I've Fixed Z Banding on my 3D Printer...FOREVER

Summary

この動画は、3DプリンターのZ軸バンドの問題を解決するための解決策を探求しています。問題の原因として、Z軸の振動、リードスクREWの汚れ、ノズルの清掃、エクストリュジョンの問題などが挙げられ、それぞれの対処方法が紹介されています。特に、リードスクREWの清掃や潤滑、ノズルの交換、Xガントリーの締め付け、エクセンetricなナッツの調整、モーターマウントの改良などが重要です。そして、Oldhamカップリングやフレキシブルカップリング、統合モーターリードスクREWの使用など、様々な改善策が提案されています。最終的には、Oldhamカップリングを使用したセットアップが最も効果的であり、最もコスト効率的であることが示されています。

Takeaways

• 🔍 Zバンドは、3Dプリンターでプリントされた部品の高さ方向に現れる連続するパターンで、機械的な問題を示す症状です。
• 🛠️ Zわobble、Zリブ、Zバインディングは、異なる現象を指す異なる用語ですが、Zバンドはこれらの問題の1つです。
• 💡 Zわobbleは、リードスクREWの回転軸周りの偏心運動を指し、ガンタリーに側向の力を加え、ノズルの位置をずらします。
• 🧼 リードスクREWとノズルの清掃と潤滑は、Zバンドの問題を解決する際に重要な初期手順です。
• 🔧 Xガンタリーの緊張とリードスクREWの偏心調整は、ノズルの正確な位置維持に役立ちます。
• 🔩 モーターマウントとカップリングの組み立て誤りやリードスクREWの傾きは、Zバンドの原因となるため、正しいアラインメントが重要です。
• 📐 垂直ドロップテストは、リードスクREWが正常に組合わされているかを確認する方法です。
• 🛠️ 調整のためのシムの使用やOldhamカップリングの導入は、Z軸の回転をより効果的に伝えるのに役立ちます。
• 🔩 抗反発ナットとリードスクREWの交換、またはスプリングカップリングの使用は、Zバンドを減らすために検討できます。
• 🚫 リードスクリュー通過stabilizersの除去は、表面品質の向上に役立ちます。
• 💸 組み立てや部品の変更に関連するコストと、実際の品質向上を比較して、最適な解決策を選んでください。

Q & A

Zバンドとは何ですか？

Zバンドは、3Dプリンターでプリントされた部品の高さ方向に現れる連続的なパターンのような問題です。これは、他の多くの問題の症状であり、帯状のように見えることがあります。

Zわobbleはどのような現象ですか？

Zわobbleは、リードスクREWが自分の軸回転するときに偏心的に回転することを指します。これは、リードスクREWがGantryに横向きな力を加え、ノズルが回転期間中にalignmentをずらすことを意味します。

Zリビングはどのように原因づけられますか？

Zリビングは、リードスクREWとリードスクREWナットの間に多すぎる抵抗が原因で起ります。これは通常、モーター、リードスクREW設定がGantryに平行でない場合に起こります。この抵抗や結び目は、Z軸のリードスクREWの1つまたは両方でZステップを部分的にまたは逃すことを引き起こすことができます。

Zバンドの原因は機械的な問題だけではありませんか？

いいえ、Zバンドには機械的な問題だけでなく、エクストリュージョンの問題も原因となります。継続的なZバンドはGantryとリードスクREWの機械問題に起因する一方、不一致なパターンはエクストリュージョン問題に起因する可能性があります。

リードスクREWを清潔に保つことはなぜ重要ですか？

リードスクREWは時間の経過とにつれて汚れや塵を蓄積することがあります。これにより、リードスクREWとナットの間の摩擦が増大し、Zバンドの問題を悪化させる可能性があります。そのため、リードスクREWを定期的に清潔に保つことが重要です。

どのようにしてGantryを水平に保ちますか？

デジタルレベルを使用して、Gantryをテーブルに対して測定し、ゼロに設定し、Gantryのレベルを測定します。Gantryを調整するために、Z軸ステッパーモーターを手動で上下移動して、読み取りを0で合わせます。

ノズルを清潔に保つために何をすべきですか？

新しいノズルに交換し、ベッドとノズルのためのPチューンを実行します。Pチューンは、温度変動を排除し、エクストリュージョンの一貫性を保証するのに役立ちます。

Xガンティをしっかりと固定することがなぜ重要ですか？

Xガンティにスロップやプレイがないようにすることが重要です。ガンティの動きはZ軸または上下方向のみでなければなりません。ノズルが正確に配置されている場所から物理的に移動されないようにするために、すべてのボルトでガンティを固定します。

Ecentric nutsをどのように調整すべきですか？

Ecentric nutsを調整して、ガンティの残りのプレイをすべて取り除く必要がありますが、フレームに対する過剰な抵抗を引き起こさないように注意してください。適切な緊度で調整して、プレイを側から側に取り除くようにします。

どのようにしてリードスクREWとモーターの平行を確保しますか？

新しいモーターマウントを使用して、モーターをガンティの Extrusionと平行に配置します。モーターマウントは、4mmのTナッツを使用し、モーターをガンティのExtrusionに正方形で配置することを可能にします。

Zバインディングを減少させる最善の方法は何ですか？

Zバインディングを減少させる最善の方法は、Oldhamカップリングのセットアップを使用することです。これには、新しいモーターマウントとThrustベアリングのインストール、-stockリジダブルカップリングの使用、そしてOldhamカップリングのインストールが含まれます。

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ 解決3D列印中的Z條紋問題

這一段介紹了作者在尋找解決3D列印機Ender 3的Z軸條紋問題的過程。作者嘗試了多種方法，包括清潔和潤滑導程螺釘、更換噴嘴、調整引導螺釘的緊密度等，以尋找最佳的組合來最小化列印時的Z條紋。作者還解釋了Z條紋的成因，包括導程螺釘偏心轉動、導程肋和導程綁結等問題，並強調了為什麼需要解決這個問題。

05:02

🔧 機械問題與Z條紋的關聯

這一段探討了Z條紋的持續模式和不一致模式的區別，並將其分別歸因於機械問題和擠出問題。作者強調了清潔和潤滑導程螺釘的重要性，並提供了具體的清潔和潤滑步驟。此外，還提到了確保X軸穩定性的重要性，以及如何檢查和調整這些問題。

10:02

🔩 改進領先螺釘和耦合器以減少Z條紋

這一段詳細介紹了如何通過改進領先螺釘和耦合器來減少Z條紋。作者討論了使用Oldham耦合器來允許領先螺釘在X和Y方向上自由旋轉，以及如何使用不同的材料（如黃銅螺釘螺母和Palm螺釘螺母）來減少摩擦和噪音。此外，還提到了安裝推力軸承來保護馬達，並探討了不同耦合器（如Plum耦合器）的效果。

15:03

🏁 總結減少Z條紋的解決方案

這一段總結了作者在減少Z條紋方面的主要發現和建議。作者提供了三種不同的解決方案，包括使用Oldham耦合器設置、靈活耦合器，以及更換為結合領先螺釘和馬達單元。作者強調，雖然完美的領先螺釘和馬達組合可以提供最佳的列印質量，但成本可能過高。因此，作者建議使用Oldham耦合器設置，這不僅看起來最好，而且價值最高。最後，作者提醒觀眾，即使使用最佳的設置，由於各種因素，列印品上仍可能存在表面藝術。

Keywords

💡Z banding

Z bandingは、3Dプリンティングにおいて発生する問題で、プリントされた部品の高さ方向に連続的なパターンが現れることを指します。この症状は、他の多くの問題の1つとされ、通常はベルトや滑車、マウントなど、3Dプリンターのメカニカル部分に関連する問題の1つとして見なされます。このビデオでは、Z bandingの問題を解決するために、様々なソリューションを試行錯誤し、最終的に効果的な方法を見つける過程が説明されています。

💡Ender 3

Ender 3は、Crealityという企業から発売された3Dプリンターのモデル名です。このビデオでは、Ender 3を使用してZ bandingの問題を解決する方法について説明されています。Ender 3は一般的なホビィスト向け3Dプリンターであり、その特性と問題に対する対処法が動画の主要なテーマの一つとなっています。

💡Lead screw

リードスクリューは、3DプリンターのZ軸移動を制御する主要な部品です。このスクリューは、モーターから力を伝達し、Gantryまたはベッドを上下移動させる役割を果たします。Z bandingの問題が発生する原因として、リードスクリューの抵抗や摩耗、そしてそのスクリューとナットの配合などが考えられます。ビデオでは、リードスクリューの清掃や潤滑、さらにはスクリュー自体の交換など、様々な方法を試してZ bandingを減少させることを目指しています。

💡Gantry

Gantryは、3Dプリンターの構造の一部で、X軸とY軸の移動を制御するフレームです。このフレームは、ノズルを支え、印刷物を形成する過程でノズルを適切に移動させる役割を果たします。Z bandingの問題が発生する場合、Gantryの平行性や水平状態が原因となることがあります。ビデオでは、Gantryを適切に調整し、Z bandingの問題を解決するための手順が説明されています。

💡Extrusion

エキストラクションとは、3Dプリンティングにおいてフィラメントをノズルから押し出し、熱で溶かし、固化させて3Dオブジェクトを形成するプロセスを指します。エキストラクションの問題は、Z bandingの原因の1つであり、不均一なエキストラクションはノズルの温度変動やフィラメントの供給抵抗などに起因する可能性があります。ビデオでは、エキストラクションの問題を解決するためにe-stepsの計算やフィラメントの供給を調整するなどの方法が提案されています。

💡Motor coupler

モーターカップリングは、3Dプリンターのリードスクリューとモーターの間の接続を確保する部品です。このカップリングは、リードスクリューの回転をモーターの回転に伝導し、Gantryやベッドの移動を制御するために必要な部品です。Z bandingの問題が発生する場合、カップリングが原因となることがあります。ビデオでは、カップリングの種類や選択、さらにはカップリングの調整方法について説明されています。

💡Oldham coupler

オールハムカップリングは、機械の部品で使用される機械的な装置で、リードスクリューの回転を伝導しながらも、拘束を与えずに自由に回転できるように設計されています。3Dプリンターにおいては、Z軸の運動中にリードスクリューが自由に回転できるようにすることで、Z bandingの問題を軽減することができます。ビデオでは、オールハムカップリングのインストール方法や効果について説明されています。

💡Thrust bearing

スラストベアリングは、軸に沿って力を受けるbearingの1種で、主に軸方向に力を受けることを想定されています。3Dプリンターにおいては、Gantryの重みをモーターに伝える際に使用され、リードスクリューが自由に回転できるようにするのに役立ちます。ビデオでは、スラストベアリングのインストールが推奨されており、それがモーターからの不要な摩耗を防ぐことができると述べられています。

💡Lead screw covers

リードスクリューカバーは、3Dプリンターのリードスクリューを保護する構造部品です。これらのカバーは、リードスクリューの先端部分を保護し、ノイズの減少やリードスクリューの摩耗を防ぐ効果があります。ビデオでは、リードスクリューカバーの設計とその効果について説明されており、Z bandingの問題を解決するための1つの方法として紹介されています。

💡Combined motor lead screw unit

Combined motor lead screw unitとは、モーターとリードスクリューが統合された1つのユニットのことです。このユニットは、リードスクリューがモーターの中に組み込まれ、直接的に回転することで、Z bandingの問題を軽減する効果があります。ビデオでは、このユニットを使用することで最高の品質のプリントが得られることが示されています。

Highlights

The speaker has been aggressively searching for solutions to remove Z banding from their Ender 3 3D printer.

Z banding is a symptom of several issues and manifests as a continuous pattern throughout the height of the printed part.

Different terms like Z wobble, Z ribbing, Z binding are often confused but refer to distinct phenomena.

Z wobble refers to the lead screw rotating eccentrically, causing the Gantry to move and the nozzle to go out of alignment.

Z binding is caused by too much resistance between the lead screw and the lead screw nut, often due to misalignment.

Continuous Z banding patterns are usually caused by mechanical issues, while inconsistent patterns may be due to extrusion issues.

The speaker used a digital level to level the Gantry and ensure it's almost perfectly parallel to the table.

Cleaning and lubricating the lead screws is crucial to prevent Z banding and ensure smooth operation.

The speaker replaced the nozzle and performed a P-tune to eliminate temperature fluctuations that could lead to inconsistent extrusions.

Ensuring the X Gantry is tightened and the pulleys rotate freely is essential to prevent Z banding.

The speaker 3D printed alternate motor mounts to correct the alignment issue with the original Ender 3v2 motor mounts.

The vertical drop test was used to check if the lead screw lines up with the motor coupling, ensuring proper assembly.

Custom shims were used to adjust the motor mount away from the frame for proper alignment.

Oldham couplers were suggested to give the Z-axis freedom to rotate and effectively transmit motion without over constraining it.

Replacing the brass lead screw nut with a Palm nut can reduce Z banding, but lubrication is still necessary.

The installation of a Thrust bearing on the motor can help support the Gantry's weight and protect the motors from unnecessary wear.

Plum or spider couplings were tested but found to produce more noticeable Z banding compared to other solutions.

Removing the lead screw stabilizers at the top of the frame improved surface quality and reduced Z banding.

The speaker tested the difference between a perfectly straight lead screw and the stock setup, finding the new motor units produced the best surface quality.

The final recommendations for reducing Z banding include using Oldham couplers, flexible couplers, or combined motor lead screw units, with the Oldham setup being the best value.

Transcripts

well here we are again I'm back with a

quick tidbit of information for you I've

been busy aggressively searching high

and low for the right combinations of

Solutions in order to remove Z banding

from my Ender three I've tried

everything including the kitchen sink in

order to smooth out this egregious Z

Banning I was getting on my prints but

after all of this testing I believe I

finally found the right combination to

minimize Z Banning artifacts on my

prints and hopefully on yours as well

I'm scouring all the corters of the

internet leaving no suggestion untested

and no product UNP purchased in order to

understand this problem first we got to

go back to

class Z banding what is it why does it

happen and why should I care there's

actually a bunch of different terms that

are often conflated online but refer to

distinctly different phenomenon Z

Banning is actually a symptom of several

other issues but it generally manifests

as a continuous pattern throughout the

height of the printed part it looks and

feels like bands but there's several

other terms we should also be familiar

with Z wobble refers to when the lead

screw rotates eccentrically about its

axis rotation this can be seen by

looking directly down at the top of the

lead screw Z ribbing refers to banding

but more specifically when you have

physical ribs that protrude away from

the part as seen here Z binding occurs

when there's too much resistance between

the lead screw and the lead screw nut

this is usually caused when the motor

lead screw setup isn't parallel to the

Gantry this binding or resistance can

lead to partial or missed Z steps on one

or both z-axis lead screws these

missteps will result in squished layers

which look like ribbing as seen on this

Beni or slanted Parts because the z-axis

motion is asymmetric causing the Gant to

Sag towards the side that is

experiencing The Binding which with the

lead screw perfectly vertical it's

pretty easy to push this nut down but as

soon as I slant the lead screw it

becomes really hard to push the nut down

nearly impossible with so much

resistance between the lead screw a nut

Z binding is going to produce more

ribbing because it's physically

squishing the layers together because of

incomplete zeps this was the exact

problem I was experiencing on my Ender

and what prompted me to start chasing

this problem in the first place so

referring back to Z banding you can have

a continuous pattern of ZB banding or a

non-continuous pattern that it's more

randomized generally speaking a

continuous pattern of Z banding is

caused by mechanical issues with your

Gantry and Lead screw while inconsistent

patterns are likely due to Extrusion

issues so why do we get this Banning in

the first place let's go back to that Z

wobble each of these Bands Will roughly

coincide with a full rotation of a

wobbly z-axis so what's going on here

why does this happen well as the screw

rotates eccentrically it's actually

putting lateral force in the Gantry

moving the Gantry and therefore your

nozzle out of alignment for the duration

of the rotation that leads screw which

is why we have this consistent pattern

so for the rest of this video I'm be

focusing on the mechanical issues with

the Gantry and the lead screw but first

some preliminary items just for

consistency sake I want to touch on

leveling my Gantry I'm using this

digital level to level the Gantry how by

measuring it against the surface the

printer sits on I zero it against the

table and then measure the level of the

Gantry we want them to be almost

perfectly parallel I adjust the Gantry

by manually moving the z-axis steper

motors up or down until we reach 0 de in

the readout so why do I do it this way

because I can come back at any time and

check the level of the Gantry to see if

it has moved at all this allows me to

easily diagnose issues with my z-axis

and make any adjustments if necessary

okay so with that out of the way let's

talk about some of the issues that could

lead to the inconsistent banding we

mentioned before number one clean and

lubricate your lead screws your lead

screws can get pretty disgusting over

time they'll accumulate dust and dirt

for being exposed to the open air and

even brand new ones from the factory can

be dirty so start with some isopropyl

and get all that builtup gunk out of the

threads doing this by hand can be an

absolute chore so I would recommend a

tool such as this 3D printed lead screw

cleaner this makes the process so much

easier and once it's clean we can really

see the difference now for lubrication

there's a couple of different types you

can use I'd recommend a white lithium or

a PTFE grease you can also use oil as

well I'm using this Super Lube synthetic

oil with PTFE which is what will be

applying throughout the rest of this

video then I run the Gantry up and down

a couple times to spread it all out

number two clean your nozzle I actually

replac the nozzle with a brand new one

in preparation for this testing then run

a p tune for both the bed and nozzle

performing the P tune will help to

eliminate any temperature fluctuations

that can lead to inconsistent extrusions

speaking of Extrusion make sure you

calculate your e steps and make any

adjustments as necessary over or under

Extrusion could be contributing to your

Z banding make sure there isn't any

unnecessary resistance on your spool or

anywhere else between your spool and

your extruder finally step three make

sure your X Gantry is all tightened up

we don't want any slop or play at all

any movement that isn't in the z-axis OR

up and down can physically move the

nozzle away from where it's supposed to

be so make sure all your bolts fixing

the Gantry together are tightened up

next you want to make sure all the Palm

wheels are free to rotate but don't have

any play side to side they should be

able to spin freely with just a little

bit of force finally our Ecentric nuts

on both sides we want to tighten these

up so that the rest of the play in the

Gantry is taken all the way up but not

so tightly that there's too much

resistance against the frame okay this

stuff is honestly just a formality so we

can check all of our boxes now let's get

to the fun part how I actually addressed

the Z banding on my Ender all this

testing was done on my Ender 3v2 but

nearly all this advice will apply to any

printer that uses lead screws to move

either the Gantry or the bed all my test

prints were done with the same settings

and slicer and the exact same spool of

filment and any and all products seen

were purchased by me with my own money

nothing was sponsor except for this

video before we continue I'd like to

shout out this video sponsor

PCB way I've personally used PCB way to

have batch runs of pcbs made for a

previous project I was working on but

PCB way doesn't just offer PCB

prototyping they also have a variety of

other manufacturing services including

CNC Machining sheet metal fabrication

injection molding and of course 3D

printing it's super easy to order simply

upload your project files choose your

processing material and get an instant

quote

it really is that simple so thanks again

to PCB way for sponsoring this video now

back to the enclosure we want our lead

screw and motors to be perfectly

parallel to the Gantry extrusions of the

printer now what I noticed while going

through this process is that the stock

reality motor mounts that come on the

original Ender and the V2 Do not sit

flat on top of the motor meaning that

when you tighten them to the frame they

have a tendency to slant the motor

towards the frame knocking out the

alignment with the lead screw and the

Gantry Extrusion a slight draft angle

that was likely a byproduct of the

injection molding process so step number

one is to 3D print some alternate motor

mounts there's a couple of different

ones available on places like

thingiverse and printables but the exact

ones that I settled on in this video are

available in the description they use

4mm t- nuts and allow the motor to sit

square with the Gantry Extrusion

remember the motors can get hot so it's

best to print them in petg or ABS as pla

will soften up so now with our new motor

mounts in place we want to make sure

that our Gantry brackets are actually

square if the Grant Tre bracket where

your threaded nut screws into is not

square and the hole is bent at an angle

it can put force in the lead screw

causing binding so measure squareness

with a square and if it's off just bend

it back into place with some pliers do

this for both Gantry brackets now we

need to check and see if the lead screw

lines up with the motor coupling by

performing the vertical drop test which

is what I'm calling the test to see if

the lead screw naturally lines up with

the hole in the motor coupling going

through this process I wasn't at all

surprised to find out that it in fact

did not this isn't so much a test as

just the process for assembling the

printer correctly when your lead screw

is just hanging out not attached to your

motor coupler as you rotate the lead

screw down it should line up perfectly

with the top hole in your motor coupler

allowing for a nice snug fit if you got

to force the lead screw into place

you're way off base so first things

first loosen your zcw nut just enough

they can move side to side but there's

no sagging up and down next take the X

Gantry near to the top of its vertical

travel unscrew the leader from the top

of your coupler and rotate the lead

screw away until it's no longer sitting

inside the coupler you'll notice that

your ex Gantry is going to Sag a little

bit towards the side that you just

unscrewed the lead screw from before you

move on to the next part we need to

level out the Gantry so you can hold the

Gantry up so that it's level or what I

did is tie the Gantry up with some

string to make it level if the Gantry

isn't level during the next step it's

going to throw off the alignment with

the coupler now with the top couplet

screw loosened all the way you should be

able to easily rotate the lead screw

down into place resting on the bottom of

the couplet rotating the lead screw down

it should be perfectly lined up with the

hole if it is you're all good and if

it's not we're going to have to shim out

the motor away from the frame in order

to get this to line up properly so I

made these custom shims to move the

motor mount out so the Gantry bracket

lines up perfectly with the motor

coupler mine were 65 mm but your mileage

will vary so you actually have to take

the measurements and make or buy the

appropriately size shims I use my shim

measuring kit to figure out exactly how

much of a gap there should be but it

doesn't have to be that per

after you've shimm this side then

tighten up your lead screw coupler and

go back and perform the steps in exactly

the same way on the other side on this

printer I have dual z-axis but the

vertical drop test is just as applicable

if you only have one z-axis perform all

the steps in exactly the same way it's

just that with dual Z you've doubled

your fun and potential

problems as a quick disclaimer for me

installing the new motor mount and

making sure my brackets were Square

allowed for perfect alignment and I

didn't actually have to use any shim in

the final build but I let this step in

in case someone would benefit from this

information now it's true you can

address these issues with an unlevel

Gantry with things like the g34 command

in Marlin but only if you have the motor

driver for each Z motor or doing a

mechanical reset by ramming the Gantry

against top of the printer until both

z-axis are level but you're really just

masking the root of your problem which

is too much force on either z-axis you

have to undo the binding to allow your

ZX elad screws to move freely now doing

this process for both sides yielded some

better results as seen here but I think

we can get even better running some more

test show I fixed my Z binding but there

was still that pesky persistent pattern

I mentioned before so let's take it a

step further with a motor lead screw and

coupler we want their Center axes of

rotation to line up perfectly due to a

variety of factors the lead screw will

wobble which is basically with the

entire assembly free sanding the

tendency of the top of the lead

throughout to rotate eccentrically

outside of its axis rotation in an Ideal

World in order to perfectly trans MIT

that rotation of the z-axis into linear

motion of the Gantry we want this lead

screw to rotate perfectly around its

axis rotation or as perfectly as we can

get it that means straight lead screws

and perfectly aligned couplers and

Motors the coupler connector is one of

the worst sources of this wobble in this

type of setup because on top of

potential bends in our lead screw we're

also now relying on this coupler to line

up the centers of the lead screw

perfectly with the center of the motor

spindle and sufficiently hold the lead

screw straight without slanting it to

either side and as you can imagine this

is pretty difficult to achieve now this

is not uniquely a 3D printing problem

there's entire manufacturing Industries

around the creation of different styles

and types of motor lead screw couplers

for different purposes mostly for CNC

machines which is what a 3D printer is

one way to bypass this problem entirely

is to have your lead screw as an

integrated part of your motor meaning no

couple are required this is actually how

CR has been tackling this problem in

their I3 printers for some time when we

freestand the inte gred lead screw motor

and rotate it we can see there's

virtually no wobble and side by side

compared against the motor lead screw

with a coupler there's a ton of Ecentric

wobble but if you have a budget bed

Slinger your Cali your eligo Etc you're

stuck with the coupler problem but

that's okay I think we can make do with

this let's look at some modifications so

knowing we're going to have this wobble

in our z-axis we want to give the axis

some freedom to rotate in the X and Y

directions in order to most effectively

transmit the Z motion this could be

achieved with these Oldham couplers Old

Ham couplers allow the z-axis to rotate

freely without over constraining it they

are made up of three dovetailed pieces

that slide in the X and Y Direction and

connect directly to your lead screw nut

in Gantry bracket these stop the wobble

of the lead screw from being transferred

to the Gantry during installation I'd

recommend applying some grease to each

part the only job this thing has is to

slide back and forth if it's not doing

that effectively it's basically

worthless ooh that looks pretty good so

in a previous video I recommended the

anti-backlash nut and I still think they

serve their intended purpose but during

testing I noticed there was a slight

reduction in Z banding when they weren't

installed so I removed them for testing

and repl the brass lead screw nut with a

palm alternative the brass nut / lead

screw combination absolutely needs to be

lubricated but over time the brass nut

can degrade leading to some play in The

Nut the Palm nuts are described as self

lubricating which sounds nice as

marketing fluff but isn't technically

correct they just have a really low

coefficient of friction and high

abrasion resistance so do you need to

lubricate Palm nuts well prusso

explicitly says you should not lubricate

the Palm nuts or lead screws on their

machines why well the reasoning isn't

given but it's probably because the

lubrication isn't technically necessary

and it can lead to Gunk buildup when the

lubrication combines with the dust and

plastic debris over time so the question

is Tu Lube or not tube well after

cleaning my lead screws and installing

the Palm nuts I noticed there was some

noise during Z travel applying a little

bit of PTFE oil along the length of the

lead screw took out that noise just

remember that with the oil you'll likely

have to clean your rods more often and

reapply oil more frequently now the

stock ster Motors that come on your

creality machine aren't really designed

to support for Supply down on top of the

motor spindle so you can install a

Thrust bearing that helps to support the

weight of the Gantry on the motor while

allowing free spinning motion I'm not

really sure if the thrust bearing makes

a difference but I already had to

replace the stock motor mount so I

figured I would give it a try but there

is a slight difference in quality

between these two examples the only

change between these two prints was the

installation of a Thrust bearing so if

anything it can't hurt your setup and

will likely protect your motors from

unnecessary wear over the long term so

I'd recommend it if you've looked into

removing Z banding on your printer

you've likely come across these Plum or

spider couplings these couplings have

two separate metal couples that are held

together by this plastic piece in the

middle in theory unlike a rigid coupling

they're supposed to compensate for the

lack of alignment between the lead screw

coupler and motor by allowing the

coupler to flex I saw some setups that

called for a plum coupling and for the

lead screw to be fixed at the top of the

Gantry with a bearing stabilizer so

while the wobble is basically focused at

the coupling during testing the setup

produced more noticeable Z Bandon down

the entire length of the test part

removing the stabilizer improved the

surface quality and this test produced a

part with no banding and minimal surface

[Music]

artifacts so what about our lead screws

replacing a bent lead screw how do you

know when the lead screw is so bent that

it needs to be replaced well most lead

screw motor coupler combinations will

have some amount of wobble and most of

your cheap lead screws that come on your

printer or those you buy online from

places such as Amazon will be bent to

some degree but it's too bent when it

starts to cause issues like this really

bad banding scene here and the bent lead

screw can't be mitigated by a flexible

coupler really it's that simple if your

prints look good you don't hear any

screeching sounds your Motors are not

losing steps then you're good and just

leave them be keep them clean and keep

them lubed now this next suggestion is

going to surprise some but bear with me

removing the lead through stabilizers at

the top of the frame improve the surface

quality of my print and reduce Z banding

this was a little bit surprising at

first but after some investigation it

began to make more sense unless your

lead screw is perfectly straight meaning

no Wobble the stabilizer at the top is

just going to over constrain the lead

screw and cause binding looking at this

the stabilizer screwed all the way into

the frame it's putting pressure against

the lead screw and across my testing the

bearing stabilizer created thicker Z

banding and worse surfice artifacts in

every single test print where I had them

installed I even tried a flexible

coupler with a bearing stabilizer to the

top and this still produced noticeable Z

banding it is my suggestion that these

belong in the trash and not on your

printer but I didn't really like the

idea of my lead screws just hanging out

all exposed so I designed these lead

screw covers that allow the top of the

lead screw to rotate unconstrained but

also protected from snags or damage or

dust they also have a built-in physical

Z stop so you can drive the Gantry

against it and perfectly level it

manually Link in the description but

remember we talked about the wobble

problem well curiosity killed the cat

and my wallet to test the difference a

perfectly straight lead screw would make

on Park quality I bought two of these

combined lead screw motor units the lead

screw is incorporated directly into the

motor and when we look at this from the

top down the wobble is basically

non-existent these new motor units were

mostly plugged in play I did have to

swap out the motor cables and physically

take the Gantry off but after testing I

found these new Motors produce the best

service quality out of all the solutions

and combinations of everything I tested

so is that my recommendation that

everyone should run out and completely

replace the stock motor lead screw combo

no absolutely not because simply the

cost isn't worth it but more so because

I was able to get nearly the same

service quality with my old ham coupler

setup so what's my final recommendation

for reducing Z banding and improving

overall surface quality along the Z wall

Zer prints well there's three options

the first one that I would recommend is

the old hem coupler setup which includes

installing a new motor mount with a

Thrust bearing using the stock rigid

coupler and replacing the brass screw

nut with a palm alternative which is

optional and installing the Old Ham

coupler on your Z Gantry bracket my next

suggestion would be using the flexible

coupler which again includes installing

a new motor mount with a Thrust bearing

installing the flexible coupler by

replacing the rigid one placing the

brass screw nut again with a pal or

finally the third option is the combined

motor lead screw combination which is

basically just installing the lead screw

motor combination and using a palm nut

which again is optional but because of

the cost I wouldn't necessarily

recommend going down this route unless

you are just an absolute Financial

masochist comparing the plum coupler to

the Old Ham produced nearly identical

results but in my entirely professional

and not subjective at all opinion I

think the old ham setup looks the best

and is definitely the best value after

all of this I think the only way to see

any further improvements in service

quality would be to switch over to

something like a linear rail setup but

let's remember something here even with

the perfect setup there's going to be

surface artifacts on your prints due to

a variety of things like inconsistent

wearing your palm Wheels a Gantry that

isn't perfectly level in consistent

pitch of your lead screw bending your

lead screws Etc High Precision is

expensive and fortunately for hobbyists

everywhere these printers are not they

design to be built with imprecise parts

and still give acceptable build quality

if you made it this far in the video

consider subscribing so I can continue

to justify burning my own money for your

entertainment and as always I hope you

learned

something and thanks for

watching