User:OliReadingUK

Just starting out the world of RepRap, currently pulling together bits for a Prusa Mendel.

Parts

My parts collection so far consists of:

• Printed Parts including parts for Wade's Geared Extruder from User:ParCan on http://www.emakershop.com for £75
• Fasteners, Bar and Studding from User:Bob_balthazar on http://www.emakershop.com for £34
• Bearing from User:rsoarer on ebay for £4
• Thick sheet set from genesismachines on ebay for £20 (if I were buying again I'd shop around ebay for this)
• Belts from alex-par64 on ebay for £16
• Set of 5 NEMA 17 stepper motors (torque not enough for extruder though) from astrosyn_excess on ebay for £36
• RAMPS and Arduino and mechanical end stops from Ultimachine for £137
• High torque stepper motor from Ultimachine for £12
• 2.3Kg black PLA from Ultimachine for £58
• Hot End from ParCan on http://www.emakershop.com for £60
• Hobbled bolt for extruder, from Arcol.HU for £7

All prices include postage to UK. Currently totalling £460 (including PLA and spare motor)

Plus assorted bits from EBay:

• Extruder bolts (M4x50mm)
• Extruder mounting bolts (M4x40mm)
• Box of springs
• Grub screws for pulleys (M3x5mm)
• Crimping sleeves

I have the following extras from the Prusa parts list:

• 2 x belt-clamp
• 2 x bar-clamp
• 2 x rod-clamp
• 4 x pla-bushing

Software

Need to download repsnapper, skeinforge and sprinter(firmware)

Questions

Stuff I have to find out about...

• Recommendations for a power supply? What lines will I need?
• I have a board for the print surface, should I cover it?

Answers I got were:

• I thought belts were continuous loop but they're not
• Need to clean up bushings so 8mm rod runs smoothly through
• 1m of 3mm filament makes 10cc so 100m makes a cubic decimeter
• Bar should run smoothly through bushings, consider mild heat to bar until it runs smooth
• Mechanical end-stops better than opto
• The seller of the hot end advises "My thermostors read slightly lower than default settings. For PLA run them at about 215 C - that will give you around 200 C real temp"

• ABS = tougher, but stinky and hardly enviro-friendly, also takes much higher temps to melt it and almost requires a heated bed.
• PLA = Compostable, lower temp to work with, but more brittle by comparison and harder to glue.
• G code looks fun

Handy page http://www.onlineconversion.com/torque.htm

Websites

UK

http://www.reprapcentral.com	Filament
http://www.redwizard3d.com	Assorted bits
http://thingfarm.org	Assorted bits, including extruder hot end
http://www.reprapltd.com	Printed parts
http://www.bitsfrombytes.com	Filament (expensive)

Elsewhere

http://www.reprapsource.com	Assorted including electronics
http://www.emakershop.com	Stuff from assorted countries
http://xyzprinters.com	Lots, mostly kits
http://ultimachine.com	Everything!
http://www.makergear.com	Assorted parts
http://shop.arcol.hu/	Hot ends

Experiences

• Some difficulty getting the bearings into the extruder, had a lot of filing down to do to make them fit
• Considered Sanguinololu but went with RAMPS as it's more available and suspect better supported
• The stepper motors I got don't have the square face which the printed parts expect, but have some extra mounting bits on them. I've had to mount some of them in odd ways to make them work - for instance, the Z motors don't sit in the cut-outs designed for them, but hover above them
• I had to buy some grub screws to fix the X and Y pulleys onto the motors, as a standard screw was too long and got in the way of the pulley turning
• I had some trouble drilling through the PEEK block to mount the hot end - until I realised the electric drill was spinning the wrong way around!