Maintenance

This printer is equiped with E3D's ObXidian nozzle. These are wear resistant nozzles designed for printing highly abrasive materials, such as carbon fiber nylon composites or certain filaments with suspended metalic particulates.

While the nozzles are wear resistant, they can still be prone to clogging with these materials. If filament is not extruding or exiting the nozzle at a sharp angle, please see the "Nozzle/Extruder clog" section for directions on how to perform a cold-pull.

The extruder is the standard ClockWork2 that comes with the kit. If printing with PLA, keep the enclosure doors open to vent excess heat. Otherwise, the filament may soften before reaching the nozzle and clog the extruder gears.

If this happens, flip the tensioning arm release latch (as shown in the images) to gain access to the extruder and remove the clog. Tweezers or pliers may be needed as the access port is pretty small.

It is always good to check that nothing is loose before printing. Check the printhead to make sure it doesn't wobble too much. Some linear movement in the z-axis is expected due to the TAP probe that is used for bed leveling.

The bolts may need to be periodically tightened. See the Voron Stealthburner docs here for guidance on which bolts to tighten on the x-carridge.

Lubrication of the linear rails is rare and should only be needed every 1000h of print time. Use a small amount of SuperLube and use the touchscreen to move the printhead around to all extrema in order to evenly distribute the lubricant.

Periodically check the tension of the belts to ensure they are not too loose. One way to do this is to download an audio frequency spectrum analyzer app to your phone and pluck the belts to see what frequency they vibrate at. The ideal range is ??? - ??? Hz.

To perform this, the printhead should be moved to the position [X ??? Y ??? Z ???]. If the frequency is too high, loosten the tensioning screws until the frequency is in the ideal range. Do the opposite if the frequency is too low.

If the belts need to be replaced, the new ones will slowly stretch as they wear-in over the course of a week or so. Check them more often during this period, as they may stretch sufficiently to need re-tensioning. If the belts constantly lose tension, check elsewhere in the motion system for a hardware fault.

Nozzles are typically considered consumables, but the currently installed Obsidian nozzles do not wear as quickly as brass ones would. They should still be periodically inspected for visible signs of wear and replaced if necessary.

There are a few PTFE tubes in different places on the printer that will wear out over time. The most prominent is the large one running from the filament sensor to the top of the extruder. There is also a small tube inside of the hotend that connects that connects the heatbreak and the nozzle.

These should both be replaced approx. every 500h of print time. The lengths are important, so be sure to cut the new tubes as close to the same length as possible.

If using the flexible build plate, the PEI coating on top may get dirty and worn out over time. Use plain dish soap and water to remove oils from the plate if there are bed adhesion issues. You can also use IPA in a pinch, but avoid acetone as it can damage the PEI surface. Replace the build plate if the coating develops cracks or starts peeling.