3D printing is a fun and creative hobby, but not all of it is a creative process.
This maintenance may need to be very specific and potentially in-depth to fix a specific issue.
Maintenance can also be quite simple and less time-consuming.
The best starting point is to review the documentation provided by the manufacturer of your printer.
The manufacturer will likely be aware of the weak points in their machines and how often they need attention.
Every so often, its important to do full maintenance of your printer.
This is generally an involved process, requiring tools, time, and potentially planning.
If performed regularly enough, though, this can keep your printer operating at peak performance.
It can also help you to identify and resolve long-term issues that may have been plaguing your prints.
How often you oughta perform full-scale maintenance really depends on how often you use your printer.
As with any machine, heavy usage will require more maintenance.
For light usage, you only need to perform full maintenance once a year or so.
With heavier usage, you may want to maintain your printer twice a year.
you might reduce how often it’s crucial that you perform full-scale maintenance by performing regular light maintenance too.
This is much more simple and generally involves checking the things that are easy to do.
If youve got a specific issue affecting your printer, this is a good time to deal with it.
How often you should do this depends on how much you use the printer and the environment its in.
What Do You Need?
Most maintenance will require tools of some sort, often screwdrivers and Allen/hex keys.
Hence, theyre on hand for emergency repairs or planned maintenance.
Some maintenance tasks, however, require spare parts.
Finally, be aware of health and safety when performing maintenance.
Whenever possible, ensure that your printer is off, unplugged, and cold before doing any work.
Electrical parts can cause shorts and even start a fire if you arent careful to unplug the printer.
Some tasks, however, require the printer to be hot.
In these cases, be careful and ideally use heat-proof gloves to reduce the chance of burning yourself.
Conclusion
Maintenance is key to keeping your printer operating smoothly.
Have you got any other maintenance tips to share?
Let us know down below.
