Got some work done on the XY axes. Had to make some dado cuts with my circular saw for my belt paths. Need to finish up my extruder carriage then it'll be ready for electronics. Here are some pics:
Got the X carriage done and one of the belt paths done. Also laying out the 21"x20"x 1/4" aluminum build plate.
Thanks Mark! Currently the print size is roughly 11" x 21" with total build size at 24"x27"x24". I lost a lot of print area in the x-axis due to my carriage plates. I'm sure it can be optimized, but I was willing to sacrifice some for good rigidity and convenience. I've also made some significant design changes on the z-axis. I found having 4 z-axis motors was a mess to wire to my RAMPs board. I'm going to try a closed belt driven setup with a 5:1 geared nema 17 motor and 3 screws. Will make the wiring much simpler with a single motor.
Still thats a great size for a printer as rigid as it is. I say great job! I like the idea of simplifying the table motors down to one. I think over all it will make for a much easier build. Mark
Got the new 3 screw z-axis setup with my geared Nema 17. Utilizes 77" closed loop XL timing belt and aluminum 25 tooth XL pulleys. Also finished XY belts. Ready for movement tests:
I wonder if you could get more belt contact on the z stepper motor if you were to side it closer to one of the corners? It looks like it could slip a "tooth" unless the belt is very tight. Also, with the size of the "lift" would a small nema 23 be a better choice? If you have any problem with the 17 being under powered and you don't already have one to try, I have a few recycled nema 23, 130 ozin stepper motors, and I'd be happy to send you one to try out. I've ran these with a with a ramps board with full power and standard ramps chips. No obligation, I'm excited by this build and wouldn't want to see it stalled for lack of a stepper. Larry
Hi Stargeezer, thanks for your interest! I agree, belt slip on the z-axis pulleys is a concern for me. I'm limited by the length in closed belt I could get from McMastercarr. The longest length was 77". I thought about doing a two belt approach, which I may still try. I found with the current z-axis belt my filament is going to be rubbing against it. That may or may not be an additional issue. I've been busy the past couple weeks with my first child so I haven't been able to get further on it. Hopefully I can get my electronics installed and some movement tests done in the next couple weeks!
"Busy with your first child" Oh Boy, do I know that trek! Mine is 38yo and sometimes I think she's really a newborn. That said the experiences and joy of those first days are as sharp in my memories as anything in my 60 years. Your priorities are in the right place my friend and when life allows you to be involved with thing of much less importance, we'll be looking for a update. Blessings to you and your first.
Any updates on this project? I'm loving this design. I am a welder fabricator by trade. I'm thinking this design will be my first 3D printer build. I like how you are able to build it without any 3D printed parts since I don't have a 3 d printer yet. I was thinking instead of drilling custom brackets out of aluminum I would just use gantry plates from the openbuilds parts. It would make it more modular. How did you make the bearing mounts for the Z axis lead screws? I was also thinking I will put the Z axis motors on the bottom with the belts so I don't bump into them. I would love to see some updates on this project. Maybe even some photos or even a video of it printing.
Hi James, thanks for the compliment! Like you mentioned I realized I was going to be bumping into my belt path frequently with my filament and hotend wiring. I'm going to redesign it so that the belt path runs at the bottom. I've suspended progress on it since I've been busy finishing up grad school and raising my first born, . They bring a lot of joy, but man they hurt your projects, . Hopefully soon I can finish it, lol. Still need to finish the holder for my extruder, and set up my endstops. My bearing mounts were 3D printed; I've attached the .stl file and .scad file. I will try to get some more progress done in the coming weeks and post pics of the redesign. Thanks for posting that link Rick! That will help having additional options for belt lengths
hi farmer, been down the new born avenue already. well, my son is going on 4 soon, but playing horsey with daddy is most exciting when daddy is busy soldering those thin 26 ga. wires to the contacts of the end stops. needless to say, when you're soldering with a toddler going giddy up on your back, most likely you have to redo your work. talk about project hurting, huh? regardless, he is my finest '3d print' work ever. I wish you and your family nothing but the best.
I have a hard enough time soldering wires to endstops, can't imagine trying it with the little one, lol. I totally agree with you on our best work. Thank you for the wishes and wish you the best as well, Val!
Hi runninfarmer, been printing with my self build reprap for about a year now and am ready to try something special. I am loving the pics and was wondering how you plan to keep the extruder wiring and filament out of the way presuming it comes in from above? Are you going for direct drive extruders or bowden to eek a little more speed? I am also wondering if the XY support runs could go on the outside of the cage to give the inside more printable area. This is giving me more ideas than I was ready for LOL! Keep up the good work and keep these pics coming, they are a real inspiration.
Hi Wombaticus, thanks for the comments! I've been slacking on this build. Yeah, I wasn't thinking when I put my Z-axis belt at top. I'm going to reconfigure the whole thing to have it at the bottom. I may also change up my X and Y axes to get more of a square print area. I've never had good luck with bowden but I may try both configurations. I have a little more time now, so I can resume work on it.
Hi Farmer, happy to see you are working on things again. We need BIG BUILDS! Blessings to you and yours as we head into Christmas! Larry
Merry Christmas to you Larry! Samson's been moved to my science classroom. Got it tore down. Gotta do some designing. Looking like I'm gonna have to order some longer leadscrews. If anyone has 3 1 m long screws, I have 6X 450 mm screws I'd trade for them. Anyhow here are some pics:
After graduating, moving and finally settling in I have time to get back to this project. I've decided to abandon the XYZ gantry and combine this design with my Core-V design. I'm now going to have a moving table and have the CoreXY kinematic a on the top. This also eliminates the complicated machining I had done previously. This way you can use the V-slot for the idlers. Here's a couple pics:
Great to see the progress! And the design mods. I was looking back through your build pics a couple weeks ago, looking for some inspiration for my next printer build. I don't want to spill the beans yet, but after playing with the notion of a fixed bed for months, I had finally decided that the bed HAD to move. If you are still seeking 1 meter long Acme screws, what diameter do you need? I'm a hardware junkie (my wife spells it a-d-d-i-c-t ) I just might have some. I need to check. I'm pretty sure I have 36" pieces, but I don't know about 1 meter.
Hi Larry, Good to hear you have another build in the works! Looking forward to seeing it on here! I agree, it's just easier to have a moving bed. I'm getting more build area now that I'm utilizing the top frame for XY. I lucked out and can use the same screws from before with the moving table. Thanks for the offer though ! Just have to redesign my XY motor mounts and then I'll be waiting on parts and a couple more plates to fab. Then I can run through some movements finally
Got mechanicals pretty much done, waiting on some belts and motors. Have a decent size gap between bed frame and hotend carriage. May have to mount build plate on some long springs or spacers. Hate to give up utilizing the top of frame did idlers and such. Here's a few more pics:
Hi Justin, That has been a concern of mine but I'm going to try it without modification first. I've tested it and saw no slipping. It's already holding up significant weight. I may not do autoleveling so it wont' be constantly moving, just continuous fine z-axis stepping. I'm not blinded to the potential issue though, if need be I'll add spaced idlers for those pulleys, and I can move the stepper around to get more belt length.
Got my parts in. CoreXY motors are mounted along with belts and stacked idlers. Just need to get limit switches mounted and my electronics and it will be ready for movement tests.
Got all the mechanics wired up to my Ramps board and controller. Here's a pic: Here's a video of the dry run, build plate not installed yet:
Samson is now printing! Got the Bowden E3D lite working pretty well. Bought a 630 W 120v heat cable for the underside of my 1/8th" build plate. Here's a video of the test print and a couple pics, one showing the heat cable attached to the bed.
