Z Rattle
Z rattle on the 22 IDEX V4 bed: thumb nuts and securing screws are loose by design and homing rattles briefly, but squeaking or rumbling signals wear.
This article explains the rattling noise you may hear from the bed area of the Vision Miner 22IDEX V4. It separates the two very different situations behind the noise: normal rattle from parts that are intentionally loose by design (or from standard homing behavior), and noise caused by mechanical wear, which does need attention. Read below to tell one from the other.
Before you begin - safety and risk
Read the Safety - Before You Begin article to understand the hazards involved in working on the Vision Miner 22IDEX V4 - including electrical, thermal, mechanical, and chemical risks. All procedures in this wiki are provided as recommendations only. By choosing to follow any procedure, you do so at your own risk.
Normal Rattle - By Design
Rattling from the Bed Hardware
Two groups of fasteners on the bed can rattle, and both are supposed to be loose.
The four thumb nuts holding the build plate. The carbon fiber build plate is held on the bed by four hand-tightened thumb nuts. These nuts can simply rattle during motion. This is normal.
The bed securing screws. The bed itself sits on a kinematic mount and is held by three securing screws that are intentionally loose - the bed must be free to move so it can expand when heated. These screws can rattle too, and that is normal: they are supposed to have play. If the rattling bothers you, you can lock each screw with its nut from below (counter-nut) while keeping the required play. See Build Plate Securing Screws for how the mount works and how to adjust the nuts correctly.
Rattling During Homing
If the bed is already fully lowered and you press Home All, the bed still tries to move down once more as part of the homing sequence. During this moment you may hear a brief rattling from the Z-axis.
This is normal homing behavior - the noise stops as soon as the homing move completes, and it does not damage the machine.
Noise from Mechanical Wear - Needs Attention
The rattles above are short, familiar, and tied to motion or homing. Noise from mechanical wear sounds and behaves differently: it appears during regular movement, gets worse over time, and is often accompanied by rough or stiff motion. If what you hear matches one of these, do not ignore it:
- Squeaking or stiff Z movement, especially above the midpoint of travel - the lead screws need cleaning and lubrication. See Lubrication.
- Rumbling or gritty noise during smooth moves - worn bearings. See Bearings Check.
If you are not sure which case you are dealing with, record a short video with sound and contact our support team - noise is much easier to diagnose by ear.
Support
If you could not find an answer here, reach out to our support team.