¶ Belt tensioning procedure
The correct belt tension is essential to a coreXY motion system. A loose belt or belt slop, can cause lots of issues in 3D printing, such as circles looking like ovals.
The belt and the gantry form a mass-spring system, with the belt being the spring(k) and the gantry being the mass (m). The natural frequency of the system is f=sqrt(k/m). Having a loose belt reduces the k, and the f, which in turn affects vibration compensation.
X1 monitors belt tension through this equation f=sqrt(k/m). During calibration, the motors will generate vibrations at various frequencies and look for the resonance, which happens when the input frequency is equal to the natural frequency. We call this operation frequency sweep, and it generates quite some noise with an increasing pitch.
When the X1 finds that the natural frequency has changed, it is time to tighten the belt. It is a semi-automatic process and can be done with a simple operation.
¶ Belt tensioning steps:
- IMPORTANT: Power OFF the printer first.
- Loosen the 4 screws of the belt-tensioner (but DO NOT remove them), then gently move the toolhead back and forth several times, and finally move it to the rear end of the printer. Then, tighten the 4 screws again. The spring system in the belt-tensioner will tighten the belt to the correct tension.
- IMPORTANT: DO NOT overtighten the belt tensioning screws. Doing that can cause damage and will not provide better results. Simply tighten both screws like any other screws and don't over-torque them.
¶ Cleaning Guide for Carbon Rods
We also made this video showing how to clean the carbon fiber rods.
This procedure can be considered as a belt tensioning and carbon rods cleaning procedure. If you follow this video, you won't need to re-do the belt tensioning procedure as shown in the previous video.
Note:During the belt tension adjustment, before tightening the screws, please move the axis to the end as shown below.
Please learn more about the steps from Wiki How to clean the carbon rods for Bambu Lab Printers
¶ Calibrate
After the belt tensioning operation is completed, the resonant frequency identification needs to be recalibrated to record the new resonance characteristics of the equipment.
The X1 series printer can be calibrated directly from the screen.
P1 series and X1 series devices can both be calibrated using Bambu Studio.
