3D printer maintenance

Keep the machine printing: nozzle and hotend care, belts, lead screws, lubrication, and the checks worth doing before a long print.

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Maintenance is mostly four things: a clean nozzle, a clean build surface, correct belt tension and the right lubricant in the right place. Doing them on a schedule takes minutes; skipping them turns into the troubleshooting guides in the other sections.

Cold pull: cleaning a clogged nozzleThe routine that clears a partial clog without dismantling the hotend.
How to change a nozzleHot tightening and torque — the part that stops leaks later.
How to clean a build plateGlass, PEI and textured surfaces each want a different method.
Calibrating belt tensionHow tight is tight enough, and how to check it repeatably.
Lubrication guideWhich lubricant belongs on rods and lead screws, and which never does.