Inventions - to inventors. Or why you don't need a huge printer.

There will be no introduction. I just think that technology is developed by people, not companies. Not exactly commercial companies. The most interesting among enthusiasts and geeks.

Once upon a time, when my first publication “What will happen if you decide to assemble a 3D printer with your own hands” came out, a squall of letters immediately came over me with help in creating a printer, etc. Since then, I have not ceased to assemble and disassemble printers, follow for novelties and try yourself in many ways. To date, my account has more than 12 projects from scratch, but only one has disappointed and delighted me at the same time.

In August 2014, the notorious GeekPicnic exhibition took place in the glorious city of St. Petersburg, in which I participated for the second time. It is modest, on the outskirts and was the highest Russian 3D printer PRISM PRO (I still do not like this name, but what to do):
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About him, and will be discussed. I want to tell you how it is to create such machines, how much they cost in reality, what is needed for this, what is required of you, where to find all the details, present all the drawings and schematic diagrams, in general, present you this printer.

I will say right away. The machine is more expensive than home printers, kit sets and other things. But the real price still fits in 30,000 wood.

How it all began

It all began as always on the knee. For a long time I looked at the delta printers, they are too unusual, and that I should try something. So I tried. From the first time everything turned out as it should.



He printed out the parts on the printer, bought a square aluminum profile on the market, and found pieces of plywood on the balcony. Delov for a couple of days, nothing to be wise. The machine turned out funny, big (a little over a meter tall), but stupid.

That summer I worked in one office, that I dealt with three-dimensional printing, the benefit of which was a dime a dozen in Moscow. Word for word, but decided to commercialize my printer. Well, what am I to? I agreed to joy, sat down to design. And then it all began. One is to do for oneself, the other is for the consumer. And the consumer is not very burdened with the mind, and he is afraid, the mechanism is complex.

In general, at the very least the project has moved. It was decided to reach a height of one and a half meters and increase the working area to 40x40x100cm. The basis was taken printer Delta Tower.





Well, as taken as a basis ... The design of the frame and mechanics are completely lapped. The frame is assembled from aluminum machine profile 40x40mm. Used guide rails with carriages:



Unless the body decided to add it to close everything and everyone. Also the range of several sizes, and of beauty brought.



The design part on this seemed to be over. The painful part began. Namely - the search for people and organizations that can bring some parts to life. As it turned out, no one will undertake such beautiful cases (meaning, for adequate money and time), and I had to urgently look for a solution. And it was found.

* Here I want to start talking about specific things and prices for these things, but I will have to go back a little.
In the beginning I wrote that this printer can be collected for 30 thousand rubles. This is true. Someone will immediately begin to brainwash about commerce, production flow, VAT, and other nonsense. If you need to feed another 3-4 extra mouths, which only, as we know, wave their hands, and one plow, then, of course, the price takes off. If you want to organize the production of such machines, then give up the office, give up the advertiser, the manager, the boss and the courier. There is a collector and there is a seller. There is not much work, you are interchangeable and do not spend too much. This is not a business. By the way, in the company in which I worked, there were a lot of extra mouths, which, as it turned out, I have to feed, in connection with which I ended up working with them. They, using my drawings and designs, engaged in the production of unfinished machines, but that's another story.

I want to warn you immediately: you do not need such a printer. No one needs it. Many smaller printers + glue will do the job faster and better (faster proportional to the number of printers, and better quality, because the part sausage the more, the higher it is).

So, you have thrown away all doubts and common sense and firmly decided that you just need such a machine (for a full-length, full-print children?).

At the root of all is the basic set of any printer maker: electronics, motors, extruder.

1. Electronics

Everything is simple: we take what is cheaper, namely RAMPS 1.4, on Ali sets with a screen cost from 1200 rubles. Choose what is cheaper. Check the equipment, there should be an arduino mega, RAMPS itself, 4-5 pieces of stepper motor drivers and a screen.

2. Motors

Or rather, stepper motors. Much depends on engine parameters, but there are universal options: size nema 17, code 17HS8401. One of the most powerful in its size, but you can any other, but there is a chance not to get into voltage, resistance, current and so on and so forth. For the top five of these engines you will be taken 2,200-2600 rubles, depending on luck. (We need only 4, but if we take one by one, it will be more expensive than 5 pieces at once.)

3. Extruder

Consists of the actual extruder, which pushes the plastic and the heater with a nozzle (hot). There is already a motor for it, so we are looking for a feed gear (just write in extruder gear), a spring for clamping the bar (the Chinese have already found out what they are looking for, because there will be no search problems, you will find springs by extruder spring ). Next, we need a tube through which plastic and collet fittings pass (bowden extruder tube or something like that in search). For all this little thing you put 600-700 rubles (the bigger the lot, the cheaper, by the way, cooperate). Next we will find a hot end. Their prices are going down and a suitable option can be found for 600 rubles (a couple of months ago, 1500 rubles) or less (e3d hotend request). It is important to carefully read the description of the product. You need under 1.75 plastic, bowden and a nozzle at will (take 0.3 and 0.5 for example).

That's the whole basic set, with which you will not be lost now. It cost you 4500 rubles. And it is about the same for all printer manufacturers. Few people develop their electronics and extruders; usually this does not affect print quality, but affects the final price of the product.

Then we will take with you for special components, namely:

4. Pulleys and belts

In the same place, in Celestial, we will find them. Pulleys need 3 pieces, I like T2.5 for 16 teeth and a suitable belt of the same size T2.5, 10 meters (in fact, about 7, but it won't be superfluous). This is still about 1000-1500 wood.

Now is the time to decide what and how you are doing. If you want a universal machine that will eat all kinds of plastic, then you have to fork out. I will describe just such an option, because I collected it, but if you want to limit yourself to printing PLA plastic parts that will not be subjected to strong (more than 70 degrees) heating, then you can significantly save time and money. Secretly , I’ll tell you that such large machines will produce adequate print quality only with PLA plastic and nothing else.

5. Heating table

An important element for printing by all but pla plastics. My printer is 40 cm in diameter and you need an appropriate heater for it. Look for silicone round heater. You need a 24 volt 400 mm in diameter and this cost will cost you 2500+ rubles.

6. Power supplies

Remember, in the previous paragraph, you decided that you need a huge heated surface? Time to pay. A separate power supply for such a colossus will cost you an extra 5-6 thousand rubles, because you need none other than a 24-volt power supply, issuing 450-500 watts. Search tortured from China expensive. + Relay to it (50 rubles, will go from the Zhiguli 12 volt). And one more power supply for the rest of the electronics. 12 volts, 100 watts is enough. (According to calculations, 67 watts are eating, but it will be possible to hang another extruder, etc.). Will cost you a ridiculous 500 rubles.

7. Every little thing

Limit microswitches, wires. 500 rubles, not more.

With electrical and electro-mechanical components sorted out. Our pocket is empty for 14.000 rubles (or 6500, depending on the choice). It is the turn of the mechanical part. By the way, here we forgive with China and orient our search queries to the host country (in my case, Russia, Moscow).

8. Frame

Big and durable. What else is required of her. As I said earlier, I completely stole this part from the designers of Delta Tower. Machine profile 40x40 + connecting corners + milled plates for connecting converging rays. It is important to find where it is cheaper. There is a profile for 2000 rubles per meter, and there is a profile for 435 (I took to the meeting). All together it will cost you 4-5 thousand (you can save on cutting, but then there will be questions with accuracy).

9. Carriages and rails

We need rails 1200 mm long 3 pieces and 3 carriages for these rails. I advise you to look for rails for miniature devices (IMPORTANT: the width of the rail should exceed the size of the profile groove, otherwise it will simply fall through). You can try to search in China, you can at dealers. I took HIWIN 15HG, but these are rails for loaded parts and they are not very easy to start moving + heavier than small ones. This is the most expensive position of all. It all depends on your ability to search. Price for everything from 8 thousand.

10. Moving parts

I do not know what to call it all together. In general, there are carriages (those that do not count on rails), there are “hands” (they connect the carriages and the print head) and the central carriage on which the hot end is attached. The carriages themselves, with the fastening of the hands, the belt can be printed out on the printer or milled. Hands consist of a sturdy and light stick and two ball joints (you can magnetic). Stick - carbon fiber, diameters of 6-7mm and the price of 200r / meter. Requires 3 meters. The hinges I took Traxxas 12 pieces in a pack for 350 rubles, but I have to somehow compensate for their backlash (you can carve new balls for them or pull hands with rubber bands / springs). The central carriage is also printed or milled (depending on the possibilities). Everything in total will cost you 1000-3000 rubles, depending on the chosen path.

11. Motor and bearing holders

The carriage is driven through a pulley and belt motor. The motor should be fixed. Print or mill, no difference. The same with the bearing (the belt is tensioned between the pulley and the bearing), the holder can be printed. Price 0+ p.

12. Printing platform

Good role is performed by aluminum sheet, 5+ mm thick. From above it is possible glass, for convenience of removal. Again, look for. The price with the material will be no more than 800 rubles. For the heater it is better to take a thicker, less deformation will be when heated.

14. Fasteners

Screws all sorts of bolts. Trifle, in general. If the balcony is not lying around, then 200 rubles can be identified.

15. Housing

An important part. Determined by needs. Chose a heating table? Already spent on a powerful power supply? You will have to spend money on the case, which protects from drafts and allows the air inside to warm up, which, theoretically, improves the print quality with ABS plastic. In fact, large figures still cracked in layers. Case material picked up a long time. We refuse from Plexiglas immediately, aluminum is expensive. A good choice is aluminum composite. Approximately 4000r per sheet, different colors. It is difficult to find where it will not only be cut, but also milled holes. It also needs a door (it is suitable for Plexiglas here) plus covers from the top, bottom and under the table fasteners. All together with the milling can be fished out for 5-10 thousand, depending on the availability of the necessary friends.

In total , we get 35,000 rubles in a lazy scenario (if successful, with bulk orders and good relations with the miller and other things, the price drops to 30,000 rubles). And if you turned on your head and refused to universality, then even less - 22 thousand.



What does this work out? The printer costs a penny, and they are sold for hundreds of thousands of rubles. Yes Yes. Production, advertising, website and more. But you forget that there is practically no demand for such products now. You will not have 10 orders per month. Such a printer with all the ready going for the day. But he does not need this . Think for yourself: we take such a car for 150, we print one vase for two days, when 4 printers can handle this task in half a day. Moreover, the quality of the small ones will be higher, all other things being equal. Marketers are cunning, but people do not know, buy. You need to sit for a couple of evenings, read what people write, see alternatives.

I read all these articles from manufacturers, about what kind of printer everyone has a good, better, innovative. I look at the prices, I estimate how much they have screwed up there, and I understand that in Russia this is a mess with printers for a couple of years. No innovation, no development, no cheaper or use of local resources. China, twist a screwdriver and - BACH, "the Russian product."

Anyone can create the Highest Printer in Russia. I just want those who are really interested to have the opportunity , and not the window salesmen, who suddenly wanted to sell the technology and think that it is the same thing.

If you are eager to answer questions, drawings, source codes, developments or cooperation, you are welcome to : vk.com/maxmoroz