ProtoForge printer

Hi,

im working on a homebuilt 3d printer at the moment. It will use a HBelt with bowden extruders and a feed rate control. I want to print as fast as possible, so i try to keep the print head on a minimum weight. Here is a link to a video, hope you like it: link

I want to realise the feed rate control by measuring the filament feed rate inside the print head with magnetic encoders. Are there other experiments ongoing? Couldnt find anything.

Daniel

I had the same idea and will probably go into experiment stage next month so feel free to drop me a line if you want to cooperate/share ideas

Would be great. It will take some time for me to built the rest of the printer, but ideas are existent.

Wow man, that looks awesome. I own Prusa i3, but I am bit annoyed of its shortcomings. I was planning to build my own 3D printer and this is exactly how I planned it should look like. Once again, really nice work, I am looking forward to see the next stage.

Thx a lot! When it is working i can make the cad data and the other stuff public. Maybe it will help. I will let you know.

Yeah, that would be awesome

I assembled and mounted the HBelt today and im about to let it drive a little. But my gcode does not work properly. This is all in my gcode file:

G1 X100 Y100 F200
G1 X0 Y0 F200

The printer executes the first line, but then stops moving. Why? Can you give a little hint here?

What electronics are you using? And how do you send your G commands to the printer? Have you tried connecting to printer with pronterface and sending the G commands through the console?

Hi i use Arduino Mega and Ramps 1.4. The program runs from SD-Card

Well, I am shooting blind, but I am using Marlin and it won't move the axis after printer start, before I do the axis homing, so he is sure, where he is. Could it be related to this?

It will only move in a negative direction? That's usually inverted end stop logic. Change the wiring to the end stops, or find the relevant setting in the firmware. I know Marlin is capable of inverting endstop logic.

If you are using Marlin pay attention that the coreXY does not allow the use of the MAX endstop and they are disabled.
Apart from that, I agree with mitchnajmitch and Dale Dunn, when first started the printing area is unknown to the firmware and it shall be initialized using the MIN endstop, if you don't do that, the firmware allow only positive direction considering the start as zero-zero position. Check also inverted axis setup in the firmware.
Another suggestion is to maintain enabled the motors, this is a sort of "bug" of Marlin if you disable the motors after each movement you will have strange movement because the two motors works together to move the carriage in H-belt.

Anyway, very good design, I like the layout of the machine. Me and a friend of mine are building a similar design if you want to check:

[baddevices.wordpress.com]

I like it. What are you using for the floor. The one that folded in a tri fold?

Hi, thx for your response. It worked now without homing to the endstops. Scroll down for my gcode for a circle. Seems like he only makes strange things with the last command!? But the printer does what i want now.

At the moment i'm surprised, i can not drive faster than 15000mm/min = 250mm/sec. The head stops from time to time. The steppers don't loose steps, it's more like the µC is overchallanged... ??? I wanted the printer to be faster! Maybe i try a host program. But if i can not go faster it would be really sad!

@stepava: Thx very much indeed. Our designs really quite similar Looks great. Somehow i like the scratches in the black metal too. Looks like case modding

G1 X150,00 Y280,00 F5000
G1 X154,54 Y279,92 F5000
G1 X159,07 Y279,68 F5000
G1 X163,59 Y279,29 F5000
G1 X168,09 Y278,73 F5000
G1 X172,57 Y278,03 F5000
G1 X177,03 Y277,16 F5000
G1 X181,45 Y276,14 F5000
G1 X185,83 Y274,96 F5000
G1 X190,17 Y273,64 F5000
G1 X194,46 Y272,16 F5000
G1 X198,70 Y270,53 F5000
G1 X202,87 Y268,76 F5000
G1 X206,99 Y266,84 F5000
G1 X211,03 Y264,78 F5000
G1 X215,00 Y262,58 F5000
G1 X218,89 Y260,25 F5000
G1 X222,69 Y257,78 F5000
G1 X226,41 Y255,17 F5000
G1 X230,03 Y252,44 F5000
G1 X233,56 Y249,59 F5000
G1 X236,98 Y246,61 F5000
G1 X240,30 Y243,52 F5000
G1 X243,51 Y240,31 F5000
G1 X246,61 Y236,99 F5000
G1 X249,58 Y233,56 F5000
G1 X252,44 Y230,04 F5000
G1 X255,17 Y226,42 F5000
G1 X257,77 Y222,70 F5000
G1 X260,24 Y218,89 F5000
G1 X262,58 Y215,00 F5000
G1 X264,78 Y211,03 F5000
G1 X266,84 Y206,99 F5000
G1 X268,76 Y202,88 F5000
G1 X270,53 Y198,70 F5000
G1 X272,16 Y194,47 F5000
G1 X273,64 Y190,18 F5000
G1 X274,96 Y185,84 F5000
G1 X276,14 Y181,45 F5000
G1 X277,16 Y177,03 F5000
G1 X278,02 Y172,58 F5000
G1 X278,73 Y168,10 F5000
G1 X279,29 Y163,59 F5000
G1 X279,68 Y159,07 F5000
G1 X279,92 Y154,54 F5000
G1 X280,00 Y150,01 F5000
G1 X279,92 Y145,47 F5000
G1 X279,68 Y140,94 F5000
G1 X279,29 Y136,42 F5000
G1 X278,74 Y131,91 F5000
G1 X278,03 Y127,43 F5000
G1 X277,16 Y122,98 F5000
G1 X276,14 Y118,56 F5000
G1 X274,97 Y114,17 F5000
G1 X273,64 Y109,83 F5000
G1 X272,16 Y105,54 F5000
G1 X270,54 Y101,31 F5000
G1 X268,76 Y97,13 F5000
G1 X266,85 Y93,02 F5000
G1 X264,79 Y88,98 F5000
G1 X262,59 Y85,01 F5000
G1 X260,25 Y81,12 F5000
G1 X257,78 Y77,31 F5000
G1 X255,18 Y73,59 F5000
G1 X252,45 Y69,97 F5000
G1 X249,59 Y66,44 F5000
G1 X246,61 Y63,02 F5000
G1 X243,52 Y59,70 F5000
G1 X240,31 Y56,49 F5000
G1 X236,99 Y53,40 F5000
G1 X233,57 Y50,42 F5000
G1 X230,04 Y47,56 F5000
G1 X226,42 Y44,83 F5000
G1 X222,70 Y42,23 F5000
G1 X218,90 Y39,76 F5000
G1 X215,01 Y37,42 F5000
G1 X211,04 Y35,22 F5000
G1 X207,00 Y33,16 F5000
G1 X202,89 Y31,24 F5000
G1 X198,71 Y29,47 F5000
G1 X194,47 Y27,84 F5000
G1 X190,18 Y26,37 F5000
G1 X185,84 Y25,04 F5000
G1 X181,46 Y23,86 F5000
G1 X177,04 Y22,84 F5000
G1 X172,59 Y21,98 F5000
G1 X168,10 Y21,27 F5000
G1 X163,60 Y20,71 F5000
G1 X159,08 Y20,32 F5000
G1 X154,55 Y20,08 F5000
G1 X150,01 Y20,00 F5000
G1 X145,48 Y20,08 F5000
G1 X140,94 Y20,32 F5000
G1 X136,42 Y20,71 F5000
G1 X131,92 Y21,26 F5000
G1 X127,44 Y21,97 F5000
G1 X122,98 Y22,84 F5000
G1 X118,56 Y23,86 F5000
G1 X114,18 Y25,03 F5000
G1 X109,84 Y26,36 F5000
G1 X105,55 Y27,84 F5000
G1 X101,31 Y29,46 F5000
G1 X97,14 Y31,23 F5000
G1 X93,02 Y33,15 F5000
G1 X88,98 Y35,21 F5000
G1 X85,01 Y37,41 F5000
G1 X81,12 Y39,75 F5000
G1 X77,32 Y42,22 F5000
G1 X73,60 Y44,82 F5000
G1 X69,98 Y47,55 F5000
G1 X66,45 Y50,40 F5000
G1 X63,02 Y53,38 F5000
G1 X59,71 Y56,48 F5000
G1 X56,50 Y59,68 F5000
G1 X53,40 Y63,00 F5000
G1 X50,42 Y66,43 F5000
G1 X47,57 Y69,95 F5000
G1 X44,84 Y73,58 F5000
G1 X42,23 Y77,29 F5000
G1 X39,76 Y81,10 F5000
G1 X37,42 Y84,99 F5000
G1 X35,22 Y88,95 F5000
G1 X33,16 Y93,00 F5000
G1 X31,25 Y97,11 F5000
G1 X29,47 Y101,29 F5000
G1 X27,85 Y105,52 F5000
G1 X26,37 Y109,81 F5000
G1 X25,04 Y114,15 F5000
G1 X23,87 Y118,53 F5000
G1 X22,84 Y122,95 F5000
G1 X21,98 Y127,41 F5000
G1 X21,27 Y131,89 F5000
G1 X20,71 Y136,39 F5000
G1 X20,32 Y140,91 F5000
G1 X20,08 Y145,45 F5000
G1 X20,00 Y149,98 F5000
G1 X20,08 Y154,52 F5000
G1 X20,32 Y159,05 F5000
G1 X20,71 Y163,57 F5000
G1 X21,26 Y168,07 F5000
G1 X21,97 Y172,56 F5000
G1 X22,84 Y177,01 F5000
G1 X23,86 Y181,43 F5000
G1 X25,03 Y185,81 F5000
G1 X26,36 Y190,15 F5000
G1 X27,83 Y194,44 F5000
G1 X29,46 Y198,68 F5000
G1 X31,23 Y202,86 F5000
G1 X33,15 Y206,97 F5000
G1 X35,21 Y211,01 F5000
G1 X37,41 Y214,98 F5000
G1 X39,74 Y218,87 F5000
G1 X42,21 Y222,68 F5000
G1 X44,82 Y226,40 F5000
G1 X47,55 Y230,02 F5000
G1 X50,40 Y233,55 F5000
G1 X53,38 Y236,97 F5000
G1 X56,47 Y240,29 F5000
G1 X59,68 Y243,50 F5000
G1 X63,00 Y246,59 F5000
G1 X66,42 Y249,57 F5000
G1 X69,95 Y252,43 F5000
G1 X73,57 Y255,16 F5000
G1 X77,29 Y257,76 F5000
G1 X81,09 Y260,23 F5000
G1 X84,98 Y262,57 F5000
G1 X88,95 Y264,77 F5000
G1 X92,99 Y266,83 F5000
G1 X97,10 Y268,75 F5000
G1 X101,28 Y270,53 F5000
G1 X105,52 Y272,15 F5000
G1 X109,81 Y273,63 F5000
G1 X114,15 Y274,96 F5000
G1 X118,53 Y276,13 F5000
G1 X122,95 Y277,15 F5000
G1 X127,40 Y278,02 F5000
G1 X131,88 Y278,73 F5000
G1 X136,39 Y279,29 F5000
G1 X140,91 Y279,68 F5000
G1 X145,44 Y279,92 F5000
G1 X0 Y0 F2000
G1 X0 Y0 F0

@WWC: this is white plexiglas (pmma). The hinges are made of duct tape


I have made a new video of the running H-Belt: link

I see the video, very good work! What do you use for linear motion? Linear ball bearings or Bronze bushing or something else?

Thx! I use composit slide bearings. They consist of steel and a teflon (ptfe) coating. Maybe their static friction is a bit higher, but i don't trust the cheap linear ball bearings...