Hypercube Evo MGN Linear Rail Conversion (V2)

thingiverse

UPDATE 6/8/21, Added step file for Version 2 UPDATE 6/5/21, VERSION 2 I am posting an update to this thing after about a year of many small tweaks and changes. 1. Updated all parts to use stronger M5 bolts instead of M3 at connections and pulleys. Using pulleys and idlers with 5mm bores to match. XY joiners have been mirrored so that the belt orientation on front/back plates match that of the BLV cube for better compatibility with Ben Levi's x carriage parts. 2. Updated X carriage back plate to modified version of EVA design with much better belt tensioning system than before. My version uses long M3 bolts (instead of M5) and a thinner overall profile to save about 5mm of total depth on the carriage assembly. 2 captured M3 nuts are inserted in the back plate for this. Also have two versions of the belt clamps to account for tolerances across different printers. Note - the back plate will need to be printed with supports for the integrated fan duct. 3. Revised XY stepper mounts to match belt orientation, also added a lower stepper motor brace. XY Idler brackets have also been beefed up. 4. Note I have been using TMC 2209 stepper drivers with sensorless homing, so I haven't designed an X axis end stop bracket for the carriage. I have provided a 3mm hole and space for a captured M3 nut at the top of the back plate so that you can attach something there. 5. Read below for more information. Most of it still applies to the update. Most parts can be printed without supports. The joiners and idler brackets will need supports touching buildplate, and the back plate will need supports "everywhere" so that the fan duct is printed properly. original notes: This is another MGN style linear rail conversion for the Hypercube Evolution 3D printer using 3030 extrusions for the frame, and a 2020 extrusion for the X Axis. These designs are based on: BLV MGN Cube by Ben Levi: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3382718 Hypercube BLV Fusion 2020 by EdNiedziejko https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3497030 And of course, the Hypercube Evolution by Scott3D There are two options for the conversion - Half and Full. (OLD VERSION) The Half Conversion is upgrading the X Axis to a 2020 aluminum extrusion and an MGN-12 linear rail system. you can still use your 10mm Y axix rods and LM10UU bearings. Just print the Y Axis joiner and cap (X2), and then the X carriage parts. The half conversion Y axis parts are remixed from Ed's original design for the standard Hypercube. I originally did the half conversion, and ran the printer this way for a couple of months before converting the Y axis to rails also, completing the conversion. The Full Conversion is adding MGN rails to the Y axis also. This requires different Y axis parts (obviously). For this conversion, you will be installing MGN rails to the underside of the 3030 extrusions at the top Left and Right sides of the frame. This moves the whole hotend up around 25mm or so. You will need to measure your existing rods and lead screw and purchase longer versions so your bed can move up higher and reach the new hotend. One way to get the exact length is to print one of the new short stepper mounts, and measure from the bottom of the bracket to the bottom of the 3030 extrusion, and then compare the same measurement with your existing bracket. X Axis Carriage and Hotend: Both Half and Full conversions use the same X Axis parts and setup. The X Carriage parts are for the most part, identical to the BLV originals in size and assembly, and you can use the ones directly from his page. Since I am using different mechanical end stops in my build, I included a customized back plate that houses a typical end stop switch that mounts on the back plate, behind the fan, and a custom fan duct that doesn't need the additional fan mount bracket. BLV's setup uses a different endstop that mounts to the bottom of the carriage. Since I'm not using those, my version of the bottom part is a solid piece. The front mount is for a typical V6 hotend setup, and can use any of the fan attachments from the original BLV design. Mine is slightly thicker than BLV's version. Also, my backplate has provisions for belt tensioners, though there isn't a lot of adjustment, and if you use long screws that stick out a lot, it will interfere with your X travel. Get the belts as tight as possible when installing them, and only use the screw tensioners for fine tuning the position of the X axis (it's possible to not use these at all, if you install the belts right). I have a separate frame-mounted belt tensioner you can use for equal tensioning of both belts (OLD VERSION ONLY). 2020 extrusion - If your rods are centered on the vertical extrusions, you need to cut your 2020 to 42mm less than your Y rods center-to-center distance. So if your HEVO has a rod center-to-center distance of 450mm, your 2020 extrusion needs to be 450-42 = 408mm. Linear Rail - You will need an MGN12 linear rail 45mm smaller than your 2020 extrusion. Make sure it comes with a 12H carriage block. this will mount with M3 *socket head* bolts and M3 T-nuts sized for a 2020 extrusion. use the aligning block (print 2 of them) to center the rail on the extrusion. M3 Button head bolts strip easily, so I do not recommend using those. Y Axis for the half conversion, simply print two of the Y Axis Rod Caps, and Y Axis Rod Joiners. These install in place of the stock HEVO joiners and will fit the 2020 extrusion for your new X axis. For the Full conversion, you will need all the other parts, and also need to relocate your intermediate 3030 horizontal support higher, with your longer rods and lead screws. I've designed the Y Axis carriers to use the same 2020 extrusion size as the half conversion, so if you only do the half, you can still upgrade to full rails down the road, and use your existing X axis extrusion. For the Y axis MGN-12 linear rails, you will need to measure the overall distance between the front and rear 3030 extrusions, and subtract 25mm. For assembly, it's easier to install the idlers and stepper mounts before you install the rails. You will use the same hardware as the regular HEVO for these. Use the 3030 alignment block (print 2) to center up the rails and install them with M3 *socket head* bolts with M3 T-nuts sized for a 3030 extrusion. Then install your 2020 extrusion into the Y carriers. The extrusions are held in place with M5 socket head bolts (top + bottom) and T-nuts. Do not tighten the M5 bolts yet. Screw the carrier on one side into the MGN 12H block with M3 socket head screws. then install the other side. Once in place, make sure the axis rides freely from front to back without binding. it shouldn't take any force at all to move back and forth. if it does, make sure there isn't any tension on the extrusion (pulling the carriers together or pushing them apart), and if necessary, adjust the rails a bit. If your frame is square, and you use the aligning blocks, you shouldn't need to adjust the rails much, if at all. once the assembly moves freely, tighten the M5 bolts on each carrier. Then run your belts and assemble your X carrier. Once assembled, and tight, make sure the X axis still moves freely (although you will have motor resistance), and check for squareness. if the axis isn't square, adjust the belt tension on one side until it is. You can also adjust the X axis rail a bit to help compensate. The last part of my remix is a frame-mounted belt tensioner. since there is only a little bit of tension adjustment with the screws, I made another tensioner that mounts to the backside of the rear extrusion, and will tighten both belts at the same time, to add some extra tension once you have everything squared. use a long M3 socket head bolt in the arm. it should fit tight enough in the recess, so that when you turn the knob on the back, it doesn't also turn the bolt, and pulls the ilder arm to tension the belts. This project is pretty much complete at this point, but I will update any files with new versions if I find something that needs to be changed.