Upgrades for my Sintron prusa i3

Hi,
I received a Sintron prusa i3 for Christmas. I've used a couple of 3d printers before (ultimaker) and have been studying 3d printers for a while now, so I was very happy to get one of my own!

The kit I have came with a few issues (bent threaded rods the most immediate problem) and the frame is acrylic. It also came with a MK8 extruder, aluminium build plate bonded to a pcb heater and no auto levelling.

From my studies, I have heard that a steel frame is better because it is more solid and does away with a number of the threaded rods & that the e3d v6 extruder is quite a bit better than the Mk8.
Regarding the build plate, I have heard conflicting things about aluminium & glass.

I will be printing mostly ABS material for robotics & animatronics projects so with that in mind, can anyone give me their honest view about the aforementioned upgrades? Are they worth it?

- if I buy a steel frame, do I need to buy anything else to go with it or is it a simple case of replacing the existing hardware?
- Is it worth getting the e3d v6 extruder? is there much difference between that and the mk8 extruder that came in my kit?
- Should I stick with the aluminium build plate with bonded pcb heater or go with aluminium / glass / copper plate with silicone heat mat?
- Is adding auto levelling a difficult job? I can't seem to find any kits to do this so I'm assuming people have to roll their own solution?

Thanks in advance & merry christmas )

I'm using the sintron i3 for more than two years now without bed levelling sensor and print right on the aluminum plate with blue masking tape.
I only added quick release belt tensioners and replaced the acrylic bed frame with an aluminum sandwich plate ( was its name Dibond? )
Recently I replaced the LM8UU linear bearings with Igus type, mainly for noise reduction.

I've replaced the MK8 extruder with a dual e3d Bowden setup but wasn't happy with it. Funny side note: the z-endstop sometimes didn't trigger because the x-carrier was to light without the MK8

It takes a bit of patience to get the bed levelled manually, but when you clamp down the y-frame to a solid plate, it won't have to be done again soon.

Printing ABS can be dangerous with the sintron, because the mk8 carrier got too hot from the bed and stretched slightly. The extruder stepper got loose. I had to shim the clamp.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2016 05:05AM by o_lampe.

Thanks for the feedback!

So would you consider getting the steel frame for your i3 or is the plastic frame ok in your opinion?

I'm worried about the Mk8 carrier & bed frame now as I'll mostly be printing abs....
My bed frame is acrylic like the rest of the frame. Now I come to think about it, having something like acrylic so close to a heated bed does sound like a disaster waiting to happen....

Have the igus bearings made much difference to the accuracy of your prints or is it just a noise reduction thing?

Thanks again

Get this steel frame! You are looking for excuses to buy one anyway.

The .stl files for the x-carrier are somewhere out there. Might be a good idea to print them from ABS first... If you have a garage or workshop, print them without fully enclosed printer to keep the chamber temp lower. ( but still avoiding air breezing across the bed )

There are two versions of the IGUS bearings: canned and naked. I got the naked ones and they are a loose fit. Later I read about the canned version but never bothered to invest further.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2016 03:14AM by o_lampe.