Building a No Name big printer I am going to share my journey of thinking, designing and building a big 3D printer. Who am I: I am an electronics guy, have been designing hardware and firmware for many many years. But also interested in mechanical design. My whole house and furnitures are modeled in Solidworks. Related experience for this type of machine: Designed and built a few solid desktop CNCs. Experience on 3D printer: Owned a Prusa i3 for about 6 weeks. Have read a few machine build logs. Was fun to read, and thanks for sharing. Starting point: Very very new into 3D printers. Learning while designing. Learning things about structure. Learning things about printing. Learning things about firmware. Plan: From the previous section, you can see my main task right now is learning, doing my homework. Show the community what I am thinking. Will get into changing the firmware to do some customization for my printer. (Good news is I do this type of things for living). Have my buddy's CNC shop do all the aluminum parts. I will do the final assembly. Printer is designed to print some full size toys, tools, etc ... Purpose of this build is for building the machine. Not so much of planning to print specific items. Budget: Don't know yet. If goes more than $5000, I may need to think about the what is the next step seriously, otherwise just experimenting. Timeline: Hopefully, 12 months to print the first 10x10x10 cube, in millimeters. LoL https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,567903#msg-567903 Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:57:51 -0500 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,608609#msg-608609 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,608609#msg-608609
[attachment 69567 9.jpg]]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Tue, 12 Jan 2016 11:24:45 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,603019#msg-603019 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,603019#msg-603019 [attachment 68675 5.jpg]
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[attachment 68682 8.jpg]]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 31 Dec 2015 17:07:29 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579852#msg-579852 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579852#msg-579852 The pulley wrap is not as much as Adam's design but it works and I have a heavy 5/8" 15x16 MDF build platform. The Z axis also moves a lot faster than the default Marlin settings.

Let me give u a few hints;
Mr Metric is the best place to buy screws if u can make one order (shipping cost). Order extra different sizes than what u calculate. U will probably need them, I did.

These r great steppers cheap. The 6th one is only $4.00 more. (at least it was when I bought them, shipping cost diff.)
[www.automationtechnologiesinc.com]

Openbuild's screws will not work with a brass nut. U must use their Delran nut -- unless u want to file all the buurs out of the entire length of the screw threads, which I did.

Mine is ~2" narrower than Carl's. I didn't like how wide his was, hence, CCBOT = Compact CBOT.
That and the platform change is why I had to model it. For a first time Sketchup user I can't believe it all fit.

The bottom corners are my design - posted on Carl's thread. They r very ridgid once assembled.
The 2 piece screw base is my design. The platform wheel end pieces r also unique but I had to tweak them after printing to make them fit snug.
I haven't tweaked the design yet.

The hardest part of this platform design is getting the screws aligned properly. If they r slightly off the platform WILL bind in the bottom 1/4 - though using Delran nuts might have helped this issue. Also more pulley wrap MIGHT have overcome some of the binding. My bottom screw anchors r adjustable in/out (which is why they r in 2 pieces). If u want to avoid this issue, don't use the bottom 1/4 (or 1/5th) of travel.

Most all the other pieces r Carl's design. ANOTHER SHOUT OUT TO CARL. My endstops and placement r unique. A few extra pieces and some extra holes in Carl's pieces.
One change I made to the carriage piece RE the belt anchors on the hotend side that I think is important: see plate notch
This allows the belt to go under and hook around the plate keeping it in the rail groove and it provides a more secure anchor - using far less clamping force. If u try to clamp these too tight it WILL destroy the plate. The belts on the back are left long to allow easier grabbing when thightning.
NOTE: my front is opposite the motors (motors r on the back) and the hotends r facing the front, so when the belt comes around this the grooves r also on the correct side for the clamp. Otherwise, u will need to turn the belt over.
good luck]]> ruggb CoreXY Machines Wed, 04 Nov 2015 10:27:28 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579580#msg-579580 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579580#msg-579580 Do you have any details about your belt version?

-os3dp]]> os3dp CoreXY Machines Wed, 04 Nov 2015 00:16:16 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579288#msg-579288 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579288#msg-579288 That one also has a direct drive extruder. Carl's & mine use a Bowden.]]> ruggb CoreXY Machines Tue, 03 Nov 2015 09:06:24 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579069#msg-579069 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,579069#msg-579069
openbuilds.org]]> grat CoreXY Machines Mon, 02 Nov 2015 20:31:11 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,578914#msg-578914 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,578914#msg-578914 www.openbuilds.com]
It was love at first sight, mostly because of the integrated belts and the lack of smooth rods.
I did modify the platform to use 3 screws and 1 stepper instead of the cantilevered design Carl did.
It can be easily scaled to the size u want. Mine is 12"x12"x12" or 305x305x305mm (z ~= 290mm actually)
dual hotends. I modeled it first so I could reduce the width by about 2 inches.
Others have built rather tall versions of this.
So far, I don't think any one has gone over 12x12
U may get some ideas from it.
good luck]]> ruggb CoreXY Machines Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:32:51 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,578060#msg-578060 ::oThermal expansion difference between aluminum and steel could be a problem::o https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,578060#msg-578060 So I did a calculation. A 500mm aluminum beam changes 0.5mm from 20C to 60C. A 500mm steel beam changes 0.2mm from 20C to 60C.
0.3mm difference is a problem because steel linear guide rail will be mounted on the aluminum extrusion.

It will be a little disappointing if this printer cannot print ABS in a heated enclosure.

Doing more research on the Net right now to see how big of issue this is.

There are several printers here with beams at least 500mm long, has this ever been a problem when the whole thing is heated to around 60C for printing ABS?

Again, I am just do my evaluation purely from "books", I will need some real experience from whole assembly point view from you guys. Thanks.]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Sat, 31 Oct 2015 17:42:25 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571513#msg-571513 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571513#msg-571513 My plan is to use both. At least I can try both. Because this is my first 3D printer design. It probably will become a test platform for future revisions.

I like Flex3Drive system. It is also in my test list.

Thanks for all the links. Patrick.]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Fri, 16 Oct 2015 14:04:00 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571491#msg-571491 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571491#msg-571491
Edit: I created a new topic asking for help on this issue HERE:
General forum Extruder Question Link

As I said before, I have essentially the same mechanicals as you, but with a short 35cm bowden tube. I get a maximum print speed of about 200mm/sec at 0.4mm nozzle size before it gets difficult to tune my extruder mechanicals. The best I have done is 250mm/sec with extreme tweeking to keep the mechanicals from slipping and chewing up the filament. It gets worse with about 100mm/sec top speed with the 1.2mm nozzle. My build volume is 200x200x260mmm and it just seems really slow when printing big parts even at top speed currently. It can do better without the extruder limitation.

Your design also uses a lower torque 200 step motor, and may not even be able to do the speeds I am getting....I think that the 400 step motors reduce pulse force and thus decrease the likelyhood of chewing the filament and/or missing steps for the same motor torque.

It is too bad, because the coreXY design can do much better speed and just completely outstrips the capability of these direct drive solutions. I am looking into some other designs that provide higher torque via gearing and/or dual sided tooth grip on the filament. I will list them so maybe we can research together:

Flex3Drive flexible shaft system:
[www.youtube.com]

Bondtech Geared Extruder (seems like it may create the highest force, but expensive):
[www.youtube.com]

PrintrBot Gear Head:
[www.youtube.com]

Wade's Reloaded Belted Extruder:
[www.youtube.com]

Modified Wade's Extruder:
[www.youtube.com]

Purchaseable kit Wade's Reloaded
[www.makergeeks.com]
[www.lulzbot.com]]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Fri, 16 Oct 2015 13:19:49 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571440#msg-571440 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571440#msg-571440 The U shape is designed as a universal mounting plate for now.
At the final stage of the design tweaking, I will review the mass properties and reduce or remove redundant structures. Yes the U is heavy, it is 191 grams asis.

The belt holder screws could be facing either way because the extruder could be mounted on either side of the U. But if I change it to L, then I have to pick which side.
Good pick though!]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Fri, 16 Oct 2015 11:04:25 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571396#msg-571396 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571396#msg-571396

]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Fri, 16 Oct 2015 09:01:17 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571382#msg-571382 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571382#msg-571382
Belt facing depends on a combination of if you locate the motors at the front or back, where you locate your belt flip if you have one, and whether you add some extra pulleys that allow you to locate the drive gear/motor assemblies on the other side of the belt. With design changes you can have the belts face any way you want at the carriage.

From your drawing, it becomes clearer that the back of your carriage/extruder mounting u is not structurally necessary and should be removed to reduce weight OR turn the mount into an O to increase structural integrity. I would also flip the belt clamp screws so they can be tightened from the other side, so you can mess with the clamps without removing your extruder.

You should look through your extruder carriage design and reduce the size and number of parts to reduce the carriage weight. The lighter the carriage, the faster you will be able to accelerate it. For example: if you change your carriage mount so it uses the motor holes for mounting instead, you will remove a lot of weight and simplify the design too. you can have the carriage mount plate go between the extruder motor and the extruder hob/lever assembly. Making that work just requires slight lengthening of the 4 motor/extruder mounting bolts and moving the hob down the motor shaft just a bit. Better to use existing mount points and hardware for multiple uses I think.]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Fri, 16 Oct 2015 08:30:31 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571204#msg-571204 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571204#msg-571204 [attachment 64192 beltholder.JPG]]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 22:49:08 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571187#msg-571187 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571187#msg-571187
I noticed that your belt facing is not same as mine:
[attachment 64189 belt.JPG]

In mine design it is opposite where the arrows are pointing at. I guess you twisted the belt at where they cross?

Thanks]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 20:34:00 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571176#msg-571176 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571176#msg-571176
Quote
patrickrio
I am using 400 step 78 oz inch 1.8 amp nema 17 motors, and I am only using .8 amps at 24v... I am almost certain that these would have enough power for your setup too... especially if you turned them up in amps. Then you can use standard control boards and drivers... I highly recommend the Duet board as it has a wonderful ethernet interface that I operate with my telephone.

I bought them on ebay, this is the description:

Nema17 stepper motor 0.9 deg /48mm/ 78 Oz-in / 1.8A CNC stepper motor
( 151660524251 ) ITEM PRICE: US $13.84 free shipping from China

Thanks again Patrick. Reference design information is priceless. Now I feel better about my design for mounting the motors: very easy to change the motors. :-)

I would agree with you about Nema17 probably is big enough for this machine. The Nema 23 in my drawing is from the desktop CNC machine I made which needs to handle much bigger cutting force.]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:18:20 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571172#msg-571172 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571172#msg-571172 bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:10:35 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571170#msg-571170 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571170#msg-571170 patrickrio CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:49:11 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571169#msg-571169 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571169#msg-571169
I bought them on ebay, this is the description:

Nema17 stepper motor 0.9 deg /48mm/ 78 Oz-in / 1.8A CNC stepper motor
( 151660524251 ) ITEM PRICE: US $13.84 free shipping from China]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:44:41 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571165#msg-571165 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571165#msg-571165 Not sure it is an overkill. But if it turned out to be overkill, we can always change them to something else.]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:18:48 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571162#msg-571162 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571162#msg-571162
That direct drive is going to weigh a bit, so if you want it to move fast you are going to need to make it rigid. Any vibrations you do have will be minimized the closer you can get the center of carriage gravity to the 4 block mounting points AND by getting the nozzle tip as close to those mounting points as possible.

With a large printer like this, you may want to consider larger diameter nozzles too so you can print at adequate speeds. Consider the E3D Volcano and clones for this, they work well for me. Your direct extruder will have to be upgraded to a gear motor or geared extrusion to use the bigger nozzles at high speed though, as I think you will need more extrusion pressure than that direct drive can provide. Look at the Bondtech gearmotor extruder for inspiration. My Bowden extruder mechanicals are almost an exact clone of your direct drive setup, and I max out at about 200mm/sec with a 4mm nozzle and 100mm/sec with a 1.2mm nozzle. I am going to install a gearmotor so I can go faster.

you may also consider using a shaft drive system to move the motor off the carriage to reduce rapidly moving weight. The advantages of CoreXY for fast movement and acceleration are easier to accomplish with light weights. I used a Bowden extruder to reduce total moving weight to 150gm.... but I think this is less practical for a large printer like yours.

Also, those nema 23 motors are REEELY BIG. Are they withing the amp limits of operation for a normal 3d printer board and drivers? I would consider going to 24 volts to get the most power you can out of those. Are you sure they are not a bit of overkill????]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:06:17 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571114#msg-571114 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571114#msg-571114
Here it is
[attachment 64176 belttension.JPG]

[attachment 64177 belttension1.JPG]

The adjustment is about 20mm.
I am using 10mm belt, so 20mm should be enough.

This is my very first 3D printer design. Feel free to comment. Thanks]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 16:09:46 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571106#msg-571106 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571106#msg-571106
Normal view:
[attachment 64165 mountingblock.JPG]

Bottom view:
[attachment 64166 mountingblockbottomview.JPG]

Back view:
[attachment 64173 backview.JPG]]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 15:58:37 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571104#msg-571104 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571104#msg-571104
Yes, this machine needs to be flat, straight and square.]]> bonmotwang CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 15:54:10 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571060#msg-571060 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571060#msg-571060
* may be "water dispersal", or similar!]]> David J CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 13:46:02 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571044#msg-571044 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571044#msg-571044 patrickrio CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 13:06:14 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571025#msg-571025 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571025#msg-571025 grat CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 12:02:13 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571018#msg-571018 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,571018#msg-571018
1. you have the x axis block facing downward, just like I do, which I think is the correct choice. HOWEVER, you should think about how you are going to locate the filament and nozzle assembly. I think you will find that having the nozzle close to one side of the linear guide block will reduce mass and potential vibration. your beam above the linear guide would be moved to give access to one side of the block or the other and would not be located exactly in the center. BETTER YET, I think that having that support bar above the linear guide is unnecessary for increased structural integrity. see the picture of my extruder on a 7mm rail. My structure does not vibrate or flex significantly even without the support you have. granted, the LENGTH of my run is shorter than yours, but you can just select a larger rail and block, MGN9C, MGN12C or even MGN15C if you need more stiffness for your longer run. doing this also reduces parts and makes the build easier.

2. It is VERY critical that your two X axis slides are perfectly parallel. This is the biggest weakness of using linear guides for this construct because it is HARD to get them really parallel. There is not much "play" in the bearings of these slides, so if your system is not parallel enough, the system will bind and reduce the life of the bearings dramatically. Get some white lithium soap grease if your bearings have some openness to the air (not sealed linear bearings). You can create a better protection from dust by packing the bearings with a small overabundance of lithium grease. Lithium grease is the longest acting lubricant you can safely use on open linear guides. Remember, once you pick a lubricant, you should stick with that same lubricant for the life of the bearings, so choose wisely. DO NOT mix lithium grease and WD-40 for sure!!!! I got my grease at Home Depot because it is walking distance from me..... Make sure to get the squeeze bottle thick grease and NOT the spray on or watery/drippy lithium grease.

3. make sure that the belt pull puts the x axis in compression instead of pulling your two y guide blocks together (attach pulleys strongly to the x axis rail more than the y axis blocks and make it so you can adjust the attachment of the whole X guide and pulleys assembly to the Y blocks so you can adjust the distance between Y blocks slightly..) pulling the guide blocks together will increase the pressure on the bearing surfaces and reduce the life of bearings in your parallel guide blocks. if you have questions on how to do this, we need to talk as there is a list of things to check to accomplish this.

4. design a way to put in some shims to adjust the 2 Y slides for flatness. The slides are very accurate but once again, since they have no "play" you have to be very precise in leveling them to be perfectly flat. Having some "twist" between the two guides will make bed leveling impossible, let me tell you, and the longer the slides are, the harder it is to keep level. My next design iteration is going to have a single machined plate to make parallel and level easier to accomplish....leveling and parallel were the hardest parts of my build. If you do this right, you get vibration free travel the whole length of your slides, and your leveling can be more accurate that FDM printing can handle with the surface tension of extruded plastics....

5. the length of belt increases a lot the larger you make the frame. As a result, you may want to make it so the slides are shorter and movements go all the way to pulleys to reduce belt length for a given print bed size. I also reduced the size of my nozzle assembly and distance between the belts on the X axis for the same reason. You can see this in the attached picture. My nozzle carriage is 15mm wide and 35mm in the Y direction. The belts in my design clamp directly to the sides of the linear guide block.

6. consider using a LONG block on the Y axis guides instead of 2 short blocks (H blocks instead of C blocks). Cheaper, simpler construction! block sizes of the blocks: MGN7H=17x30.8mm, MGN9H=20x39.9mm, MGN12H=27x45.4mm, MGN15H=32x58.8mm

Feel free to ask any other questions...


]]> patrickrio CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 11:44:46 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,570744#msg-570744 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,570744#msg-570744
Quote
gmh39
Why not use a Flex3Drive? Supposedly it is the best of both worlds; lightweight of a bowden, but performance of a direct drive.

There are masses of posts recommending flexi drive but I have not seen a single build incorporating it. So as you say "supposedly".. What about practically? I would expect some unexpected problems with it.]]> Edvardas CoreXY Machines Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:30:47 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,570638#msg-570638 Re: Building a No Name big printer https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?397,567903,570638#msg-570638 gmh39 CoreXY Machines Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:57:26 -0400