Sourcing pre-cut and drilled Dibond frame parts and a couple of other questions

Hi, I'm interested in converting my Prusa i2 to a mendel 90 to utilise the full 200mm Z-height but I'm struggling to find a supplier of Black Dibond who will cut and drill it precisely for me. Any suggestions on where to find a supplier in the UK?

I also welcome any opinions on whether I should convert my printer to a Mendel 90 or a Prusa i3? I'm pretty set on the Mendel 90 but I'm interested in other people's opinions of either design.

Also, Nophead, is your small breakout PCB and plug available separately?

Thanks

My only printer has been the mendel 90, but I did a lot of research on the prusa's as well. In terms of cost, the total bill I calculated sourcing parts for the 90 came out around $100 higher than the i3, but that was because I couldn't find a dibond supplier in the US, and shipping was just too expensive. That's actually kind of ironic, I could ONLY find dibond suppliers in the UK on google. This was one of them: [www.cutplasticsheeting.co.uk]. I'm probably a little biased, but in terms of design the mendel 90 just makes more sense. As long as you can cut at right angles, you're basically guaranteed to have perfect alignment of the frame, not to mention the dibond is extremely sturdy.

Thanks, I found that site but they only offer 4 holes drilled in the corners. Did you drill the holes yourself or did they drill custom holes for you?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2013 05:29PM by remondo.

I made my first Dibond mendel90 (the white one shown on the first post in this forum) from panels cut to size by the company BrianC mentioned. I drilled the holes using the PDF files to make paper drill templates. I also had to cut out the big hole in the gantry by drilling two holes in the corners and joining them with a jig saw.

We do sell the CNC sheets separately and the small PCB separately, with or without components. I will update the post in the for sale section with prices tomorrow. The shipping is expensive for the Dibond, almost the same as a full kit.

Dibond is a trade name. The generic name is Aluminium Composite Panels, ACP, there are lots of companies that make it. Make sure you get 0.3mm skin as 0.2mm is also available, but not as stiff.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Great, thanks for the info. I would be interested in a ready made frame depending on price, and am also interested in purchasing the PCB.

I've priced the frame up at cutplasticsheeting.co.uk and it came to £53.57 inc. postage and VAT. I've realised that they won't cut the section out of the gantry so I'll have to do that myself. I don't have any power tools except for a drill and I doubt I can get hold of any, will I be able to cut this piece out with a stanley knife and some elbow grease? I won't be able to bend and snap it for the first 2 cuts so I'll have to cut right through with the knife.

Also, what drill-bits should I use to drill the holes? Is there any preferred method for doing this?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2013 12:58PM by remondo.

I don't think you will be able cut it with a knife. You could use a coping saw but it would be hard to get it neat. You can smooth edges with woodworking tools such as a Surform.

The hole sizes are given on the PDFs. 3.3mm, 4.4mm and 2.5mm spring to mind.

I attached the paper templates with masking tape, prick through the holes with ideally a prick punch, then remove the paper and use a centre punch. Better still is to use an optical centre punch and a spot drill for really accurate centres.

I have added our prices here: [forums.reprap.org]. More expensive when you add VAT and shipping but if you have to buy any tools probably not.

The Sturdy version using MDF is easier to make by hand as the parts have slotted screw holes to allow for some inaccuracy, whereas the Dibond version doesn't as it is intended to be CNC cut and has some slots as well as holes. The one I hand made was an earlier version.

---

[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]