Step 03.17 — Tighten one bolt only¶
Step 17 of 20 · Chapter 03 — Build plate
Tap to enlarge
Parts:
- the four M3×20 SHCS · already on the bench
- 2.5 mm hex key · tool
Do:
- Tighten any one bolt fully. Use the front-left one so you remember which.
- Leave the other three slightly loose. They locate the plate, not clamp it.
- Torque is not specified: snug by hand feel, no torque driver.
Check
One bolt tight, the other three turnable with a fingertip on the hex key. A free corner gives slightly and returns.
What you're looking at
Manual p.59 and its DON'T TIGHTEN rule. One bolt locates the plate; the other three stay loose so the aluminium can grow as it heats. Clamped at all four corners and taken to 110 °C, a plate this size buckles for good.
Caution
Rev D+ / LDO: none — the manual's DON'T TIGHTEN rule stands unchanged (p.59). Aluminium at 110 °C grows against a steel-bolted frame; three loose bolts are what lets it grow.
Good stopping point · ~35 min since the last one
the plate is on its four thumb-nut spacers, set 38 mm behind the frame's front edge and centred, one bolt tight and three deliberately loose, cables loose above the deck. This is the natural stop: the plate is bolted and the assembly is stable. Do not tighten the other three bolts.
Source: Voron manual p.59