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How to build a 3d printer at home


Should You Build Your Own 3D Printer? Worth It or Not? – 3D Printerly

3D printing has the nature of doing things yourself, but how far can that really stretch? Some people wonder whether they should buy a 3D printer kit, or just build one from scratch themselves.

If you don’t have prior experience, you should avoid building a 3D printer from scratch because it could get tricky, so I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. For the people who are experienced,  and like projects and exciting challenges, however, it can be a great idea to build a 3D printer.

This article will take a close look at the pros and cons of each possible pathway, so continue reading for a highly detailed explanation on this subject.

Can You Make/Build a 3D Printer at Home?

It is definitely possible to make or build a 3D printer from home, as long as you have all the relevant parts, tools and the guidance on how to do it properly. The process isn’t so easy, especially for beginners, so you need to closely follow a tutorial or try to gain more experience with a DIY 3D printer kit.

Putting together the frame itself isn’t too difficult to do because they are just metal aluminum extrusions that need a few screws in them. The difficult part is getting the perfect alignment, fixing together the hotend, extruder, fans, and other smaller parts properly.

There are great tutorials out there that can guide you on getting each step correct, so you’ll need to take your time and really understand the process. I’d definitely watch the full video a few times before starting the project so you know what to expect.

Many people have completed the task of building their own 3D printer at home, even beginners, so it’s more than possible, though you are likely to run into some kind of troubles along the way.

Having a good idea on how 3D printers work is essential in being successful in this project. It’s a great project for many out there, though it can get a little complicated when learning about the inner details of the process.

There are many things to learn so it’s quite a steep learning curve, which I experienced my self, but once you get there it’s very worth it.

In addition to that, as you’re building a 3D printer, you’re also becoming continuously aware of possible modifications and how you could make your printer even better with custom parts.

There are essentially two ways to build a 3D printer at home:

  • Build one from scratch
  • Build a DIY 3D printer kit that can be bought online

The latter is highly recommended for people who have never owned a 3D printer before. This will give you a great start, and a bit of experience so you’re nicely prepared whenever you want to build your own printer from zero.

In addition, the task at hand could turn out to be very fun as well if you’re that type of person that likes a DIY challenge. People have found encouragement in difficult challenges and have worked hard to build their own 3D printers without buying any kits.

It makes the final product all the more rewarding.

There are many different kinds of 3D printers out there, so to begin in the right direction, you’ll have to do some thinking and map your plan out first.

Why should you do this? Because there are several variations in the four following factors that make up a 3D printer:

  • Size of the printer
  • Printer type (Cartesian or Delta if we’re talking about FDM 3D printers)
  • Extrusion type
  • Either a Single or Dual extruder

Please note that properly deciding on this will shape the experience of your 3D printer. Think critically about what you’re going to print with this self-made 3D printer and then act accordingly.

Size of the 3D Printer

The size of the 3D printer matters according to the use case, the budget, and the spare room of your workspace. Small-sized 3D printers cost less, keep the footprint to a minimal level, and are optimal for rapid prototyping.

On the same side, a big 3D printer with a large print bed may be the one for you if you intend on making sizeable and huge prints with it, especially projects like helmets, body suits, or big ornaments.

Type of 3D Printer

After that, then there’s the question of building either a Cartesian or a Delta-style 3D printer. Both of these options have their own pros and cons.

Delta 3D printers may not be the most precise type of printers out there, but they’re definitely the fastest. Go for building one of these if rapid prototyping with a room for less detail works for you. They do tend to have more complications I hear.

On the other hand, Cartesian-style 3D printers boast a far wider community, have greater part availability, and are also much more precise than their Delta counterparts.

If you want more information about these two types of 3D printers, you check out my article Delta Vs Cartesian 3D Printer – Which Should I Buy? Pros & Cons.

Type of Extrusion

Next, you’ll have to decide between a Direct Drive or Bowden-style extrusion system. This is also another important factor that you’ll have to look out for.

Bowden setups offer more speed, but aren’t quite up to the task when it comes to flexible filaments like TPU and TPE, though in recent times, we have definitely seen some improvements in their ability to print them.

A Direct Drive extrusion system might be heavy and may print slowly, but there’s flexibility in printing materials and lesser print-related issues like stringing and oozing.

An article I wrote going over this exact topic is the Bowden Feed Vs Direct Drive Extruder – A Quick Comparison article which goes into more detail.

Single or Dual Extruder

Lastly, you have either a dual extruder 3D printer or simply a single extruder machine to choose between. With two extruders, you can change filaments conveniently and print using two colors.

It really expands and opens up your limitations, though you can imagine it can be a little more challenging to put together. If you are a starter, it’s probably best to go that single extruder route.

On the other hand, the single extruder 3D printer is a lot easier to maintain and is going to have less issues in the long-run to deal with. Check out my article talking about both types of extruders – Single Vs Dual Extruder 3D Printer – Which One to Choose?

As 3D printing is an enormous field, and building a 3D printer yourself is very challenging, in-depth research is a must.

So once you’ve got all that penned down somewhere, your next step is equally crucial – getting all parts and sorting them out together.

For reference, the following is a comprehensive video that shows you how it’s done from A to Z, including what parts to choose, and what type of a 3D printer to build.

Building a DIY 3D Printer Kit Vs Building From Scratch – Pros & Cons

As there are two different options for building a 3D printer, let’s get into the pros and cons of both to see what can be our takeaway here.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Building a DIY 3D Printer Kit

Pros
  • If you’re thinking of scratch-building a 3D printer, a DIY kit can be a great way to start first.
  • Considering the ample learning curve, DIY kits can make you experienced and detail you with more information in the vast world of 3D printing.
  • 3D printer DIY kits are less expensive than fully-assembled printers.
  • It’s much less time-consuming than building a 3D printer from scratch.
  • With famous 3D printing manufacturers, you’ve got vast communities to help you on your DIY journey.
  • 3D printer kits usually come with an instruction manual to help you nail assembly.
Cons
  • If compared to a fully-assembled 3D printer, you need to have some basic knowledge of putting parts together so there’s definitely effort and knowledge required here.
  •  You also have to put in more hours significantly versus a pre-assembled 3D printer.
  • The complications involved might lead you to frustration and giving up half-way if you’re not up for it.
  • Without buying more parts, you cannot customize your 3D printer as per your choice if you opt for a DIY kit.
  • In terms of software upgrades and configuration, some 3D printer kits may have limitations.
  • When put toe-to-toe against a printer built from scratch, you’re not going to get flexibility in terms of design and other modifications.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Building A 3D Printer From Scratch

Pros
  • When scratch-building, you get to learn your machine inside out.
  • The additional teachings of this method will allow you to make customizations of your own.
  • This method might be cheaper if compared to assembled 3D printers or even 3D printer kits.
  • If done and understood right, building from scratch can get quite fun and entertaining.
  • You get more flexibility in choosing designs and can also implement much better safety protocols if building from scratch
  • The end result, after all that hard work and endeavor, is genuinely satisfying.
  • As you put your whole 3D printer together, you can also easily disassemble it. This will help you troubleshoot your machine with more efficiency.
Cons
  • Building from scratch is not recommended if it’s your first time with a 3D printer.
  • There are a lot of complications involved and without prior experience, mentally prepare yourself for an immense learning curve and lots of difficulties.
  • Contrarily, you might end up paying a lot more than an assembled printer or a 3D printer kit if and only if you don’t have a basic understanding of how these machines work.
  • When building from scratch, you’ll need all the help you can get online. Acknowledge the fact that some questions will have answers and many will not.

However, I’d like to address here about successful scratch-building is that not only will it heighten your sense for 3D printing and printers, but it will also develop your making abilities.

This will happen as you begin to understand the operation of your 3D printer. Subsequently, you will start to become constantly aware of factors that attribute to good quality prints.

You will then be able to better optimize your models to increase your print quality. Building from scratch may have its downsides, but it also has a multitude of benefits undeniably.

How Much Does it Cost to Build a 3D Printer?

From what I’ve read and researched, it turns out that you can build your very own 3D printer for somewhere in the $100-200 range.

Of course, better quality products will cost more and if you want better modifications, you’ll have to pay extra as well.

But as far as a decent, working 3D printer is concerned, you can cut the costs of the traditional approaches and get yourself your own custom-built printer very cheap.

Then again, time and effort weighs in, and this is something that might not appeal to many people at all and come off as a significant downside.

You need to get the following basic parts in order to build, well, a basic 3D printer that functions okay. Next to their names are their approximate prices as well so you could have an idea.

  • Stepper Motors ($9)
  • Bowden or Direct Drive Extrusion System ($24)
  • Printer Frame (varies purely)
  • Power Supply ($20)
  • LCD Display Screen ($10-$20)
  • A Control Board ($22)
  • A Build Platform ($20)
  • Wiring Components i.e. Conductors and Insulators ($10)
  • Limit Switches ($5-$10)
  • Stepper Drivers ($10)
  • Linear Rails ($10)
  • Linear Rods ($5)
  • Linear Carriages ($5)
  • Belts ($5)
  • Threaded Rods ($2-$3)
  • End Stops ($2-$3)

If you add all of that minus the cost of the printer frame, you get a total sum of something under $160. The next step relates to software – a fundamental component of a 3D printer.

It’s the software that controls your machine, and nothing else. Without it, your 3D printer is good as collecting dust.

Next up is a slicer that slices your design file and makes it understandable for the 3D printer – typically in the form of G-code.

Moreover, the implementation of a slicer is followed by firmware – both of which can be commonly found at no additional expense.

So that’s that. Scratch-building isn’t going to cost you a lot, given that you’re taking your steps in the right direction. What it’s really going to cost you is time, and this decision, therefore, ultimately boils down on you.

Is It Cheaper to Build Your Own 3D Printer?

Technically speaking, yes. It’s definitely much cheaper to build your own 3D printer from scratch when compared to purchasing an assembled 3D printer or a DIY 3D printer kit.

Purchasing 3D printer parts as briefly described above aren’t very expensive. As a matter of fact, the sum of the cost is going to cost you lesser than a full-fledged 3D printer.

Now, if we look at the other option for building a 3D printer, we have the DIY kit.

DIY kits of 3D printers are relatively inexpensive because there’s a degree of mechanical effort allotted to them.

Some aren’t just cut out for doing anything related to building, let alone making a 3D printer from scratch or assembling a DIY kit.

This is why they’d pay good money to get a fully-assembled 3D printer that requires no assembly. Manufactureres, therefore, sell DIY 3D printer kits and assembled ones alike.

If, for instance, we look at the DIY kit of the Prusa i3 MK3S and the assembled edition side by side, there’s a $150 difference between the two. See for yourself here.

Fully-assembled 3D printers or partially assembled ones are priced higher because they’re ready to print as soon as you take them out of the box.

When you factor in the fact that you can always replace your 3D printer parts on your custom built 3D printer, you’re actually saving a lot of money while getting much higher quality as a result.

However, you can also go very wrong with scratch-building, which in turn, will cause you to spend more money than buying a decent 3D printer.

This is why it’s imperative that you stay on the right track when building from scratch. Otherwise, don’t expect to cut down the total cost, rather watch out for dishing out even more.

In conclusion, building your own 3D printer can get cheaper, but beware of quality and time-related risks.

How Cheap Can You Build a 3D Printer?

I was searching around and to my surprise, an article on Instructables claims that one user built a fully functional 3D printer for just $87, which is almost hard to believe.

Well, we suggest you give it a good read because the article also explains how you can build one for yourself in the same manner.

A point to note – prices of 3D printer parts may vary from country to country. The writer said that it had cost him the equivalent to $87 in his region.

So I think the bar of how cheap can you build a 3D printer has been set pretty high.

Do embrace that the user mentioned it took him more than 1 year to fine-tune, design, and build this 3D printer, though he has made it a lot shorter for everyone that is willing to follow the plan.

Anyways, coming back to the topic, given a serious amount of effort, experience, and energy, you can create a good 3D printer for around $100.

Go ahead and probe Amazon for good quality parts that also aren’t costly. To give you a headstart, I’ve gathered the following for you.

  • Creality Glass Bed
  • 360W Switching Power Supply
  • SIMAX3D Bowden Extruder
  • SIMAX3D 17 NEMA Stepper Motors

Is It Hard to Build a DIY 3D Printer?

For first-timers, building a 3D printer can get very frustrating, but if you’ve been in this business for some time and already have a decent amount of experience, you might not face as many problems as beginners.

That said, 3D printer kits from reputable manufacturers such as Creality, QIDI Tech, and Prusa come with truly precise and well-explained instruction manuals so even the most newbies of them all can proceed with the assembly easily.

However, when we talk about scratch-building, there are no manuals, no nothing. It’s just you, your heap of 3D printer parts, and the internet that might or might not have all the answers for your queries.

Considering all that, it again depends on your previous experiences in the 3D printing environment. If this magical realm has seasoned you enough, building a DIY 3D printer might not seem that hard at all.

But if it’s your first time, buying a quality machine upfront is probably your best bet. Some DIY 3D printer kits demand minimal work in assembly, while some may require more effort but have carefully detailed instructions.

You see, it’s not just about sorting parts together when building from scratch. You have to spend a decent amount of time planning beforehand on how you want your printer to turn out.

From what I’ve read, many people fail at this initial phase of building a 3D printer and often ending up mismatching components. This is why thorough and concise research is your best friend for this cause.

How Long Does it Take to Build a 3D Printer?

If we talk about DIY 3D printer kits, typical assembly time takes about 3-6 hours, but it’s possible that it could be done in less. For scratch-building, the whole process can take days, and even months.

The fact of the matter is the average assembly time varies from one DIY kit to the other. Additionally, it also depends on the standard of the instruction manual that has been given along with the kit.

If it’s good quality, you’ll be quickly able to get through your DIY kit. Quite fortunately, before you make the purchase, instruction manuals can be checked out. Keep your eyes open for them.

On the other hand, building from scratch won’t ask much for money, but it’s going to consume your time, all of it.

Deciding on everything, searching for parts, assembling the 3D printer, and calibrating it to near-perfection – one can easily see the amount of struggle here.

But then again, if you know your stuff, have spent your hours tweaking and adjusting, and have immersed yourself in the practicality of 3D printing, scratch-building might be a lot easier than you think.

Now that you’ve read the facts and figures, we leave it up to you to decide what’s it going to be. The DIY kit or building from scratch? Whichever decision you choose whether to build a 3D printer from scratch or get a a DIY kit, I wish you best of luck either way

How to build a DIY 3D Printer step by step at Home

DIY 3D Printer: In this blog, you can make your own homemade DIY 3D Printer projects by assembling scratch parts with Arduino board.

This 3D Printer technology is playing a very important role in the 21st century. Maybe everyone knows about 3D Printers. If you don’t know then don’t worry, I will explain everything here so you don’t need to go to another place.

In this article, you can learn the introduction of 3D Printer and you can also make your own 3D Printer at homes by following below step. This 3D Printer you can make it for your school or college projects for science exhibition.

I made this 3D Printer approx cost of ~250$.

Table of Contents

What is a 3D Printer?

These machines are used to convert the 3D designs that a person can do with the help of the computer into a real object. To attain this, they use liquid plastic (or other materials) rather of the ink to which we are habituated, which after the impression solidifies and made the object. 

They are usually big machines that can cost approx five thousand dollars, but technological progress is making them available to the general public easily. 

An object that made in 3D Printer shown in below image.

How 3D Printer Work?

There are various ways to get it, but the most common is to disjoin the 3D model into a very thin layer that is printed one on top of the other, and after that fix them, we have a 3D object.

To make it better sympathize, let’s check at one of the most used processes, stereolithography: the printer produce a thin layer of resin and “draws” a thin straight section of the product with a laser beam. That laser solidifies the pattern he drew and sticks it to the next layer of resin, and so the process is repeated layer by layer. At the end of all that resin come forth the 3D object designed.

You can see below image for better understanding. 

This is not the only method and different materials like as dust or metals can be used, or even liquid plastic material that solidifies when leaving the printer, but the concept of layers constantly implement. 

3D Printing objects are commonly measured in centimeters (it is a small object). but some printers can reach up to several meters. It is also a slow process that needs solitaire: for a 100-gram object, something build complex objects may require several hours. Finally, mention that the materials they use in the 3D Printer are not cheap.

Types of 3D Printer

When you ask me what type of 3D printer is great, I constantly answer with another question: What do you wish to print? You could say that there is no one type of printer great than another.

All Printer has its advantages and disadvantages.  The different technologies are complementary and each one put up something different. For this reason, I have decided to make a list in which the different types of printers are classified:

  • Extrusion (Fused Deposition Modeling)
  • Resin (Photopolymerization)
  • Powder (Powder)
  • Others

Here we talking about only Extrusion 3D Printer.

Application of 3D Printer

  • Rapid prototypes of industrial products
  • Medical Prostheses
  • Create your own ornaments and then paint them
  • Figures of your favorite character
  • The very fast Manufacturing process
  • Little skill required to make parts

DIY 3D Printer Homemade

If you are planning to make Science fair projects or Arduino projects for your school or college than follow this below step to make 3D Printer at home.  

I also made that Video Tutorials for making these projects. so you can easily understand all the step easily.

Step:1 3D Printer Parts

To make 3D Printer you need to buy below parts. I will give the link of all the parts with cheap price. This link is an affiliate. so I get some little amount of commission. If you buy these part from below link, These would motivate me to do more new creative projects for you. 

I will give two links to the same product. One is from Amazon and the other is from Banggood website. You can buy the parts by comparing both the website rate.

  • 3D Printer Arduino kit………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Hot end…………………………………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Extruder………………………………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Stepper motor (4 no)………………………….[Amazon/Banggood]
  • 12 Volt 10 Amp Power Supply……………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • PLA Filament 1. 75 mm……………………….[Amazon/Banggood]
  • 5 x 8 Shaft Coupler(4 no)……………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Trapezoidal Threaded Screw(2 no 150 mm length)……………………………………………………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Trapezoidal Threaded Screw(1 no 200 mm length)……………………………………………………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Pencil (or Smooth road)………………………..[Amazon/Banggood]
  • 8 x 22 x 7 mm Radial Bearing(5 no)……………….[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Limit Switch(3 no)…………………………………………..[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Heat Bed(optional)…………………………………[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Linear Bearing LM8UU(optional)……[Amazon/Banggood]
  • Acrylic Sheet
  • Wooden Block

Other remaining material you can buy it from a stationery shop or near to your home easily available. 

If you cant find than comment your requirement in the comment box. I will reply to you as fast as possible.

I want to give some information about some important parts of 3D Printers so you can easily understand what’s going on here.

3D Printer Arduino Kit

Buy the below circuit in the pack so you get a good discount. This pack includes the below parts.

  • RAMPS 1.4
  • Mega 2560 R3 board
  • A4988 Driver

 

Extruder

This Part is very important in 3D Printer. The extruder is used for the pushes the plastic filament inside the hot end nozzle.

There number of small component there in the extruder. see the below image and assemble as per video tutorials.

Hot end

This Part is melting the plastic filament, and this melted plastic goes inside the hot nozzle. It will solidify on the hotbed.

A hot end consists of the below parts:

  • Cooling Fan
  • Nozzle
  • Heater
  • Temperature Sensor
  • Teflon Tubing

Power Supply

Here we use 12V and 10 amp Power supply. Please keep in mind that you must use thick gauge wire for output. because heater consumes lots of power so high current flow through this wire. If you use thin wire than it chances to heat up and it will be fire. 

PLA Filament for DIY 3D Printer

This Plastic filament is pass through the hot end nozzle and solidified on the bed of the machine. There is a different color of filament available in the market. you can choose what you like. 

Required Features of PLA Filament:

● It must have good quality PLA material
● Work with all type of 3D printers
● PLA is a biodegradable filament which is made from renewable resources, like corn starch, tapioca roots, chips or starch, or sugarcane
●It must permit higher print speed, more accurate locating of material with easy cooling.
● PLA smells out like cotton candy perfume when it is used

Step:2 Homemade 3D Printer(Video Tutorial)

Before starting to read blog see below video for better understanding. This Video is uploaded on my youtube channel CreativityBuzz. This Video is crossed more than 530000+ views. If you are interested to watch these type of electrical creative video than subscribe to my youtube channel for more updates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5X6Gp-XMEs

Step:3 Axis of 3D Printer

3D Printer is working on 3 Axis, X, Y, Z. The main thing to learn in the 3D Printer is his axis. 

If your axis is not properly managed than your machine is not working better.

Here I will show you an image of the 3D Printer Axis.

You can see that from image 

X-Axis: It Controls the movement of the nozzle left an right

Y-Axis: Control the movement of Bed

Z-Axis: It Controls the movement of the nozzle up and down

Step:4 Y-Axis Making

The Y-axis controls the movement of the bed. To make a Y-axis arrangement we need 2 stepper motor. follow the below step to make it.

  1. Take the two acrylic sheet. Make a hole of the size of one hole is 8 mm and another hole size is equal to an outer diameter of bearing (22 mm). 
  2. Stick this acrylic sheet with a wooden plate of length 22 cm 
  3. Insert the Threaded Screw of length 150 mm inside the bearing
  4. Join the Stepper motor with the threaded screw by Coupling.
  5. Take a Syringe and cut both the end of it
  6. Cut both ends of a Ball pen cap
  7. Insert this cap into the syringe, so this is working like linear bearings. This is made because of the smooth movement of smooth toad when the operation is done.
  8. Now Insert the big size pencil inside the small hole of acrylic. You can also use a plain rod of diameter 8 mm
  9. Our one parts of Y-axis done
  10. Repeat the above 9 steps and make the same frame
  11. Now join both the parts by 3 pencils attach at the side of wooden plate 
  12. Our Y-axis ready

Step:5 Bed Making

3D Printing is done on a bed. Keep in mind that bed must be at the proper leveling. If it is not in level than your object will not be accurate.

We can also measure the leveling of bed with the help of your smartphone. You can adjust the leveling of bed by nut fitted over the spring.

You can also make bed hating arrangement. But in this video, I was not use heating of bed.

Follow the below step for making bed arrangement for 3D Printer.

  1. Take wooden plate as per your size and fix on the nut of a threaded screw
  2. Make a hole of size 2 mm on that wooden plate
  3. Put the acrylic sheet on the wooden plate and fix it with the help of 4  screw
  4. Insert 4 screw on acrylic sheet
  5. Add Ball pen spring on that 4 screws. You can adjust the leveling of bed by this spring
  6. Now tight these spring by a nut
  7. Check your leveling by smartphone until it shows 0 reading. If it does not show than adjust the nut of that 4 spring.  

Step:6 X-axis Making

The x-axis is very simple to make. You can make it by reading the instruction given in y-axis.

Here the length of Threaded screw is 200 mm.

One thing new is you have to choose the wooden plate length is 27cm.

You can see the image of x-axis that I made.

Step:7 Z-axis Making

This Z-axis is made on the X-axis with the help of Old DVD Writer Parts. 

Z-axis is used for the up and down the movement of 3d printer nozzle.

Check below step to make z-axis.

  1. Attach the wooden block on the x-axis as per image 
  2. Take an old DVD Writer from the Computer shop
  3. Attach the parts of DVD Writer as per above image
  4. Our Z-axis is ready to perform

Step:8 Attach X & Z-axis with Y-axis

Now its time to join X & Z-axis with Y-axis. For that, you have to attach two wooden blocks on the x-axis.

Attach this full assembly with Y-axis by fevistick or screw.

Step:9 Extruder Making

To make an Extruder for 3D Printer is very easy. Because you only have to assemble the parts of an extruder.

Follow the step as per pictures, you can be made yourself easily.

When your extruder is ready at that time you can install it in our frame of 3D Printer.

Step:10 Hot end Fixing

After Extruder its time to fix hot end assembly with DIY 3D Printer. You need to make one L shape parts for fixing the hot end with the z-axis assembly.

You can get some idea from below images.

Step:11 Insert PLA Filament

PLA Filament is inserted inside the Extruder. So when Stepper motor is rotated at that time filament is come in hot end nozzle through the extruder. 

The diameter of the nozzle is equal to the diameter of the PLA Filament.

Step:12 Wiring Diagram of DIY 3D Printer

DIY 3D Printer wiring diagram is very easy if you follow the instruction in video and follow the below image wiring diagram.

Below diagram is with LCD & Hotbed. This LCD is not necessary if you have a laptop. but your use of 3D Printer is high than every time connect the laptop with 3D Printer is not a good idea.

In LCD you can get the slot for micro SD card. So you can feed that G-code through the SD card. 

Step:13 Software for DIY 3D Printer

Main things to do in 3D Printer is software. There is a different type of software available for 3d printing. here we use 4 software for 3d printing listed below.

Fusion 360: This software is used for making 3D Model. You can also use other 3D design software like Solidedge, Catia, Creo, Solid work, Autodesk Inventor, etc.

If you don’t know the above software then you can direct download STL file from a number of websites available.

  • Cults
  • Thingiverse
  • YouMagine
  • Pinshape
  • MyMiniFactory
  • GrabCad
  • Autodesk 123D
  • 3Dagogo

Cura: All the 3D Software understands the language of G-code. This software is used for the convert the 3D File into G-code.

If you are a beginner of this software then this tutorial is for you: Click here

Xloader: It is used for upload the Hex file into Arduino.

Pronterface: This was the main software in 3D Printer. It will Operate your 3D Printing process.

Step:14 Enjoy the DIY 3D Printing

Now your 3D Printer is ready for printing. Make your favorite design on 3D Printer. If you are made this printer than show me your pictures on my facebook page creative buzz.  If you getting any problem then comment below.

Read: 3D Printers

Conclusion:

I hope you are made this 3D Printer at your home easily. This printer is not giving you accurate precision like a standard company 3D Printer. But also not a bad precision by this 3D Printer. 

If you are planning for your school or college projects than you definitely do this project. It will enhance your skill and mind.

Homemade metal 3D printer, but something went wrong / Sudo Null IT News

Hello everyone, my name is Sergey. In this article, we will talk about 3D printing with metal, more precisely, about my attempt to implement 3D printing with metal.

Very often, people who are interested in or engaged in any activity, no matter what, stumble upon something completely new and previously unknown to them, something that can help develop/improve their main activity. A similar situation happened to me.



Surfing the expanses of your Internet, I came across a wonderful technology for vacuum deposition of metals on various materials. On Habré there is an interesting article about this technology. In addition, on many other resources it was said that the evaporated metal moves towards the target in a straight line.

Many resources0003



And then I thought, what if I spray metal in the place I need, gradually increasing the thickness? I looked for information about whether someone did this - I did not find it.

Registered on a forum where sprayers gather together and began to disturb them with questions like: is it possible to build up a “film” with a thickness of 1 or more millimeters. To which I caught a lot of misunderstanding what it was for, but received a positive answer.

General information received, you can begin to prepare for experiments.

It is known from various articles and documents that a vacuum of no more than 10⁻² Pa is needed. For comparison, the order of magnitude - the pressure that gives a household vacuum pump (Value and others) - about 4 Pa ​​(measured value), i.e. pressure is 400 times greater than necessary. How to deal with it and what to do? To achieve low pressures, turbomolecular vacuum pumps are used, they work in parallel with the foreline pump and, literally by molecules, capture the remaining air from the chamber. The process is not fast. The pump looks like this.

We installed a pump, it pumps out air and everything seems to be fine, but how to find out the pressure? For this I chose an ionization vacuum gauge.

In fact, nothing else is needed, except for the chamber and evaporator. I did not find a ready-made affordable (in terms of finances) camera, therefore, I decided to make my own. It is of a small volume (about 8-10 liters) in order for the air to be pumped out faster. Usually, the chambers have a spherical shape, in my case it is, on the contrary, elongated, in order to be able to set the “target” (the place where the metal is deposited) at different distances from the evaporator. In addition, the camera has a lot of flanges for connecting all kinds of inputs/outputs and sensors. I modeled the camera in a well-known CAD program, drew drawings and transferred it to production.

Current leads and conductors I made from a brass bar and a brass rod, bought on the local market. (Juno, who is from St. Petersburg).

In the photo below, a tungsten boat is fixed between two conductors.

The bottom part looks like this. The photo shows the cooling tubes of the current leads. Subsequently, I abandoned them, due to the simplification of the system.

Assembling the camera did not take much effort and complexity. It is much more difficult to achieve vacuum retention in this chamber. To do this, I polished the flanges and all mating surfaces to avoid the slightest leakage through the rubber seal (in the photo below, I processed only the top flange).

As it turned out later, the weld is not airtight at all (meaning for low vacuum). I, out of inexperience, assumed that by pumping a pressure of 300 kPa into the chamber and immersing it in a bath of water, I would carefully find all the leaks and eliminate them. Yes, at the first stage I did just that, but the pressure in the chamber did not fall below 10-2 Pa, there were leaks. Interestingly, before the start of the test, at a pressure in the chamber of 300 kPa, bubbles emerged from the welds with an intensity of approximately 1 bubble (diameter 2-3 mm) in 30-40 seconds. And those were big losses that I eliminated. But what to do with minimal vacuum losses that cannot be tracked in "kitchen" conditions?

The solution was close. To do this, all you need is a mass spectrometer.

The idea is simple – the investigated chamber or container is connected to the vacuum chamber of the spectrometer. Air is pumped out, on the graph they look for extraneous peaks of any gases. After that, helium is supplied locally, to the places of possible leakage. It is helium, because its penetrating power is higher and the helium peak can be easily tracked on the spectrum. As soon as helium enters the chamber through a micro-hole, it is immediately visible on the spectrum.

I drove twice and looked for leaks twice. Now the chamber with the installed pump is hermetic and it is possible to carry out experiments further, having previously assembled all the components of the system on the rack.

General view of the incredible installation.

Starting up the plant and checking it comes down to maintaining the lowest possible pressure. The foreline pump is started first.

The pressure after the operation of the foreline pump can be seen in the picture below.

After the pressure is established (does not change). You can launch "heavy artillery" - a turbomolecular pump. It reduces the pressure by another 3 orders of magnitude.

The time has come for experiments, what I have been going for so long and what I have been waiting for so long.

First experiment.

Place a small amount of silver into the boat fixed between the conductors. Above the boat I install a steam conduit - a soldered tin cylinder, which, as I thought, should limit the spread of metal through the chamber. Above the steam conduit there is a lid with a hole of 2 mm, behind the lid there is a target on which the metal should condense. It is a pity that there are no photos left, but the vacuum chamber was completely dusty. There was not a single place where there was no applied layer of metal. In the photo below, it’s not a different planet at all, but silver sprayed onto the inner surface of the wall.

Second experiment.

I thought it was because of the large gaps between the boat and the steam line. The solution was born immediately and quickly. I took two boats and combined them so that a shell was obtained. I placed silver inside, and cut a hole with a diameter of 2 mm in the upper half.

And he began to heat up the whole thing. But, I did not take into account the rigidity of the boats and the rigidity of the current leads. The shells parted a little and a gap formed between them, through which steam also flew in all directions.

As a result - spraying in the entire volume of the chamber. In the photo below there is a viewing window, the boat in which was slightly above half, but the window was completely dusty.

Third experiment.

After a little thought and grief, I thought that the container with the evaporated metal should be airtight and with only one outlet, but how and what to make it. From tungsten - very expensive and difficult to process. The way out has been found! Graphite is an excellent material for making a crucible, let's call it that. On the classifieds site, I found an advertisement for the sale of graphite bars from the contact whiskers of a trolleybus, cut out a bar with a hole in the center and made a cover for it. In the photo below - just a bar with a hole for the material (without a cover).

And in this photo already in the chamber with the lid installed (the hole in the lid is 1 mm in diameter).

Under the spoiler are a few photos with a short period of time, from which you can see how dusty the viewing window is.

Loss of transparency

It is obvious that in this case, too, there was no success, to my great regret. All three experiments were carried out with a gradual increase in temperature from the state when evaporation does not occur.

A small video in which the information is presented in a slightly different way, in a different form and volume.

Video link

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yWQOWIG1qw

Unfortunately, it was not possible to get what was intended, but, on the other hand, invaluable experience was gained in the design and manufacture of vacuum equipment. Most of this experience I have shared with you and I would be very grateful if you express your opinion on this issue.

Thank you all and good luck.

How to build a home 3D printer: recommendations from personal experience

3D printing and assembly of 3D printers is my hobby and passion. Here I will not share detailed diagrams and drawings, there are more than enough of them on specialized resources. The main goal of this material is to tell you where to start, where to dig and how to avoid mistakes in the process of assembling a home 3D printer. Perhaps one of the readers will be inspired by applied engineering achievements.

Why do you need a 3D printer? Use cases for

I first came across the idea of ​​3D printing back in the 90s when I was watching the Star Trek series. I remember how impressed I was by the moment when the heroes of the cult series printed the things they needed during their journey right on board their starship. They printed anything: from shoes to tools. I thought it would be great someday to have such a thing too. Then it all seemed something incredible. Outside the window are the gloomy 90s, and the Nokia with a monochrome screen was the pinnacle of progress, accessible only to a select few.

Years passed, everything changed. Around 2010, the first working models of 3D printers began to appear on sale. Yesterday's fantasy has become a reality. However, the cost of such solutions, to put it mildly, discouraged. But the IT industry would not be itself without an inquisitive community, where there is an active exchange of knowledge and experience and who just let them dig into the brains and giblets of new hardware and software. So, drawings and diagrams of printers began to surface more and more often on the Web. Today, the most informative and voluminous resource on the topic of assembling 3D printers is RepRap - this is a huge knowledge base that contains detailed guides for creating a wide variety of models of these machines.

I built my first printer about five years ago. My personal motivation to build my own device is quite prosaic and based on several factors. Firstly, there was an opportunity to try to realize the old dream of having your own device, inspired by a fantasy series. The second factor is that sometimes it was necessary to repair some household items (for example, a baby stroller, car elements, household appliances and other small things), but the necessary parts could not be found. Well, the third aspect of the application is "near-working". On the printer, I make cases for various IoT devices that I assemble at home.

Agree, it is better to place your device based on Raspberry Pi or Arduino in an aesthetically pleasing "body", which is not a shame to put in an apartment or take to the office, than to organize components, for example, in a plastic bowl for food. And yes, you can print parts to build other printers :)

There are a lot of scenarios for using 3D printers. I think everyone can find something of their own.

A complex part in terms of drawing that I printed on my printer. Yes, it's just a figurine, but it has many small elements

Ready solution vs custom assembly

When a technology has been tested, its value in the market drops markedly. The same thing happened in the world of 3D printers. If earlier a ready-made solution cost simply sky-high money, then today acquiring such a machine is more humane for the wallet, but nevertheless not the most affordable for an enthusiast. There are a number of solutions already assembled and ready for home use on the market, their price range ranges from $500-700 (not the best options) to infinity (adequate solutions start from a price tag of about $1000). Yes, there are options for $150, but we, for understandable, I hope, reasons, will not dwell on them.

In short, there are three cases to consider a finished assembly:

  • when you plan to print not much and rarely;
  • when print accuracy is critical;
  • you need to print molds for mass production of parts.

There are several obvious advantages of self-assembly. The first and most important is cost. Buying all the necessary components will cost you a maximum of a couple of hundred dollars. In return, you will receive a complete 3D printing solution with the quality of manufactured products acceptable for domestic needs. The second advantage is that by assembling the printer yourself, you will understand the principles of its design and operation. Believe me, this knowledge will be useful to you during the operation of even an expensive ready-made solution - any 3D printer needs to be serviced regularly, and it can be difficult to do this without understanding the basics.

The main disadvantage of assembly is the need for a large amount of time. I spent about 150 hours on my first build.

What you need to build your own printer

The most important thing here is the presence of desire. As for any special skills, then, by and large, in order to assemble your first printer, the ability to solder or write code is not critical. Of course, understanding the basics of radio electronics and basic skills in the field of mechanics (that is, "straight hands") will greatly simplify the task and reduce the amount of time that needs to be spent on assembly.

Also, to start we need a mandatory set of parts:

  • Extruder is the element that is directly responsible for printing, the print head. There are many options on the market, but for a budget build, I recommend the MK8. Of the minuses: it will not be possible to print with plastics that require high temperatures, there is noticeable overheating during intensive work, which can damage the element. If the budget allows, then you can look at MK10 - all the minuses are taken into account there.
  • Processor board. The well-known Arduino Mega is well suited. I didn't notice any downsides to this solution, but you can spend a couple of dollars more and get something more powerful, with a reserve for the future.
  • Control board. I'm using RAMPS 1.4 which works great with the Arduino Mega. A more expensive but more reliable board is Shield, which already combines a processor board and a control board. In modern realities, I recommend paying attention to it. In addition to it, you need to purchase at least 5 microstep stepper motor controllers, for example - A4988. And it's better to have a couple of these in stock for replacement.
  • Heated table. This is the part where the printed element will be located. Heating is necessary due to the fact that most plastics will not adhere to a cold surface. For example, for printing with PLA plastic, the required surface temperature of the table is 60-80°C, for ABS - 110-130°C, and for polycarbonate it will be even higher
    There are also two options for choosing a table - cheaper and more expensive. Cheaper options are essentially printed circuit boards with preheated wiring. To operate on this type of table, you will need to put borosilicate glass, which will scratch and crack during operation. Therefore, the best solution is an aluminum table.
  • Stepper motors. Most models, including the i2 and i3, use NEMA 17 size motors, two for the Z axis and one each for the X and Y axes. Finished extruders usually come with their own stepper motor. It is better to take powerful motors with a current in the motor winding of 1A or more, so that there is enough power to lift the extruder and print without skipping steps at high speed.
  • Basic set of plastic fasteners.
  • Belt and gears for its drive.

Examples of elements appearance: 1) MK8 extruder; 2) Arduino processor board; 3) RAMPS control board; 4) motor controllers; 5) aluminum heated table; 6) NEMA 17 stepper motor; 7) a set of plastic fasteners; 8) drive gears; 9) drive belt

This is a list of items you need to purchase. Hardcore users can assemble some of them themselves, but for beginners, I strongly recommend purchasing ready-made solutions.

Yes, you will also need various small things (studs, bearings, nuts, bolts, washers ...) to assemble the case. In practice, it turned out that using a standard m8 stud leads to low printing accuracy on the Z axis. I would recommend immediately replacing it with a trapezoid of the same size.

M8 trapezoid stud for the Z axis, the use of which will save you a lot of time and nerves. Available for order on all major online marketplaces

You also need to purchase customized plastic parts for the X axis, such as these from the MendelMax retrofit kit.

Most parts available at your local hardware store. On RepRap you can find a complete list of necessary little things with all sizes and patterns. The kit you need will depend on the choice of platform (we'll talk about platforms later).

What's the price

Before delving into some aspects of the assembly, let's figure out how much such entertainment will cost for your wallet. Below is a list of parts required for purchase with an average price.

Platform selection

The community has already developed a number of different platforms for assembling printers - the most optimal case designs and the location of the main elements, so you do not have to reinvent the wheel.

i2 and i3 are key platforms for self-assembly printer enclosures. There are also many modifications of them with various improvements, but for beginners, these two classic platforms should be considered, since they do not require special skills and fine-tuning.

Actually, illustration of platforms: 1) i2 platform; 2) i3 platform

On the plus side of i2: it has a more reliable and stable design, although it is a little more difficult to assemble; more opportunities for further customization.

The i3 variant requires more special plastic parts to be purchased separately and has a slow print speed. However, it is easier to assemble and maintain, and has a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. You will have to pay for simplicity with the quality of printed parts - the body has less stability than i2, which can affect print accuracy.

Personally, I started my experiments in assembling printers from the i2 platform. She will be discussed further.

Assembly steps, challenges and improvements

In this block, I will only touch on the key assembly steps using the i2 platform as an example. Full step by step instructions can be found here.

The general scheme of all the main components looks something like this. There is nothing particularly complicated here:

I also recommend adding a display to your design. Yes, you can easily do without this element when performing operations on a PC, but it will be much more convenient to work with the printer this way.

Understanding how all components will be connected, let's move on to the mechanical part, where we have two main elements - a frame and a coordinate machine.

Assembling the frame

Detailed frame assembly instructions are available on RepRap. Of the important nuances - you will need a set of plastic parts (I already talked about this above, but I'd better repeat it), which you can either purchase separately or ask your comrades who already have a 3D printer to print.




The frame of the i2 is quite stable thanks to its trapezoid shape.

This is how the frame looks like with parts already installed. For greater rigidity, I reinforced the structure with plywood sheets

Coordinate machine

An extruder is attached to this part. The stepper motors shown in the diagram above are responsible for its movement. After installation, calibration is required along all major axes.

Important - you will need to purchase (or make your own) a carriage for moving the extruder and a mount for the drive belt. Drive belt I recommend GT2.

The carriage printed by the printer from the previous picture after it has been assembled. The part already has LM8UU bearings for guides and belt mount (top)

Calibration and adjustment

So, we completed the assembly process (as I said, it took me 150 hours) - the frame was assembled, the machine was installed. Now another important step is the calibration of this very machine and extruder. Here, too, there are small subtleties.

Setting up the machine

I recommend calibrating the machine with an electronic caliper. Do not be stingy with its purchase - you will save a lot of time and nerves in the process.

The screenshot below shows the correct constants for the Marlin firmware, which must be selected in order to set the correct number of steps per unit of measure. We calculate the coefficient, multiply it, substitute it into the firmware, and then upload it to the board.

Marlin 9 firmware constants0168

For high-quality calibration, I recommend relying on larger numbers in measurements - take not 1-1.5 cm, but about 10. So the error will be more noticeable, and it will become easier to correct it.

Calibrating the extruder

When the frame is assembled, the machine is calibrated, we start setting up the extruder. Here, too, everything is not so simple. The main task of this operation is to correctly adjust the supply of plastic.

If underfeeding, the printed test item will have noticeable gaps, like test die 1. Conversely, the result will look bloated if plastic is overfed (dice 2)

Getting Started Printing

All we have to do is run some CAD or load ready-made .stl files that describe the structure of the printed material. Next, this structure needs to be converted into a set of commands understandable to our printer. For this I use the Slicer program. It also needs to be set up correctly - specify the temperature, the size of the extruder nozzle. After that, the data can be sent to the printer.

Slicer interface

As a raw material for printing, I recommend starting with regular ABS plastic - it is quite strong, its products are durable, and it does not require high temperatures to work with. For comfortable printing with ABS plastic, the table must be heated to a temperature of 110-130 ° C, and the extruder nozzle - within 230-260 ° C.

Some important details. Before printing, calibrate the machine along the Z axis. The extruder nozzle should be about half a millimeter from the table and ride along it without distortion. For this calibration, a regular sheet of A4 paper inserted between the nozzle and the surface of the heated table is best suited. If the sheet can be moved with little effort, the calibration is correct.

Another thing to keep in mind is the surface treatment of the heated table. Usually, before printing, the surface of the table is covered with something that hot plastic sticks to well. For ABS plastic, this can be, for example, Kapton tape. The disadvantage of adhesive tape is the need to re-glue it after several printing cycles. In addition, you will have to literally tear off the adhering part from it. All this, believe me, takes a lot of time. Therefore, if it is possible to avoid this fuss, it is better to avoid it.

An alternative option that I use instead of scotch tape is applying several layers of ordinary light beer, followed by heating the table to 80-100 ° C until the surface is completely dry and re-applying 7-12 layers. It is necessary to apply the liquid with a cloth moistened with a drink. Among the advantages of this solution: ABS plastic separates from the table on its own when it cools down to about 50 ° C and is removed without effort, the table does not have to be peeled off, and one bottle of beer will last you for several months (if you use the drink only for technical purposes :)).

After we have collected and configured everything, we can start printing. If you have an LCD screen, then the file can be transferred for printing using a regular SD card.

The first results may have bumps and other artifacts - do not worry, this is a normal process of "grinding" the printer elements, which will end after a few print cycles.

Tips to make life easier (and sometimes save money)

In addition to the small recommendations given in the text above, in this section I will also give a short list of tips that will greatly simplify the operation of a 3D printer and the life of its owner.

  • Do not experiment with nozzles. If you plan to immediately print from materials that require high temperatures, then it is better to immediately take the MK10 extruder. On MK8, you can "hang" special nozzles that support high-temperature conditions. But such modifications often cause difficulties and require special experience. It is better to avoid this fuss on the shore by simply installing the right extruder for you.
  • Add starter relay for heated table. Improving the power supply system of this important part for printing with a starter relay will help solve the known problem of RAMP 1.4 - overheating of the transistors that control the power of the table, which can lead to failure of the board. I made this upgrade after having to throw away a few RAMPS 1.4s.
  • Select the correct media diameter for printing. I recommend using 1.75mm plastic for MK8 and MK10. If we take plastic, for example, 3 mm, then the extruder simply does not have enough strength to push it at an acceptable speed - everything will be printed much longer, and the quality will drop. ABS plastic is ideal for MK8, MK10 will be able to produce products from polycarbonate.
  • Use only new and precise X and Y guides. Print quality will be affected. It is difficult to count on good quality with bent or deformed guides along the axes.
  • Take care of cooling. During my experiments with various extruders, the MK10 showed the best results - it prints quite accurately and quickly. The MK10 can also print plastics that require a higher print temperature than ABS, such as polycarbonate. Although it is not as prone to overheating as its younger brother MK8, I still recommend taking care of its cooling by adding a cooler to your design. It must be permanently enabled, this option can be configured in Slicer. You can also add coolers to keep the stepper motors at an acceptable temperature, however, make sure that their air flows do not fall on the printed part, as this can lead to its deformation due to too rapid cooling.
  • Consider heat retention. Yes, on the one hand, we are struggling with overheating of the elements. On the other hand, a uniform temperature around the printer will contribute to high-quality printing (the plastic will be more pliable). To achieve a uniform temperature, you can put our printer, for example, in a cardboard box. The main thing is to connect and configure the coolers before that, as described above.
  • Consider insulating your desk. Heated table heats up to high temperatures. And if part of this heat leaves properly, heating the printed part, then the second part (from below) just goes down. To concentrate the heat from the table onto the part, you can perform an operation to insulate it. To do this, I simply attach a cork mouse pad to its bottom using stationery clips.

Pins

I am sure that during the assembly process you will encounter a number of difficulties specific to your project. Neither this text nor even the most detailed guides will insure against this.

As I wrote in the introductory part, the above does not claim the status of a detailed assembly manual. It is almost impossible to describe all the stages and their subtleties within the framework of one such text. First of all, this is an overview material that will help you prepare for the assembly process (both mentally and financially), understand whether you personally need to bother with self-assembly - or give up on everything and buy a ready-made solution.

For me, assembling printers has become an exciting hobby that helps me solve some issues in home and work affairs, take my mind off programming and do something interesting with my own hands. For my children - entertainment and the opportunity to get unusual and unique toys. By the way, if you have children whose age allows them to mess around with such things, such an activity can be a good help for entering the world of mechanics and technology.

For everyone, the vectors of using 3D printers will be very different and very individual.

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