Custom Prusa i3 using 3D printed parts and 8mm threaded rods

thingiverse

Last week I got sick and spend a few days in my bed doing nothing. Once I eliminated a fever, I got wondering what could I do with a lot of free time. Since I found enough spare parts for my printer, I decided to create my own 3D printer. And then, in next 6 hours I came up with this :) My initial idea was to design a printer that doesn't require a lot of parts and can be assembled fairly quickly using basic tools and part from any constuction shop. The bill of materials is: - all 3D printed parts - around 5-6 meters of 8mm threaded rods (9 pieces) - around 2 meters of smooth 8mm rods (6 pieces) - 2x trapezoidal threaded rods each 300mm long - ton of M2, M3, M4 and M8 nuts and washers - 3mm aluminium thick plate - 2x 8 to 5mm couplers (to connect stepper motors and trapezoidal rods) - 4x skateboard bearings (two for belts, two for trapezoidal rods) - 9x LM8UU linear bearings (can be limited to 7 if we use only to for the gantry) - GT2 belt (1,5m is enough) - 3x RepRap mechanical endstops (mounts for X and Z axes are incorporated into the design, Y axis endstop must be attached to the aluminium plate) - 2x 40mm fan for cooling and extruder - 5x Nema 17 stepper motors - Arduino Mega 2560 - Ramps 1.4 - 5x A4899 drivers - direct drive extruder and compatible hot end (40mm throat works perfectly) - any temperature sensor for the hot bed - MK2B heat bed - power supply (I used a powerful LED powersupply and attached mounts fit only this, you might want to redesign that part for sure) - power cord with a switch and 1 meter of 1,5mm sq. wire Important: there are no STL files for Y axis belt mount because I already had one. I recommend to use this one: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:619347 ************************* I think that's all. In the next update I'll create full electrical schematic and step-by-step instruction how to build this 3D printer quickly. ************UPDATE************* 21-06-18 Added V2 of "X Axis Stepper Motor Top Mount Left/Right" that allows to connect it to the front and back rods. This mod allows to align gantry properly and making it more ridgid. 21-04-23 Upgraded 8mm connector and bed bearing holder due to issue I found while using the printer. Added optional tool box.