Hi guys, I am looking for a first 3D printer to get my feet wet. After much pondering I have settled on a corexy configuration as the most cost-effective.
The constrains with these build are:
- small studio apartment (35+sq m) so as quiet as possible
- 300 or sub-300Eur build
- Rep-Strap as much as possible (use wood panels or existing furniture or structures to achieve rigidity)
- least amount of printed parts (I don't have a printer to print parts with, I can ask a friend to print parts or go to the local library but that does not ensure precise parts)
- cheap controller (Mega/Ramps)
- belt or spectra (spectra preferred but belt is ok)
- maybe more, can't tell right now
I tried to find aluminum extrusion of sorts in the area => no avail;
I looked for square alu tubing in the area (EUR8+/m)... too expensive (around 50Eur for 12 pieces of 450mm length)
I realized I had this:
[attachment 66341 CofffeeTable-CoreXY.jpg]
which is 450x450x370 usable area (without the top wooden block)...and that I can do this:
[attachment 66342 CoffeeTable-Reversed-withMotors.jpg]
namely take it apart and placing the wooden block below the feet to have the rigid structure atop, which translates to this in CAD format:
[attachment 66343 screenshot.449.png]
This is pretty square (measured it with a level) and square angle.
Please note that I am a big fan of belts and spectra so Rich Rap's Slid3R, Smartfriendz's Smartrap Corexy and this belt-based dual-Z rank high on my prefrences list. I also like to do pretty experimental stuff (see the bot in my sig) so no high expectations here, I can always upgrade to an alu frame of v|t-slot extrusions if unsatisfied
I need as much constructive advice as I can get along this build. I will be ordering the parts from aliexpress so they will take time to arrive, enough time to improve the design.
I will be using:
- Nema17 1.8 stepper motors with 2.5A (the strong ones) [these I already have]
- Arduino Mega/ Ramps 1.4 with some strong current capable steppers (to take advantage of the 2.5A motors)
- GT2 belts for XY and maybe spectra for Z)
- 8mm XY rods/ 10mm Z rods with linear bearings (bushings? maybe for quietness)
- SmartRap CoreXY style corexy configuration (vertically stacked rods for x, vertically stacked bearings for redirection pulleys)
- [more to be defined]
The squareness of the frame will be done by some printed "flanges" that will connect the steel legs to the wooden board using the same holes it used when being in the normal, non-reversed position.
I will have to drill extra holes in the frame and I would like to keep those at a minimum while still achieving the largest print size for the frame.
Details of the CoreXY design (design for 20 teeth ALU pulley pushed to the edge of the frame and 608 bearings for idlers):
[attachment 66344 CoffeeTable-CoreXY-underView.png]
I am thinking of actually using 16 teeth ALU pulleys and maybe a different size idlers. Anyways one idler will have to be larger to prevent contact of the same color belts' sections at the opposite side to the motors.
This is the part where I will be drilling extra holes in the bracket:
- I am thinking of using the existing holes for the stepper motor mounting and drill one extra hole for the motor shatf to go under the bracket. This will be done in such a way that the chosen pulley (16 or 20 teeth) will keep the belt parallel on the side that attaches to the X carriage):
[attachment 66345 StepperMotor+20TeethALUpulley.png]
- I will drill a single hole in the opposite bracket to use for the idlers' bolt (8mm/608 idlers for now, that might change) and use the existing holes to somehow ensure this bolt's vertical rigidity:
[attachment 66347 StepperMotor+2x608IdlerPulleys.png] [attachment 66348 screenshot.450.png]
More to come I will also wait for feedback to pick a topic and discuss on it.
Thank you.
The constrains with these build are:
- small studio apartment (35+sq m) so as quiet as possible
- 300 or sub-300Eur build
- Rep-Strap as much as possible (use wood panels or existing furniture or structures to achieve rigidity)
- least amount of printed parts (I don't have a printer to print parts with, I can ask a friend to print parts or go to the local library but that does not ensure precise parts)
- cheap controller (Mega/Ramps)
- belt or spectra (spectra preferred but belt is ok)
- maybe more, can't tell right now
I tried to find aluminum extrusion of sorts in the area => no avail;
I looked for square alu tubing in the area (EUR8+/m)... too expensive (around 50Eur for 12 pieces of 450mm length)
I realized I had this:
[attachment 66341 CofffeeTable-CoreXY.jpg]
which is 450x450x370 usable area (without the top wooden block)...and that I can do this:
[attachment 66342 CoffeeTable-Reversed-withMotors.jpg]
namely take it apart and placing the wooden block below the feet to have the rigid structure atop, which translates to this in CAD format:
[attachment 66343 screenshot.449.png]
This is pretty square (measured it with a level) and square angle.
Please note that I am a big fan of belts and spectra so Rich Rap's Slid3R, Smartfriendz's Smartrap Corexy and this belt-based dual-Z rank high on my prefrences list. I also like to do pretty experimental stuff (see the bot in my sig) so no high expectations here, I can always upgrade to an alu frame of v|t-slot extrusions if unsatisfied
I need as much constructive advice as I can get along this build. I will be ordering the parts from aliexpress so they will take time to arrive, enough time to improve the design.
I will be using:
- Nema17 1.8 stepper motors with 2.5A (the strong ones) [these I already have]
- Arduino Mega/ Ramps 1.4 with some strong current capable steppers (to take advantage of the 2.5A motors)
- GT2 belts for XY and maybe spectra for Z)
- 8mm XY rods/ 10mm Z rods with linear bearings (bushings? maybe for quietness)
- SmartRap CoreXY style corexy configuration (vertically stacked rods for x, vertically stacked bearings for redirection pulleys)
- [more to be defined]
The squareness of the frame will be done by some printed "flanges" that will connect the steel legs to the wooden board using the same holes it used when being in the normal, non-reversed position.
I will have to drill extra holes in the frame and I would like to keep those at a minimum while still achieving the largest print size for the frame.
Details of the CoreXY design (design for 20 teeth ALU pulley pushed to the edge of the frame and 608 bearings for idlers):
[attachment 66344 CoffeeTable-CoreXY-underView.png]
I am thinking of actually using 16 teeth ALU pulleys and maybe a different size idlers. Anyways one idler will have to be larger to prevent contact of the same color belts' sections at the opposite side to the motors.
This is the part where I will be drilling extra holes in the bracket:
- I am thinking of using the existing holes for the stepper motor mounting and drill one extra hole for the motor shatf to go under the bracket. This will be done in such a way that the chosen pulley (16 or 20 teeth) will keep the belt parallel on the side that attaches to the X carriage):
[attachment 66345 StepperMotor+20TeethALUpulley.png]
- I will drill a single hole in the opposite bracket to use for the idlers' bolt (8mm/608 idlers for now, that might change) and use the existing holes to somehow ensure this bolt's vertical rigidity:
[attachment 66347 StepperMotor+2x608IdlerPulleys.png] [attachment 66348 screenshot.450.png]
More to come I will also wait for feedback to pick a topic and discuss on it.
Thank you.