Upgrading my old Reprap Air 2

Hi all, I have decided to start a new project for the summer; Upgrading my old Reprap Air 2.

Currently the smooth rods are quite bad, and the machine is quite flexible and wobbly. Nothing like my newer MendelMax 1.5.
So, I've designed a box that wraps all around the internals of the Air 2. To replace the plexiglass frame.

The rendering is not the final product, it is more of an idea.



What I'm wondering about is, will the 1204 ballscrew rods from RobotDIGG be a good replacement for the standard 8mm threaded rods that I have on my machine now?
[www.robotdigg.com]

And since the rods only cost 30 dollars, and the stepper motors with threaded rods on them already are only a little more expensive:
[www.robotdigg.com]

I guess that I would still need 2x anti-backlash nut if I buy the stepper motor version, and on top of that, if the stepper motor would ever break down, I have to replace the whole part which might cost me more by the time it breaks down.

It is not neccesary, but if a Ballscrew/Leadscrew rod gives a significant improvement over a threaded rod I might consider buying a set.

a better option would be to just get the parts for a prusa i3 or a mendel 90 laser cut out of mdf or melamine and transfer all your parts to that ....

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ekaggrat
a better option would be to just get the parts for a prusa i3 or a mendel 90 laser cut out of mdf or melamine and transfer all your parts to that ....

But I'd hate to do that My life philosophy is to learn new things, not to buy readymades!

However, just buying rods without any knowledge is just plain dumb, so thats why I'm asking for others' experiences.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2014 06:57AM by Ohmarinus.

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Ohmarinus
But I'd hate to do that My life philosophy is to learn new things, not to buy readymades!

Attempting to learn new thing is quite a good idea. However ... how many times was the 3D printer frame re-invented now? 500 times? 800?

Much more interesting would be to put attention to details. Like changing only small things an recording how this influences print quality.

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Ohmarinus

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ekaggrat
a better option would be to just get the parts for a prusa i3 or a mendel 90 laser cut out of mdf or melamine and transfer all your parts to that ....

But I'd hate to do that My life philosophy is to learn new things, not to buy readymades!

Trust me, just getting a Mendel90 frame that's been laster cut is definitely not readymade any more than a threaded or smooth rod that's been cut to length, or a wire with an connector already crimped on. Yeah it's a step you could have done. But it's a long ways away from readymade.

Also, make sure you get a shipping quote from robotdigg as it can cost a lot more than the parts. Depending on your location as for me they are overseas and charge a ton for shipping.

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Also, make sure you get a shipping quote from robotdigg as it can cost a lot more than the parts. Depending on your location as for me they are overseas and charge a ton for shipping.

Hi, thanks for the tip, it was one of the first things I asked them for actually, as it indeed comes out a bit higher than expected so I would have to cut off a few parts from my wanted list.

Does anyone have experience with those ballscrew rods I asked for? The 1204 ones?
I'm really doubting using them since I already have very good experiences with M5 threaded Z-rods.

I can imagine those ballscrew rods are less prone to wear and wobble though.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/2014 03:53PM by Ohmarinus.