Hey everyone, Tom here, and while i routinely
recommend just buying a printer kit if you
want to build your 3D printer yourself, it
is still very possible to source all the parts
yourself and end up with a better printer
for less cash, learn about what makes your
printer work and truly make it your own by
adding some individual touches.
But don’t get me wrong, if you’ve never
built one, it can be a very daunting task
and leave you pulling your hair out as to
why certain things just don’t seem to work.
And while i can’t help you with every single
issue you might encounter, i can try to guide
you through the process, and hey, even if
you don’t end up building a printer from
scratch, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two
in the process anyways.
So in these first few videos, i want to cover
the basic set of parts you’ll need to build
a printer and what you should keep in mind
when selecting them.
Let’s get right into it and start out with
the most influential part of the printer,
the frame.
There are a few different options here, depending
on what kind of printer you want to end up
with.
First off, you’ve got the choice between
a regular cartesian machine like most printers
or a Delta, basically the choice of a kinematic
platform of the entire printer.
Deltas look incredibly cool and do have a
few advantages when it comes to tall machines,
but in general, they are a pain to set up,
they can be incredibly wobbly if built incorrectly
and have a few other artifacts in their prints
that might be pretty hard to diagnose and
get rid of.
So in general, unless you know exactly what
you’re getting into, just build a regular
cartesian machine.
The most popular types for those printers
are the i3- or Mendel90-style sheet frames,
which is what i’ll be using in the form
of an iTopie i3, from Sébastien Mischler
aka skarab, thanks for sending that over,
made from a relatively thick MDF sheet, more
on that in a second.
This style of printer typically has a center
sheet that supports the Z-axis, again, X,
Y, Z, when looking at the printer from the
front, this is your X-axis, this is your Y-axis
and this is your Z-axis, when looking at movement
of the nozzle relative to the bed, and this
is universally true for any CNC machine, if
not, it is set up wrong.
So back to the frame, the X-axis will sit
on top of the Z-axis with this kind of frame
and carry the extruder and hotend, unless
it’s a bowden setup.
More on that in the next video.
The y-axis will be the moving print bed, which
isn’t optimal, since you’re also lugging
your printed part around and increase the
drafts around the heated bed should you choose
to add one, but it’s good enough and works
for normal-sized printers.
Now, the other type of frame are box frames,
like used in something like the Herculien,
and I’d consider them mechanically superior,
but not in so much that the i3 frames would
be completely unusable.
These box frames are typically made from aluminum
machine profiles, like the ones from Misumi
or Rexroth, and they are industry standard
parts, so they should be available wherever
you intend to buy them.
These printers typically rely more heavily
on printed parts than sheet-based ones, require
more assembly, but offer fewer possibilities
for inaccuracies in the frame parts since
the aluminum profiles are typically cut precisely
to length by the seller.
You’re typically also going to need more
fasteners and especially the expensive T-nuts
that allow you to attach things onto these
profiles.
While there are some sheet frames like the
Mendel90 that you can cut and drill yourself
with a jigsaw and a cordless drill, it’s
probably smarter to get the frame ready to
use, and like this one, CNC routed or laser
cut.
There are plenty of sellers that offer ready-to-go
frame kits.
If you do opt for a wooden one, which really
isn’t a bad choice especially if you get
one that is thick enough or has these back
braces that keep the wood from warping, especially
if you’re using plywood, it still a good
idea to seal it with Primer and a top coat
of paint, and i mean, it also makes it look
better than plain brown MDF.
The next thing that you’ll need are printed
parts, these are entirely dependent on the
printer frame you’ve chosen.
If you’ve got as FabLab or Makerspace nearby,
that might be a good start to printing them
yourself or having them printed - also, if
you want to machine the frame yourself, that’s
the place to go as well.
For the standard printers, like the original
Prusa i3, you’re also going to find plenty
of cheap printed parts on ebay.
Free market for the win!
Definitely get them printed from ABS, PLA
parts will not stand up to the temperatures
around your 3D printer, especially those around
the hotend or heated bed.
The next thing you’ll need are linear guides,
again, dependent on what type of printer you’re
building.
The most popular one is still the combination
of 8mm rods and LM8UU bearing, they’re incredibly
cheap, they work well and practically last
forever if you’re using the right rods,
but they are not the stiffest type you could
choose.
Again, they’re good enough, just remember
to buy proper chrome-plated and hardened rods
for them, you can get those on ebay or Aliexpress.
The more high-end option are linear rails
like the MGN types from HiWin, and since you
can screw the rail to whatever surface you’re
using along the entire length of the rail,
they’re going to be incredibly stiff, but
they’re also way more expensive overall,
especially the carriages are much more expensive
than LM8UU bearings.
So that should have you covered for building
the printer frame.
In the next videos, we’re going to dive
in and look at the parts you’ll need to
add motion to the frame and make it an actual
3D printer.
Because, at this point, you could still absolutely
turn it into a laser cutter or a super-light-duty
CNC router.
