Constant Layer Shifts

[S.Bartfast]

I have just received an A10M and have been having no end of trouble with it.

Previously I've had both a CR10 and an Ender 3, both of which could make absolutely beautiful prints and I was expecting the same with this model, but alas no

I have tried several prints but (almost) every time there are really bad layer shifts making the prints all but completely useless. The shifts are mostly on the Y-axis but I have seen a few on the X-axis as well and they just happen all the time. Not even the example GCODE that came on the SD card will print properly.

Here's an example of the last print I attempted:

It's a 200% scale Benchy printed in two colours, and there are no fewer that 7 layer shifts in this print!

When I received the A10M the Y-axis belt was extremely tight so I have loosened it a little and the shifts have improved some but as you can see it is still far from acceptable. I have also tried tightening the set screws in the Y-axis pulley but they were pretty tight to begin with. The problem seems to be that the motors themselves are very weak and it only takes a tiny bit of resistance for them to skip steps. I tried holding on to the build plate while instructing the Y-axis to move and was surprised by how little holding force was required to cause the motors to skip. Note the teeth in the pulley were not skipping, it was the motor itself simply not turning the shaft, and it would give a violent buzzing/purring sound while it skips.

Any idea how I can fix this, because as it is this printer is all but completely useless and I'm very close to sending it back.


Thanks,
Slarti.

[William]

Hi, You can check the following aspects:
1. The tightness of the belt and appropriate adjustments,
Specific operations can refer to this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoOaT5fkgfg
2. Check whether the bearing and the pulley are issued (the card can be lubricated for lubrication);
3. Adjust the driver board voltage (reference range is 0.8-1.2V).
I hope this can help you.

[S.Bartfast]

Thanks for your response.

I have tried tensioning both the X and Y axis belts. If anything the Y-axis belt was in fact too tight and after loosening it a little there were fewer shifts but they still occur. Another issue I noticed was that one of the wheels on the X-axis was not turning when the carriage slid across and there was significant 'slop' in the carriage assembly itself. By tensioning the underside wheel I was able to bring this wheel into contact with the guide rail and remove the 'slop' in the carriage but it induced a significant number of X-axis ships when printing. I have also checked the 5 stepper voltages and they came up as 0.95V, 0.95V, 1.01V, 1.10V and 1.01V. I believe these represent the E1, E0, Z-axis, Y-axis and X-axis respectively:

M10A_board_v.jpg (460.67 KiB) Viewed 9259 times

This is how the last print came out:

X_Y_shifts.jpg (491.44 KiB) Viewed 9259 times

Note there are multiple shifts in both axis with the y axis shifting on both directions.

[William]

Hi, If you mean that the hot end itself is shaking on the x-axis,
You can try to tighten it with a tool.
If there is still a problem after tightening,
You can contact your sales to replace the bearing wheel.

[S.Bartfast]

Hi, If you mean that the hot end itself is shaking on the x-axis,
You can try to tighten it with a tool.

The carriage that the hotend is housed in was not tight on the rail, as in it was possible to rotate it slightly (around the y-axis) but as I say I was able to fix this by turning the "nut" on the wheel under the carriage, however this seemed to introduce significantly more X-axis shifts.

Other things I have tried is reducing the "jerk" from 20 to 10 (mm/s^3?) and reducing the travel speed from 3000 to 1000 (mm/s). Unfortunately these changes have not had any effect.

Also, it's probably worth pointing out that even when the printer is essentially working it still produces exceedingly poor prints:

20190915_162001.jpg (526.38 KiB) Viewed 9251 times

Note, there is a slight y-shift in this print as well toward the top:

20190915_162004.jpg (465.61 KiB) Viewed 9251 times

Strangely though the print seems a lot smoother after the shift than it does before. No idea why.

And finally, for comparison, here is a print from my Ender-3 (which my A10M was intended to replace):

20190915_163648.jpg (248.78 KiB) Viewed 9251 times

The difference is like night and day!

[William]

Hi，thanks for your feedback.
if the fastening is not working,
you can contact your sales to replace the hot end fastening section.

[S.Bartfast]

Hi，thanks for your feedback.
if the fastening is not working,
you can contact your sales to replace the hot end fastening section.

No, that is not the problem.

[William]

Okay, You can also check if your machine is loose and tighten it.

Then check whether the bearing and the pulley are issued (the card can be lubricated for lubrication);

Print speed reference range 30-60mm/s.

[wotor]

Replace Y and X stepper driver and then print some samples. I had similar problem in the past and stepper driver was faulty until it died completely some day.

[William]

Replace Y and X stepper driver and then print some samples. I had similar problem in the past and stepper driver was faulty until it died completely some day.

Hi, Do you have to adjust the tightness of the belt?