaterblock.
Avoid contact of the brush with the hotend cables, as this could cause a short circuit.
Caution: the printer is still at a high temperature! Wait until the hot parts have cooled down to ambient temperature. It takes approximately 10 minutes. Do not touch it! Always check the values on the display.
Never clean the special PA Nylon sheet with acetone, IPA (isopropyl alcohol), or other alcohol-based solvents (window cleaners, Windex, etc.)! This will damage the surface.
All flexible print sheets should be cleaned regularly to ensure adhesion, but the exact methods and washing solutions can differ depending on your type of sheet.
You can find more information on how to take care of your flexible print sheet in this articlein this article.
The following checks should be done every 200 hours of printing time.
Ensure that there is no debris or dust on the (X-axis) linear rail. If there is, clean it with a clean tissue or a clean cloth, no degreaser or chemicals, as these might damage the rubber in the carriage.
We recommend lubricating the linear rail every 3-6 months, using the dedicated linear rail lubrication set at the spots shown below.
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On linear rails, DO NOT use Prusa Lubricant or any products not part of the linear rails lubrication set.
Clean the (Y-axis) smooth rods with a clean paper towel, and lubricate them using a small amount of Prusa Lubricant.
Only in case you feel the axis is not running smoothly anymore, even after recently cleaning and lubricating the smooth rods, the bearings can be taken out, cleaned with alcohol, and greased on the inside, still using a small amount of Prusa Lubricant.
Over a long printing time, the belt can slightly loosen, causing issues such as layer shifting or bad printing quality. The easiest way to check the belt tension is to print a circular object. If the result is not perfectly round, a belt adjustment is needed.
The RPM (revolutions per minute) of both fans is constantly measured. This means that the printer will report an error if the fan suddenly slows down, for example, due to a piece of filament stuck in it.
In such a case, check and remove any dirt from the relevant fan. Do not try to bypass the RPM check, as this could damage the printer!
Both fans should be checked and cleaned after every few hundred hours of printing. Dust can be removed with compressed air in a spray can, and small plastic threads can be removed with tweezers.
CAUTION: Do not blow compressed air on the running fan.
The primary gear and the bearings attached to the Idler Shaft in the extruder do not need any lubricant. Over time, a deposit of filament debris can form in the grooves of the primary gear, which then causes insufficient filament extrusion. Access the extruder by lifting the Idler Nut and then moving the Idler Shaft. You can blow away the dirt with compressed air, or use a brass brush or an ordinary toothpick. Use the access hole on the side of the extruder.
If you encounter problems with the Nextruder filament sensor, such as incorrect or random readings, make sure that everything in the Nextruder is correctly wired and that there is no debris in the filament path inside the extruder, either using tweezers or a can of compressed air.
To access the right side of the LoveBoard, loosen two M3x6 bolts and remove the cover.
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To clean the Nextruder filament sensor, follow the dedicated article.
Use an alcohol-free cleaner or soapy water to clean the printer panels.
DO NOT use products that contain alcohol, including IPA. Repeat exposure will weaken the panels, causing them to become brittle over time.
It is a good practice to check and optionally reconnect the electrical connectors on the xBuddy board, Loveboard, heatbed, PSU, and xLCD every 600-800 hours of printing.
In particular, ensure that the screw-attached connectors are fully tightened, and the Molex-attached connectors are properly connected.
CAUTION: for Molex-attached connectors, it is necessary to press the latch before disconnecting. Otherwise, the connector may get damaged.
17 comments
There have been a few comments asking in this article alone and even your built-in AI is getting confused as it has given me two different answers.
https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/how-to-lubricate-linear-bearing-rails-xl_384273
Basically get the lube kit, find the ports, inject PRECISELY .1 lube .
That whole unit needs better docs other than reversing the install docs to work out how to do maint.