Perfect 3D / My School Project
Posted by Lxo
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Perfect 3D / My School Project April 13, 2015 03:16PM |
I’m currently studying the third year of Swedish gymnasium (high school) and got an assignment to create a product or write an essay, as a person who loves to build stuff I choose the first alternative.
Since I got my first CAD program 6 years ago I’ve been hooked, I used it for everything, school as well as hobbies. Something about having a complete model in 3Dimensions has fascinated me. The problem came when you wanted to have something in your hands from the model on the computer. I knew about 3dprinters but I also knew you had to be really rich or a computer scientist to get your hands on one.
In the end of 2013 I built my own CNC to machine longboards (I was 17 at the time). It was a crude machine, all MDF and 3 Nema 34 motors powering all the axis. It works for what it is made to do but was more of a stepping stone.
The CNC got me thinking, why couldn’t I if so many other people already have, build a 3D printer. I had no prior experience with 3d printers except seeing a Ultimaker 2 in real life (once) and watching the most basic Youtube videos about them. So when I got the assignment from school I decided it was time to build one.
As I usual I skipped the whole process of gathering information of how to do it correctly and CAD’ed the whole printer with my limited experience. This is the result.
The problem was to get together all the pieces for the printer. I contacted a few places and asked for sponsoring, two answered. The first was Bosh Rexroth, as leaders within industrial automation I saw them as the perfect supplier for the aluminum profiles I had designed the printer around. They were really helpful and sent me the parts almost instantaneous. The second company to answer was Feed the Printer, a distributer of 3D filaments and tools to assist in 3D printing. I would really recommend buying from them since they have great service, quick shipping, low prices and sell good quality products. (Im going to buy new material from them as quickly as I get the money for it).
The stuff I couldn’t get my hands on trough sponsors I had to buy via ebay. Construction of the printer went quite smoothly when I had gotten all the parts. Some I had to make myself, some I got printed trough www.3DHubs.com. This is the result of all my work:
The printer works. Some rods got bent either in shipping or while assembling which makes the printed edges somewhat “wonky”. Also the construction made it very hard to assemble the timing belts
Specifications:
Price: about $1050 (minus the work and sponsored parts)
Build volume: Width 286mm (11.26 inches), Depth 198mm(7.80 inches), Height 175mm(6.89 inches). A total volume of 9,91liters (605 cubic inches).
Printer size (width*depth*height): 487mm(19.17 inches)*390mm(15.35inches)(plus the extruder assembly)*400mm(15.75 inches)
Print speeds: 30mm/sec to 200mm/sec (could possibly go higher but I risk skippage with the timing belts)
Precision: z-axis: 10micron x/y-axis: ≈100micron
Heated bed: Yes
If someone wants i could upload the CAD files even if they are not complete, I could also upload the shopping list i made.
I will answer any questions you have about my project here. And if you want to follow my project you can do it on instagram @perfect_3d_printing and on Thingiverse . I'm working on a homepage but it wont say that much more than here.
If someone has any job/internship positions somewhat within this subject in Stockholm Sweden(or somewhere else) I'll be finishing school in a few months and I'm looking for work.
And thanks again to my sponsors, without you it would have been much harder to complete this project.
-Leo
Since I got my first CAD program 6 years ago I’ve been hooked, I used it for everything, school as well as hobbies. Something about having a complete model in 3Dimensions has fascinated me. The problem came when you wanted to have something in your hands from the model on the computer. I knew about 3dprinters but I also knew you had to be really rich or a computer scientist to get your hands on one.
In the end of 2013 I built my own CNC to machine longboards (I was 17 at the time). It was a crude machine, all MDF and 3 Nema 34 motors powering all the axis. It works for what it is made to do but was more of a stepping stone.
The CNC got me thinking, why couldn’t I if so many other people already have, build a 3D printer. I had no prior experience with 3d printers except seeing a Ultimaker 2 in real life (once) and watching the most basic Youtube videos about them. So when I got the assignment from school I decided it was time to build one.
As I usual I skipped the whole process of gathering information of how to do it correctly and CAD’ed the whole printer with my limited experience. This is the result.
The problem was to get together all the pieces for the printer. I contacted a few places and asked for sponsoring, two answered. The first was Bosh Rexroth, as leaders within industrial automation I saw them as the perfect supplier for the aluminum profiles I had designed the printer around. They were really helpful and sent me the parts almost instantaneous. The second company to answer was Feed the Printer, a distributer of 3D filaments and tools to assist in 3D printing. I would really recommend buying from them since they have great service, quick shipping, low prices and sell good quality products. (Im going to buy new material from them as quickly as I get the money for it).
The stuff I couldn’t get my hands on trough sponsors I had to buy via ebay. Construction of the printer went quite smoothly when I had gotten all the parts. Some I had to make myself, some I got printed trough www.3DHubs.com. This is the result of all my work:
The printer works. Some rods got bent either in shipping or while assembling which makes the printed edges somewhat “wonky”. Also the construction made it very hard to assemble the timing belts
Specifications:
Price: about $1050 (minus the work and sponsored parts)
Build volume: Width 286mm (11.26 inches), Depth 198mm(7.80 inches), Height 175mm(6.89 inches). A total volume of 9,91liters (605 cubic inches).
Printer size (width*depth*height): 487mm(19.17 inches)*390mm(15.35inches)(plus the extruder assembly)*400mm(15.75 inches)
Print speeds: 30mm/sec to 200mm/sec (could possibly go higher but I risk skippage with the timing belts)
Precision: z-axis: 10micron x/y-axis: ≈100micron
Heated bed: Yes
If someone wants i could upload the CAD files even if they are not complete, I could also upload the shopping list i made.
I will answer any questions you have about my project here. And if you want to follow my project you can do it on instagram @perfect_3d_printing and on Thingiverse . I'm working on a homepage but it wont say that much more than here.
If someone has any job/internship positions somewhat within this subject in Stockholm Sweden(or somewhere else) I'll be finishing school in a few months and I'm looking for work.
And thanks again to my sponsors, without you it would have been much harder to complete this project.
-Leo
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Re: Perfect 3D / My School Project April 14, 2015 12:39PM |
For now the side panels are fastened with tape, the back panel with modified furniture angles(I threded one hole and made one bigger) and there is a few t-bolts in the profile. The doors with a furniture hinge cut in two. The bottom panel with four angles i designed and printed to fit within the t-slot
i drilled a hole trough the bottom panel into the corner pieces and threaded a screw into it.
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Re: Perfect 3D / My School Project April 14, 2015 03:43PM |
Yeah i just wanted to see the response before i put all the time in writing. The controller board is a Megatronics V2 card made by SainSmart (i liked the idea of having one card for everything), i bought it as a set with A4988 stepper drivers, LCD12864, a 200*200mm heated build platform. I later switched the A4988 to DRV8825 so i could get 32 microsteps. I have 3 "normal" nema 17 stepper motors for X/Y/E and two with bulit in leadscrews (called 300mm but have an actual travel close of 250mm). The hotend is some kind of E3D J-head assembly(it was cheap) I got three nozzles 0.4mm 0.3mm 0.2mm but I've not had any urge to swap from 0.4mm. I have some cheap LED-strip with a remote that cost 10$ but works great (even if the colored LEDs remind me of a disco). The power supply is a slim style 20A 12V, it could be a bit under-powered but I've not had any problems yet. And lastly the heated build plate is 200*300mm Mark 3 bought from Reprap_me along with the borosilicate glass.
The actual design is my own. I will say that it was inspired by the Ultimaker in the sense that the rods work both as rods for the linear movement and shafts for the rotational movement, but except for that everything is my own.
I started the build by cutting the rods.
Then i machined the pieces i needed to make myself.
I collected all the pieces.
And then assembly started one piece at the time.
Then the X/Y assembly.
[i.imgur.com]
The hot end and the Z-axis.
Close-up of the z-axis assembly. Note that the bottom plate was supposed to be acrylic but i ordered the wrong size so now its painted plywood.
The printer from above.
So to the print quality all the prints use the same speed 50mm/s perimeters, 100mm/s for infill, 200mm/s for travel moves.
First the "standard" Owl 0.2mm resolution, PLA.
And a Treefrog 0.2mm resolution, PLA.
Then to my own little random abstract shape. 0.4mm resolution, PLA
0.2mm resolution, PLA
0.1mm resolution, PLA
And then the odd one out 0.05mm resolution. Notice how the same percentage infill became much less (bug in slic3r??) also the retract stooped working. As you see the print skipped in Y-axis, it has never done this before and never since.
Tell me if you want a overhang test or a bridge test.
-Leo
The actual design is my own. I will say that it was inspired by the Ultimaker in the sense that the rods work both as rods for the linear movement and shafts for the rotational movement, but except for that everything is my own.
I started the build by cutting the rods.
Then i machined the pieces i needed to make myself.
I collected all the pieces.
And then assembly started one piece at the time.
Then the X/Y assembly.
[i.imgur.com]
The hot end and the Z-axis.
Close-up of the z-axis assembly. Note that the bottom plate was supposed to be acrylic but i ordered the wrong size so now its painted plywood.
The printer from above.
So to the print quality all the prints use the same speed 50mm/s perimeters, 100mm/s for infill, 200mm/s for travel moves.
First the "standard" Owl 0.2mm resolution, PLA.
And a Treefrog 0.2mm resolution, PLA.
Then to my own little random abstract shape. 0.4mm resolution, PLA
0.2mm resolution, PLA
0.1mm resolution, PLA
And then the odd one out 0.05mm resolution. Notice how the same percentage infill became much less (bug in slic3r??) also the retract stooped working. As you see the print skipped in Y-axis, it has never done this before and never since.
Tell me if you want a overhang test or a bridge test.
-Leo
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