The Machine's Heartbeat

Today, I've had an interesting experience with my 3D Printer (an Ender 3-Neo). There was a slight layer shift after \(\approx 6[\mathrm{mm}]\) on the Z axis. My challenge was to find why.

Like most engineers (at least among my peers), I also have shattered dreams about becoming a medic¹. This comes handy, because it meant that I had a stethoscope lying somewhere in my workshop/office/bedroom. My first thought for diagnosing my 3D printer was listening to the Z-axis motor. I found that between \(5\) and \(6[\mathrm{mm}]\) the time that it took to travel just \(1[\mathrm{mm}]\) was a little bit off, compared to the steps on the lower section of the Z-axis. This is how I noticed a small build up of lint and old grease.

After some careful cleaning and new grease the layers stopped shifting at that height.

These kinds of scenarios, where I'm able to use all the unrelated tools that I have for any purpose, is the time where I feel like a true engineer.