Most failures we see in printers start with small things: a loose belt, dirty extruder gears, a clogged fan. Regular maintenance takes a few minutes and saves days of downtime.
Filament manufacturer's guidance comes first. Every manufacturer has its own formulations and publishes its own parameters – nozzle, bed and chamber temperature, drying, cooling. Even the same material (e.g. PETG) from two brands may need different settings. Treat the values in this guide as a starting point: check the technical data sheet (TDS) and the spool label first, and if something is missing, ask the filament manufacturer for guidance.
Before every print
- a clean plate – no fingerprints or glue residue,
- check that the spool unwinds freely and the filament is not tangled,
- glance at the nozzle – there should be no build-up of material.
Every week (or about every 50 h of printing)
- wash the PEI plate with warm water and washing-up liquid, wipe with IPA between prints,
- remove filament scraps from the chamber, around the toolhead and from the probe,
- clean filament dust from the extruder gears – with a brush or compressed air.
Every month (or about every 200–300 h)
- belts – check tension and tooth condition; on CoreXY printers tension both belts equally,
- screws – frame, pulleys (set screws), toolhead mounting,
- fans – remove dust and strands; the hotend fan must work perfectly,
- wiring – look for chafing and cracked insulation where cables bend,
- filters in the enclosure (carbon, HEPA) – condition and replacement if needed.
Every few months (or about every 500–1000 h)
- linear rails – clean and lubricate with the recommended grease (e.g. light lithium grease or rail oil); do not overdo it,
- Z axis lead screws – clean and apply a thin layer of grease,
- nozzle – replace it, especially after printing fibre-filled materials (CF, GF), which wear even hardened nozzles,
- calibrations – redo bed mesh, input shaper and PID after major changes.
The intervals are indicative – with 24/7 production and abrasive materials, service more often.
Cleaning the nozzle with a cold pull
- Heat the nozzle to printing temperature and push some filament through (ideally nylon or PLA).
- Lower the temperature to about 90–130 °C (depending on the material) and wait.
- Pull the filament out firmly – its tip should take the shape of the inside of the nozzle with the dirt.
- Repeat until the tip comes out clean.
Keep a log
Write down the date, the running hours and what you did. Klipper (Moonraker) counts print time – the simplest maintenance counter. Such a log also helps us a lot when the printer comes in for service.
No time for maintenance? We do it in our service – also for printer farms.
