When we try to bring the leadscrew up via the farmbot webapp it makes a sound like a grinding metal on metal situation with the flex coupling. Would adding a lubricant help that to not make that sound? Would it help to make the movement easier? What kind of lubricant is recommended?
Also, would it help our farmbot to add a sealant for the motor housing, just to ensure that water can’t get to the motor? Is there a recommended type of sealant?
You might try ensuring that the motor shaft and the leadscrew are not touching end-to-end inside the flex coupling. When they are touching, this can allow vibrations to transfer more easily and create additional noise.
I don’t have any recommendations for a sealant and do not think it is necessary unless perhaps you live in a very humid environment.
Yes, we live in a very humid climate. It rains almost everyday. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for us to try a sealant.
Greetings from Statesboro ga, I have also found that the lead screw to be noisy and worried about friction. I have used a DRY chain lubrication that can be found at a motorcycle store. This dry lube will not attract dust, dirt, or debri as regular wet lubricants do (i.e. gear grease, DW 40, etc). The dry lube is a little more expensive but worth it in the long run. So far it helps…
The lead screw is presumably stainless and the nut plate is Delrin (?).
These sites offer opinions regarding lubricating Delrin:
We’ve got:
Is the nut plate really Delrin? If so, almost any of these lubricants should be pretty good. The lithium grease will likely protect from corrosion better than anything else.
Thoughts?
We use white lithium grease on ours. True, it does attract dirt, but this just ensures that we check, clean and re-lube, which is not a bad thing. The noise went down dramatically. The stalls/skips/fails (especially going up) are a thing of the past.
A couple posts/links that are related:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lucas-Oil-Products-8-oz-White-Lithium-Grease/50353744
hope this helps…