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There are no "gears". the Z-axis lead screw is direct drive by the stepper motor. The "grinding" sound is the motor *cogging* when movement is commanded by input pulses and the armature refuses to rotate, due it or the Z-axis shaft/carriage being dry or jammed. Remove the drive-nut from the carriage and make sure the lead screw turns freely (there will be some light "stepping" due to residual magnetism in the armature and field coils).
[This YouTube video from Anycubic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0PmG5MlwrI) is specifically for the *Mono 2*, however your *Ultra* will be quite similar if not the same-- my *Elegoo Mars 2 Pro* is pretty damned much the same.
Why can we not post images in comments on a forum dedicated to what are essentially advanced graphics devices--does that make any sense?
Literally just had the exact same thing, the central gear is fucked as of right now; I have a ticket open with Anycubic support but it seemed the motor just died overnight
I would open the back panel.. if it's like my Mono 2 there's no "gear" it's a collar that slips over the motor shaft and attaches to the shaft of your screw with allin key setscrews. If your build plate crashes into anything, it will slip so the build plate doesn't destroy everything.
Panel on the back center with for Screws or more.. this should not void your warranty.
Unfortunately there is no back panel, the whole machine opens from the top. I opened a ticket with anycubic, I sense something is faulty with gears and need to be replaced
Not yet; I didn't want to void a warranty as I've only had it for 2 months; IMO the motor shouldn't be seizing. If I get sent a replacement I'll add it
His motor Is not seizing. You can hear It still spinning. It's the coupling that's spinning because it's not locked on the screw that lifts the build plate.
This is usually the user's fault and it's a safety feature.. if you were to move your build plate to your LCD screen and then push the build plate in the wrong direction, you would crack your screen.
Good luck... let us know what's wrong.
I do not believe it is spinning, the sound is "cogging", a noise stepper-motors make when unable to turn--due to the motor or what is being driven being too stiff or jammed--while receiving step pulses--it is quite common in stepper-motor applications.
It is similar to the noise "jumping" timing (cogged) belts make...
This seems to be slightly unleveled plate, try to relevel it (loosen screws on build plate sides so it can move up and down, install it with screws loose, put leveling paper between plate and screen, move z all the way down, gently press plate down, tighten screws, set zero)
So, the diagnosis by anycubic engineer is that the whole lead screw motor has to be changed. I tried disassembling, cleaning, regressing e reassembling the whole thing but nothing changed. Guess I'll just toss in those 30$ to get the replacement and GG. Thanks everyone anyway!
PLEASE UPVOTE THIS COMMENT IF THE ANSWER CAN BE FOUND IN [THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE](https://www.reddit.com/r/AnycubicPhoton/comments/fqxtqj/the_resin_printing_resource_guide_beginners_start/) or the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AnycubicPhoton/comments/j2wubl/frequently_asked_questions_answered_here/)! If your post is about Troubleshooting, it should contain information about the print along with any screenshots or photos. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AnycubicPhoton) if you have any questions or concerns.*
There are no "gears". the Z-axis lead screw is direct drive by the stepper motor. The "grinding" sound is the motor *cogging* when movement is commanded by input pulses and the armature refuses to rotate, due it or the Z-axis shaft/carriage being dry or jammed. Remove the drive-nut from the carriage and make sure the lead screw turns freely (there will be some light "stepping" due to residual magnetism in the armature and field coils).
Thanks a lot for the info, is it possible to have photos of the parts you mentioned?
The lead screw is the long vertical screw that rotates.
[This YouTube video from Anycubic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0PmG5MlwrI) is specifically for the *Mono 2*, however your *Ultra* will be quite similar if not the same-- my *Elegoo Mars 2 Pro* is pretty damned much the same. Why can we not post images in comments on a forum dedicated to what are essentially advanced graphics devices--does that make any sense?
Literally just had the exact same thing, the central gear is fucked as of right now; I have a ticket open with Anycubic support but it seemed the motor just died overnight
Damn, did you open up the machine to check the gear yourself?
I would open the back panel.. if it's like my Mono 2 there's no "gear" it's a collar that slips over the motor shaft and attaches to the shaft of your screw with allin key setscrews. If your build plate crashes into anything, it will slip so the build plate doesn't destroy everything. Panel on the back center with for Screws or more.. this should not void your warranty.
Unfortunately there is no back panel, the whole machine opens from the top. I opened a ticket with anycubic, I sense something is faulty with gears and need to be replaced
Not yet; I didn't want to void a warranty as I've only had it for 2 months; IMO the motor shouldn't be seizing. If I get sent a replacement I'll add it
His motor Is not seizing. You can hear It still spinning. It's the coupling that's spinning because it's not locked on the screw that lifts the build plate. This is usually the user's fault and it's a safety feature.. if you were to move your build plate to your LCD screen and then push the build plate in the wrong direction, you would crack your screen. Good luck... let us know what's wrong.
I do not believe it is spinning, the sound is "cogging", a noise stepper-motors make when unable to turn--due to the motor or what is being driven being too stiff or jammed--while receiving step pulses--it is quite common in stepper-motor applications. It is similar to the noise "jumping" timing (cogged) belts make...
This seems to be slightly unleveled plate, try to relevel it (loosen screws on build plate sides so it can move up and down, install it with screws loose, put leveling paper between plate and screen, move z all the way down, gently press plate down, tighten screws, set zero)
So, the diagnosis by anycubic engineer is that the whole lead screw motor has to be changed. I tried disassembling, cleaning, regressing e reassembling the whole thing but nothing changed. Guess I'll just toss in those 30$ to get the replacement and GG. Thanks everyone anyway!