Z axis Linear Bearing Upgrade

[fcort]

Quote from jewelrybyjustin on February 12, 2014, 00:45
Nope.

Thank you, I have been putting maybe 1 support ( besides the base/spure )
and they are coming out great.

[danmr]

I got mine today from SMI, I ordered them back in 01/07/2014 and paid $80.00 for the set, so I really had to work on my Patience for over 5 weeks, so today I couldn't wait to do the upgrade and now will print in a couple of days as I still need to do the "Band-aid" solution to the Z collar. but so far I can hear the difference and is smoother.

[zanderscreations]

I just got mine in and installed them. It sounds like it is smoother.
One thing I noticed when I tried to do a dry run print is the motor sounds really loud like it is trying hard. This only happens when I start a print however, otherwise it is pretty quiet. I was hoping the bearings would fix this. but maybe that wasn't the issue?

[mikej]

Which motor sounds "like it is trying hard"? During a dry run you should not have the build table installed (it should never touch the dry pdms...).

[saab]

I ordered mine set of SW8GWUU from smi4motion even before I got the printer. Was lucky enough to get both almost same time (was long trip to Sofia, Bulgaria). Never assembled the printer with it's original bearings so don't know if they have any problems. But with SW8GWUU it works great. Only thing - I don't know if I have to lubricate the rods, because the linear bearings are double side sealed... Any external lubrication probably will be unnecessary ...

[jewelrybyjustin]

I only clean the guide rods with a bit of alcohol and paper towel ( to remove dust and and anything else) then lightly oil with machine oil. Even though they are sealed top and bottom I think it is still a good idea to have the guide rods lightly lubricated.

[austindecent@gmail.com]

Are there any downsides to using a metal bushing to replace a plastic one? Any reason why they are 2-part plastic pieces to begin with?

[perpetual_dreamer]

downsides.. hmmm spending extra $80 to have ease with z axis calibration and eliminate banding issues ^^

[john_depp]

Spending $80 to fix a $3000 machine is not a downside if that's the only solution left to solve a problem. To me the difference between smooth plastic on smooth metal and $80 in linear bearings seems minimal if the vertical shafts have been greased and the build arm assembly is properly tensioned. Any insight to that?

[Robert Howle]

I have never had z axis problems, but why not make something that works even better. If you read the posts from kit builders the number one problem has been adjusting the assembly to stop z axis issues. These issues don't really present themselves with the replacement bearings. This lowers the frustration for builders and saves lots of lost time and effort so everyone can have successful prints. It's a no brainer.

I am not speaking for MIke, but I am pretty sure that the bearings will become part of the B9 in the future (kit and assembled machine).

[tobyramp@hotmail.com]

The bearings come with a thick grease in them. Is this grease the correct lubrication for this use?

[perpetual_dreamer]

^ it works.

btw I think its not difficult at all to calibrate the zaxis clamp when using the 4piece plastic bushings. I have the calibration process down fairly good and it still takes me ~10 minutes to set it well. Compare that to the 2 upgraded bearings which takes me about 3-5 mins and require little to no careful calibration of the screws.. I just screw them in equally and fairly tight so the bearing doesn't fall out. that is pretty much all. I don't need to keep sliding the zaxis clamp up and letting go after each slight turn of a screw to make sure that there is no sticking.. its almost non-existant.

[vchmiele]

Envisiontec doesn't do any "feathering" of the voxels. This is pure marketing BS. The smooth surface is a direct result of a higher resolution.

Envisiontec is famous (infamous) for creating a fictionalized account of what their machines actually do. The ERM (enhanced resolution mode) is really "wobblization" aka as "E-shift. E-shift uses a 1080p signal and interpolates it to appear similar to 4k.

http://cdn.jvc.eu/dla-x95r/feature01.html

Envisiontec does have high quality custom optics fitted to their projectors and have some pretty nice calibration protocols. Also, the Z axis mechanism is very robust and their resins have been extensively tested. But with a price...

[KefMan]

Quote from vchmiele on March 18, 2014, 18:51
Envisiontec doesn't do any "feathering" of the voxels. This is pure marketing BS. The smooth surface is a direct result of a higher resolution.

Envisiontec is famous (infamous) for creating a fictionalized account of what their machines actually do. The ERM (enhanced resolution mode) is really "wobblization" aka as "E-shift. E-shift uses a 1080p signal and interpolates it to appear similar to 4k.

http://cdn.jvc.eu/dla-x95r/feature01.html

Envisiontec does have high quality custom optics fitted to their projectors and have some pretty nice calibration protocols. Also, the Z axis mechanism is very robust and their resins have been extensively tested. But with a price...

Those are some pricey projectors at about $7,200.

[tigermoth]

So due to the global shortage of these bearings the B9 community has partially, (if not wholly) contributed to, I had the choice of either waiting 8 months back-order, or order the sw8Gwuu, which I was told had a resin cage instead of steel.
I was assured that these would perform to the same standard as steel...really hoping the resin cage won't be a affected by the clamping... but I guess I have 8 months to find out :p

[Robert Howle]

Someone on the forum had an extra set a little while back. When I placed my order I was told 6 to 8 wks., but got them in two. Good luck.

[Robert Howle]

This is the company I used. They buy from a Japanese Co.

[tigermoth]

Cheers Robert
I remember looking into them, but wasn't clear if they did international shipping. I rang a number of local businesses to no avail,
amazon sold out, So went with VXB in the end, they seemed to be supplying some of the other retailers listed too and were pretty helpful.
I'll see how the resin cage goes, they actually claimed it was better (less friction than steel). But really, not being an expert myself, I can only hope that it is at least structurally sufficient .

[mikej]

Resin cage works fine, at least my test machines. The outer case is still steel and that bears the clamping load.

[saab]

Same here. Mine are with resin cage (but steel outer case) - working like a charm!
SW8GWUU