Lego 3D printer

Hello everybody;
I've been planning to do a Lego 3D printer as a project. The model I had in mind would use the Lego EV3 robot kit to guide the motors in the 3 axys (x,y,z) and I would use a Ramps set connected through an Arduino to my pc. Since I have the motors in the Lego section I would use the ramps set to connect and control an extruder and a heatbed however I'm not sure if it is possible since i'm new to electronics. I was wondering if somebody could lend me hand with my doubts. I should say that I am not aiming to print complicated objects I just want to have a simple machine that does simple jobs.

-First what program do you use to control a 3d printer from a pc? Do I need some kind of programming skills to use it? If so, where can I learn them?

-Can I control the extruder flow speed with the program?

-Does that program allows me to only have connected an extruder and a hotbed, or does it need all the 3d orinter systems to work? (I've been told that the program would work but I wouldn't have the extruder/motors sync. Is it true?)

-Can the heat emanated from the heatbed melt the legos even if they are not side by side? If it can, what other surface could I use to replace the heatbed?

-What could be a good PLA print speed?

I know these are a lot of questions and I would greatly appreciate any help, even if you can answer only one question. Also if I made a format mistake please let me know so I can change it. Thanks!

To control the printer: a program like Pronterface or Repetier Host

Programming skils: For Marlin and Repetier firmware: able to use the Arduino IDE to configure and upload the firmware.

The firmware controls the extruder speed & flow and the gcode tells the printer the amount needed during moves.

A heatbed isn't really needed with PLA. Will it melt Legos? It can if it gets hot enough, depends on the plastic used to make the Legos. For PLA, you'll only use 60C for the bed, so they shouldn't melt.

Print speed: 20-50 mm/sec. Quality goes down with higher print speeds.

You will also need to use a slicer to get the gcode, like Slic3r or Cura.

Quote
stephenrc
A heatbed isn't really needed with PLA. Will it melt Legos? It can if it gets hot enough, depends on the plastic used to make the Legos. For PLA, you'll only use 60C for the bed, so they shouldn't melt..

Legos are typically made out of ABS.

---

greghoge.com

HUGE 3D PRINTER PARTS SALE!!!