Y-Axis Direct Drive for CTC Replicator Flashforge

thingiverse

Recommended for heated build chambers! (to protect stepper from the heat) Hi folks! Another upgrade item for your replicator-like 3D printer. It is a mount to drive the y-axis' rod directly without another belt, so there is no additional force on the y-rod (no bending, easier to rotate) and no backlash due to a "loose" belt. I found that my prints are a bit more precise since the upgrade. Especially the ringing effect (wave pattern after sharp corners) was reduced on the y-axis. Why it's mounted on the left side of the printer? The original mounting point and the new one allow the same direction of rotation for the stepper. It can be mounted on the right side too, but then you have to invert the y-axis in the firmware config, which i didn't want to do. Why there are 3 versions of the base? What is the difference? All 3 version have different positions for the upper hole of the y-endstop sensor. I found that my CTC printer isn't laser-cutted as precisely as expected. One hole for the sensor (the upper one) is 2mm off! So i printed the 2mm offset version for myself and added 2 additional version with 1mm offset and 0mm offset. Just in case your printer case is more precise. ;) Let me know if your holes are off too. When it will not align with your holes tell me and I will upload another version. Do I need a fan for the stepper? No, but it's recommended to install a fan to cool down the stepper, because it can become quite hot during long print jobs. And hot steppers can loose steps or can be damaged. How much space i got between the fan and the stepper for additional heatsinks? 7mm max Is there a reason the coupler has a non-round hole at the bottom? Of course ;) The side with the flat-sided hole is for the nema17 stepper's flattened rod to translate as much torgue from the stepper to the y-rod as possible. Print Settings Printer: CTC Dual (Replicator Dual) Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.2 - 0.3 Infill: 40% or higher Notes: Base STL file I recommend to print the base with a stiff material like PLA. The base is not exposed to heat. Axis Coupler STL file The coupler should be printed with a heat-resistant material, cause the stepper can become quite hot. Use ABS, PETG, or other high temperature filament. The stiffness of the material influence the translation of the stepper's rotation to the rod. Stiffer materials leads to a more direct translation, but can translate vibrations, too. I think PETG is a good choice, cause it's a bit less stiff. I used Extrudr Green-Tec for mine (stiffness in between PLA and PETG). Heatbreak STL file | Heatbreak + 50mm fan mount STL file The "heatbreak" and the "heatbreak + 50mm fan mount" should be printed with a heat-resistant material, like PETG, ABS or others, because it is in direct contact to the stepper. What you need (additionally) Hardware (2x) 25mm M3 screws... to mount the base plate on your printer's case (2x) 35mm M3 screws... to mount the base plate and the endstop sensor on your printer's case (4x) 40mm M3 screws... to mount the stepper (1x) new 5mm rod... which is longer than the original one to mount the coupler (at least 20mm longer) (1x) 1 meter (39 inch) nema17 stepper cable... cause the original one is to short (2x) 5mm OR 10mm M3 screws... to tighten the coupler Additional Hardware (1x) 50mm fan (2x) 10mm or 15mm M3 screws... to mount the fan on the holder (some) small heatsinks with heat adhesive tape... mine are 14x14x6mm