Solidoodle Workbench upgrade and replacement parts

thingiverse

UPDATE: I have uploaded custom firmware for the MKS v1.5 board with support for the LCD12864 full graphic smart controller. I have also uploaded parts in STEP format for anyone who wants to modify them in a CAD program. I was given a Solidoodle Workbench and liked its large print area, but the original design had some serious flaws, so I set out to improve it. The redesigned parts and assembly give the Solidoodle Workbench a larger print volume, a quick change system for any J head, E3D V6 style hot end, and use linear bearings on the X and Y axis. The maximum usable print area is now X=360, Y=320, Z=300. However, the practical print area may be smaller. I have redesigned the center carriage with only one extruder to gain extra print area. Any J head, E3D V6 or similar extruder will fit and the entire extruder can be swapped out with just two bolts. I did not include the bed leveling system that came with the printer originally. I reused parts where possible, but the X axis is completely new, using only 10mm rods from the original design. The extruder filament idler pulley and spring arm have also been reused. I borrowed some design elements and common parts like switches and GT2 pulleys from the excellent Solidoodle 4 CoreXY rebuild by Elenhinan, but all of the printable parts were designed from scratch using Solidworks. I included the original files so you can modify them if required. I also included a zip file with the parts in STEP format so most common CAD programs can open them. The smaller holes in the center of the X, Y and center carriages are oil holes to enable lubrication of the bearings in situ. The bearings should just snap in, but they may be too tight or too loose depending on your print settings. They can be glued in with silicone if needed. I changed the motherboard to a MKS Base V1.5 and added a solid state relay to handle power for the heated bed. I am using a 12864 LCD Display (RepRap Discount Full Graphics Smart Controller) and the latest version of Marlin 1.1.x. The default axis steps per unit in the configuration.h file are below: { 79.8, 61.538, 800, 100 } // MXL (2.03mm) belt // x=20 tooth, y=25 tooth, These settings work for me as the default Y axis belt is MXL and the new X axis belt is GT2. They may require some tweaking on your own machine if you use different size pulleys or screw rods. I have had my machine up and running for about six months now and it produces great prints. I print mostly in ABS and recommend enclosing the printer to keep heat in. If the heated bed cannot heat fast enough, the firmware can throw an error (I had to adjust this in Configuration_adv.h (( #define WATCH_BED_TEMP_PERIOD 480 // Seconds)) to allow the bed to heat up slower). I recommend a default printing speed of about 30mm/s as printing any faster can produce unwanted vibrations that affect the print. The MKS Base V1.5 has proven to be a good board, but I do not recommend using the TFT32 touchscreen with it as the touchscreen firmware is closed source and buggy, and does not run correctly with the latest version of Marlin. I had to change to the 12864 LCD Display which so far has run flawlessly. If I built a printer from scratch, I would build a Core XY style printer. However, these parts and modifications can turn an old Solidoodle Workbench into a great printer with a huge print area. Parts required: 1x GT2 20 tooth idler pulley (with bearings and 3mm shaft holes) 1x GT2 20 tooth pulley with 5mm shaft hole to fit stepper 1x 2m roll GT2 belt 1x Nema 17 42mm stepper (for X axis) 1x Nema 17 30mm stepper (for extruder, but can take up to 42mm) 8x LM10UU linear bearings 5x SS-5GL microswitches (the smaller style of microswitch) 1x 12V Blower fan for filament cooling 1x J Head, E3D v6 style extruder and cooling fan Various M3 socket head bolts of 10mm to 40mm length M3 Nylock nuts and normal nuts