Prusa i3 X-axis lead screw upgrade

thingiverse

We faced difficulties with inconsistent performance and backlash with our previous belt drive design. We decided to shift gears and give lead screws a shot instead. Our first test subject was the Y-axis, which led us to this X-axis upgrade project. Y-axis lead screw upgrades can be found here: Our new v2.0 X-axis lead screw upgrade is now available. Source files are also provided in Thing Files format. Here are some key details about the upgrade: All parts were printed using ABS material. The x-end right side.STL file has built-in supports for the Z-stop; an alternative version without z-stop is also available. We recommend top-Z-mounts and Bowden mount, which come in 2- and 3-hole designs to match standard Prusa frame hole dimensions. These mounts work well with threaded Z-rods that are at least 300mm long. The X-carriage was designed with slightly larger 8mm smooth rod spacing to accommodate the lead screw follower. CREDIT: We would like to thank ePoxi for their Mechanical Y-EndStop holder for Prusa i3 (scad), which we used as a starting point for our x-endstop holder.STL file. Some updates to the project include: Jan. 19, 2015 - deleted and re-uploaded top z-mount STL files to make it easier to find them in the downloads list. Mar. 28, 2015 - added Inventor files (.ipt) to download list. Apr. 26, 2015 - added tips under Instructions based on user feedback. Jul. 13, 2015 - posted update v2.0 lead screw upgrade. To see our printer in action, check out this YouTube Video: You can also view a close-up look of the finished print (untouched) in this imgur album: Our test print was the Deprime test object, which can be found here on thingiverse. We ran Repetier Host V1.0.6 and Slic3r V1.1.7 with Natural ABS. Here are our print settings: Layer 1: .15mm Rest of layers: .2mm First layer speed: 30% Perimeter speed: 45mm/sec Outer perimeter speed: 70% Infill speed: 60mm/sec Top layer infill speed: 40mm/sec Travel speed: 80mm/sec Honeycomb infill (just for demonstration): 25% Note that higher print speeds may be possible, but these settings seemed to offer the best balance between quality and speed. Check out the Instructions tab for more information on parts list, setup, and other important details.