So...I purchased a Maker Tool Works MiniMax 3D printer kit back in the end of 2015 which came with OpenBuilds linear extrusions & wheels. Finally got around to assembling it (was in storage after an unexpected move). Everything works great, wheels are conforming to the linear rails / extrusions with some "dust". The wheels are a softer translucent rubber material. It would cost me $25-90 to upgrade the wheels to the current ones sold in the OpenBuilds Parts store depending upon if I bought just the wheels or the full wheel kits and which versions of the wheels I went with. General questions I have: 1. Is there any reason to upgrade the wheels if the printer is working fine? [Arguments against is I wouldn't want to to the work or spend the money for no benefits..] 2. How is the longevity of the 2015 era wheels, anybody with older builds have comments? (My understanding is that the wheel dust I see is common as the wheels adjust to the specific extrusions they are riding in....so perhaps they will last longer than I keep the printer...) 3. If I were to buy just wheels, would the bearings that came with 2015 wheel kits work fine? (No design changes, old bearings ok?) General comments and suggestions appreciated. Thanks, Jay
I perhaps miss-described the wheels. They came as wheel kits in OpenBuilds branded plastic bags. They are not soft rubber wheels, and appear to be a very hard rubber or soft plastic. They look most like the "extreme solid v" wheels on the website but appear a bit more translucent (less white) which might just be a lighting difference. (I could not find the "openbuilds" text around the rim of the wheels, but I do see some text that could be "openbuilds" around the side of the bearings (black plastic bearing retaining side walls). Just wondering how your 2015 offerings compared to the current offerings.
Ok, Polycarbonate (Xtreme) then. Hasn't been any major changes since, but sitting for 7 years could have led to some degradation of the materials.
The bearings and shims should all work if you choose to just replace the polycarbonate. I bought some in the 2016 time frame and have used the same bearings and shims for replacement polycarbonate wheels that had a mishap (my fault) causing a few to get cracked.
Thanks! Good to know the bearings/washers are standard. Currently everything appears to be working fine so I think I'll just leave well enough alone unless I notice issues.
This is the level of wear I'm seeing on the V-wheels. The manual said to expect them to wear down to fit the extrusion, but it sure seems like a lot of "dust" and wear, so I'm wondering if what is shown in the photo above would be considered "normal" or not? Jay
