1

Hi everyone,

My printer has taken to printing the first 5 or 6mm of print perfectly, then deciding to print wherever it feels like. Sometimes it seems like the print is just offset in the Y axis as you can see a diffuse model being formed as if it’s just printing in the wrong place. Sometimes it just prints wherever it feels like.

I’ve seen the printer printing outside its build volume (in a border 20mm around the supposed maximum build surface of the printer) occasionally but it’s got to the point where it’s refusing to do anything higher than a few mm without losing it’s positioning.

I’ve performed the encoder test which checks out and it seems happy with but this only tests the X Axis rather than all axes. I’ve checked belt tensions and have never heard the motors stall or noticed any belt slip.

Before I have the case off does anyone know whether the Y Axis is encoded?

I’ve considered options such as step loss but it seems to be a jump to a position rather than a gradual position drift. I’ve checked for model impacts (previously an issue with a badly positioned roller) but everything looks (and sounds) like it did new.

I assume also that there’s an initiation and synchronisation between the heads firing and step position so wondered if this could be a problem.

The Printer has preventative maintenance performed on a weekly basis and struggling to see where it might be going wrong.

2

Hello,

My Stratasys Objet is having a similar issue (however mine is the objet 30 pro).

Did you fix the issue with your printer? If yes, how?
I would be very happy to get in touch with you!

Lucas

3

Hi Lucas, I’ve had quite the time with my 350. The offset printing was repaired by replacing the “ethernet looking” cable (may well be a flexi-ethernet cable) that runs from the computer inside on the right to the head. Since replacing that it’s run very well. The fault was explained as a data shift fault. The cable was £137 from SYS-UK (I also got a sensor cable for that price) and re hosed the loom with a reel of Tygon tubing while I was on).

Worth noting if you don’t have a maintenance contract the following should be checked too (and even if you do as ours weren’t checked as part of our maintenance contract):

  • Peristaltic pump hosing for material lift pumps as well as the roller and waste tray.

  • That you haven’t got any contamination on the roller encoder pin (ours had cracked and started to break down).

  • Check any flexing hose fittings coming out the loom as they can tend to build up small cracks leading to vacuum faults.

Finally, most head problems can be fixed. We’ve had everything from failed piezo drivers to blocked nozzles, the circuit of the heads is straightforward and back flushing with IPA when nozzles block and a peristaltic pump has meant that in the 6 or 7 years of ownership we’ve probably only bought 3 or 4 heads.

4

Thx for the message!

Unfortunately, the Objet30 doesn’t have an “ethernet looking” cable that runs from the computer inside on the right to the head.

I did notice something interesting;
Normally when printing, the print head would go to the right, to the left, to the right, to the left, to the right etc, right?
Well my printer doesn’t do that exactly. My printer goes to the right, to the left, to (at least somewhere around) the wipe position, to the right, to the left, to (at least someone around) the wipe position, etc…
Every time it goes to the “wipe position” (or at least around there), it waits a few seconds until it continues printing.

Any idea what is causing this?

Lucas