Ender-3 Series Maintenance Schedulle

To keep your printing trouble-free, I recommend following this:

ROUTINE CHECKS

Relevel the build plate.
It is recommended to frequently perform levelling checks over time as the build plate level may change, especially if you are experiencing issues with adhesion on the first layer.

Clean the Build Plate
To ensure successful 3D printing, it is important to make sure the build plate surface is clean and free of any dust or debris. Avoid using abrasive cleaners, as they may damage the plate. Instead, it is recommended to use a microfiber cloth with a small amount of Isopropyl alcohol or a no-residue window cleaner to wipe down the surface. This will help ensure optimal adhesion and a successful print.

Check the Drive belt tension
Frequently check the tension of the X and Y-axis drive belts and adjust them if needed. It is recommended to do this before each print.

Check the extruder gear
Over time, filament fragments can clog the toothed gear on the extruder. To clean, remove the gear and use a stiff brush. Reattach the gear when finished.

Check for Play in the roller assemblies
It’s crucial to maintain the cleanliness of the V rollers and profile extrusions to ensure that they move freely. Additionally, it’s recommended to periodically check for any binding during movement and make sure there is no noticeable play between the rollers and profile grooves.

REGULAR MAINTENANCE

Clean and Lubricate the Z-Axis lead screw.
Dust and stray wisps of filament can adhere to the lead screw, wipe it off with a cloth and apply a small amount of lubricant to keep everything running smoothly. A dry lubricant, PTFE-based is recommended.

Nozzle Wear
The hole in the Nozzle will slowly wear away by the passage of the molten filament through it. The wear rate can be greatly increased by the use of some filaments containing fibres or particles such as wood, metals etc. Note that nozzle wear is normal wear and tear and is not covered by the product warranty!

Bowden tube degradation
With repeated heating and cooling the Bowden tube can degrade inside the hot end over time and may need replacing occasionally. This degradation is increased by the continuous use of high-melting temperature filaments. Note that this is normal wear and tear and is not covered by the product warranty!

1 Like

As far as drive belt goes there are lots of comments on doing it but little available on how to get it to the right tension without some fancy devise most of us don’t have. Any ideas?

I do it by ear. For a 30cm (12") span, if you pluck the belt and it gives you the same tone as the low E string on a guitar, then you’re basically there.

If you’re not familiar with the strings of a guitar, you can use this method with a guitar tuning app on your phone.

Thank you for this - I am always debating with myself if I have the belts too tight or not tight enough!

I downloaded and tried the fender app but my complete lack musical ability IE: can’t tell one note from another pretty much makes it useless for me. Thanks anyway