Custom Large Format 3D Printer

thingiverse

I was going to buy a Folgertech FT-5 R2 kit and build it, but I decided to design my own printer instead. The frame design is inspired by the original laser-cut Makerbot Replicator, but I sized it up to be a large scale frame. It's made of 1/4" MDF, laser cut as per the .dxf files uploaded, then painted dark gray and fastened with M3x25 socket head cap screws and nuts. There are a number of 3D printed components that will be used in the final build, and these are all supplied in the upload as stl files. I'm buying all the electronics and other stuff on AliExpress, so it'll be a little while until I can get all the hardware put in. However, I've also uploaded a mostly complete bill of materials (excel file) that shows what I'm going to be putting in. There are a few items that aren't included on that list, such as an m5 shaft for the y-axis belt pulleys, smaller screws and other things that I haven't identified as necessary yet. This is very much a work in progress, but hopefully I'll have it done by the new year. I'll keep making updates to this as I work on it. I'v also uploaded the firmware. So far, it's pretty barebones - just what is needed to get it uploaded to the board and make the machine run. I haven't calibrated the steppers yet because I don't have any of the hardware I need to do so. Again, once that is in, I'll upload the final version of the firmware. (Not exhaustive) Build Requirements: * Vertical bed motion, not horizontal * Bed axis supported by four corner rods * Bowden extruder setup * 300x300 mm build plate * 24VDC power system * Easily enclosed Basically, these are things that I was looking for in my next printer. The FT-5 hit pretty much all of these points, but when I got turned onto the idea of making my own, it just seemed to be the way to go. And I think I have the build cost under what the FT-5 kit is - my estimated cost to build this machine is under $350. So far, I have the frame built and assembled, and the firmware loaded onto the control board. I've plugged in the display and powered it with a 24V source, and everything seems to be working fine. The motors are ordered, so when they arrive, I'll get a chance to connect them and make sure they're working as they're supposed to. ***EDIT 1 I just updated Y Carriage Idler to V10 and Y Carriage Motor to V14 to allow a mounting post for the Y belt. I also uploaded a graphic showing the intended belt routing. Red and Blue are for the Y axis motion, and Green is for the X axis motion. ***EDIT 2; 12/3/2018 I modified the belt mounting for the Y Carriage Motor (now V15) so the part the belt mounts to is a separate piece altogether, called Y Belt Bracket V1. This piece will be glued (use epoxy outlined in CA glue) to the base of the Y Carriage Motor part. This makes the Y Carriage Motor much more printable as it doesn't require a huge volume of support material. I also updated the Firmware code so it has the correct True/False values for the limit switches. It is now fully operational - I will edit it one more time to make tuning adjustments for the steppers (steps/mm values). Also, all purchased components have been ordered! I'll keep you all updated when they begin arriving, and I'll document the build so I can post instructions here.