Hey all,
Lately I've been working on a custom printer design using a CoreXY belt arrangement and Misumi 1515 extrusions, designed to be as affordable as possible while mantaining decent print quality. It's designed such that no specialized equipment (such as a laser cutter or CNC machine) besides a 3D printer is required to fabricate all the parts.
I'm calling it the FuseBox, because it's shaped like a box and fuses filament :P. The total cost, including filament for the plastic parts, is slightly under $300.
[attachment 62087 fusebox1.jpg]
The printer currently has a build area of 210x190x200mm, but I'll be able to get another 10mm or so out of the y-axis if I cut the z-axis threaded rod shorter. I had the 300mm M8 on hand so I used it without cutting it to an optimal length.
Originally, the printer had a direct-drive Aluhotend extruder/hotend combo, but I've since swapped that out with an E3D-Lite6 Bowden setup. As a result, it can print a lot faster than before without showing a strong ripple pattern in the prints. I usually run it at around 120mm/s with 250 mm/s travels.
After experiencing issues with a wobbly frame, I've added diagonal braces to the sides of the printer to greatly increase rigidity. To improve x-axis stability I switched out the corner brackets for larger flat plates. I also have a reinforcement designed for the bed but have yet to install it, since rigidity is mostly fine for now. Here's the printer making a filament stand:
[attachment 62088 fusebox3.jpg]
And here's the final result:
[attachment 62089 fusebox2.jpg]
My printer doesn't currently have endstops or a heated bed installed, but I'm building another FuseBox for a friend that'll have both features. For mine I'll probably get a heated bed but stay without endstops since I'm used to manually positioning the printhead anyways.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the speed and quality of this machine, especially considering the price. I've attached some sample prints.
More details about it at its wiki page: [reprap.org]
Some videos: [youtu.be] [youtu.be] [youtu.be]
Let me know what you guys think :).
Lately I've been working on a custom printer design using a CoreXY belt arrangement and Misumi 1515 extrusions, designed to be as affordable as possible while mantaining decent print quality. It's designed such that no specialized equipment (such as a laser cutter or CNC machine) besides a 3D printer is required to fabricate all the parts.
I'm calling it the FuseBox, because it's shaped like a box and fuses filament :P. The total cost, including filament for the plastic parts, is slightly under $300.
[attachment 62087 fusebox1.jpg]
The printer currently has a build area of 210x190x200mm, but I'll be able to get another 10mm or so out of the y-axis if I cut the z-axis threaded rod shorter. I had the 300mm M8 on hand so I used it without cutting it to an optimal length.
Originally, the printer had a direct-drive Aluhotend extruder/hotend combo, but I've since swapped that out with an E3D-Lite6 Bowden setup. As a result, it can print a lot faster than before without showing a strong ripple pattern in the prints. I usually run it at around 120mm/s with 250 mm/s travels.
After experiencing issues with a wobbly frame, I've added diagonal braces to the sides of the printer to greatly increase rigidity. To improve x-axis stability I switched out the corner brackets for larger flat plates. I also have a reinforcement designed for the bed but have yet to install it, since rigidity is mostly fine for now. Here's the printer making a filament stand:
[attachment 62088 fusebox3.jpg]
And here's the final result:
[attachment 62089 fusebox2.jpg]
My printer doesn't currently have endstops or a heated bed installed, but I'm building another FuseBox for a friend that'll have both features. For mine I'll probably get a heated bed but stay without endstops since I'm used to manually positioning the printhead anyways.
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the speed and quality of this machine, especially considering the price. I've attached some sample prints.
More details about it at its wiki page: [reprap.org]
Some videos: [youtu.be] [youtu.be] [youtu.be]
Let me know what you guys think :).