Notifications
Clear all

X-Axis Vibration  

  RSS
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
X-Axis Vibration

Someone please help me fix this.


I have tried everything that i can image to fix this vibration, except buying a new board and getting new printed parts.

I rebuild the Extruder and the X-Axis multiple times.
I made sure that the belt is not rubbing at the gears.
I made sure that i dont crush the bearings with the backplate.
I lubricated the bearings.
I changed the rods and the bearings with new ones (Thank you support!).
I stuck foam-tape to the bearings so they dont have direct contact to the extruder to minimize vibration.
I stuck foam-tape to the X-Motor, so it doesnt have direct contact to the holder.
I switched motors with the Y-Axis.
I tried holding the X-Motor with different connections to the board in the hand and i dont feel a difference.
I made sure the bearing on the idler is okay and that it can spin freely.
I dont see any faults in the printed parts with my eyes.

I am at my wits end here.
I finished this build on the 23rd and the first ~10 hours of printing were okay.
By now i have spent more time trying to fix this than printing.

 

This topic was modified 3 years ago 2 times by Laurin
Posted : 02/03/2021 7:53 am
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

I also tried removing the fans and installing a new belt.

Posted : 02/03/2021 8:08 am
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

With a very light touch of a fingertip - where is the vibration felt?  Where is it strongest?

If the vibration cannot be felt but only heard you need to make up a probe shaped like a giant drawing pin/thumbtack: hold the point on the part and listen for the sound coming from the head.

Checks:

X motor?

Top/side/front of the X carriage/Extruder assembly?

X idler?

Smooth rods?

X belt?

Printer frame?

If the values isolated to one part then concentrate there, if they are similar over many then it might be a resonance problem.  The simplest cross check for resonance is to move the printer temporarily to a different surface, even the floor, and listen again.

Then come back and we'll take a closer look at the problem.

Cheerio,

Posted : 02/03/2021 3:12 pm
hli
 hli
(@hli)
Trusted Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Easiest way to check for resonances: when printing, lift the printer up (via its top bar). If its now quieter, it's resonating with the surface it stands on. (Be careful when doing so, it might disturb the print head movement)

Posted : 02/03/2021 4:36 pm
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Thank you for answering.

The vibration is felt through the entire X-axis and the noise comes from the bearings.
I have tried placing the printer on a table, and on a big tile with foam underneath and on the floor.

I also completely covered the bearings with foam tape, which lessened the noise, but the axis is still vibrating heavily.
The Y-axis in comparison is butter smooth and moves more or less completely with any vibrations.

Posted : 02/03/2021 4:49 pm
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Lifting the printer also did not lessen the vibrations.

Posted : 02/03/2021 5:00 pm
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

A literal metric ton of foam tape kind of fixed it for now.

And the prints dont show much signs of ringing.

Posted : 02/03/2021 7:49 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

 

The vibration is felt through the entire X-axis and the noise comes from the bearings.
I have tried placing the printer on a table, and on a big tile with foam underneath and on the floor.

I also completely covered the bearings with foam tape, which lessened the noise, but the axis is still vibrating heavily.
The Y-axis in comparison is butter smooth and moves more or less completely with any vibrations.

Don't cover it up, you need to examine it.

If the idler bearing is causing the vibration it must be sticking and slipping somehow.

Look inside the housing, you may need a torch; is it out of line or digging a groove in the wall?

Is there debris or stray stringing clogging the bearing?

 - or the belt?

Is the M3 idler mounting screw too tight?   If over tightened it can pull the sides in and pinch the bearing.

Loosen the M3 screw that holds the bearing by one turn: If it makes a difference you may have damaged the housing so print or otherwise acquire a replacement before loosening more.

Examine the X idler bearing housing - it's possible to crush it during assembly and pull the nylock too deep, this forces a burr inside the pulley and against the core of the bearing.

When turned off, move the x carriage by hand - do you feel the vibration or other irregular resistance?

Remove the belt (or loosen off the drive end) and try moving the bearing by hand, does it feel smooth?

If the frame vibration is resonance it will go if the resonant frequency is changed; clamp something weighing at least a pound/500g to the frame; a mole wrench/vise grip will do, if it still vibrates it's not resonance.

Hth,Cheerio,

Posted : 03/03/2021 1:35 am
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Every part seems fine to me.
I think i pinpointed the vibrations to the x stepper.

I ordered a new motor and a new board just to be safe.
If it does not fix it, i at least have some spare parts :).

I will update when the parts arrive.

Posted : 03/03/2021 12:03 pm
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

@laurin

OK:  If the x stepper is juddering that much I would expect to see false crashes in the Error Stats .. ?

Cheerio,

Posted : 03/03/2021 8:26 pm
Laurin
(@laurin)
Active Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: X-Axis Vibration

It seems like i found my problem.

The rubber seal on like half of my bearings is skipping(chattering?) on the rod like a windshield wiper.
I dont know if i got a bad batch of bearings or something, but there is a substantial difference between the bearings when i am moving them by hand.

Posted : 10/03/2021 5:47 pm
Vincent R
(@vincent-r)
New Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Hello Laurin,

I'm having the exact same issue. Did you find the source of the problem?

Thanks for your help! 🙂

Posted : 13/01/2023 4:02 am
ProfessionalHobbyist
(@professionalhobbyist)
New Member
RE: X-Axis Vibration

Did you check your belt tension? Maybe it is too tight? Try to loosen it and see if it improves the noise.

The Igus Dry Bearings made my x-axis' quieter, but that's most likely curing symptoms, not eliminating the root cause.

 

 

Posted : 15/01/2023 10:19 pm
Share: