What is the best lubricant for the Z axis lead screw? Do I need to lubricate the Z axis lead screw?



These are some questions I will answer in the never ending pursuit of print perfection.

Do I need to lubricate the Z axis screw?

Well…most likely not. Chances are people have been printing with the same printer for 1000s of hours without lubricating the screw with no failures due to Z screw. There are however, a few reasons why I believe it will only help to lubricate with no down side.

1) Prevent the accumulation of dust and debris.

Over time I noticed small amounts of dirt and grit collecting in the screw threads. Build up enough gunk and it will slow down the movement of the screw and lead to binding.

The perfect remedy for this is using a dry lubricant. My dry lube of choice is PTFE or Teflon. PTFE has an extremely low coefficient of friction.

So low in fact, that geckos and insects will fail to grip onto a surface coated with PTFE. This slick layer applied to the screw will reduce the amount of particles settling on the screw and brush right off.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytetrafluoroethylene



Why not other lubricants?

Because using a heavy grease or certain oils may actually trap the dust and debris accelerating wear.

2) Reduce binding of the screw.

Since there is metal on metal contact between the screw and brass nut, it would be in our best interest to reduce as much friction as possible. PTFE will help reduce friction between these components.



Side Pro Tip: Don’t over-tighten these two screws for mounting the brass nut. You want to make them snug but not overly tight as it will not allow screw freedom of movement.

Ender 3 Z Axis Lead Screw Brass Nut

How to apply?

The first step is cleaning your screw. What I did was thread it through a soft brush to get rid of all of the debris trapped in the threads.

After that, I cleaned the rod with isopropyl alcohol and a shop towel to dry.

Once all the prep work is done, it is time to lube!

The PTFE dry lubricant I chose was:

DuPont Teflon Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant Aerosol Spray, 10 Oz. (Not Sponsored)

Hold the rod vertically and spray nice even coats going up and down while periodically rotating rod to hit the entire surface. The key here is creating an even film around the screw.

Once that is done, run your Z axis up and down a few times and you will be good to go. If you have any issues or comments please feel free to contact me.