Geeetech-Aluminum-Prusa-I3

Hello everyone, new to this forum and new to the world of 3D printers.
I would like to start playing quickly, to learn slowly and therefore decided to buy a "cheap" chinese knock off but not a too bad one, like this:

[www.banggood.com]

I am using SolidEdge as a CAD package.
At first I don't really know what I will use it for. Parts to repair my 3D printer among other things ?
As we deal withe molten plastic, I don't expect sub micron accuracy, 0.1mm is fair enough. PLA and ABS.
Any one having experience with this company, their products ? What to watch for ?

Well, I am using geeetech 3d printer, although I already changed the extruder mount to my own type and usign genuine e3d v6 nozzle for 1.75mm filament

I bought mine from an agent and didn't expect to have some complications such as my coupler were too large to grip the threaded rod, lack of detailed assembly instruction from geeetech wiki

My electronic burnt also due to lack of detailed assembly instructions saying the x and y axis should able to move freely without anything holding it down, mine got the belt clamped by the screw without my knowledge while the sanguino board (supplied to me), didn't have a bootloader so it moves the motor and eventually fries the step stick, asked for replacement from the agent and I got it

All in all, they use generic hot end with teflon tube in the heatbreak, with this, you're limited to 250'c only for your hot end but doesn't mean this is bad, but just need to be careful

In overall from my experience, I would recommend you to buy directly from geeetech themselves. I'm able to learn about my printer in about 3 month for the basics and another 3 for somewhat advanced stuffs due to my printer making issues when transitioning to other electronics and calibrations.

Mine once again is acrylic based, geeetech prusa i3b type, but comparing with other generic acrylic prusa based, they supplied me with 8mm thick acrylic for almost all the frames, with 2 layer of about 6-8mm acrylic for y axis ends.

What you're going to have is a metal based 3d printer, so modelling or making parts for your metal 3d printer, almost like nothing what you can do anymore, unless you're willing to transition from metal parts to printable plastic parts which might be compatible with their i3b model. This is just in case though but who knows you might need em

I hope this concludes my summary of them, just that better buy directly from them because they got their own forum support in asking something there too

p.s
Bear in mind that this is a single frame type of prusa, so you might need to reinforce the main frame from top to the y axis using threaded rods

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2016 07:09AM by sarf2k4.

I just recently purchased this printer (although from Geeetech directly via eBay). This is my first 3D printer, so I am certainly not an expert. That being said, I am successfully printing parts after a few short days.

Here's a link to my unboxing video. - Geeetech Aluminum Prusa i3 Unboxing video. I am working on a full review video soon.

The build was straight forward. They have both YouTube videos and a PDF build manual that take you through the steps. There are a few errors in the PDF, but they are minor such as incorrect number of washers needed for a particular step. It took me about two days to build the printer, calibrate it, and be printing. I did encounter a few issues during the build (as noted in the video) but they were minor. The Sanguinolulu was already programmed, so I didn't have to do anything other than connect it up. The stepper drivers were already set, so I didn't have to change those either. The included power supply is only 15A, so it is a little small but so far it has worked without issue (it is just slow to heat the bed and extruder).

The X axis ends are metal as is the extruder hanger. Personally I like this, although it does make it more difficult to change out the parts if desired.

So far I have printed with Hatchbox PLA with good results. Among other things, I have printed the 3D Benchy and am very impressed. I'll try to post some pictures later.

As for the company, I haven't had to work with them directly. I had no issues during the build and no defective parts so I have had no need to contact them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2016 04:29PM by stratosonic.

Hi stratosonic or shd I call you Jason

Anyway I bought the identical one a few days ago - the FULL Aluminum Geeetech - won an auction on eBay for $299 250+ shipping. It is yet to arrive so I enjoyed your unboxing imagining that was me

Although I did not buy it directly from Geeetech, the support staff(email) were very responsive when I asked for the STL files and firmware.

In fact for this model, there is only 1 plastic part - the clip for the X axis belt.
See attached - PI3F-B01-BlteClip.zip

There is an older Aluminum version floating around that uses plastic parts for the X Axis idle and motor sides and the Z linear bearings. Geeetech also sent the STL for these to me - see attached GeeetecSTLs.zip So you could re-print these parts and use them instead in case something happened to your metal parts.

Would love to see some prints if you have already fully built this as well as any tips in building, configuring etc. you may have.

Cheers

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2016 05:34PM by bernbout.

Here is the link to my review video. I had some video of parts that I have printed but the lighting and focus was really poor so I didn't include it. I will try to re-do that this weekend.

Geetech Aluminum Prusa i3 Review

Thanks mate.

Could you post a nice closeup of a print you did to see the quality you achieved?

Also once you are happy with your settings, please post them here.

Thanks for your advice, I feel is it worth a try and am ordering it.

Quote
stratosonic
Here is the link to my review video. I had some video of parts that I have printed but the lighting and focus was really poor so I didn't include it. I will try to re-do that this weekend.

Geetech Aluminum Prusa i3 Review

Indeed, for the X axis, you should put the blocking rings on the inside to relieve the stress on the Z rods.

Here are a few images of items I have printed. Sorry if it is hard to see details but it is difficult to take good pictures of the black PLA! The second and third images are of a custom fan mount and duct that I created. It ended up not working, but the prints came out nice!

Hi Jason

My printer arrived today. The only thing "missing?" is the SD Card.

I have a couple of Q for you.

1. Did Geeetech supply an SD card or do I have to use my own?

2. What did you do with the A.C power unit?
They supplied a plug+ socket/switch but no instructions of how it is to be connected. The reason I ask is, for the other, Acrylic Prusa's, they suggest mounting the PSU on the Side support. In this case, there is no such support. So did you just leave it lying on the table or what?

3. Your prints look nice considering the printer is quite new. Did you design these yourself? Any link to the 2 parts you printed - the fan and the other part and what are they for and how fitted?

4. I was thinking of mounting the PSU sideways on the RIGHT main frame by drilling 2 holes in the main frame


and also print a small box to hold the Power socket and switch and fix it to the PSU as shown. What do you think?

After successfully setting up & printing, I want to build an enclosure for the printer similar to this one.

Thanks for the tip about the X Axis blocking rings.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2016 10:30PM by bernbout.

Quote
bernbout
1. Did Geeetech supply an SD card or do I have to use my own?

No, the printer does not come with an SD card. I still haven't tried printing from an SD card with mine. I have a dedicated computer connected to the printer, so I don't have much need at this point.

Quote
bernbout
2. What did you do with the A.C power unit?
They supplied a plug+ socket/switch but no instructions of how it is to be connected. The reason I ask is, for the other, Acrylic Prusa's, they suggest mounting the PSU on the Side support. In this case, there is no such support. So did you just leave it lying on the table or what?

I have it sitting behind mine printer on the table.

Quote
bernbout
3. Your prints look nice considering the printer is quite new. Did you design these yourself? Any link to the 2 parts you printed - the fan and the other part and what are they for and how fitted?

The boat is 3DBenchy from Thingiverse. The fan parts I designed myself. It was intended to cool the part being printed. It didn't work in the end due to not enough pressure blowing out.

Quote
bernbout
4. I was thinking of mounting the PSU sideways on the RIGHT main frame by drilling 2 holes in the main frame
and also print a small box to hold the Power socket and switch and fix it to the PSU as shown. What do you think?

After successfully setting up & printing, I want to build an enclosure for the printer similar to this one.

At the moment I have the printer in a simple enclosure that I made from foam board from the dollar store. As the printer is in the garage, I wanted to keep it from exposure to dust. Also, the cover helps with temperature swings during printing. I am planning to build a more permanent enclosure at some point similar to what you linked. As for the power supply, I am thinking I will mount it to the outside of the enclosure so it will have better cooling, as well as mount the power switch on the enclosure as well. Otherwise your idea of mounting it on the back of the printer seems fine to me.

I've just received my printer today, checked the parts list, but no instructions!

Do you have a URL to access the PDF version and the videos?

Thanks.

If you go to the geeetech website, they have the assembly instructions, user guide, and a link to the YouTube videos.

Geetech Aluminum Prusa i3

YouTube build playlist

Many thanks, I had looked at their website but couldn't find these! I'll watch the videos and make a start tomorrow morning!

Just working through my assembly....
I thought I would try the suggestion by MKSA and put the rings on the inside. No good! When the carriage moves left it hits the rings before the
limit switch! No way could I get the rings to fit as they are on the motor end - they fould the motor fixing screws. I ended up resorting to my trusty
milling machine and chamfered a chunk off the rings, as here:

The X carriage smooth rods were a very tight fit in the ends, spent a while filing the hole with the 'grater'.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2016 10:50AM by BillP.

Here are some construction tips that I have made.

1. As suggested earlier, for the XAxis it is better to put the Stopper rings on the inside of the rods to stop the ZAxis rods bowing when you tighten the belt.
However as Billp says, then the extruder hits on the ring when you home it. This is what I did.

On the Extruder I attached a small piece of stiffish plastic I cut from an old icecream container, to the hole indicated below


This is what it looks like screwed in and cut to size.


And here it is in action


2. Make sure that the length shown as "A" is sufficient. You may need to move the central locking screws but if you don't then then the HOME position will not be sufficiently forward enough. I know I had to adjust this 2 or 3 times.

3. When tightening the Z Motor Coupling to the Motor as well as the ZAxis threaded rodsee B in above image)please note:


This coupling has 2 innovations.
1. It is spring loaded
2. The top and bottom coupling is SPLIT. The reason for this, is that if it were not split, then then when tightening the bolts, the rod would be pushed off center if it did not fit the hole exactly. And we know that the 8mm rods are usually less than 8mm. So this is the correct sequence for tightening.

First tighten the larger (cross section) screw. This squeezes the hole around the shaft to make it fit perfectly
Then tighten the smaller screw. This tightens the shaft in place.with no pushing it to the side
Tighten the ZMotor first then the ZAxis threaded rod.

Important: When you insert the ZAxis threaded rod, into the coupling it will usually bottom out on the top of the ZMotor rod.
RAISE THE Z AXIS THREADED ROD BY ABOUT 2.to 3 mm and then only follow the tightening sequence. This is so that the spring effect of the coupling is effective. If both the rods are touching then there is no benefit of the spring effect.

Final note: The packing list printed booklet that comes with the printer and the list as per the latest instructions PDF are different for some items. If you are not careful you will use the wrong bolts in the wrong place and cause problems.

THE PACKING LIST PART NUMBERS ARE CORRECT. The assembly instructions are mostly correct but some are wrong. Always cross check with tthe packing list to make sure before you use any bolts.
Cheers and happy assembling

Now I have some questions for the more experienced users:

This is the heated bed when viewed from the top Front:


My Q is which coloured dot represents the HOME for the Print head.?
My guess is the Green dot but I may be wrong.

The reason I ask is I have set the bed size to be 200x200x180
IF x:y - 0,0 are at the green dot. then when I give the command to move 100X, 100Y , it should move the head to dead center of the bed.And clicking the "Home" button should move the head back to the green spot.

However while I can adjust the Yaxis such that Y0 s at the Green dot, by moving the whole YAxis assembly forward, there is no way to adjust the XAxis endstop without lengethining that plastic extender I showed in the previous post, to make X0 on the green dot,
With the normal setup, X0 ends up somewhere near the YELLOW dot.
Could someone please clarify where HOME should be? And if it is NOT on the Green spot, why and how the software knows where it is in relation to the bed.

Thanks.

By the way getting the bed level properly took soooo long and was such a hassle. One of the first things I upgrade will be Auto Bed Leveling.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/2016 11:00PM by bernbout.

Quote
bernbout
First tighten the larger (cross section) screw. This squeezes the hole around the shaft to make it fit perfectly
Then tighten the smaller screw. This tightens the shaft in place.with no pushing it to the side
Tighten the ZMotor first then the ZAxis threaded rod.

Important: When you insert the ZAxis threaded rod, into the coupling it will usually bottom out on the top of the ZMotor rod.
RAISE THE Z AXIS THREADED ROD BY ABOUT 2.to 3 mm and then only follow the tightening sequence. This is so that the spring effect of the coupling is effective. If both the rods are touching then there is no benefit of the spring effect.

Those are great points on the assembling of the coupler. Mine are working ok but I probably didn't tighten them in this sequence. I will have to see about resetting them.

Quote
bernbout
My Q is which coloured dot represents the HOME for the Print head.?
My guess is the Green dot but I may be wrong.

My printer homes closer to the purple dot in your picture. I have accounted for this by offsets set in the software which allows the printer to determine the center of the bed. Not sure if this is the best way to do it but it has been working fine for me.

As for bed leveling, once I got mine set, I haven't had to mess with it much. In fact, I probably have printed 6 or 8 prints without changing it at all. I even moved the printer from one table to another and it was still fine. Auto bed leveling definitely sounds like a nice upgrade though!

Indeed, I can see many minute details that are gross design errors. It happens when someone just copy a design without understanding it and focus on making use of the cheapest parts available.
Still waiting mine, they were out of stock.

Are the guide rods straight and of tempered steel ? Any play in the bearing ? Any mark from the bearing after some use ? Any binding ?

The base is not rigid (2 threaded rods !). On what do you install the printer ? How to you level it and fix it ?

I was more inclined to buy a Rostock type printer, I like the concept, but bought this one as it is easier to adjust and improve.

Thanks for the above tips. I nearly finished assembling mine yesterday, but was too tired from scraping the paper off the spool holder parts!
I will redo my couplings as suggested and move the locking rings back to the inner position. I also have to tidy up the wiring!

With regard the the 'home' position, I would expect this to be where the limit switches are activated, and hence on the purple dot.
Moving to 100,100 should then brig you close to the centre of the base.

I did find a few discrepancies between the parts list and the assembly instructions. I do seem to have a fair number of screws left over.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2016 06:13AM by BillP.

This is how I set my bed. It is the "Bed Left" and "Bed Front" settings in "Printer Settings" in Repetier-Host:


image post

This is how you can come up with these values:
1. Knowing that the print area is 200mm x 200mm, measure the bed to find the front left corner of the bed.
2. Measure how far the extruder nozzle is from this position in the X and Y directions.
3. Run a print job and adjust the values as needed to get the print to be in the center of the bed.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2016 01:02PM by stratosonic.

Thanks Jason

This is EXACTLY what I was asking. Now I understand how the software knows where the print bed starts in relation to the HOME position.

I was also thinking that having 4 screws to level the bed is not really needed. Just 3 would be sufficient and easier to adjust. I will look at either having one screw at the front, 2 back or better 2 front and one in the middle behind. Only problem is that this is where the heater wires are connected. Will have to see if there is space in the middle for a single screw.

Also having a screw which needs an Allen key to turn means that for bed leveling, I have to move the head, adjust the screw, move the head back, test and so on. Gets tedious after a while.

I was thinking that the system used on the SUNHOKEY Prusa where you adjust a thumb screw underneath makes more sense.


Thinking of printing some like these:


https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:39459

or just buy what I need - ThumbScrews on ebay

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/2016 10:46AM by bernbout.

Quote
MKSA
Are the guide rods straight and of tempered steel ? Any play in the bearing ? Any mark from the bearing after some use ? Any binding ?

Sorry, I don't know what material the rods are made from. Mine were not completely straight out of the box. I rolled them on a piece of plate glass and you could see a small (maybe a millimeter or 2?) gap. I did my best to straighten them. So far the rods don't have any marks from the bearings, but I probably haven't printed enough to cause marks if they are going to occur.

My bearings run smooth with no binding and I didn't notice any play during assembly nor now. If there is any, it is very small. I was very careful during assembly to make sure the X and Y axes ran smooth with very little force required to move them before putting on the belts. Fingers crossed on the longevity of the bearings.

Quote
MKSA
The base is not rigid (2 threaded rods !). On what do you install the printer ? How to you level it and fix it ?

As for the rigidity of the base, yes, it is only two threaded rods however it also has the two smooth rods which are held in place with set screws. This makes a pretty solid base. The connection between the base and the main aluminum upright plate is fairly good, but is probably the place where any flex or vibration could come from. If it is going to be an issue, I think this would show itself on tall prints.

My printer is just on a table in the garage. Nothing fancy, just a wood top. The entire printer doesn't need to be level, although it should be close. The key is to have the bed level to the extruder. The bed leveling process is described in the instructions.

My 3D printer experience has only been with this printer so I can't make any kind of comparisons to other printers but I am still impressed how this printer has performed out of the box.

Quote
stratosonic

Quote
MKSA
Are the guide rods straight and of tempered steel ? Any play in the bearing ? Any mark from the bearing after some use ? Any binding ?

Sorry, I don't know what material the rods are made from. Mine were not completely straight out of the box. I rolled them on a piece of plate glass and you could see a small (maybe a millimeter or 2?) gap. I did my best to straighten them. So far the rods don't have any marks from the bearings, but I probably haven't printed enough to cause marks if they are going to occur.

My bearings run smooth with no binding and I didn't notice any play during assembly nor now. If there is any, it is very small. I was very careful during assembly to make sure the X and Y axes ran smooth with very little force required to move them before putting on the belts. Fingers crossed on the longevity of the bearings.

Quote
MKSA
The base is not rigid (2 threaded rods !). On what do you install the printer ? How to you level it and fix it ?

As for the rigidity of the base, yes, it is only two threaded rods however it also has the two smooth rods which are held in place with set screws. This makes a pretty solid base. The connection between the base and the main aluminum upright plate is fairly good, but is probably the place where any flex or vibration could come from. If it is going to be an issue, I think this would show itself on tall prints.

My printer is just on a table in the garage. Nothing fancy, just a wood top. The entire printer doesn't need to be level, although it should be close. The key is to have the bed level to the extruder. The bed leveling process is described in the instructions.

My 3D printer experience has only been with this printer so I can't make any kind of comparisons to other printers but I am still impressed how this printer has performed out of the box.

I totally disagree, the key is to have a rigid structure put on a rigid base, well adjusted axis, smooth movement. I see bed leveling to be just that, to level the bed for the minute adjustments required for initial layer adhesion and not to compensate for the preceding.

Quote
MKSA
I totally disagree, the key is to have a rigid structure put on a rigid base, well adjusted axis, smooth movement. I see bed leveling to be just that, to level the bed for the minute adjustments required for initial layer adhesion and not to compensate for the preceding.

Yes, I do agree that a rigid printer is key. That is why many recommend the box style frame versus the single plate frame. Any flex in the printer frame will translate into defects in the printed object. Also, the printer needs to be square to itself, which bed leveling plays into in a big way. I do wonder about putting rubber feet, tennis ball feet, etc. on the bottom of the printer for vibration dampening plays into this? I have seen many doing this on the Folgertech thread. Bottom line, I like the discussion.

Anyone else have their printer up and running yet? How are the results so far?

Some things I noticed:

Tried printing with PLA with the heatbed OFF and the first layer cooled too fast and would not stick. (We are in the midst of Summer here Down Under) Even the strings of filament did not stick to each other. So I went back to my standard settings of 60/200 after cleaning the glass with Alcohol and a bit of cheap Hair Spray. That worked for me with the Cura slicer.

With a larger print though I noticed that one corner did shrink and lift but the whole model stuck and since the part was "hidden" this did not affect my model much.
Here are somw of things I have printed so far with RED PLA,

Filament Guide

I had to make adjustments for this as the original was for 8mm and the Geeetech is 6mm Al.Clips onto the Z axis top support. Need to fix it with a screw after drilling a hole.

Keyring - From Windows 3D Builder



Whistle


Power Switch Box

Modified for my needs.

Power Switch Box Completed, ready for mounting


I must get Auto Tramming installed as this manual bed leveling is very frustrating.

Your prints are looking great! Is that switch box on Thingiverse?

What are you planning for auto bed leveling? BLTouch or something else?

Thanks. Hope they remain that way or get better.

A switchbox is on Thingverse but I modified it and have since modified my version as well.
Basically at the size I printed above, the depth of the box was a weeee bit small to accommodate all those wires. So I made it deeper to allow for that. Also the hole on the sloping side was a tad small for my switch and had to do some filing to fit. So I made that Rect. hole a wee bit bigger. Finally I removed my name from the "thing" and moved the wire hole from the top to the bottom so I can screw this box onto my power supply and this needs the hole at the bottom. I will complete the changes and then upload to thingverse. If you are up to doing the mods yourself I have attached the .STL and the .SKP file for the box. Yes I used Sketchup 2016 to make the mods.

Also attached the .STL and the .SKP for the modified filament guide. It should now fit over the 6mm side piece. Will need a screw to keep it in place though.

I prefer an electronic method rather than a mechanical as that means no moving parts. So BLTouch and other solenoid based approaches I don't want.

Because we have a PCB heatbed and Glass, an Inductive sensor will not work. I am leaning towards a similar Capacitive Sensor as that can read many materials including glass.
These are a bit thicker in girth but that shd be no problem. The one linked below has a diameter of 18mm but has a reading range of +- 10 mm which is adequate for our needs.


LJC18A3-B-Z / BX I will get one and do some testing on an Arduino board as I don't want to blow the printer mainboard. Will post here my tests.

This is a bit more expensive than the Inductive one but works better and more importantly works on Glass. I am looking at NPN Normally Open, same as Tom's but Capacitive.

Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2016 11:24PM by bernbout.

Thanks for the 3D models!

I really like the idea of auto tramming, and the sensor is inexpensive as well. I am interested to see how it turns out for you. If it works for you I will have to give it a go as well.

I usually use Sketchup as well. It is what I have always used for 3D drawing and am most comfortable with it.

How can you make sure these sensors give you the required repeatability ? You need better than 0.1mm. These sensors are designed and used for a totally different purpose.