12 Tips to Dail In Your Anet ET4 or ET5 3D Printer

Thanks to the Kaki DIY channel that we have this marvelous content to share with Anet ET series 3D printer users. Today, we’ll introduce 12 tips to dail in your Anet ET4 or ET5 3D printer with stable performance and accurate printing. Also, these tips work on other FDM 3D printers with the same structure as the ET4 series.

I - Make sure the Gantry is vertically installed 

Measure if it’s vertical between the gantry bar and post

Use a square ruler to measure the angle between the gantry post and the base, and the angle between the gantry post and bar. If they’re both 90 degrees, that’s perfect. If not, reinstalling them into vertical will offer a better printing.

Measure if it’s vertical between the gantry post and the base

II - Readjust the Tightness of the Hexagon Bolts

There are five hexagon bolts on the Anet ET4 or ET5 series 3D printers. By re-adjusting their tightness, we can make the printer move more steadily and hence more accurate printing.

hexagon bolts on anet ET4

Adjust the two hexagon bolts under the hotbed to make sure the hotbed moves steadier to avoid printing offset. When adjusting it, appropriate tightness for smooth movement without wobbling should be the only principle.

Hexagon bolt near the X-axis motor

 

2.Readjust the above hexagon bolts to make the X-axis moves steadily on the Z-axis rail without any offset; when adjusting it, the guideline should be appropriate tightness and smoother movement without wobbling or noise.

Hexagon bolt at the back of the print head

Readjust the hexagon bolt at the back of the print head to proper tightness to make sure the print head moves steadily along the X-axis without any wobbling or offset while printing. 

III - Readjust the Position of the filament sensor

Check if the outlet of the filament sensor and the inlet of extruder are straight aligned; if not, loosen the screws with an L wrench and readjust the position of the filament sensor until its outlet is well aligned with extruder inlet.   

IV - Zip Tie Wirings Well

When the print heads moves fast while printing, the wirings tend to wobble and become loose or even disconnect from the circuit board if they’re not fastened to something. These conditions certainly will lead to unstable heating, improper leveling or even burning of parts. Please use cable ties to fasten the wirings onto the holes above the extruder motor.

 

V – Apply Machine Oil onto Thread Rods

After a long time operation, it’s better to apply some machine oil onto the thread rod to make sure X-axis assembly moves smoothly along it without any vibration or noise. 

Apply appropriate amount of machine oil onto the thread rod. Manually move the X-axis assembly up and down to scatter the machine oil evenly along the thread rod; this can be also done by commanding the Z-axis movement through the touch screen.

VI – Tighten the X-axis and Y-axis Belt

When the X-axis or Y-axis belt becomes loose, the print head or the hot bed moves unstably and results in missed printing and shifted layers; thus, we should regularly check if the X-axis or the Y-axis belt becomes loose.

  Too loose X-axis belt

 

1. Loose the X-axis motor screws first and then push gear outward to tight the belt; hold the motor still and then retighten the four screws in diagonal order.

  Y-axis belt tightening

2. Loosen the Y-axis motor screws and then pull the motor gear towards the edge of the base to tighten the Y-axis belt; hold the gear still and then retighten the four mounting screws in diagonal order.

Periodically check if the belts are aged:

Manually move the print head and hotbed to feel the friction; if there is vibration or abnormal sound, touch the gear side of the belts with your finger to examine if they’re aged; if so, replace them with new belts.

Note:Be careful of your finger while doing so.

VII – Prevent Hot Bed wobbling

Please refer to part II to tighten the hotbed when vibration or wobbling happens on the hotbed. 

VIII – Untie Teflon Tube

  Untie Teflon tube

Remove the tape and untie the Teflon tube from the wirings to avoid filament bent inside the tube and provide smoother filament loading for hot end.

IX – Manual level the printer

Manual leveling is more accurate and reliable than auto leveling. Thus, it’s strongly recommended to do manual leveling before your first print.

X – Preheat before auto leveling the printer

Preheat before auto leveling will reduce the deviation caused by thermal expansion and contraction. So preheat your printer before auto leveling is also recommended.

XI – Clean Hotbed Surface

  Clean glass surface with dish soap

Cleaning the glass surface of the hotbed with dish soap will provide the better first layer of your print.

  Wipe the frosted surface with alcohol pad

If you’re printing on frosted surface, it’s better to clean it with alcohol pad.

XII – Keep a Stable ambient Temperature

  Close doors and windows to keep a stable temperature

Ambient temperature certainly affects 3d printing, especially when with ABS or nylon filament which is sensitive to temperature change. It’s better to close doors and windows to avoid air flowing caused temperature drop or rise. Insulation cover is a plus.

That’s all the 12 tips to do before your first printing on Anet ET4 or ET5 3D printers from the Kaki DIY channel to acquire a better printing. Don’t forget to try them if you’re facing relative problems in your daily printing.

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