New 3D printer design for discussion - let's call it In-line design

Hi all,

I just got an idea for a new 3D printer design and would like to share it with you and also get your opinion about it. I am not an engineer so please take this into account when reading my post. It is currenlty only an idea. The core of the design is that all rails are placed on one alu profile let's say in one line. That is why I called it in-line design. X and Y move is base on two carriages placed on one rail. There are rods going from each carriage and the rods are connected together on the end. There would be placed also the extruder. Let say something like a scissors. Then there would be another rail wich would drive the table on Z axe.

I will try to meke a simple picture of this design and will attach it here later for better imagine of the idea.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2017 03:05PM by boylucky.

My imagination just made a picture of such a thing, but the rods collided with the part, when it gets higher?

RU speaking of something like this?

I think I get the idea, it is similar to a SCARA like this one:
SCARA 3D Printer

But not with static arms and the whole diamond shape they form, only half of it.
Move them at the same direction and there's the X axis, move them in the opposite direction and there's the Y axis. Could work.

You'll need to make the arm sturdy like the SCARA, because if you move the carriages next to each other to close the scissors, then the arm will go out long, with the extruder at its end.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2017 02:06AM by Hubberthus.

Like the very next video that played on youtube? [www.youtube.com]
Looks like also a commercial SCARA; They sure do have a LOT of coverage area [www.youtube.com]

It says its a SCARA but the second axis is driven by a timing belt on the end of the first - looks like ( Only two arms ). Looks almost exactly like a horizontally tipped robotic arm.
I really like the SCARA design but can't say I don't wonder about the leverage requiring larger motors; but I guess 3d printing really doesn't require much force.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2017 07:55AM by tgit23.

Thanks guys for the videos and design you mentioned. You are right that it is something similar. I did not saw that before so thanks to bring it here. And yes, the difference would be only the fact that the design I thought would have the rail on which the carriages will be running.

@tgit23: Yup, that way you get a one armed SCARA
I didn't mean the cut that way though.
Turn the angle of the cut by 90 degrees, leaving the far side of the printer out, no servos. Put what's left on a single rail with two carriages.

@boylucky: A picture would really help with the understanding of the concept.

Would be interesting to see the pros and cons to this. I've thought of something like this, but this concept beats mine.
Could this be cost-effective?
Monorail-scissors-printer

@Hubberthus - yeah, I need to make some picture and post it here. Not yet done, sorry. And hard to say what will be the pros and cons. I see the pros in the fact that it would not take much space as it could be really just a alu profile with the rail for example screwed to wall. But that is just my imagine about the pros I think the cost would be nearly the same as other designs like the delta or core printers.

Finaly here is a fast drawing of the desigh. Please do not take it much serious, it is just fast draw of the idea. There is many things and problems to think about and solve. So it is just to show what I ment. There could be linear rails instead of the rods and the bed could be slide normaly as on clasic XYZ printers. What I found good on this design could be a simple construction and for example possibility to screw it to the wall. It would not take much space.

... your design is referred to "parallel kinematics" -- look at the attached images in this old post: [forums.reprap.org]

There are many different types of this parallel systems (or even with curved/coiled springs instead of straight sticks) ... mostly designed and used for (expensive) ultra-high-precision tasks, but sometimes simply for milling too

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Thanks for your post Victor. Those designs are also interesting and like you said could be in some cases easy to mill.

Hi boylucky,

... not "easy to mill", but "used for milling machines" - there are some of this types "stick-kinematiks" used as base designs for CNC-mills (3-axis and 6-axis)

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Hi Viktor,

ok, I see . Sorry for misunderstanding.

Very interesting... could easily be more rigid than most SCARA designs. Have you seen that printer with a jointed arm in the X, Y, and Z axes? It's kind of like a mix between a SCARA and a Cartesian.

Hello Matthew,

please, would you have a link to such design?

Thanks.

Looking... if I find this will be the first place I come!

Quote
boylucky
Hello Matthew,

please, would you have a link to such design?

Thanks.

Found it! (No I haven't been looking this whole month). Just stumbled upon the old forum link and accompanying design inspiration I was talking about.

[robot.gmc.ulaval.ca]
[forums.reprap.org]

Thanks that looks interesting.