I currently have a modified 1405 Printrbot Simple, and would like to reuse whatever hardware I can for a complete rebuild to a machine capable of dual extrusion for ABS/HIPS. The reason for the complete rebuild (rather than upgrading the Printrbot to a dual extruder) is that the Printrbot’s y-axis is not supported on both ends of the bed, which thoroughly restricts how much weight I can have on the “head” of the printer, how long the y-axis can be before I start to get sag, and how fast I can print before the vibration of the head affects the print quality. I’ve got some experience using a Bowden setup, and wasn’t entirely pleased with the results. Although it cut down on the weight, oozing was almost impossible to control.
I’m essentially looking for a RepRap version of MakerBot’s Replicator 2x. I like the enclosed design for temperature control and the fact that the printer bed is fixed in the X/Y bringing the printer footprint to print area ratio down quite a bit. However, I’ve worked with a MakerBot in the past, and have found that its a good machine until you hit any problems, at which point it becomes utter crap due to it being closed-source. Not to mention I couldn’t bring myself to pay $2,500 to a corporation that seems to be solely devoted to shady business practices. But I digress…
Is anyone aware of a RepRap like this? The closest I’ve found is the Ulticampy V2, but the small amount of documentation out there is entirely in Spanish. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I would be very grateful! Once I am capable of printing in ABS, I’ll feel comfortable enough with my printer to start up my own Hub.
Cheers,
Kyle
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Yeah if u go with a box frame Prusa i3 like I did you can build them for a reasonable price and with a Bowden setup and 2 e3d v6 you can run any material and depending on the Bowden extruder can print the same or better than direct
I definitely like the i3, but do you find that you lose out on print volume because the bed moves back and forth rather than up and down? If I could build a system with the extruder at a fixed height, but travels in both the x and y direction, while the print bed moves down with each layer (similar to the replicator), I could theoretically almost double the x-axis length with the same printer footprint (my wife and I live in a small one bedroom apartment so space is at a premium). Keeping the printer as small as possible while optimizing the print volume would also make it so I can build it fully enclosed to keep noise down and keep the heat in. Although I suppose the i3 design could be tweaked to build it fully enclosed, the enclosure would have to be bigger (i.e. more expensive).
I’m researching to build a similar printer. An enclosed type most likely inside an aluminium extrusion frame. I’m looking at hbot, dualwire or corexy as most likely. If you google using the terms in this link http://reprap.org/wiki/Category:Mechanical\_arrangement , you can find repraps that people have made based on the type of design. I particularly like this corexy design CoreXY 3d printer by vinvin - Thingiverse .
Kyle,
I actually just redesigned the printable 1405 into a “bridged” printer, meaning both sides of the Y are supported. You can check it out here Printrbot Talk Forum • View topic - Jonbot Plus - a new fully printed printer! and let me know what you think.
The only problem is it is not enclosed, but you can have an MK2 heatbed and dual extruders plus use most of your 1405 hardware.
Matt
I’m not sure where you get the idea that you can double the build volume by moving the axis in a different direction. The bed mounts take into account the extra movement that you need to do to utilize the whole bed space.
Lets say you’ve got a print bed that moves along the x-axis that’s 100mm long. At xmin, the bed hangs off 100mm on one end, and at xmax the bed hangs off 100mm on the other end. So the required space you have to have free along the x-axis is 200mm. However if the bed is stationary with a moving gantry, the required printer footprint is only the 100mm print area plus the width of the gantry.
Hi Kyle,
I have a printer design on instructables with a 200mm. x 425mm. x 140mm. that may have some design elements you could incorporate into your build. The printer as it is may not do well in an enclosure, I have not experimented with ABS yet. The i2 design has preformed very well with 750+ hr. print time, and still going strong. Here is a link to the printer: http://www.instructables.com/id/Long-Bed-Printed-3d-Printer/
The Y Axis design will be made Into an separate instructable, so makers can adapt it to different machines, when time allows.
Good luck with your build,
Dennis
JRD10
9
I think the original Replicator is open hardware. Replicator 2 was when they closed up the hardware.
So you should be able to build an original replicator or modify it to your desires.
Kyle I run ABS/Hips combo all day long on our in house built machines. We do production printing in the thousands of parts. If you are near Detroit, Michigan I can build you a machine or help you make one. I work with http://topnotchplastics.com/ and we provide direct support to our local customer base.
Cheers,
Chris
Chris,
I’m actually based near St. Louis, MO. I’m thinking I’ll likely make the frame from 80/20 1in^2 extrusion and cover with 1/8" acrylic to keep it temperature controlled. I will be using a lot of printed parts to mount the axes and as the gantry. I’ll want to reuse any possible hardware from my printrbot (Printrboard, 4 Nema 17 motors, the aluminum extruder and hotend, bearings, etc) to keep costs down. Back of the envelope numbers put me at about $400 for the rebuild. If you’d like to collaborate on this, I’ll send you the sketch up design as I develop it. As for the printed parts, I haven’t seen anyone in the St. Louis area with dual extrusion capability, and I feel like that would make design easier. At the very least, I’ll certainly keep you posted as I need parts printed
Cheers,
Kyle
PS: I tapped on the link for the website you supplied. It looks like your company has purchased the domain name, but it’s not up and running yet.
kevin@we3d.ca (http://we3d.ca/) could help you out with the dually aspect. Kevin makes a LOLROY with dually files ready to go. Its made from 20mm extrusion at McMaster Carr… (pre cut) I’ve been told that the Topnotch website is intentionally dark. We have 250K square foot building that is 2/3 full and are planning on filling the rest later this year. We have a full injection mold facility and supply automotive and sporting good companies with parts and also do assembly work.
