3D printer

Quite recently I have decided to build a 3D printer based on Arduino, old stepper motors and aluminium frame. Here I will slowly write about my progress.

The idea is to build a 3D printer with reasonable positioning accuracy (about 0.05 mm), quick construction and reasonably cheap components. Initially I planed to order the frame made from laser-cut plywood, I designed it and found out that it costs almost £300 only for frame - a bit too much for me. So another option was aluminium profiles.

The plan (see original SketchUp file with the plan)

Frame. I decided to use cheap aluminium extrusion profiles (ordered from KJN) - the frame with very expensive delivery (£12) costs only £50. The idea was partially adopted from ScrewRap, but only partially, because I did not want to use a lot of 3d-printed parts (very high costs for me if I want just to re-create the frame). But using 3d-printed parts for the most demanding nodes is a good idea - I ordered some from 3dprint-uk. To my surprise, they have printed very well a monster (all-in-one single piece) at the advertised price of £0.10 per ml.

Electronics. Arduino + stepper motors taken from old Epson printers. Hopefully, nearby organisation that deals with computer recycling, Refirbit, greatly helped me with old printers and scanners. All pulleys, and belts were also taken form the printers - it was a surprise to me to find out that an MXL-type belt does not fit perfectly for an MXL-type stepper. Luckily, the existing printers had very precisely-tuned belts.

Extruder. I considered that it is easier to buy a ready commercially-available extruder - £50.

Heated bed. I disliked very much all existing ideas of low-voltage heated beds (it is a very strange idea to make a 100W, low temperature heater, almost a soldering iron, am expensive low-voltage power supply). However, all existing AC-mains-powered heated beds were even worse. So I have built one of my own. 

For more details see tag 3D-printer