Hello everyone! I am rather new to all of this but have been researching RepRap printers for quite some time now, and I think it's time I start building one. The one I have chose is the reworked Pursa I3 First off, I don't have much of a budget, I plan on building it up piece by piece as I get the money to buy the parts. But I still don't want to skimp on any big improvement. The part I have been struggling with the most is choosing what hot and cold end to go with for the extruder. So I have decided to keep it simple and just go with Wade's extruder. I see that the printed parts for the Wade extruder say they are compatible with any grove mount hot end. So what I had in mind at first is the J-head MK V. But after reading up some more on them, I guess they have a lot of melting issues with the nozzle holder? I really want to print ABS so I would like to avoid any easily meltable pieces on the hotend. So I guess my first question is: is there a better All metal hotend option that won't cost a whole lot? Or do you think it would be best to stay with a J-head for my first build? I am willing to spend a good amount on a hotend that works great, I just don't want it to be something like $100+. I found this but was wondering how you would go about mounting it. Would you use something similar to a j-head nozzle holder? Here Also, if I wanted to print in various bead sizes, 0.4, 0.3 etc. Al I have to do is swap out the nozzle right? Or would it be best to have a handful of built hotends that I could just swap out? My next issue is choosing the stepper motors. Here are a couple I have narrowed it down to, I was wondering what the minimum torque was for the I3 printers, and of course I would like to know if any of these sets would work. Here And Here Here is the set of printed parts I have chose (ABS): Here As for the frame. I plan on building one myself. this is not an issue at all. These are the parts I want to get finalised first so I could start buying and building. So please give me feedback and any suggestions you may have. https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427078#msg-427078 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:58:40 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427366#msg-427366 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427366#msg-427366 Master Builder General Sun, 02 Nov 2014 19:26:08 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427084#msg-427084 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427084#msg-427084
RAMPS with stepstick: Here
ATmega2560: Here
And some heat sinks for stepstick: Here

I was really hoping to find it all in black. But I couldn't find ramps in black.

Do you think these are good venders and good choices? Also stepstick A4988 will work fine right?]]> Master Builder General Sun, 02 Nov 2014 01:19:46 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427078#msg-427078 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,427078,427078#msg-427078
I am rather new to all of this but have been researching RepRap printers for quite some time now, and I think it's time I start building one. The one I have chose is the reworked Pursa I3

First off, I don't have much of a budget, I plan on building it up piece by piece as I get the money to buy the parts. But I still don't want to skimp on any big improvement.

The part I have been struggling with the most is choosing what hot and cold end to go with for the extruder. So I have decided to keep it simple and just go with Wade's extruder. I see that the printed parts for the Wade extruder say they are compatible with any grove mount hot end. So what I had in mind at first is the J-head MK V. But after reading up some more on them, I guess they have a lot of melting issues with the nozzle holder? I really want to print ABS so I would like to avoid any easily meltable pieces on the hotend.

So I guess my first question is: is there a better All metal hotend option that won't cost a whole lot? Or do you think it would be best to stay with a J-head for my first build? I am willing to spend a good amount on a hotend that works great, I just don't want it to be something like $100+.

I found this but was wondering how you would go about mounting it. Would you use something similar to a j-head nozzle holder? Here

Also, if I wanted to print in various bead sizes, 0.4, 0.3 etc. Al I have to do is swap out the nozzle right? Or would it be best to have a handful of built hotends that I could just swap out?


My next issue is choosing the stepper motors. Here are a couple I have narrowed it down to, I was wondering what the minimum torque was for the I3 printers, and of course I would like to know if any of these sets would work.
Here
And Here

Here is the set of printed parts I have chose (ABS): Here

As for the frame. I plan on building one myself. this is not an issue at all.

These are the parts I want to get finalised first so I could start buying and building. So please give me feedback and any suggestions you may have.]]> Master Builder General Sun, 02 Nov 2014 00:38:02 -0400