Upgraded 3D printer

Well as I mentioned before I got a 3D printer a couple of months back, well since then I've been on a bit of an upgrade mission replacing electronics and over bits and decided to build a new frame for it out of 20x40 aluminum extrusion. Plenty of plans available online so I went with the AM8 style.

Build still nowhere near finished, frame and everything is done but got some extra parts coming and a whole lot of writing to do (decided to rebuild wiring from scratch so sizing is perfect as currently got some wires which are guitar string tight and others with enough slack to do a 2nd loop round printer).

But was just toting up what bits I'll have left over that are replaced by upgraded parts and what I can did with them and well it turns out I am one stepper motor short of a full 2nd printer .

So this one is technically a full from scratch build. All plastic parts on frame are 3D printed some from existing designs for plan of printer, others are custom designs to fit my hardware.

My current printer (modified from original, no longer has screen and controls as it is all web controlled now via wifi).

Side by side with new frame...

Some of frame build, ran out of purple filament towards the end ...

The print carriage (head holder is all my design to accommodate correct fan height, levelling sensor etc...) this one currently only has 1 hot end for ease of setup once I've got everything put together, finished article will have 2 so one can provide support material, different nozzle size, different colour etc...

Currently build been going on for close to a month so far (kind of makes 6 hour initial kit build look better) but hoping to have complete by end of next week (main delays are still waiting for some parts, could technically use what I have but then would have to strip and recalibrate again after parts turn up so just being patient).

Oh the joy of having so much time on ones hands to play

Oh the joy of having so much time on ones hands to play

Yeah it's great total opposite of normal lol

Looking good.

So are we still looking forward to the printed TMBF superbike arriving on schedule?

Love the printed parts. There must be a word for something that can fix itself?

A system that adapts to feedback is cybernetic but that is not quite right for this.

The machines are replicating... Be afraid!!

A von Neumann machine

It is great especially now I'm getting quite good with openscad. I needed to do a bracket the other day to hold a switch in place, previously would have had to have found a suitable material to make it from, measure it up and cut / join bits into shape needed, drill holes etc... Now can just type few lines of code, send file over and then watch TV while printer does all the work.

Admittedly most of work has gone into producing another printer lately though

Oh and unfortunately someone beat me to it with motorcycle...

https://youtu.be/z_FWXkpLikg

So are we still looking forward to the printed TMBF superbike arriving on schedule?

Love the printed parts. There must be a word for something that can fix itself?

.....there is.....

That word is "Terminator"......

He'll be back......

A system that adapts to feedback is cybernetic but that is not quite right for this.

No, this is more of a "cyberdyne" system.....

I want your boots, your clothes and your motorcycle.

I want your boots, your clothes and your motorcycle.

....you didn't say please.....haw haw, etc.etc.......

Stripped down old printer today and started getting everything added on new one, so much wiring to do

But first nightmare, the Z rods don't line up with hole in bottom mount, they are about 1-2mm over, not sure what to do atm wether to crack on and hope I can modify it slightly or rebuild old printer and print new ones...

Got wiring for 3 motors done at least, only another 3 to go (and end stops, fans, temperature sensors, heaters and bed levelling sensor) but got 3 motors wired in

What will your new upgraded printer do that the original printer can’t?

What will your new upgraded printer do that the original printer can’t?

Nothing more really, but the frame is a lot more rigid so will allow for much higher printing speeds without causing frame to wobble. Also have space for 2nd extruder now which means I can print with 2 different filaments, main option being support material (such as PVA) which would allow now complex prints by putting the support material in gaps that would normally be a struggle to print over, then pop print in water after and it dissolves all the PVA.

Plus wouldn't be much work now to put in a bigger build space if I wanted to just need to get some longer aluminum extrusion.

Fixed yesterday's issue now, nice to sleep on things at times .

Didn't want to enlarge the rod holder hole as that is what provides all the stability, so enlarged the motor screw holes to make them oblong, that gave all the movement I needed to move motor slightly closer to rod and add a washer, works perfect and once all screwed down can't see the difference.

Annoyed with the screws though, bought these new yesterday as needed a few more, the heads appear to be made out of chocolate.

What will your new upgraded printer do that the original printer can’t?

Sweet innocent that I am (ahem) thought I don't get the link between Wolfie Smiths Power to the People and a printer upgrade

"...main option being support material (such as PVA) which would allow now complex prints by putting the support material in gaps that would normally be a struggle to print over, then pop print in water after and it dissolves all the PVA."

[mention]Via[/mention] Theres definitely a word for that thing where a material is dissolved or burnt away leaving the intended structure behind, I just can't remember what it is! It sounds like you're gonna get far more accurate results on more complicated pieces.

I think screws should have a strength rating on them so you know before you start if theyre gonna round themselves off at least then you'd have the option of buying something decent. We used to have a place round here called nuts n bolts where you could go in and buy just 1 or 2 screws very cheaply and they only sold quality. Now its £5 for a pack of dubious one use only rubbish.

"...main option being support material (such as PVA) which would allow now complex prints by putting the support material in gaps that would normally be a struggle to print over, then pop print in water after and it dissolves all the PVA."

@Via Theres definitely a word for that thing where a material is dissolved or burnt away leaving the intended structure behind, I just can't remember what it is! It sounds like you're gonna get far more accurate results on more complicated pieces

From what I remember in the dim and distant olden days when I was an apprentice- In metal casting, it’s called the ‘lost wax’ process - complex shapes that cannot be removed from a mould are created in wax, when the molten metal is poured/injected in not the mould the wax burned off and dissipates.

"...main option being support material (such as PVA) which would allow now complex prints by putting the support material in gaps that would normally be a struggle to print over, then pop print in water after and it dissolves all the PVA."

@Via Theres definitely a word for that thing where a material is dissolved or burnt away leaving the intended structure behind, I just can't remember what it is! It sounds like you're gonna get far more accurate results on more complicated pieces.

I think screws should have a strength rating on them so you know before you start if theyre gonna round themselves off at least then you'd have the option of buying something decent. We used to have a place round here called nuts n bolts where you could go in and buy just 1 or 2 screws very cheaply and they only sold quality. Now its £5 for a pack of dubious one use only rubbish.

Yeah does open up a lot of opportunities for more complex designs.

Tbh the screws were just a cheap Amazon set, couldn't be bothered to measure up what I needed so just grabbed a set of different sizes, not got the stresses of an internal combustion engine to worry about for a change so thought they'd be ok, effectively they are just pointless, if they can't be screwed into a little stepper motor without rounding off then what they could possibly be used for

Finally finished main build and done a couple of prints. All working ok

Having to run 2 power supplies atm, 12V for heated bed and 24V for everything else as the 24V bed that turned up was typical eBay quality...

Have also come up with an idea for inverting the Z axis which will give me a higher print area as only got 300mm lead screw motors plus lose a lot of that with height of X carriage, not seen anyone do that with this build before so either a new idea or it won't work, but won't know until I try it.

Still on single extruder as a lot of fine tuning left to do plus need to finish my head design as will need a different fan duct and mount.

“Have also come up with an idea for inverting the Z axis which will give me a higher print area as only got 300mm lead screw motors plus lose a lot of that with height of X carriage, not seen anyone do that with this build before so either a new idea or it won't work, but won't know until I try it.”

Allow me to translate “fla fla flaaa doo doo di di da ba ta foo foo”

That’s how much I understood

I jest I take the mickey whilst bowing at the alter who knows what the hell that means and can make it happen

Crikey that’s going to need its own room

“Have also come up with an idea for inverting the Z axis which will give me a higher print area as only got 300mm lead screw motors plus lose a lot of that with height of X carriage, not seen anyone do that with this build before so either a new idea or it won't work, but won't know until I try it.”

Allow me to translate “fla fla flaaa doo doo di di da ba ta foo foo”

That’s how much I understood

I jest I take the mickey whilst bowing at the alter who knows what the hell thar means and can make it happen

basically the spinning things at bottom with the swirly rods on I want to move to the top