cheapest large 3d printer

hey everyone here

ive been lurking on the reprap forus for a while and now i have a question i figured theres no better time to make an account. you can also find me on the 3d printing reddit and i've just started a blog about my exercises in 3d printing and special effects.

brief introduction over, question time

what is the cheapest way to build a large format 3d printer, thinking the size of the rostock max v2. i have a reprappro mendel which is fantastic with a capital F but lacks z height.

this means i can print off parts for a new printer, but i need a larger build volume for some upcoming projects, my third year project for my special effects course im planning a mechanical exosuit. think japanese anime like evangellion, just the upper half of the body so people can get in and control it. im already designing the parts but my budget is stretched to the limit already and i want to start prototyping my large mechanical joints.

what i have
- tools to build one
- about 4kg of 1.75 filament, PLA
- a printer with a build area of 200x200x110
- in a little while i will have an e3d chimera hotend (my dads present to me for christmas, he wanted the cyclops for his max v2. unfortunately i cant borrow his since he is in australia and im in london)

so im mostly looking at a delta style printer since it seems the most cost effective way to build a printer with a large z height, however im open to all suggestions (and donations if you want to be doubly awesome). i am planning to adapt a hot end platform for the chimera but i'd rather not design a printer from the ground up with my current workload.

what i need
- motors and other elecs (if anyone knows a good quality source thats reasonably priced)
- frame material, probably ali t-slot
- control electronics (i have no experience with arduino or coding, so either a premade board or something with very clear instructions

any suggestions? help?

thanks in advance, love the forums

---

[vikingtechnician.wordpress.com]

First of all, Ardunio and ramps boards are the best for the begginner. Not only is there a wealth of info on how to install, but the configuration code in marlin for example, has all the help text in the configuration file to help select the right setting and it is a good way to learn and understand the code to make adjustments. If you dont have access to CNC's, lasercutters or waterjets to produce plates, have a look at Openbuild for the v-slot option. They also have a project page with the many styles of printer you can make from vslot and have all the plates etc.

I sourced parts from Bangood.com and Goodluckbuy.com (and a little of ebay and aliexpress). They have motors, acme nuts, nema plates and motors etc at extremely cheap prices, and I have been lucky to have no probs with delivery or quality so far. The ardunio boards and ramp kits are dirt cheap and have purchased 3 kits from them with no issues...all work well. I even got a motor mount filament feeder for $9 and so far works great. I am on my second project at the moment where the mdf frame only cost me like $15 to make...but i have access to a waterjet at work. I just purchased from Banggood copper acme nuts for 8mm (2start) thread for like $3.19 each (bought 4 at that price) "Free Delivery". Same nut on ebay is like $15 + P&P. Nema 17 Motor Brackets are less than $5 each (again free P&P)...so shop around.

If you are going for a build......shop around for your parts. do heaps of research, use the forums as support....but just remember that if you are starting from scratch it will not be a plug and play. Do lots of research, look at lots of videos. You will make mistakes, but will make less if you learn from others. One thing China is not great for, is supplying comprehensive instructions. For example, i watched a few youtube videos on how to correctly install the stepsticks the right way on the ramps board (otherwise you could blow up your board). China doesn't give you that information when you recieve your parts. The more you spend researching and asking questions, the more you will understand how it all works, and will help you troubleshoot any issues. It requires patience and a lot of time on the net. My first printer took about 4 months. That was some heavy hours on the net in my spare time before i got my first print, but that was me...

Cost effective is only based on where you source your parts. A rough guide from what i spent : 5 motors, ardunio, ramp1.4 and stepsticks was $105, power supply $30, heated bed $16 (220 x 220), filament feeder, fan, hot end setup $50, pulleys, belts (GT2), thread screw motor connections $22. Total so Far $223. Spend another $150 on some hardware (rods, bearings, threadscrew, frame, nuts and bolts) and you can build a decent printer for under $400.......the style of printer is up to you, so research the different designs...but there is no "easy build" as they all require alot of time , patience and accuracy.

Good Luck!!!

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2015 07:55AM by Chaser30.

framework i think i will be using ali t/v slot with printed corners. im thinking a delta printer like richraps 3dr scaled up a little, not to 3dr mega size but something close to 30x30x45cm.

can anyone verify if this is any good? [www.ebay.co.uk]

im looking at either ramps or rumba i think, something that means i can run 2-3 extruders off the same board, im not sure about the ramps but i like the idea of being able to run more than 12v through the rumba for the heated bed. can pick up a rumba for 60 pounds with stepper drivers (unless i successfully get my ebay bid for 1/4 that, unlikely).

since its triangular would the 3dr's printed frame pieces need to be modified at all? i dont think there would be that much more stress on the frame with a slightly larger size. for reference [richrap.blogspot.co.uk] is the printer im thinking about as the basis if some people dont know

also, a heated bed is not necessary, just something that would be useful in the future, maybe an addon. i mostly print on blue tape with pla at the moment

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2015 06:33PM by Vikingtec.

If you will building a delta - particularly a large one with the potential for high-speed moves - then I strongly advise you to avoid 8-bit controller boards. An 8-bit board can just about do the delta calculations fast enough, but doesn't then have enough spare CPU power to drive a graphics LCD. Get a 32-bit board instead. There are various choices:

1. I am a fan of the Duet electronics. I wrote the delta support for it - it's the only firmware that calculates the delta moves precisely instead of breaking segments into short slices to approximate the correct movement. The Duet runs RepRapFirmware which supports an excellent web interface, digital control of stepper motor current, native USB, SD card and lots of other things. It costs GBP78 from Think3DPrint3D including VAT, but handles just 1 extruder unless you add the DueX4 expansion board, which supports 4 additional extruders. The version of the Duet from RepRapPro costs a little more, but has pins instead of screw terminals and accepts a shield (as an alternative to the DueX4) for adding 2 extra extruders.

2. The Smoothieboard also has Ethernet and digital stepper motor current control. It runs Smoothieware. It is overpriced in my opinion, however the top-of-the range model supports dual extruders. The web interface is very primitive compared to the Duet, but I expect someone will write a better one in time.

3. The Azteeg X5 also runs Smoothieware and costs less, but doesn't have Ethernet.

There are also some add-on boards for the Arduino Due, but again you don't get Ethernet.

There is currently a gap in the market for a budget 32-bit 3D printer controller board (i.e. as cheap as Arduino/RAMPS), which I am seriously considering filling.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

ahh excellent to know, i hadn't considered that at all. i was considering using a e3d volcano nozzel for some larger mechanical parts so speed is something i need

just wired up a dute for a friends reprappro ormerod, looks like a good unit. the only concern i have is the fact that the addon board is quite expensive (duet shield). would the x4 be useable with reprappros version fo the duet? they are on sale for 69 gbp at the moment.

i wholeheartedly support your idea for a cheaper price point 32 bit board, i think particularly there may be a few people like me who are looking to have just 2 extruders to run the e3d chimera or cyclops. im not going to be building for a while so im very interested in upcoming developments.

much obliged for the info mate

and huzzah! another wordpress blog to follow!

Quote
Vikingtec
just wired up a dute for a friends reprappro ormerod, looks like a good unit. the only concern i have is the fact that the addon board is quite expensive (duet shield). would the x4 be useable with reprappros version fo the duet? they are on sale for 69 gbp at the moment.

Yes, I am using the RepRapPro version of the Duet with the DueX4 (see my blog on the dual-nozzle Ormerod conversion). The T3P3 Duet prices on their web site include VAT, the RepRapPro ones don't. So the board actually costs less from T3P3 (although personally, I don't like the screw terminals on the T3P3 board, I prefer header pins, or the Molex connectors that the RepRapPro board has now). The Duet+DueX4 bundle from T3P3 (supporting 5 extruders) costs less than the Smoothie 5XC (supporting 2 extruders). I haven't seen a price for the Duet shield yet, currently I think RepRapPro is only selling them as part of a 2-nozzle upgrade kit.

There is a noise problem with the thermistor inputs on the X4, which causes the second hot end temperature readings to fluctuate at low temperatures. This doesn't really affect print quality but is a little disconcerting. There are are a couple of ways round it, as described in my blog.

Regarding the budget 32-bit board, the parts cost for the design I have mind (without Ethernet) would be significantly less than for Arduino+RAMPS, so I'm surprised nobody has done this already.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

ahh right, always catches me out when sites dont list the full price of the item. im a fan of the pins as well, the screw terminals on my melzi always made me nervous.

looks like duet may be the way to go, unless a better option comes out (wink wink, nudge nudge).

seriously though it seems like a gap in the market begging to be filled, if i had more electronical know-how i would be jumping on that and helping any way i could.

any idea what could cause fluctuations on the thermistors?

looking at your comparison of the kossel and ormerod, could you reccomend getting slightly deeper motors for the torque? with longer arms for more weight i can imagine a bit of extra torque would be useful.

Quote
Vikingtec
looking at your comparison of the kossel and ormerod, could you reccomend getting slightly deeper motors for the torque? with longer arms for more weight i can imagine a bit of extra torque would be useful.

The Mini Kossel motors are deeper than the Ormerod motors, but both provide enough torque for their respective printers. I don't have enough knowledge to say what torque a larger delta would need, although I have the impression that the motors on my Mini Kossel would cope with some extra weight. For an informed opinion, I suggest you ask in the forum dedicated to Delta printers and Stewart platforms.

---

Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].