[attachment 83709 FullView.JPG]
Hello All,
After recently learning about CoreXY, and having a fair bit of experience with both Cartesian and Delta printers, I had a design caught in my head that I just couldn't get rid of. Solidworks is a great antidote for that, and so I am presenting here some of my first attempts at turning my ideas into reality.
I wanted to incorporate linear rails and slides into this project, as I have had great experience with them in the past for projects like a 24x36 inch CNC router. I was surprised at the cost drop recently for smaller rails like the MGN12, so I decided to design the CoreXY mechanism around them. I also wanted to get away from the "cube of extrusion" style that dominates the CoreXY community - I have nothing against the t-slot rails and the designs that use them; but I just feel there are plenty of them around already, and I wanted to contribute something different.
[attachment 83710 SideView.png]
[attachment 83718 CoreXYLinearRails.JPG]
Having graduated from PLA to ABS recently, I am becoming aware of the benefits of a fully enclosed printing space to maintain a more controlled ambient temperature environment. Instead of building an enclosure around the structure, I chose to incorporate the enclosure into the structure. Thus, the linear rails for Y and Z are mounted directly to side plates in a double "T" arrangement; ensuring that the rails are co-planar. I used 400mm rails for Y and Z, with a 450mm rail for X connected between them. I haven't yet determined the exact printing envelope, but it is definitely greater than the 300x300 I was shooting for. A back panel is incorporated currently as a 1/8" plexi part, but it might be beefed up to prevent racking of the sides, and a front cover is yet to be designed - I can envision a single or double hinged door, a sliding panel, or some other arrangement.
[attachment 83719 CoreXYMechanism.JPG]
I tried to minimize the number of connecting parts, in part because I have always liked the idea of injection molding printed parts if volumes get to an appropriate scale. As such, I have reduced the number of unique plastic parts to 4: the XY Joiner/Z Support (6 instances), the Idler Support (2), the X Carriage (1 or 2 for dual extrusion), and the 30mm Fan Duct (2 per X Carriage). The Joiner is designed to be symmetrical so it can be used on both sides of the X rail, and does double duty by providing the connection between the Z Plate and the Z slides.
[attachment 83716 XYJoiner.jpg]
[attachment 83717 zdetail.JPG]
The Idler support is designed to mount on the same metal right-angle stepper mounts to guarantee pulley alignment,
[attachment 83713 IdlerInsert.jpg]
and the X Carriage at the moment is a very simple Bowden mount with support for two fan ducts (which are probably overkill, particularly for ABS).
[attachment 83715 XCarriage.jpg]
[attachment 83711 BeltConnectionDetail.jpg]
Variations on the X Carriage will be easy to derive, as they only need to implement the MGN12H hole pattern for mounting.
The side panels are interesting in that they are designed as a sandwich with a layer of 1/4" clear acrylic in the center (the outer panels at this point will probably be 1/4" MDF/Melamine, but I am also looking at foamed PVC, ABS sheet, and other materials). The idea is to place some of the LED lighting strip inside the inner panel to illuminate the side panel in an inset edge. I will probably start with RGB strip under Arduino control so that the color can change in various states, such as green for a completed print, or red (maybe flashing) to indicate errors. One benefit is that these color cues would be visible from across the room to indicate if attention is needed. Another thought is to use individually addressable NeoPixels to build a bar graph of print progress that would also be visible from afar.
[attachment 83714 SidePanelwithLightedInset.JPG]
I am completely aware that there is very little in the way of original thought in this design, but I wanted to present it here at this stage to get feedback from the community as to design deficiencies, things I might have overlooked, or to give those who might have developed similar designs an opportunity to contribute their experiences, good and bad. I tried to look through the archive for similar designs, but I didn't get too far (I am readily caught by a good build log). So if anyone knows of a similar design that they could point me to for study, I would appreciate it. And I am very willing to accept criticism of the design from those who know this field better than me - I would prefer to know the weak points now rather than having to redesign later.
I am slowly collecting parts to begin actually building a prototype of this design, and will post progress pics and renders as they develop. I am also willing to share my 2013 Solidworks files (and generic derivatives) for others to examine and modify once I am satisfied that they are worthwhile.
Thanks for your consideration and comment,
Dave
Hello All,
After recently learning about CoreXY, and having a fair bit of experience with both Cartesian and Delta printers, I had a design caught in my head that I just couldn't get rid of. Solidworks is a great antidote for that, and so I am presenting here some of my first attempts at turning my ideas into reality.
I wanted to incorporate linear rails and slides into this project, as I have had great experience with them in the past for projects like a 24x36 inch CNC router. I was surprised at the cost drop recently for smaller rails like the MGN12, so I decided to design the CoreXY mechanism around them. I also wanted to get away from the "cube of extrusion" style that dominates the CoreXY community - I have nothing against the t-slot rails and the designs that use them; but I just feel there are plenty of them around already, and I wanted to contribute something different.
[attachment 83710 SideView.png]
[attachment 83718 CoreXYLinearRails.JPG]
Having graduated from PLA to ABS recently, I am becoming aware of the benefits of a fully enclosed printing space to maintain a more controlled ambient temperature environment. Instead of building an enclosure around the structure, I chose to incorporate the enclosure into the structure. Thus, the linear rails for Y and Z are mounted directly to side plates in a double "T" arrangement; ensuring that the rails are co-planar. I used 400mm rails for Y and Z, with a 450mm rail for X connected between them. I haven't yet determined the exact printing envelope, but it is definitely greater than the 300x300 I was shooting for. A back panel is incorporated currently as a 1/8" plexi part, but it might be beefed up to prevent racking of the sides, and a front cover is yet to be designed - I can envision a single or double hinged door, a sliding panel, or some other arrangement.
[attachment 83719 CoreXYMechanism.JPG]
I tried to minimize the number of connecting parts, in part because I have always liked the idea of injection molding printed parts if volumes get to an appropriate scale. As such, I have reduced the number of unique plastic parts to 4: the XY Joiner/Z Support (6 instances), the Idler Support (2), the X Carriage (1 or 2 for dual extrusion), and the 30mm Fan Duct (2 per X Carriage). The Joiner is designed to be symmetrical so it can be used on both sides of the X rail, and does double duty by providing the connection between the Z Plate and the Z slides.
[attachment 83716 XYJoiner.jpg]
[attachment 83717 zdetail.JPG]
The Idler support is designed to mount on the same metal right-angle stepper mounts to guarantee pulley alignment,
[attachment 83713 IdlerInsert.jpg]
and the X Carriage at the moment is a very simple Bowden mount with support for two fan ducts (which are probably overkill, particularly for ABS).
[attachment 83715 XCarriage.jpg]
[attachment 83711 BeltConnectionDetail.jpg]
Variations on the X Carriage will be easy to derive, as they only need to implement the MGN12H hole pattern for mounting.
The side panels are interesting in that they are designed as a sandwich with a layer of 1/4" clear acrylic in the center (the outer panels at this point will probably be 1/4" MDF/Melamine, but I am also looking at foamed PVC, ABS sheet, and other materials). The idea is to place some of the LED lighting strip inside the inner panel to illuminate the side panel in an inset edge. I will probably start with RGB strip under Arduino control so that the color can change in various states, such as green for a completed print, or red (maybe flashing) to indicate errors. One benefit is that these color cues would be visible from across the room to indicate if attention is needed. Another thought is to use individually addressable NeoPixels to build a bar graph of print progress that would also be visible from afar.
[attachment 83714 SidePanelwithLightedInset.JPG]
I am completely aware that there is very little in the way of original thought in this design, but I wanted to present it here at this stage to get feedback from the community as to design deficiencies, things I might have overlooked, or to give those who might have developed similar designs an opportunity to contribute their experiences, good and bad. I tried to look through the archive for similar designs, but I didn't get too far (I am readily caught by a good build log). So if anyone knows of a similar design that they could point me to for study, I would appreciate it. And I am very willing to accept criticism of the design from those who know this field better than me - I would prefer to know the weak points now rather than having to redesign later.
I am slowly collecting parts to begin actually building a prototype of this design, and will post progress pics and renders as they develop. I am also willing to share my 2013 Solidworks files (and generic derivatives) for others to examine and modify once I am satisfied that they are worthwhile.
Thanks for your consideration and comment,
Dave