Long Bed Prusa with 23.5mm Conduit Y Axis 608 Bearing

thingiverse

This is a design I've been working on. It works! It works so well that I've converted two Prusa models over to this design. I'm now able to print ABS parts at a 100 micron layer resolution. I normally print at 150 to 180 microns, but 100 micron layer height takes forever. I'll probably never go back to printing PLA now. PLA is so stringy and gooey, also weak and prone to melting especially in a hot vehicle. It uses 3/4 inch conduit for the Y axis. There's a long Y axis panel under the build plate to "cap" the build chamber. The frames are cut from OSB. OSB rocks! Such a stable material. I'm opening this plan up to the universe to see what will come of it. I currently have just the "middle" assembled, and it's working great. You've got to check out the Y axis bearing guide thing that slides on conduit. I designed that to replace a SM8UU bearing and uses standard 608 bearings. It has 18mm by 24mm hole spacing so it should just attach to any build plate mount. The more I think about this part, the more my mind tries to apply it to other ideas. My hope is to eliminate all the smooth rods and use conduit instead. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. You'll also have to utilize some sort of auto-level probe because the bed is not adjustable. It's just a bunch of tall nuts tightened with the fury of the gods! This printer is like the battle station. Looks incomplete, but fully operational. It's a work in progress, but the reality is nothing is actually never finished. The build plate is also 8x8 with a sheet of PEI plastic. Print Volume is currently X155 Y190 Z125. As I play around with the design more and more, I find that I can increase the Z size pretty easily. The X axis is gonna need some more tweaking. It might be as simple as making the width of the frame bigger. 6/13/2016 Update: I found a mistake in the frame. I had to add an extra 1/2'' or so to the bottom of the frame to get it to line up correctly. Oops! Sorry if you've downloaded the model. I've updated the file to reflect this. Also, don't rely on the linear bearing in the SketchUp model. Use the "1.7" STL I've uploaded to Thingiverse. I've updated the linear bearing. V1.7 works much better. I drill the holes out with a 5/16 drill bit after printing. I've uploaded that file individually. The entire SketchUp file has the old bearing, so be warned if you try to print that one. I have a plan to replace the hardboard with a thin sheet of aluminum and support it with small angle extruded aluminum. It works in theory; I just have to find the time to hack one together. I've got the firmware available also if you're interested. I had to figure all that out, and I can save you some time. I've not uploaded Arduino programs before, and they seem kinda tricky because they have all sorts of files and whatnots. Build and use at your own risk... you know you want to! Print Settings: Printer: Custom Resolution: I print at about .18mm with .4 nozzle Infill: 20 percent Notes: All the parts can be made from PLA. The 608 3/4 inch conduit bearing should be printed on its "back" without support. All the parts can actually be printed without support. How I Designed This: SketchUp I've never used SketchUp to design anything before. I'm not an engineer... I am a business man. So, if you find some small mistakes in the file, I wouldn't be surprised!