HicTop 3DP-11 Z-axis upgrade

thingiverse

I started from scratch, creating everything anew. The right end of the X axis was made entirely by me. To accommodate the smaller pulley bearings used by HicTop, I designed the idler pulley with precision. Additionally, I wanted to experiment with a plastic lead screw nut to see how it would hold up and if it could eliminate float on the Z axis. I've been using it for a few days now, and so far, it's working wonderfully. I'm getting the best quality prints from this printer. The linear bearings sleeve is closed and press fit into place. I did get ideas for parts of this design from several other designs, but I've never seen a printed lead screw nut before. Print Settings Printer Brand: Prusa Printer: Prusa Clone Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.1 Infill: 100 Notes: I had to fix a couple of broken idler arms. To solve the problem, I adjusted the wall thickness to half the width and reprinted it. This gave the part significantly more strength. The backplate was also not strong enough, so I used the same technique on it and it's holding up well now. 8/18/2017 Post-Printing For the plastic nut, run the screw through it several times until it works smoothly then put some graphite inside for lubrication. I find that graphite works pretty well with plastic screws and nuts. I used a 4mm screw and nut for the tensioner and 3mm screws and nuts for the X-rod standoffs.