Mendel90 build

Well after doing a bit of "to and fro" I finally decided that I'm going to go the Mendel90 route. I've got acrylic ordered off a TradeMe seller, the whole lot cost me $60 inc shipping cut to exact size - I just have to do the drilling I better go and buy a supply of good 3.3mm drills and an M4 tap kit.

Electronics will be RAMPS 1.4/Arduino Mega with SD and LCD, heated bed etc from fabster3d on ebay.

Now all I have to do is find the printed parts

Cheers
Colin

Cool, post photos as you go please - ie use photobucket or something similar - I'm keen to follow this build.

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

I could sell you a set of parts. Send a PM if interested.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Just a quick update, I now have the printed parts on order (thanks very much Mrs nophead ) and have decided on a J head for the hot end. Time to go and track down the next bits of the puzzle.

Cheers
Colin.

Has anybody used this for smooth rods? Would it be suitable?

"8mm Free Machining grade 303 stainless steel round bar"

I think that's what I used for my V2 Prusa, got it from Steel & Tube. I'm not sure what the tolerances are but I would guess they don't guarantee it to be perfect. Worked OK for me but not as smooth as linear rod.

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

Cool, thanks. I tried Tata Steel yesterday and they will only do full 3m lengths of 304 at around $5/m and a $30 minimum eftpos charge. Not too bad a price but way too much steel for me I have a mate who is in the fabrication business so I have him on the case for me.

In the mean time my acrylic has arrived, now I just need to cut the gantry piece into it's 2 parts and then get some drilling done (without breaking the stuff!).

Colin.

Use silver steel rod available from trade tools. It has a specified ground finish and works well. Comes in 1 meter lengths.

Thanks, you are the second person to suggest that this morning. Just looking them up now.

Picked up my silver steel from Total Trade in Petone, grabbed 2 x 1m lengths of 8mm, which is unfortunately just a little too short to fit in the cut lengths that I need so it will be back to them next week to grab a third rod. I have a friend who can do the cutting for me with the appropriate lathe and band saw.

My printed parts arrived just now - thanks heaps to Mr and Mrs Nophead This includes the Wades extruder parts.

Sending the steel off to be cut today and ordering all of the rest of the vitamins

They look nice - is that natural or white?

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

The parts are white ABS

ah man, I'm so jealous!!
I can't afford a kit, I have to improvise to get my first machine going...
Keep us posted on the build please!

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Custom all metal CoreXY
- Duet 2 Wifi w/ PanelDue 7i
- 330mm x 360mm x 500mm
- 750w Silicon heater

Custom Mendel90
(Backup printer - Old reliable!) - Sold

Quote

is that natural or white?

Both. It is a type of ABS that is naturally white, i.e. not pigmented.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Drilling plans printed, joined and now taped to the acrylic ready for drilling. I think this is where I cross fingers that I've aligned it all properly

Quick update;

After finding a chuck for my Dremel yesterday I have drilled all the pilot holes, hopefully today I can do the final hole sizes and tap them.

Just purchased 10 x lm8uu for $2.40 ea via Trade Me - seemed like a good deal.

Placed an order via the Anzor web site for all the nuts/bolts/screws/washers. They had everything except the M5 x 20 washers - so if anyone has a supplier for those please let me know I might see what Bunnings have today.

Colin.

Spent the afternoon drilling, taping and cutting. The result is very pleasing indeed

I'll be waiting a few days for a shipment of hardware from Anzor, so in the mean time I've done a test build of the frame with some 4mm plastic screws I had in the junk pile. The rest of the parts are just sitting in place for effect.

The strange angles in the picture are just a result of the phone picture I think - it is all perfectly straight



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/18/2012 10:29PM by 41southrap.

Are you building this in the living room

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

The hobby room had a double booking with the sewing maestro yesterday, so the pictures had to be taken in the dining room

Just a note too - when I went to buy a 4mm tap the folks at Trade Tools recommended a machine tap to me, so I could put it in the battery drill. That made the job nice and quick and very easy.

Also the material I'm using is Plexiglass - not sure of the difference between that and Acrylic, maybe there isn't any, but it certainly drilled and tapped very easily. I did the cutting with a jig saw and appropriate blades.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2012 07:19PM by 41southrap.

Try wet and dry sand paper on the cutr edge followed by Brasso - comes up really nice. You can also bend it with a hot air gun fairly easily.

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Richmond, New Zealand
Thingiverse ~ YouTube

Will do - thanks Wired1

Just bought my motors from Aliexpress and purchased a whole suite of electronics (including a mk2a heated bed) from eBay via 'fabster3d'. USD$180 + 15 shipping got me this lot

Kit includes:

1x Complete set of RAMPS 1.4 electronics:
- 1x Complete soldered RAMPS 1.4 (More informations about RAMPS 1.4)
- 5x A4988 Complete soldered G3D driver with additional CLK trimpot (this is much better than StepStick or Pololu due of selectable off-time) (More informations about GD3 driver)
- 1x Mega 2560 (More informations about Mega 2560)
- 1x Complete soldered Sdramps extension (More informations about SDRamps)
- 1x Cooler Fan
- 14 cables (complete wiring cables set):
* 6x 3 PIN cables for endstops
* 3x 2 PIN cables for thermistors
* 5x 4 PIN cables for motors


1x LCD and SD card LCD/SD panel with RAMPS GADGETS3D Shield:
- 1x soldered and assembled panel with 4 rows LCD, SD card connector, ALPS rotary encoder and plastic knob. (More informations about panel)
- 1x soldered RAMPS GADGETS3D shield for easy connect panel into RAMPS 1.4.
- 1x Kingston 2GB SD card.
- 2x 10pin flat cable of 1 meter length.
- 2x 10pin flat cable of 35cm length.


1x RepRap Heatbed MK2a PCB
- 1x MK2a Heatbed PCB with presoldered LED's and resistor (More informations about MK2a)
- 1x NTC EPCOS type 100K thermistor
- 1x Red and Black wires cable which can easily handle over 10A


1x Mechanical Endstops set
- 3x Mechanical Endstop v1.2 (MakerBot style) (More informations about v1.2 Endstops)
- 3x Mechanical Endstop (Prusa style) (More informations about Mechanical Endstops)

Pretty much all I have left to get is the J head in a week or 2.

Anzor will have all my bits and bobs ready tomorrow to pick at 9am. Have ordered the T5 belts via Trademe and the LM8UU bearings are in the post - as are the steppers from AliExpress and the electronics from Fabster3d. So now it's all hurry up and wait for the post

Still looking for M5 x 20mm washers if anyone spies any. I also need springs of the size 12mm OD x 0.75mm gauge x 10mm long (1 of) and 7mm OD x 1mm gauge x 10mm long (2 of) if anyone has a good supplier I'd appreciate it.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2012 03:21PM by 41southrap.

Springs are very expensive to buy unless you buy thousands. I use springs out a certain type of clothes peg for the idler springs (most have a torsion spring but one type has a compression spring) . The bigger one can be replaced with a second nut and an M8 spring washer.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Both Mitre 10 and Bunnings sell a whole heap of springs for a reasonable price, for the washers try Blacks or Hylton parkers

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Experimenting in 3D in New Zealand

Thanks guys. Hylton didn't have them in the catalogue but I'll give them a ring today and see what they have. Bunnings - ah yes, my second home

Hi all, I'm in the same position as 41SouthRap, I have all the electronics, steppers, heated bed, but no plastic bits.
If anyone is doing an overseas order I could join in and split the costs for two sets? Thanks.

Nopheads shipping is very cheap, just contact him and place an order. I don't think you'll see much savings in a multi order.

Found my springs at Bunnings

Thanks 41couthrap.
Nophead, could I please place an order with you for some parts?
Thanks.

Shoot him a pm Craig.

The Fedex man and courier arrived with more bits today. I'm pretty sure I only ordered the electronics on Monday! Damn I'm going to have to get building now.

I noticed a small amount of warping of the heated bed pcb - will that be an issue?