A Low Cost 3D Printer With Basic Tools

instructables.com/id/A-low-cost-3D-printer-with-basic-tools/

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Introducing the 'Ad(str)apto'
Welcome to our 1st attempt at doing an instructable. This is a cheap, quick and very
'hackable' bootstrap printer loosely based on the reprap 'Adapto'
(http://reprap.org/wiki/Adapto) The print volume of this printer is approximately 8 litres
(200x200x200mm), but could easily be adapted to print a bigger volume.

But first, a few words of warning:

Use safety glasses when using the power tools, especially the Dremel - the glasses
are much cheaper than a visit to an eye specialist.
You will be working with high voltages (120v/240v) when building the switch and
connecting the power-supply, so common sense should prevail - contact an
electrician for advice if unsure.
Although Acetone is not considered a hazardous chemical, you will be working with it
a fair amount of time and it could cause some problems if not using gloves and/or
working in a well ventilated environment.
You will be working with items that get hot, e.g. cutting metal and plastic, soldering
irons, the 'hot-end', which by its very name is designed to get extremely hot, etc. - so
take care when handling it.
And finally, a warning copied from the reprap.org wiki:

"Once you start putting electricity into your Reprap - even at just 12 volts - you have to take
basic common sense precautions to avoid fires. Just in case these fail - test your workshop
smoke detector. Got no smoke detector? Get one!"

Who this guide is for

Anyone who wants to own a 3D printer, but does not have access to a laser cutter, CNC
milling machine or 3D printer.

What this guide covers

This instructable will cover everything that you need to build your very own 3D printer. We
will not go into great depth regarding the electronics or software, but will provide you with
enough information and links to sites to get you started. Although we did our best to provide
accurate and concise information, we worked with a very tight deadline and are sure that we
did omit something. Please indicate such in the comments section and it will be updated.
Also, any suggestion, shortcut or improvement will be appreciated.

In action
Usage

Normal text will be used for standard content

Italics for quotes and warnings
Bold text to highlight a point

These text boxes for our ramblings, which can be safely ignored

Look out for little 'Note' rectangles on the photo's - they will highlight errors,
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 omissions or important points when you hover your mouse cursor over them.

And finally it's time to dip into your wallet, dust off the Dremel, crank up the volume and
melt some plastic!

Step 1: Results - 1st Print

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We printed a 'Quick-Fit X carriage and Extruder - LM8UU', an excellent design by RichRap
(http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1959), in the video in the previous step. The part on the
right hand side of the 3rd photo was printed with a 1mm nozzle, and required some
attention with a stanley knife. The 2nd part (still stuck to the print bed) was printed with a
0.4mm nozzle - both at 0.3mm 'Quality' and 30% infill. The M5 nut was pulled into the trap
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with the minimum amount of fuzz.

The last photo might be a pointer to our next instructable - 'a low cost, lightweight, freely
available iPhone tripod mount with no tools'...

Step 2: Shopping List

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This is the bill of materials, based on the components we used.

I did not shop around – so I’m sure you will get better deals on eBay or alibaba.

It will be interesting to see what the basket cost, broken down into the four categories, is for
the various countries – please post a comment if you do get around to building the printer.

Here are links to the Excel workbook & pdf:

http://www.cirius.co.za/rr/BOM.xlsx

http://www.cirius.co.za/rr/BOM.pdf

(There are some corrections on the 2nd photo - I've updated the .pdf and .xlsx accordingly -
26 June 2015)

Here are links to some of the local suppliers we used:

(instructable bug: right-click and select open in new tab)

Step 3: Tools, Consumables, Electronics & Fasteners

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Tools
Dremel
Drill (bench drill recommended)
Vise
Stanley knife
Allen keys (4.0, 3.0, 2.5 & 1.5mm, ball-end set recommended)
Woodworking marking gauge
Square
Metric wrenches (13, 10, 8, 7, 6) & 5mm socket
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 Shifting spanner
Tap (M5x-0.8) & T-wrench
Vernier, digital caliper or ruler
Pliers & side cutter
Hammer (small)
Metal files (2nd cut round, half-round & square)
Soldering iron
Glue gun (optional)
Flat screw drivers
Drill bits (22, 16, 5, 4, 3, 3.2, 2mm)
Compass
10mm drill chuck (optional)
Multi-meter (only resistance & continuity required)
Pencil & permanent marker
Scissors

Consumables
Acetone (200-300ml)
Rubbing alcohol (50-100ml)
3-in-1 oil
Superglue
Glue stick
Lint free cloth & cotton wool pads

Electronics
Arduino MEGA 2560
RAMPS 1.4 & 4x Allegro A4988 driver boards. (You could also use alternatives,
e.g.RUMBA, 4Pi, Duet, etc.)
5x Stepper motors - we used the Wantai model 42BYGHM809 for the Y-axis and
DFRobot FIT0278 for the rest.
Mk2A PCB Heatbed by Josef Prusa (http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_Heatbed)
Optional LCD smart controller
(http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphic...)
12v / 20A Power supply

Step 4: Working With Plastic Brackets

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These plastic brackets are lightweight but rigid enough to hold everything in place, while
still allowing you to drill and join them easily.

Joining brackets

For a lot of this build we join together plastic brackets using a method called solvent
welding - it will only work with ABS plastic though. To do this, pour a little acetone (about 3
mm deep) into a container that will not melt – most plastic food containers will do. Place the
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brackets that you want to join into the acetone, immersing the sides that you wish to join.
After about 30 seconds remove the brackets and push the 2 wet sides flush together. Hold
them there for about 30 seconds. They should now be stuck together but will take about 30
minutes to fully cure. In this time, do not put stress on the join, but you should be able to
continue working with the piece.

For more info on this look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_welding#Sol...

Step 5: Working With Ball Bearing Drawer Runners

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These drawer runners are the reason
why you can build a very robust printer
for such a low price - you get fairly
precise movement on all the axes for
the price of a single pair of linear
bearings. They are easy to work with
and take apart, they offer a smooth
linear motion, but are rigid enough for
precision printing.

Where to find them

A quick Google for “ball bearing drawer

runners” should be able to help you find
them locally. They are available from
most hardware or DIY kitchen stores
and you should be able to source them
for approximately ZAR20.00 ($2.00) per pair, e.g.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ball-bearing-drawer-runn...

http://www.gelmar.co.za/drawer-runners/35mm-full-e...

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Try to keep the work environment clean when drilling, cutting or filing, since the bearings
are exposed and the filings/shavings quickly gets engrained in the bearing grease.

Taking the runners apart is pretty simple – there are normally only 2 things holding them
together:

A small metal tab with rubber bumper that can easily be bend down (and back later),
but permanently remove the rubber bumper - it is not required.
A small plastic clip that is riveted to the inside runner.

If you can’t get them back in look at another complete one as a reference as to how they
are put together.

Tapping holes in the runners

We tap holes in the aluminium runners where possible so that we don’t have to use nuts.
This not only saves on the cost but it also means that the runners, or things that are
mounted to the runners, can be removed easily without having to undo nuts. This will save
you a lot of time as there will be many times that you will want to mount and unmount items
from the runners.

How to tap a hole: Drill a hole 1 size smaller than the bolt you want to use. Slowly turn the
tap in the hole until it has gone in a few millimeters. Slowly screw the tap and you are done

Step 6: Print Bed: Materials & Tools

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Materials:
220x220mm 6mm Plywood
2x 300mm ball bearing drawer runners
2x Type 'A' brackets
2x Type 'B' brackets
4x 20mm M5 cap screws
4x 10mm M5 button head screw
4x 10mm M5 button head screw (cut shorter to ~6mm)
1x 50mm M4 cap screw
4x 10mm M3 cap screws
6x M5 hex nuts
4x M5 square pressed nuts
1x M4 hex nut
4x M3 hex nuts
8x M5 star washers
4x PC motherboard standoffs

Tools:
Electric drill
Dremel, jigsaw, coping saw or hacksaw blade
8mm combination wrench
5mm socket
M5x0.8 Tap and T-wrench
2.5, 3.0 & 4mm metric hex keys (Allen keys)
3, 4 & 5mm drill bits
Light hammer & centre punch
Stanley knife (not shown on the photo)
Square ruler
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 Woodworking marking gauge (optional)
Pencil

You should be able to get an off-cut piece of 6mm plywood from any specialist wood supply
store for free and only pay a nominal charge for having it cut to size (you want this cut fairly
square). You can use either stainless steel or high tensile screws and nuts. Use some 4.0x
40mm cut-screws as a substitute for the centre punch.

Step 7: Print Bed: Plywood Body

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Start by marking the centre of the 6mm plywood by drawing two diagonal lines from
the corners.
Draw 2 lines down the centre of the board to divide it into 4 quarters. (X-axis and I've
marked the 'Idler' and 'Stepper motor' ends along the Y-axis).
Mark and draw 4 lines 105mm from the centre lines. At each intersection of these
lines, use a centre punch to mark the position for the four 3mm holes.
Draw 2 lines 90mm from the centre Y-axis line. Remove the 300mm drawer runner
centre piece (refer the 'how-to' in step '2') and use it as template along these lines to
mark the position of the four 5mm holes.
Mark four 5mm holes 15mm from the X-axis and 16.5mm from the Y-axis centre
lines. Mark an additional two 5mm holes 40mm from the X-axis and 16.5 mm from the
Y-axis centre lines.
Centre punch and drill all 3mm & 5mm holes as indicated.
Use the Dremel and/or hacksaw blade to cut the Y-axis tensioner slider channels.
Tap the holes indicated in blue on the drawer runners to 5mm and enlarge the
elongated holes (marked in red) with a 5mm drill bit.
Fasten the drawer runners with 2x M5 10mm button head screws and star washers
to the plywood board (the star washers go on the wooden side).
Use the other two sets of M5 10mm button heads, nuts and star washers to fasten
the runners to the plywood through the elongated holes indicated in red (the button
head is on the runner side and the washers and nuts on the wooden side). Please
note that I've got the runners mounted the wrong way on these photo's - the fold-
down tabs, next to the holes marked in red, should be on the idler end.
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 Turn the board around and use the 5mm socket to hand-tap the four standoffs into
the 3mm corner holes.

Step 8: Print Bed: Y-axis Tensioner

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Tools: Drill, Dremel or saw, tap

Materials:

2 x Type 'A' brackets

2 x Type 'B' brackets

1 x ~750mmm timing belt

1 x 100 mm bolt

4 x M5 screws

4 x M5 star washers

Process:

Take the two Type 'A' plastic brackets and mark them as indicated. On the long side with
the elongated holes:

Mark & drill a 4mm hole for the M4 tensioner bolt centred, 8mm from the edge.
Mark & drill two 3mm holes, 14mm apart and 18mm from the edge for the belt
clamps.
Drill three 3mm holes on each of the red lines, 26 and 31mm from the edge. Use a
Stanley knife to cut ~8mm slots for the timing belt to fit through.
With your Dremel, cut along the square's lines, 4mm from the centre line, break it off
with some long-nose pliers and cut the inner edges square with a Stanley knife.
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On the short 45mm side, mark & drill two 5mm holes, 12mm from the angle edge and 8mm
from the sides.

Using the two Type 'B' plastic brackets:

Measure and drill two 3mm holes, 18mm from the angle edge and 5mm from the side.
Cut the end a further 5mm further on with your Dremel. Also cut the top, in line with
the bottom, off as shown to be used as tensioner tabs.

Step 9: Print Bed: Assembly

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Mount one Type 'A' bracket on the idler side of the plywood board with two 20mm M5 cap
screws, star washers and nuts and tighten until the star washers bites into the wood. Do the
same with the other bracket on the stepper motor end, but only tighten lightly at this stage.

Wind the timing belt (teeth facing upwards) through the two cut slots in the idler side
bracket and affix the one tab cut from the Type 'B' with two 10mm M3 cap screws and nuts,
tightening it fairly tight. Do not affix the other end of the timing belt as yet - it needs to be
wound around the idler bearing first.

Mount the 50mm M4 cap screw and nut through the 4mm holes of the two large brackets -
this will be your Y-axis tensioner.

Now take the two 300mm drawer runner frames, remove the rubber bumpers and bend
down the end-stops (highlighted in blue) with some pliers. Add a 6mm cap screw to each
hole just below the end-stop and hand tighten a M5 square pressed nut at the back. Move
the inner body of the runner over the blue end-stops to expose the hole at the other end of
the frame, add another 6mm cap screw and M5 square nut. Move the inner body back into
position and bend the end-stops back into its original position.

Step 10: Y-axis: Idler

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Step 11: Y-axis: LCD Mount (optional)

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Step 12: Z-axis Threaded Rod Carriage (x2)
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Materials:
2x 'Long T-Pieces'
4x 20mm M5 button head cap screws
12x M5 nuts
8x M5 star washers
2x 400mm M5 stainless steel threaded rods
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 2x 30.5x7.3mm steel compression springs (RS Components #751578, not reflected
in the BOM, yet)
3-in-one oil
Blue painters tape (or insulation tape)
4x M5 nuts (optional)

Tools:
Drill & 5mm drill bit
Epoxy
8mm wrench
Small shifting spanner
Lint-free cloth (we used some white denim material)

Drill a 5mm hole in each inner (mirrored) corner of the 2 'Long T-Pieces', 10mm from each
side. Remove the thread from four M5 nuts with the same 5mm drill bit.Thread the rod
through the hole of the 1st T-piece, adding a M5 nut without thread, followed by a M5 nut
with thread, the compression spring, M5 nut with thread, M5 nut without thread and finally
exiting the 5mm hole on the other side of the T-Piece. Repeat procedure with the other M5
rod and T-Piece.

Screw the M5 rod with your hands up and down the M5 nut/spring combination, until it
screws in & out easily (it helps to lock 2x M5 nuts at the end of each M5 rod).

Mix some epoxy and glue the 8 M5 nuts (4 with thread and 4 without) into the corners of the
T-Pieces, taking care not to get any epoxy on the threaded rod.

Final preparation
(This should only be done after the epoxy is set: 6-8 hours)

Wound approximately 3 layers of blue painters tape around the end of the M5 threaded
rods. Drip some 3-in-one oil onto a folded piece of lint-free cloth and mount the threaded
rod into the drill. Place drill in reverse mode and while firmly clamping the oil soaked cloth
between your fingers, 'reverse' the cloth to the other end at a slow steady pace.

Screw the Z-axis carriage onto the threaded rod, add some more 3-in-one oil to the 'nuts
with thread' inside the brackets and 'drill' the carriage to the threaded rod end closest to the
drill, also at a steady and slow rate.

Optional: Add two M5 nuts to the far end of the rod and lock in place with the wrench and
shifting spanner.

Step 13: X-axis Motor & Idler Mount

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Materials:
2x 'Crosses (X)' - refer Step 4 - working with plastic
2x 'Short T-Pieces'
4x 'Type A' brackets
6x 20mm M5 Button head cap screws
2x 20mm M5 cap screws
16x M5 star washers (optional)
8x M5 nuts
4x 10mm M3 cap screws
4x M3 washers (optional)
1x 40mm M8 bolt (can be shorter - 25mm)
1x M8 nyloc nut
2x large M8 washers (38.0 x 1.5mm)
2x M8 washers (16.0 x 1.0)
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 608ZZ bearing

Tools:
Dremel
Marking gauge
13mm wrench
Small shifting spanner
Pencil or permanent marker
Acetone

Cut away the corner pieces on the two 'Crosses (x)' and indicated in red in the 2nd photo.
Note that the bottom corner pieces marked in green should not be cut away (3rd photo).
Mark and cut away the 4mm edges - this is the part that will mount the X-axis motor and
idler to the Z-axis runners.

Place the 'Short T-pieces' and two 'Type A' brackets in acetone and weld as shown in the
4th photo (take note of the location of the elongated holes when doing this)

Use another two 'Type A' brackets and cut the long edges away as shown in the 5th & 6th
photo (only one shown). Mark and cut away 4mm from the edge (2x) and acetone weld
these two pieces together. (We did this in two steps, since we though we'll only require one
of these to be used as a spacer when mounting the X-axis idler to the Z-runners). Place
these two welded spacers in acetone, dribble some acetone onto back of the idler (right
hand) 'Cross (x)' where the 4mm edge was removed earlier (marked in green).

Cut away the corners of the motor and idler brackets as show in the 1st photo

Place the 3-bracket cross, welded in the previous step, onto the 4-bracket 'Crosses (x) from
the 1st step as shown. Mark and drill the holes indicated in red and fasten with the 20mm
M5 button head cap screws, (optional) star washers and M5 nuts.

Turn the brackets upside down and do the same from the other side and fasten with the
remaining M5 button heads and two 20mm M5 cap screws in the 'tight' corner (9th photo).

Use the motor mount template, mark and drill the 3.2mm & 22mm holes for the stepper
motor (left hand side bracket). Mount the stepper motor using the M3 cap screws and
washers.

Use the same template, but only mark and drill the centre 'motor shaft' hole with an 8mm
drill bit for the idler bolt. Affix the idler (M8 bolt, large washer, small washer, bearing, small
washer, large washer and finally the M8 nyloc nut)

Do not attach the Z-axis threaded rod carriages now, it is only done in the last photo to
show you how everything fits together

Step 14: X-Axis Tensioner

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The x-axis tensioner is used to tighten the belt that moves the hotend in the x-axis. The belt
will go around an idler and the motor belt gear and then be joined in the center by the
tensioner.

Tools: Drill, pen, dremel or saw, vice

Materials:

4x Type 'B'' brackets

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2x Type 'C' brackets

4x 20 mm M3 screws

1x 50 mm M3 screw

6x M3 washers

5x M3 nuts

Belt clamps

Take a Type 'B' and cut off the corner supports.

Cut it in half at the bend - this will be used to clamp the belt against another Type 'B'
bracket
Take another Type 'B' and drill three elongated holes in it so that the belt can fit
through them
Take the other piece that we have just made and push it against the bracket. Mark
and drill holes for the M3 bolts so that it does not interfere with the belt
Thread the belt through the holes
Thread the screws in the holes and the nuts on the end of the bolts but do not tighten
yet
Repeat the above so that we have 2 clamps

Tensioner

Mark and drill holes in the long bracket so that it can be mounted to the x-axis. Use
existing holes on the hotend carriage
On the top of the long bracket mark and drill holes to attach the clamps. The one hole
should be a elongated hole so that the one clamp can be moved closer to the other
clamp to tension the belt.

As mentioned in an earlier step the belt should be tightened so that it makes a G

note when plucked. We also added another Type 'C' bracket, acetone welded back to
back to the other Type 'C' bracket for additional rigidity (will post an updated
photo shortly)

Step 15: Feet Construction

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Materials:
4x Rubber doorstoppers
4x M5 square nuts
12x M5 nuts
4x M5 washers
8x M5 large washers (16.0 x 1.5mm)
4x 5 - 6cm M5 threaded rod

Tools:
Dremel or hacksaw
Drill
8mm metric wrench
Small shifting spanner
5 & 8mm drill bits

Using some left-over 5mm threaded rod, cut 4 pieces between 5 and 6cm in length.
Drill/enlarge the centre holes in the rubber doorstoppers to 5mm. Enlarge (counter sink) the
hole at the bottom of the doorstopper with the 8mm drill bit to a depth of approximately
4mm. Push/screw the 5mm rod through the hole and add a small M5 washer and nut to the
bottom, flush with the end of the threaded rod. Add a large M5 washer and nut to the other

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end. Use the 8mm wrench and shifting spanner to pull the M5 nut and washer into the 8mm
bottom hole so it sits just below the surface of the bottom of the doorstopper. Add another
M5 nut, M5 large washer and finally the M5 square nut.

To attach the feet to the printer, slide the M5 sqaure nut into the bottom slot of 430mm
aluminium extrusion. Hand-tighten until the threaded rod touches the top of the T-slot
extrusion, then tighten the adjacent M5 nut firmly with an 8mm wrench.

'Bling' option
http://www.gelmar.co.za/general/glass-accessories/...

Materials:

4x 25mm M5 Cap screws

4x M5 square nuts
8x M5 nuts
4x M5 large washers (16.0 x 1.5mm)
4x 40mm Glass supports

Remove the adjustable bottom part of the glass support. Enlarge the top hole with a 5mm
drill bit. Use a normal Allen key to carefully guide the 25mm M5 cap screw through the
hole, whilst holding the glass support vertically. (I've dropped a 25mm cap screw into the
support and it's impossible to get out again)

Tighten with a M5 nut, then add another M5 nut, washer and finally the M5 square nut.

Step 16: Frame: Y-axis

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Step 17: Frame: X & Z-axis

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The z-axis frame is the vertical part of the frame. It holds the z-axis runners which in turn
hold the x-axis runners.

Tools:

Materials:

4x 300 mm runners

2x 300mm pieces of aluminum extrusion (vertical frame)

3x 90mm pieces aluminium extrusion (vertical supports and motor mounts)

1x 300mm piece of aluminium extrusion (top)

6x Aluminium 'PG20 Die cast brackets'

6x ~6mm M5 bolts (frame to frame)

10x M5 square nuts

4x ~6mm M5 bolts (runners to frame)

Frame construction

Layout the pieces of the frame

Loosely attach the frame with the brackets
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 Use the steal square to tighten the bolts to the frame. It is important to make sure
that the frame is square

Attaching the runners to the frame

Remove the top layers of the runners

Using existing holes, thread bolts that will be used to attach the runners to the frame
(If you're unable to source 6mm M5 bolts, then get 10mm bolts and cut shorter with
the dremel)
Screw the square nuts to the bolts
Thread the top bolts onto the top (horizontal) part of the frame and the lower ones
onto the vertical frame
Tighten the nuts

Step 18: Frame: Mount Print Bed

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Step 19: Z-axis Motor Mounts (x2)

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Materials: 4 standard size plastic brackets

Tools: Dremel, drill, 3.2mm drill bit, 22mm drill bit, file, acetone, hammer, nail, motor mount
template (created above)
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 Start by acetone gluing the 4 brackets together in an X shape using acetone.
On one of the sides, use the motor mount template made in the previous step to
mark where to mount the motor.
Use the hammer and nail to create a mark for the drill
Drill the motor mount holes using an M3 drill bit.
Drill the centre hole with a large drill bit big enough for the motor (22mm).
Cut off the 3 parts of the mount that are not being used
Cut away the 2 corners of the brackets that will otherwise prevent you from mounting
the motor mount against the frame
Drill M5 holes where the motor mount will be attached to the aluminium frame. Since
the frame is 20mm wide, this will be 10 mm from either side.
Repeat the above so that you have 2 Z-axis motor mounts
Mount the motor mounts on the 2 parts of the extrusion that stick out from the base of
the frame.

Step 20: Z-axis Assembly and Alignment

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Step 21: Z-axis Motor Couplings (clamps)

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These couplings are 'blatant' copies of Nophead's excellent printed version
(http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9622) - I hope he doesn't mind. If you ever want
to learn more about the 'art' of 3D printing, visit his blog
(http://hydraraptor.blogspot.com) and also Richrap's blog
(http://richrap.blogspot.com), but http://reprap.org/ should always be your first
port of call.

Materials:

3x 'Type-C' plastic brackets (you might be able to get away with off-cuts for this)
Acetone
Latex surgical tubing: ~9mm OD & 4.5mm ID (we got ours from a slingshot)
8x M3 nuts
8x M3 washers (optional)
8x 25mm M3 cap screws

Tools:

Drill
Dremel
3.2mm & 6mm drill bit

Clamp construction

Cut the long brackets into 4 pieces each (~30mm x 24mm) - you need 12 squares.
Acetone glue 3 squares together, you will now have 4 blocks.
Mount all four blocks in a vise and file the blocks down with a rough file until they're
approximately the same size.
File the corners down to reduce the chances of them catching on the motor mounts.
Drill 4x 3.2mm holes, 7.5mm from the centre and 7.5mm from the top edge.

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 Clamp two blocks together and drill the centre hole using a 6mm drill bit.
Use some expoxy to lock the nuts in place.
Optionally, file and sand the blocks a little further to improve the aesthetics.

Attaching the coupling

Clean the end of the threaded rod and motor shaft with some rubbing alcohol.
Push-fit the latex over the motor shafts to about midway into the tube.
Loosely attach the clamps over the latex tubing.

Align the threaded rods with the motor shafts and slowly lower the X-Z axis. The
threaded rods should easily slip into the latex tube. If not, re-check your alignment.

Now tighten the screws until the latex 'pop' out slightly from the couplings.

Step 22: Extruder

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The extruder and hot-end are arguably the most important part of your 3D printer and will
determine the difference between being a frustrated 3D printer owner and hours long of
hassle-free printing. The next few steps will be the most challenging, so measure carefully
and double check everything by visual verification.

Step 23: Extruder: Gear

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Step 24: Extruder: Body

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Step 25: Extruder: Idler

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Step 26: Extruder: Tensioner

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Step 27: Extruder: Assembly

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Step 28: Extruder: Bowden 'Quickfit' Alternative

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Step 29: The Hot-end!

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Well, this is probably the most painful part of 3D printing - and I'm not talking about
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touching the nozzle at 240°C - closely followed by jamming extruders.

After using various commercial designs, trying a few reprap homebrew options
(http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Hotend), I concluded that the only option to get a hotend is to
buy one or throw money at the problem and get people with access to CNC machines to
engineer one.

Since the commercial J-head I bought kept on jamming and the All-metal hot-end was
leaking, dropping blobs of melted plastic on the print every 15 minutes or so, I decided to
try my hand at being a 'designer' (copier?)...

Not having sufficient time to to learn other CAD programs, I did an initial design in Eagle
CAD based on various other open source designs. The design evolved over the last 5 or so
weeks - available at http://www.cirius.co.za/rr/Nozzle.brd.

The hotend seems to work well for about 4-6 hours, but then the car engine gasket (shower
moment brainwave) that is inserted between the heater block, M6 nut (top) and nozzle
(bottom) begins to disintegrate and the filament slowly starts to seep out. (Photos 3 and 4).

I am considering using PTFE 1.5mm sheet material as washers/gaskets, but would love to
get some advice/feedback - since I only have one more chance to hand in a revision.

Step 30: Endstops

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If you are a first time builder you might think that endstops are not really required, but it is a
lot quicker to make and mount them than to do this manually. Furthermore your printer will
want to ‘home’ itself before every print.

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Materials:

1 x 3 button mouse or 3 buttons

2 x small brackets

Wire (about 40cm x 6)

2 x square

Tools: glue, drill,

Take the mouse apart (usually 1 screw underneath the mouse)

De-solder the 3 buttons from the PCB using a solder sucker, solder wick or
compressed air
Solder new wires to the buttons (2 per switch)
Note: it doesn’t really matter which pins you solder the wires to as you can change
the switch from normally closed to normally open and vice versa using the software
configuration (Marlin firmware based controllers)
Find suitable places to mount the switches where the runners will press the button
when the axis reaches its end. This is easy for the Y-axis but more difficult for the
other 2. See the photos for a good spot to place the endstops

Step 31: 80mm Fan Mount

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Step 32: Power Switch (optional)

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Step 33: Electronics Mount

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Materials:
1x 'Type-C' bracket
3x M3 PC standoffs/risers
2x 8mm M5 Button head cap screws
2x M5 square nuts (inserted into the 160mm rear extrusion in Step 16 - Frame: Y-
axis)
3x ~5mm M3 cap screws
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Tools:
Drill
3mm drill bit

Place your Arduino mega or Rumba board on the bracket and mark the position of the 3mm
holes for the standoffs/risers. Drill the holes, self-tap the risers into the bracket and fasten
the Arduino - only one or two screws are required for this. We also added an insulation
washer to the centre hole - not sure if this is required. Mount the bracket to the back of the
Z-axis/print bed frame, utilizing the two M5 square nuts you inserted into the frame prior to
fastening the 160/430mm extrusions.

(We ended up mounting the Arduino on the top of the 'Type-C' bracket, since it was difficult
to attach the USB cable when mounted on the inside of the bracket)

Step 34: Electronics Wiring

Wiring will depend on the controller board that you have chosen to use. The most common
boards are an Arduino Mega with a RepRap Arduino Mega Pololu Shield, or RAMPS shield
on top of it. You can find out more info about this baord here: http://reprap.org/wiki/Ramps

Wiring might also depend on the power source that you have chosen to use to power your
printer. A good cheap option to power the printer is a PC PSU (power supply unit). Here is a
simple list of the things that you will need to connect to get your printer to work: power
(normally +12V),

Step 35: Software: Installation

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Overview
There are various open & closed source options available on the Reprap wiki to drive your
printer – refer to http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Options#Software_To... for all the options.

You require one product from each of the following categories:

CAD & CAM tools – Not required initially – use this to design a part in terms of
‘Constructive Solid Geometry’, e.g. FreeCAD, OpenSCAD or in terms of ‘3D Polygon
Mesh’, e.g. Blender, 3d Studio Max, SketchUp. This can then be exported to STL
which will be the input of your ‘slicer’ program. OpenSCAD
(http://www.openscad.org/) is very powerful, but has a bit of a learning curve and
requires some programming skills.
Slicing software -‘slices’ the STL file into G-code or SNAP. We opted to use Cura
and although not as flexible as Slic3r, the latter seems to produce new bugs with
every new release.
Interpreter/Sender software – Interprets and sends the G-code to the firmware
running on the Arduino over a serial connection. We use Repetier-Host as the GUI
with the Cura add-in doing the ‘sending’ part. Repetier-Host is the only component
used here that is not open-source – although it is still free.
Firmware – The software that receives the G-code on the Arduino and manages the
stepper motors, extruders, end-stops, etc. We will cover Marlin in this step.
Firmware hex uploader – Arduino IDE, ATMEL Studio and/or avrdude. If you are
going to make configuration/code changes, then you will need something to compile
the source code into a .hex file, e.g. Arduino IDE. If you only need to upload a .hex file
that you downloaded, then you only need avrdude, but this is done from the
commands line interface and is a bit tricky. (The Arduino IDE uses avrdude in the
background to upload the .hex file)

(These instructions will assume a Windows 7/8 platform, but all the products will work on
Linux and Mac as well)

Arduino IDE
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/OldSoftwareReleases...

The current version of Marlin is only supported on version 1.0.5 or 1.0.6 of the Arduino

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toolchain. After downloading one of these versions (both works fine), extract or install the
IDE to a local folder. After installation, navigate to the selected folder and launch the IDE
(arduino.exe) – a projects folder will be created under your home folder, e.g. c:\users\
[you]\My Documents\Arduino\projects – if not, create the projects folder manually.

Now head over to https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin for the Marlin firmware. The

latest release version can be downloaded by clicking the ‘Download ZIP’ button on the
right-hand side the page. Extract the contents to your Arduino home projects folder.

Switch back to the Arduino IDE, click the ‘Open’ button on the toolbar and select ‘Projects -
> Marlin-Release -> Marlin. You will have to modify some settings in the
Configuration_adv.h & Configuration.h header files, which will be covered a bit later.

Attach the Arduino Mega to you PC using the supplied USB cable. To determine the COM
port used, open your PC's Control Panel, select 'System' and then click on the 'Device
Manager' link. If the Arduino Mega 2560 is not listed under the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' node,
then check for 'Unknown device' under the 'Other devices' node. If it is listed here as
'Unknown', then right-click on the 'Unknown Device' and select 'Update Driver Software'
from the context menu, 'Browse my computer for driver software' from the next dialog and
browse to the 'drivers' folder under the location where you installed/extracted the Arduino
software.

The port should now be reflected under the 'Ports (COM & LPT)' node once the driver is
successfully installed, e.g. 'Arduino Mega 2560 (COMn)'. Switch back to the Arduino IDE,
and enable this COM port on the Tools -> Serial Port -> COMn menu option. Also select
the correct board on the Tools -> Board -> Arduino Mega 2560 or Mega ADK menu option.

Repetier-Host
Download ‘setupRepetierHost_1_x_y.exe’ (1.5.3 at the time of writing) from
http://www.repetier.com/downloads/ and launch the Installshield wizard. Use the default
options, but you could exclude Repetier-Server and the 135MB ‘Skeinforge Slicer’
download from the list of components for now.

Launch Repetier-Host after installation and switch to ‘CuraEngine’ on the Slicer tab and
disable the ‘Easy Mode’ option on the right hand toolbar.

Step 36: Software: Marlin Configuration

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This is where you will configure the firmware running on the Arduino to reflect your printer
configuration. The settings might be a bit overwhelming in these header files, but most of
them are optional and the sections are fairly well documented with comments. (You can
locate keywords in the IDE by pressing Control-F to open the 'Find' dialog box)

If not open already, re-launch the Arduino IDE and open the Marlin project as described in
the previous step.

Microstep settings:

Switch to the Configuration_adv.h tab in the IDE and change the 'MICROSTEP_MODES
setting to reflect your jumper settings on the RAMPS 1.4 driver board - we used 8
microsteps on all stepper motors:

// Microstep setting (Only functional when stepper driver microstep pins are
connected to MCU.
#define MICROSTEP_MODES {8,8,8,8,8} // [1,2,4,8,16]

The following settings are all located in the Configuration.h header file and reflect our
printer configuration. You can use these as a starting point, but you will have to customize it
depending on your setup, e.g. whether you are using 'Normally Open' or 'Normally Closed'
end stops, the size and number of teeth in your gears, thermistor selection etc.

(The settings indicated here only indicates the values changed from the default installation
values)

Board selection:

// The following define selects which electronics board you have.

// Please choose the name from boards.h that matches your setup
#ifndef MOTHERBOARD
#define MOTHERBOARD BOARD_RAMPS_13_EFB // EFB=Extruder, Fan & Bed
#endif

Thermistor selection:
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We used the '10 = RS thermistor 198-961' on the extruder and a '1 = EPCOS 100k' on the
heated print bed.

//============================= Thermal Settings ============================

#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 10
#define TEMP_SENSOR_1 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_2 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_3 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_BED 1

Endstops:

Note that the MAX endstops are defined initially, but disabled with the last #define
DISABLE_MAX_ENDSTOPS entry.

//===========================================================================
//=============================Mechanical Settings===========================
//===========================================================================

// coarse Endstop Settings

#define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to
disable the endstop pullup resistors
#ifdef ENDSTOPPULLUPS
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN
#endif

// The pullups are needed if you directly connect a mechanical endswitch between the
signal and ground pins.
const bool X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.
const bool Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.
const bool Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.
const bool X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.
const bool Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.
const bool Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING = true; // set to true to invert the logic of the
endstop.

#define DISABLE_MAX_ENDSTOPS
//#define DISABLE_MIN_ENDSTOPS

Endstop settings:

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// ENDSTOP SETTINGS:
// Sets direction of endstops when homing; 1=MAX, -1=MIN
#define X_HOME_DIR -1
#define Y_HOME_DIR -1
#define Z_HOME_DIR -1

#define min_software_endstops true // If true, axis won't move to coordinates less

than HOME_POS.
#define max_software_endstops true // If true, axis won't move to coordinates
greater than the defined lengths below.

// Travel limits after homing

#define X_MAX_POS 200
#define X_MIN_POS 0
#define Y_MAX_POS 200
#define Y_MIN_POS 0
#define Z_MAX_POS 200
#define Z_MIN_POS 0

Movement settings:

The DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT values needs to be fine-tuned after printing your

calibration block. You might also want to reduce the ACCELERATION settings, especially
when using a hand-made extruder (E value).

// default settings
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {45.5,45.9,4042,485}

#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 5, 25} // (mm/sec)

#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {9000,9000,100,10000} // X, Y, Z, E maximum
start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for Skeinforge 40+, for
older versions raise them a lot.

#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in

mm/s^2 for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 3000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in
mm/s^2 for retracts

LCD settings:

Ensure you download the correct (Arduino and not AVR) library from
https://bintray.com/olikraus/u8glib and extract it to your Arduino libraries folder.

// The RepRapDiscount FULL GRAPHIC Smart Controller (quadratic white PCB)

// <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphic_Smart_Controller"
rel="nofollow"> http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphi...</a>
//
// ==> REMEMBER TO INSTALL U8glib to your ARDUINO library folder: <a
href="http://code.google.com/p/u8glib/wiki/u8glib" rel="nofollow">
http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphi...</a>
#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER

Now you can compile the code by clicking the 'Verify' button on the toolbar. Fix errors if
any, then ensure Repetier-host is disconnected from the serial port and click the 'Upload'
button to copy the .hex file to the Arduino.
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Step 37: Software: Repetier Printer Config

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To change the printer configuration, click Config -> Printer Settings on the menu, or use the
Ctrl-P shortcut.

We used a very standard printer configuration. The only settings changed were the
following:

Comport selection on the 1st tab

Default extruder and heated bed temperature on the 2nd tab
Extruder nozzle diameter on the 3rd tab

The 200 x 200mm X-max, Y-max, print area width and depth on the 4th tab is pretty tight on
the print bed and I would recommend setting this to 180mm initially. You will also have to
adjust the X_MAX_POS and Y_MAX_POS settings in the Marlin configuration.h file
accordingly.

Step 38: Software: CuraEngine Configuration

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Step 39: Leveling the Bed and Getting Ready to Print
Before we attempt a print there are a few things that we will want to check to make sure we
don't have a disaster.

The first thing that we want to check is that the endstops work. To do this we want to 'home'
the printer. Get ready to 'emergency stop' the printer if the endstops don't stop it for you. If
the printer is not hitting the endstops, stop the print and adjust them until it does. Now
home the printer again and we should nearly be good to go.

The next thing that we want to check before we start printing is that the bed is level. To do
this get a small piece of regular paper. We want to get the print head as close to the bed as
possible without pushing it into the bed. Start by moving the print head to the front left hand
corner of the bed. Get the extruder as close the the bed as possible so that if you push the
piece of paper under it you can only just not move it. That way we can ensure that the
extruder is only the height of a piece of paper away. Next lift the extruder 10 mm up and
move the print head to the front right of the bed. Now try the same trick again with the piece
of paper. If the bed is too high tighten the screws on the bed so that the bed is lowered a
bit. If the bed is too high loosen it a bit. Now repeat this for the other 2 corners so that our
bed is completely level with the extruder.

If your prints don't stick to the bed it might be because the bed is too far away from the
extruder.

The extruder will need to be calibrated so that it pushes the filament out at the correct rate.
To do this we mark a couple of centimeters on the filament the other side of the extruder,
tell the extruder to move by that amount and then calculate if that was correct. If it does not
move the desired amount then we will need to adjust the firmware configuration file. Note
that you will not be able to upload a sketch to your Arduino if the board is connected in
repetier host.

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Now you should be ready to print. If you are using a heated bed note that it can take some
time to preheat it.

The first thing that you will want to print is not that exciting but unfortunately it is necessary
- it is a calibration block. You should be able to find one on Thingiverse - here is one with X-
Y directional information: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:298812

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