Anti-wobble design for Lulzbot Taz 6, Taz Pro (With Lead Screw Mod Only) Low Profile

thingiverse

Hey gang, This is an attempt at a simple but (I think) novel approach to anti-wobble for the Taz 6. User: Piercet had made a prototype design for the Taz 6 (super nice guy, btw, helped me understand how anti-wobble worked in general) but unfortunately it wouldn't fit on my stock Taz 6 carriage - there was not enough clearance for it as the cones were recessed. In addition, that design required quite a few moving parts, and dropped your build volume about 27mm. That got me thinking 'is there a simpler way'. Enter this. Fundamentally, what you need to do to prevent Z-Lead-Screw wobble is to decouple the lead screw from the X axis without taking away the ability to move up and down. This is relatively simple on the Taz 6 because of the rear 10mm rails, and the dual 12mm rails on the X carriage - they work to stabilize the carriage even if the lead screw is decoupled through something like this design. This design should only drop your build volume by ~13mm, assuming you discard (set aside) the "flexy washers" that were originally shipped on the Taz 6, or ~15mm if you want to keep them. They're probably not needed if you're using this, since A) it's printed in Nylon which is mildly soft and slightly flexible, and B) the function of those flexy washers had to do with relieving torque pressure and compensating for uneven torque. Don't overtorque your screws when installing (to ensure you don't crack the Z-Lead-Nut), and you should be fine, since the other part (compensation for uneven torque) is less important here because this decouples the axis. I kept them on in my case just 'cuz. These parts should be printed in Nylon because they are 'functional', kind of like a living hinge. The success of this depends on the shoe on this being able to 'slip and slide' around, and Nylon is a super slippery, super durable material that is really rather wear resistant. I'm also going to be adding a dab of silicone grease with PTFE (plastic safe; I used "Super Lube Silicone Lubricating Compound with Syncolon PTFE) in between the shoe and the mount, even though I figure that's probably overkill. I'll also be using threadlocker on the interface between the Z lead screw and the outer shell, to ensure the screws don't work themselves loose due to the 'intentional play' that is in the design to allow the slippage. Just in case it's not clear, you tighten the top screws (the screws that hold the z-nut to the z-reciever part here), but you keep the lower screws loose - tighten them /just to the point where it starts to "bite" (eg, gently move the Z lead screw around, as you're tightening the lower screws, and just as it starts to get tight, back it off a tiny bit, and use threadlocker to lock the screws in this position. The lower screws in this design are acting like a floating "pin", not so much a screw. Threadlocker is highly recommended as, otherwise, I would anticipate those screws working loose which might cause your Z axis to drop and smash into the glass unexpectedly one day. As usual, this will void your warranty, and all of this is done at your own risk. If you break your machine, or if your carriage crashes into the table one day because of this design, or, really, whatever - I'm disclaiming all liability by your choice to use this design. No warranties are expressed or implied. Use at your own risk. Update: As of 3/12/2020, I've confirmed this works; there is a 'sample print' which shows a 'before anti wobble' and 'after anti wobble' pic. This was originally posted as 'work in progress' and I promised I'd update once I had a chance to test it.