Shifted Prints

A few months ago, my prints started shifting. They would be great until a height of about 1 or 2 cm, then they would slightly shift along the x-axis. After trying a few different things, (and frying the electronics) I replaced the Arduino and Ramps board and the prints were fine. Now the exact same problem is happening again. Two different sets of electronics, exact same problem. Can anyone think of a reason for this and recommend a fix? I set the current very close to the recommendation and it was working perfectly until today. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Either missed steps or a mechanical issue, slipping belts, pulleys, etc. Mark the pulleys and shaft to ensure they are not slipping. You could probably up the voltage a bit on the missing axis if the motor and driver are not too hot.

What kind of printed? If i3 is that your Y axis that it skipped on?

Yeah its an i3. And yeah I think the Y-axis. The axis that moves the extruder, not the bed. Would reflashing the firmware help maybe? Its just weird that its doing the same thing when I haven't made any mechanical adjustments.

another common problem lack of maintenance

lm8uu's need lubrication. If they don’t get lubrication then friction builds up and it starts skipping

I just use 3in1 oil.. don’t use wd40, its a water displacer more than an lubricant.

The extrude normally moves along the X axis, left to right.

If touching controller boards helped while everything else remained the same - check for loose connections - re-seat all the plugs and tighten all the screws. Also, make sure that there's enough cooling provided to the board and the drivers. How hot do your stepper motors get?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2017 11:09AM by newbob.