Ultimaker 1 & 2 Print Table Stabilizer (Anti-Oscillation)

thingiverse

Update 1/18/17 This method I'm sharing right now worked like a charm. It took care of about 75% of my oscillations. I purchased an anti-backlash nut and when I installed it, I had to tear apart a lot of things. I decided to make a more permanent solution. I went to the hardware store to see what they had that I could bolt on the bottom of my print table. I found this aluminum 1/2" x 1/2" channel used for trim on 3/8" plywood. The shape of it makes it very rigid and it's the smallest thing I could find. I didn't want to be tearing apart my printer again anytime soon, so I cut two lengths to be bolted using existing holes. The same holes that my first system used. This combined with my anti-backlash nut & adapter has almost completely taken care of the oscillations and vibrations. I would say 90-95%! Not an exaggeration. My first system is not as invasive and could have possibly eliminated more of the vibrations if I tweaked it, so I won't remove it from my designs. I've attached a couple pictures of the channel I bolted on the bottom of the print table and a picture of the manufacturer's sticker. You could actually utilize both systems if you want but I'm getting great results with the channel and backlash nut. I built Jason's awesome UM2 Aluminum Extrusion Clone with the genuine UM0 heated bed upgrade kit, and I noticed some vibration / oscillation on the end of the print table. I know for a fact this causes problems with prints. After installation, I noticed a huge decrease in the amount of visible vibrations. I can still see some but this is a work-in-progress, and this is a big step in the right direction. My next step is to add an anti-backlash nut to the Tr8 leadscrew. I wouldn't be sharing this if it didn't make a difference. I don't know if this is a problem for all Ultimaker printers using the same print bed but I do know it's an issue for some. This is very easy to print and uses minimal hardware. I designed it around 5mm threaded rod because I had it on hand after converting my Prusa i3 Clone to leadscrews. There isn't a lot of room between the heated plate and the support plate but this fits with a small clearance when the bed adjustment screws are tightened all the way. I also designed this to utilize existing holes / hardware from the print bed. I was not looking to pull up or down on the front of the print table. I am just trying to keep it in one spot, add rigidity. The STL files are arranged properly for printing with layer orientation and strength in mind. I may add an identical set of these supports on the bottom of the print table. This will work with the original wood back cover but you would have to make two cuts for the threaded rod to pass under or you could install this on the bottom side of the table but without support on the top, I'm not sure how much this would help. I do have a back cover designed for the table that will allow use of this support without modification. This system helps tremendously but does not completely do away with vibrations. The difference is very noticeable. HARDWARE (2) 5mm threaded rods @ 260mm apx. (8) M5 Nuts (4) 16mm M3 bolts (longer bolts to pass through brass leadscrew nut) (6) M3 Nuts (4-leadscrew nut / 2-front bed support) (2) 6mm M3 bolts for the top of the suuport "sandwich" around the leadscrew nut (8) Zip Ties - small size Print Settings Printer: UM2 Aluminum Clone Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: .2 or smaller Infill: 100% Notes: Printed with ABS