1 Topic by devilman2075

  • devilman2075
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  • Registered: 2012-08-21
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Topic: belt tension and cylindrical parts

I got my printer Friday and decided to mess around and use up the supplied starter filament.  One of the few things I printed was the filament bushing. Something small, useful and cylindrical.

Now I'm assuming that belt tension is going to be the culprit here but as I didn't truly calibrate my printer,  its safe to say I could easily be wrong. 

My problem is that the front right and back left areas had a big difference in the circular arc in those positions.  Enough that you could physically see the gaps between the different passes of a layer. It actually looked like it just wasn't laying the filament out along the correct path but this happened uniformly down the print which caused it to come out more octagonal than circular.

What belt is the cure here and any good advice with adjusting the belts in general.  I should have my filament later today and hoping I can get a couple more decent prints before really getting into a full on calibration

2 Reply by ronsii

  • ronsii
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  • Registered: 2012-10-28
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Re: belt tension and cylindrical parts

If each layer is different... then I would think it is something else... missing steps maybe.. I suppose it relates to how it is drawn

3 Reply by IanJohnson

  • IanJohnson
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Re: belt tension and cylindrical parts

It's most likely the short belt attached to the Y motor.  Loosen the screws on the Y motor and push it down a fraction of a mm and hold it while you tighten the screws again.  Run the axis back and forth to make sure it isn't so tight it binds up.  You might need to loosen the long Y belts a little bit, paying careful attention to how much you turn each screw.  Tightening them actually increases backlash.

4 Reply by devilman2075

  • devilman2075
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Re: belt tension and cylindrical parts

Appreciate it guys. Ill try messing with the shorter belt first and see how that goes with some tests.