What about using US/Imperial measured/cut Parts for the Prusa Mendel v2

I live in the US and it seems like it may be hard for me to find metric parts where I live. So can imperial measured/cut parts be used to make a Prusa Mendel v2? And how would using imperial parts effect the construction and operation of the printer? If you want to use imperial hardware, does the plastic parts have to be printed in imperial units too?

My main concern is with the cost of making it. I would like to get what I need to make this printer as cheap as I can; but the more parts I have to order from someone (like: UltiMachine, Lulzbot, Create 3D, etc), the more it's going to cost me to make it.

I would appreciate all the help I can get!

There is nothing to stop you from using SAE parts, except that a lot of the reprap parts are printed specifically for use with metric hardware. I haven't looked into it, but I suspect you can purchase kits that are set for use with domestic items. You''ll need to do some hunting on ebay, thingiverse and here to see if there are folks printing SAE for sale.

That's not to say that you';ll get away with 100% SAE, as some things are best left alone in the original format (extruder nozzles for instance), and you'll likely need to convert measurements for use with calibrations and the software, but...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2013 12:04PM by xiando.

McMaster Carr is a great supplier of metric parts in the USA. [mcmaster.com]