HyperCube OverKill Build Log I can't believe it's been 6 months since I started the [url=http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?14,782247]What's Wrong With This Picture[/url] thread but I guess life just got in the way. I haven't been idle though. In fact, I have (well had) a working prototype of the XY gantry. It was my intention to vlog the build process but I was experimenting so much that the video production was just a big hassle. Since I wanted to tear the prototype apart and rebuild it anyway, I decided to just do a "phlog". To recap, this is my "HyperCube OverKill" with the trademarked "Cartesian Renaissance" kinematics. ;) Here's what it looked like before I tore it apart... [img]https://i.imgur.com/BW1V0z3.jpg[/img] And here's the plastic it took to get this far. :) [img]https://i.imgur.com/TxAvu4t.jpg[/img] So... This is the XY gantry only. I wanted the build to be as modular as I could reasonably make it so changes would be easier. The intent is for this assembly to drop into the top of the outer frame which would contain the Z axis build platform. Since the XY gantry is where all the "new" work is, I wanted to make sure it worked by itself before mounting it in a big frame. All of the parts will be listed as I do the rebuild. The interior of this frame measures 450x450mm with a printable 350x350mm area. Yes, there are 4 motors, 2 per axis. Don't get excited. It works and it allows for NO complex belt routing. Each motor (400 steps/rev, 46Ncm torque) drives 1 side of its respective axis. The stationary rails are Igus Drylin N series rails with overmolded carriages. The moving rails are 10mm roll-wrapped carbon fiber. The tool platform has 10mm Igus sleeve bearings press fit into 12mm holes. This thing is dead quiet and with the motors holding the rail sliders, the tool carriage has not one speck of play in it. The moving mass totals out at around 290g, without hotend, etc. The electronics are simple for now... a Smoothieboard with 5 onboard drivers. The logical XY axis outputs are bridged to 2 onboard drivers for now. Later, I'll use external TMC drivers but this was a simple way to get running. Although the motors are rated at 2 amps, each only has to do half the work for it's axis. Even so, the Smoothie can do the 2 amps but I've been running them at only 1 amp just fine. Of course it can't print anything at all but I have run many torture tests that just print in the XY plane including several overnight tests at 20000 mm/min that scared the bejezus out of the cats. The rolling table the assembly it's sitting on always wound up several feet from where it started but as far as I can measure (~1mm), the tool platform always would up exactly where it was supposed to and nothing caught fire. There are still things I want to change which is why I did the tear down. Re-assembly and details will start in the next post. Oh, I did make 1 YouTube video at least proving it's alive... [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-h5bUulqL4&list=PL8vFXBhgUTEqwBgWKP1k4HPogIW-cTlrj]HyperCube OverKill: It's Alive![/url] https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,807843#msg-807843 Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:07:16 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,883178#msg-883178 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,883178#msg-883178 shanehooper Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 08 Apr 2021 20:50:16 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,865034#msg-865034 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,865034#msg-865034
Quote
EisbaerLars
Any update here?

Carefully read the last post before yours ;)]]> Ohmarinus Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 01 Jan 2020 09:48:13 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,865033#msg-865033 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,865033#msg-865033 EisbaerLars Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 01 Jan 2020 09:10:22 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,823249#msg-823249 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,823249#msg-823249 Since this thread was more about prototyping, I'm going to start a new one for the actual build and I'm re-christening the project "Black Beauty".]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 24 May 2018 10:32:10 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815529#msg-815529 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815529#msg-815529
Quote
klcjr89
Hi, I really like your build! I am considering a cross style XY gantry for my future printer build as well.

Thanks! I'm watching your lead screw based ideas!]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 22 Mar 2018 08:43:15 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815445#msg-815445 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815445#msg-815445 klcjr89 Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 21 Mar 2018 22:13:07 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815271#msg-815271 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,815271#msg-815271


It might be a little hard to see but the cross rails have aluminum trusses bolted or riveted to them and with that, I can place 1kg block of PVC on the center tool carrier and get no measurable deflection in the Z axis.
Yeah I sacrificed in the mass aspect but I have to draw a line in the sand somewhere until I can get a working Z axis and test for real.



The corner brackets are now a single monolithic element made of heat treated carbon fiber. No twist and no flex.


I forgot to take pics before I dismounted the dial gauge and remounting it was too much trouble.
In every test I did though, I got better than 0.03mm deviation from expected return position. Whether that will hold up in real use I won't know until I get the Z axis working.


Speaking of Z axis, well the frame anyway.
You can see (kinda) how the XY Gantry slides into the top of the frame and rests on the shelf. It'll be bolted in of course.

That's a lot of aluminum so it may be a while before the budget allows purchasing. I also have to decide just how much clearance to allow. The outside dimensions of the gantry are exactly 500x500 but if I order the frame with the exact same inside dimensions it's not going to fit. 1mm clearance?, 2mm? Thoughts?

I've been thinking about using 3 ball screws for the print bed. One in the back center, and one each in the front corners. In this image, "front" is on the right. The printable area is 335x335 with this configuration but I think the bed size will be 375x375.


Here are some gratuitous IR images that are pretty cool. :)

You can see the center tool platform all the way on the left. I do actually want to jog the axes back and forth at 350mm/sec for a few hours and watch for friction heat buildup.



One of the motors. You can see the cables heating up as well.


And finally, the Smoothie drivers working hard.



Speaking of the Smoothieboard, I've decided to use the Duet 2 Ethernet instead of the Smoothie since it has the Duex expander boards ready to go. That will give me 10 TCM2660 drivers..
I was very happy with the Smoothieboard so I'm going to use it to replace the guts of my Monoprice IIIp.
]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Tue, 20 Mar 2018 19:51:08 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,813046#msg-813046 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,813046#msg-813046
Quote
o_lampe
The cooling air would then have to pass by all the cables in the silicone tube? Or is it a tube_in_tube design?
Same for the filament. You don't want to cover it in dust from the hotend fan, before it enters the hotend...( well, that's probably beens counting )

I'm still thinking about designs here. My original idea was to use 1 flexible plastic cable carrier that had 2 separate bores in it. Use 1 bore for each air stream with the cables in one and the filament in the other. Kinda like this: [www.igus.com]. They're expensive though and not designed for actually carrying air. Then I though about using the silicone tubing. The nice thing about having the fans remote is that I can filter the air and if I do need to heat the enclosure, I can pump in cool air to cool the hotend instead of blowing heated air from the chamber over it. If I really wanted to go the "overkill" route, I could also duct the air back out the part cooling duct since in a heated chamber you wouldn't be using part cooling anyway. So much to o think about. :)

The filament will be enclosed in its own tube. I plan on usung a Flex3Drive : [flex3drive.com]]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Mon, 05 Mar 2018 14:14:20 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812977#msg-812977 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812977#msg-812977 Same for the filament. You don't want to cover it in dust from the hotend fan, before it enters the hotend...( well, that's probably beens counting )]]> o_lampe Extruded Aluminum Frames Mon, 05 Mar 2018 03:55:49 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812940#msg-812940 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812940#msg-812940
Quote
the_digital_dentist
I've seen printer mechanisms that run at high acceleration and it looks impressive, but making extrusion work so you get a quality print is whole different problem.

Well said.

I'm on the road this week for work but when I get back, I'll do a sweep with my dial gauge attached and some load places on the tool platform. The problem will be that, since I don't have a Z axis yet, I don't have a reasonable bed to measure against but I may be able to rig something up by using another piece of extrusion. With 4 rails supporting the center tool platform (2 X, 2 Y), is's pretty stable in the Z axis but it'd be good to measure. There won't be an extrusion motor or even fans on the platform, just hotend, extrusion drive gear and ducting, plus whatever load the umbilical adds. The umbilical load will be somewhat dynamic though. What I'm thinking is 2 lightweight silicone tubes, one carrying part cooling air plus the electrical stuff, and the other carrying hotend cooling air plus the filament.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Sun, 04 Mar 2018 18:19:01 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812818#msg-812818 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812818#msg-812818
I've seen printer mechanisms that run at high acceleration and it looks impressive, but making extrusion work so you get a quality print is whole different problem.]]> the_digital_dentist Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 03 Mar 2018 21:52:42 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812787#msg-812787 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log - Cross Rails & Center Carriage https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812787#msg-812787 appear to be Igus DryLin N series
That is just a polymer trolley in a c shape aluminum.
No strength at all in these tracks and are meant to be tied down to structure.
A far cry from Hiwin rails with steel tracks and bearing trolleys

Would be neat to know how the hold up? Flexing and trolley wear?

Digital dentist
What is your take on these linear rails?
I khow you are proponent of Hiwin or MGN type rails

:S]]> cozmicray Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 03 Mar 2018 14:14:27 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812660#msg-812660 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812660#msg-812660
Quote
Vigilant
You’ve changed the kinematics, technically that’s no longer a hypercube.

It's big and roughly a cube. :)

Quote
Vigilant
Where did you get the carbon fibre rods? Did you cut them yourself ?

The carbon fiber rods I got from Amazon, pre-cut to 500mm.
[www.amazon.com]

Quote
Vigilant
Is there a reason why you’re not using 1 huge diameter carbon rod instead of 2 small ones. I do think 2 14mm diameter looks neater than 4 10mm just like ultimaker.

I didn't like the tool platform being offset from the intersection of the 2 axes when a single rod was used for each axis.
Having the tool platform in the center of the intersecting rods was much more resistant to twisting.

Quote
Vigilant
Project looks good . I’m so curious how the dual motor setup performance is vs a single motor with a shaft connecting both sides. Will it introduce artifacts to the print?

I've already done some measurements and will document fully later but I had a test scenario with random XY movements and different speeds and accelerations, then a move to a fixed location where I had a dial gauge clamped. Each cycle lasted about 30 seconds and I ran it for over an hour and was never more than 0.010mm from the expected location. As long as the motors don't stall, they should be fine. The TMC2130 drivers I'll be using have stall detection so at least I'll know if it happens. For this test, I had the motor current limited to 1A and they didn't stall. Well, if they did, it didn't affect the positional accuracy.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Fri, 02 Mar 2018 12:18:03 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812603#msg-812603 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,812603#msg-812603
Where did you get the carbon fibre rods? Did you cut them yourself ?
Is there a reason why you’re not using 1 huge diameter carbon rod instead of 2 small ones. I do think 2 14mm diameter looks neater than 4 10mm just like ultimaker.

Project looks good . I’m so curious how the dual motor setup performance is vs a single motor with a shaft connecting both sides. Will it introduce artifacts to the print?]]> Vigilant Extruded Aluminum Frames Fri, 02 Mar 2018 03:46:42 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,811347#msg-811347 HyperCube OverKill Build Log - Electronics https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,811347#msg-811347 [smile.amazon.com] $17 for a set of 5 8-pin M/F connectors.
I used a not-quite-matching crimp tool but the matching one is only $20.



They're a little large but they go with the "OverKill" theme. :)


I'm using a Smoothieboard v1.1 with 5 stepper drivers for testing. Each of the 4 motors is powered by its own driver. The STEP, EN and DIR inputs to the alpha(X) and beta(Y) drivers are jumpered to the inputs of the delta(X1) and epsilon(Y1) drivers so whatever happens X also happens to X1, etc. In the final build, I'll be using offboard TMC2130 drivers so I won't need to tie up 2 logic paths for each axis.


If you look closely to the 4 motor outputs at the top edge of the board, you'll see X, Y, spare, X1, Y1. You may notice that the blue/orange pairs are reversed on the X1 and Y1 outputs. That's because X1 has to spin the reverse of X and Y1 has to spin the reverse of Y.
Yes, that's CAT6e twisted pair. It's 23 gauge solid which is fine for the 1.5A max current for the short length. 4 pairs works well since there are 2 for the motor and 2 for the endstop and the fact that they're twisted can't hurt since the motors are driven with an ac-like waveform. I'm thinking that for the final build, I may mount the TMC2130s on the motors themselves to make the high current path shorter. We'll see.


That's really it for the electronics. Next up... Another redesign of the XY cross pieces. :)
]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 21 Feb 2018 17:31:56 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810754#msg-810754 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810754#msg-810754
Quote
the_digital_dentist
If you ever intend to enclose the printer to print ABS, or there's any chance it will ever get left in a hot car, you might want to reconsider use of PLA based filament (CF or not) for the printed parts.

Well, it'll be too big to fit in my car! Proto-plant claims that when heat treated, this material "maintains it's properties" to 120C but yeah you're right, I wouldn't trust it in a heated chamber without a bunch of tests. Maybe what I'll do is when I've got a completely functional printer, I'll print a complete set of parts and set them aside, then enclose the frame and test print a bunch of ABS parts.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 19:07:00 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810746#msg-810746 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810746#msg-810746 the_digital_dentist Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 18:10:43 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810741#msg-810741 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810741#msg-810741
Quote
DLF
I see. I have not tried carbonfiber filament so I dont know how it compares to other filaments. Still, if this was me building I would gladly sacrifice a bit of travel to gain all the rigidity I can get. It's still a plastic FFF mount we are talking about. Just to be Clear I am not trying to rag on your build, overall I think it looks great! These are just my two cents regarding this detail :)

If I thought I had a perfect design, I wouldn't have bother posting here so two cents are always appreciated! The Digital Dentist DID get me thinking again, as did you. I'm sure this won't be the last design. Hopefully I'll be able to run stress tests again starting tomorrow.

The carbon fiber material is fantastic. It's about $70/kg though so it's not cheap. It has a higher glass temperature than standard PLA and with heat treating at 100C for about an hour, it's even more rigid.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 17:32:38 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810720#msg-810720 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810720#msg-810720 DLF Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 14:38:27 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810674#msg-810674 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810674#msg-810674
Quote
DLF
How come you choose not to make it more massive/box-like? Like DD suggested? Seems unnecessary to build such a strong frame and then add what in my mind looks like a weakpoint.

If it doesnt hinder the function I would try to add mass to that mount to prevent flexing/distortion.

The box-like structure would prevent full travel of the sliders.

[attachment 102627 Screenshot_2018-02-17_08-04-19.png]

[attachment 102630 Screenshot_2018-02-17_08-07-37.png]

The addition of the gusset and the wrap-around attachment makes the mount super strong. I printed one last night (carbon fiber, remember) and there's absolutely no flex.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 10:10:40 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810652#msg-810652 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810652#msg-810652
If it doesnt hinder the function I would try to add mass to that mount to prevent flexing/distortion.]]> DLF Extruded Aluminum Frames Sat, 17 Feb 2018 05:34:47 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810545#msg-810545 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810545#msg-810545 [attachment 102570 XYMotorMountsv73.png]]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Fri, 16 Feb 2018 09:41:50 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810544#msg-810544 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810544#msg-810544 gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Fri, 16 Feb 2018 09:39:33 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810535#msg-810535 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810535#msg-810535 MatthewHall Extruded Aluminum Frames Fri, 16 Feb 2018 08:07:30 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810428#msg-810428 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810428#msg-810428
Quote
the_digital_dentist
Your design has the motor attached to a relatively thin vertical blade that is attached to thin bottom plates (it sort of looks like an i3 printer frame). The belt tension is going to apply a twisting force to the motor and the blade is going to twist. If you want to make a solid motor mount that fits in the space you have allotted for it, forget the piece that goes under the motor- it isn't doing much.

Yeah, that was a concern early on. To keep the motor body inside the frame perimeter, the shaft is offset from the centerline of the frame mounting holes. In practice though. since the bottom bracket screws up through the horizontal plate into the motor and it's all carbon fiber it's pretty rigid. The proof will be when I restart dynamic testing of course so I'm not going to claim there isn't an issue.

The other reason for that bottom bracket was so I can mount the motor to the plate before mounting the plate to the frame. Currently there are no frame bolts hidden behind the motor.

Quote
the_digital_dentist
Mount the motor on a block of plastic that has holes cut in it for the pulley and belt. That will be much more solid, and it will be easily printable in a single piece.

Designing a part like this is easy- start with a solid block, make a hole for the motor shaft and pulley, cut a couple holes in the side for the belt and so you can get a tool in to tighten the pulley's grub screw, then make holes for mounting it on the printer frame and to mount the motor. Leave in as much plastic as you can, because it all contributes to the rigidity of the mount. If you really work it right you might even be able to screw the block to both the horizontal and vertical frame members. This is like a cube type printer frame compared to an i3 type frame- the cube is far more rigid.

If I do it this way though, I lose printable area because the sliders and cross rails won't be able to pass under the motor mount. However, you've given me an idea. I may be able to extend the horizontal plate around the inside corner and bolt it to the other face of the vertical frame extrusion without interfering with the idler pulley on that other face. In earlier designs I couldn't do that but maybe I can now. The idler bracket is much beefier and the shaft is closer to the frame so even though the shaft is still offset from the centerline there's no flex at all.

Hmmmm.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:07:49 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810415#msg-810415 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810415#msg-810415
Here's an example:



Designing a part like this is easy- start with a solid block, make a hole for the motor shaft and pulley, cut a couple holes in the side for the belt and so you can get a tool in to tighten the pulley's grub screw, then make holes for mounting it on the printer frame and to mount the motor. Leave in as much plastic as you can, because it all contributes to the rigidity of the mount. If you really work it right you might even be able to screw the block to both the horizontal and vertical frame members. This is like a cube type printer frame compared to an i3 type frame- the cube is far more rigid.
]]> the_digital_dentist Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:03:17 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810404#msg-810404 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log - XY Motors and Idlers https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810404#msg-810404
Quote
o_lampe
Your motor- and idler mount has not the best mounting to fight against belt tension.
I photoshopped a suggestion to use the T-slot as a second snap-in support.

It's funny, I've received comments on the motor mounts from some non-knowledgeable friends wondering why I needed such beefy mounts just to hold the motor up not realizing that the primary forces are belt tension and rotational torque.

Anyway...

Nothing can extend beyond the perimeter of the frame because the frame has to slide inside the outer frame. Early on I did have a wrap around design towards the inside but it was a pain to print and the part that wrapped around made positioning of the idler bracket problematic. I did some experimentation though and wound up increasing the thickness of the structures from 5mm to 8mm, adding the bottom bracket to the motor mount, and using a wider spacing between the 2 bearings in the idler bracket . That, and the carbon fiber, made the structures impervious to normal operating belt tension. I even tested with a wire loop in place of the belt to see how much I could tighten the wire before things went wrong. It was much more tension than I could ever apply with a belt. BTW, if you've noticed, I left the idler shafts long rather than trimming them down. That's because I was measuring the distance between the top of the shaft and the frame to see how much flex there was when tightening. Same for the slight gap between the motor body and the mount.]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 15 Feb 2018 10:00:21 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810364#msg-810364 Re: HyperCube OverKill Build Log - XY Motors and Idlers https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810364#msg-810364 I photoshopped a suggestion to use the T-slot as a second snap-in support.
[attachment 102521 motormount.jpg]]]> o_lampe Extruded Aluminum Frames Thu, 15 Feb 2018 04:10:36 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810332#msg-810332 HyperCube OverKill Build Log - XY Belts https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810332#msg-810332 This is one of the tensioners.

Here's a look at the motor end. That bottom motor mount looks a little ragged and I need to re-print it. You can see that the slider actually slides under the spindle.

I want to mention that wherever I need to join something to plastic, I use these M3 press-in nuts. I print the holes so they're stepped 3.5mm, 4.5mm, 5.5mm then tap those nuts in. Actually into the carbon fiber, it's more like pound those nuts in. :) This particular nut is how the end-stop trigger/belt tensioner cover will attach.

You can see the end stop trigger/cover here.

All dressed up and no place to go. :)


Next up... connectors, wiring and electronics.
]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:45:21 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810331#msg-810331 HyperCube OverKill Build Log - XY Motors and Idlers https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?177,807843,810331#msg-810331 I did have to do a little cosmetic surgery to the limit switch. The connector is usually horizontal so I carefully bent it upright and trimmed off the extra PCB with a Dremel.

The bottom piece screws through the top piece into the motor and forms a tight assembly.

Mounting the assembly is easy. 3 M5 screws and T-Nuts

When the bottom piece (the gantry is on it's side) is down against the rail, and when the outside edge is aligned with the extrusion, the assembly is perfectly placed.

The idler pulley assemblies are actually 2 5x16mm bearings pressed into the carbon fiber bracket with a locking collar above and the pulley below. I forgot to take pictures before I assembled them, sorry. They mount and align like the motor mounts.


Belts next.
]]> gtj Extruded Aluminum Frames Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:34:36 -0500