After seeing the Omerod by RepRapPro and the Bukito by Deezmaker I have decided to combine the best features of both printers in my latest design.
My aim is to make a light weight transportable 3d printer that I can travel with. So I’ve decided to use the aluminium V-slot rails for the structure and Nema 14 stepper motors for motion. I aim to make the Z axis easily removable to make the printer flat pack to fit in a pelican case.
By using the RepRapPro amazing heatbed, extruder and hotend I aim to have a build area 140x140x140 with the capability of printing both PLA and ABS. The printers overall size will be fractionally smaller than the Huxley, which out of the printers I’ve owned has been my favourite.
Here are two renders of the design so far. Still needs a lot of work, especially the Xcarriage, Ycarriage and wire runs though getting there.
@Griffin_Paquette Once the design is complete I will post the design files on my Github page for everyone. If you wanted one I should be able to put a kit together for you if you don’t have access to a laser cutter or 3d printer already.
I’ve been wondering for some time how I could repurpose my Huxley as a newer printer. This looks very interesting, especially the portability. I shall follow with interest.
@Whosa_whatsis Originally I was going to base my design around the flat plate Z-axis style similar to the Prusa and Mendel 90. Though after seeing the Omerod design (first printer I believe to use the aluminium extrusion crane style) and then later the Bukitos use of V-slot rail in the same fashion I decided the frame looked a lot sturdier and was the way forward.
To me the best aspects of the Bukito are the use of the V-slot rail for all of the axis (compared to the Omerod smooth bar), which eliminates the use of linear bearings (in my opinion noisy) by the use of wheels. So the structure of my design is based around the Bukitos, however I aim to make the Z-axis easily removable for as such flat packing. Additionally I’m unsure if I will keep the extruder on the X-axis (trial dependant) as it will be excess weight being moved around, when really it could be secured to the base with a longer bowden tube length! Also I love the professional look of the Bukito but to keep with the ease of building/sourcing I aim to stick to laser cut acrylic plates rather than metal plates.
From the Omerod I like the hotend, heatbed and geared extruder system. Additionally after having a Huxley I know that Nema 14 stepper motors are man enough for this size printer and are also lighter and smaller to help make the printer more transportable which is my main aim.
@Simon_Day One correction, we launched the Bukito on Kickstarter in June of last year, and the Ormerod wasn’t announced until December, so we were first.
We did look at NEMA14 motors as a possibility, but found them to be more difficult to source and (due to economies of scale) more expensive with the specifications we needed. My first printer was a Huxley too (back when it was called Mini Mendel).
I also worked on the Z axis removal thing. The Bukito’s Z axis can be removed by removing two screws an loosening a third. The problem with making this joint too easy to disconnect is that the squareness of the entire machine depends on it, and making a joint that disconnects easily and goes back together square every time is tricky. Also, carrying the machine around by the handle (which I also noticed your version omitted) puts most of the machines weight on that joint, so it really needs to be solid. Because it’s so solid, I can flip the machine upside-down while printing without the quality of the print being effected. Of course, there was also the time we strapped it to an octocopter to print in the air, just because we could (http://deezmaker.com/world-first-flying-3d-printer-bukito-meets-an-octocopter/).
@Whosa_whatsis I would of thought getting the squareness wouldn’t be a problem with the V-slots squareness! Plus your bed adjustment flowers surely make it easy enough to adjust?
I haven’t incorporated the handle in the design as I couldn’t picture when I would need to carry the printer in that sense, instead for me the ability to pack it down and transport it is more important. Additionally the top of the Z-axis will be a convenient fixing point for a heat box for printing ABS.
I have not put much thought into a collapsible printer for much else than a portable demonstrator for schools and the like. I dismissed the notion out of hand and moved on because of the very same reasons @Whosa_whatsis mentioned. After looking at the design implications I just could not justify the effort, at least not at the expense of other concepts I am pursuing. The day is only so long after all.
That said, I now look back on the idea and see a lot of potential for mass deployment. Imagine a thousand of these flat packed and shipped to disaster relief sites or as a third world economic stimulus with real staying power. Teach a man to fish and all that. @Simon_Day and those like him didn’t invent a printer that could make a human heart from scratch or intricate mechanisms from steel but maybe they are doing something just as important. Logistics are frequently the death of many good intentions. Repeatable flat pack deployment is an incredible advantage for logistics systems.
This particular machine is more a curiosity of the dedicated tinkerer. However, it has great potential as a test bed for more sophisticated machines, as is the case with most of the community efforts. I work in R&D (not related to 3D printing) and can see the organizational parallels. Everyone sees different areas to improve the technology and they focus their build efforts on addressing that problem. Perhaps I have aggrandized @Simon_Day 's intentions and expectations but it is only because I have great passion and respect for the power of this community.
I frequently find stuff that makes me want to write a book about how awesome the 3D printer community is. Every once in a while I just can’t help myself. Today I have focused on a few specific individuals but you are all freaking amazing.
@Alan_Henderson thanks for the post, funnily enough I’m in the military, hence the reason for wanting a flat pack transportable printer.
I totally agree with your thoughts, the idea of making these devices easier to distribute, move and produce items in far afield destinations or hard to reach regions would be advantageous for so many areas of industry and life!
