That is what I use on my CT'c..

As for drying, it probably has a petroleum vehicle that will dry leaving behind some sort of lubricant. Probably used in places where you would not want the actual oil such as places that people might come in to contact with.

Got it. Thank you very much for the information.

I don't have many knowledge about lubricant. I use Vaseline in the beginning and it did not work well. I switched to lithium grease after read on internet that no lubricant is better than Vaseline, lol. I will try the multi-purpose first, and if it works well, I will try the fast drying one later.

Ordered some multi-purpose 3 in 1 to test if it works better than grease. There are some fast drying version, but I'm not sure what they mean by drying, if it dried, will it still lubricating or I will have to re-apply again after it drys? I assume "multi-purpose 3 in 1" is the "plain 3 in 1", correct?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00065VGWK/re … &psc=1

That is what I use on my CT'c..

As for drying, it probably has a petroleum vehicle that will dry leaving behind some sort of lubricant. Probably used in places where you would not want the actual oil such as places that people might come in to contact with.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00065VGWK/re … &psc=1

If you use a light oil like just plain 3 in 1 all you have to do is wipe the old oil away with a dry cloth and put new oil on. it takes maybe 5 minutes tops. You issue is you use grease which is much harder to remove.

I did not use a lot of grease, so remove is not that difficult, but I stack my printer in cases one on top of another, so it is kind of difficult to do that for top shelf printer every 2-3 days. Also Da vinci Jr. Y-axis rod is covered by default, make it inconvenient to lube every 2-3 days.

dubbsd wrote:

the grease (or oil if used) will trap dirt and other debris especially if the printer is open
you may not see it but it is their. cleaning and re-applying lube is cheaper than new parts.

I don't think the lube is expensive, but it take quite some time to clean the old lube and then apply new one. If I have to do it every 2-3 days for every printer, that is going to be a lots of work. I think monthly maintenance is more reasonable.

If you use a light oil like just plain 3 in 1 all you have to do is wipe the old oil away with a dry cloth and put new oil on. it takes maybe 5 minutes tops. You issue is you use grease which is much harder to remove.

Keeps it clean. Dust can be abrasive depending on your region (sand and dirt, versus vegetation and concrete) so the grease can actually become an abrasive compound over time if left on the machine. So removing it in regular intervals just like an oil change on a car keeps those abrasive components from building up.

Now that I have the SLA my FDM may sit a month or more between uses so I clean and lube now before each use.

My printer are all in case now for noise control purpose, that may explain why I don't get much dust attracted to the grease.

I do agree it is a good idea to removing old grease in regular intervals and re-apply new one. I just think every 2-3 day is too frequent. My car get oil change every 5-6 month, so I think lubricant the printer (with case) monthly should be more than enough.

the grease (or oil if used) will trap dirt and other debris especially if the printer is open
you may not see it but it is their. cleaning and re-applying lube is cheaper than new parts.

I don't think the lube is expensive, but it take quite some time to clean the old lube and then apply new one. If I have to do it every 2-3 days for every printer, that is going to be a lots of work. I think monthly maintenance is more reasonable.

Err....Are you sure need to cleaning and lubing everything every 50 hours of run time? That's about every 2-3 days. I have not re-apply grease for 2-3 month, the grease still looks good. Any reasons for re-apply it so often?

Keeps it clean. Dust can be abrasive depending on your region (sand and dirt, versus vegetation and concrete) so the grease can actually become an abrasive compound over time if left on the machine. So removing it in regular intervals just like an oil change on a car keeps those abrasive components from building up.

Now that I have the SLA my FDM may sit a month or more between uses so I clean and lube now before each use.

I find grease to be too thick to get into the bearings and lubricate them internally. This results in dry spots that eventually cause them to fail. I prefer 3 in 1 as well as it light enough to penetrate but does not drip or collect at the bearing and rods ends to collect dust.

I got great print quality with grease, but I can imagine the benefit of penetrate use light 3 in 1 oil. I do get grease collect at the bearing and rods ends. It have not affect print quality so far but it doesn't look good.

I would like to try some 3 in 1 and see if they work as good as grease in terms of print quality. I looked at amazon for 3 in 1 oil, there are many kinds including Multi-Purpose, High Performance Drip Oil, Fast-Acting Penetrant Drip Oil, All-Temperature Silicone Drip Oil etc. Will any of them work or there are some specific you prefer?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004X … &psc=1

I find grease to be too thick to get into the bearings and lubricate them internally. This results in dry spots that eventually cause them to fail. I prefer 3 in 1 as well as it light enough to penetrate but does not drip or collect at the bearing and rods ends to collect dust.