Building a 3d printer.

Hi, I want to make my own 3d printer but am very confused on how I can draw it out in cad if I don't have any of the files for parts? Like makerslide?

Is makerslide what you use to build the entire structure or just the parts that move (wheels etc)? Also what is the difference between gt2 belts with 20 teeth, 24 teeth, 16 teeth, etc?
Lastly is there a drag and drop program that has a list of all components like makerslide, aluminum extrusions, bolts, belts, pulleys, etc? Thanks!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2014 12:52PM by caleb12134.

You can build a printer from anything, from conduit to wood sheets.

Actually it is belt pulleys are characterized by teeth count, the more teeth - the larger the diameter - the more belt pulled in one motor revolution.

Proper machines are probably not designed using drag'n'drop software like you described.

Quote
caleb12134
Lastly is there a drag and drop program that has a list of all components like makerslide, aluminum extrusions, bolts, belts, pulleys, etc? Thanks!

There are a few answers to this question.

1) McMaster Carr has EVERYTHING you will ever need in terms of nuts and bolts drawn up in all kinds of CAD formats for free! Find the nuts, bolts, screws, etc. you are looking to use and you will be able to download the model from there and use it in your CAD modeling operations. I have done this many, many times on many different projects.

2) Check the websites for the aluminum extrusions that you are planning to use. Many times they offer CAD drawings or dimensions for free. 8020, Misumi, OpenBuilds all have free versions of their extrusions because without those free versions, it would limit their customer's ability to plan before ordering.

Now I have a few questions for you.

What kind of CAD software are you looking to use to design your machine?
Have you built a 3D Printer or CNC machine before?
What is your experience level with this type of design and construction?
What is your budget?
What is the build volume you are looking to achieve?
Have you designed objects to be printed with a 3D Printer before?

There is a compleat model of the Shapeoko in Sketchup which may serve as a starting point: [sketchup.google.com]

Announcement and example images here: [www.shapeoko.com]

--- should provide all the parts you'd need.