Objective: Design and build a 3D printer
Project Goals:
Build a printer for under $100
Use as many reused parts as possible from broken paper printers and scanners
Offer a large build volume
High quality prints with reasonable print speeds
Automatic bed leveling without any additional hardware
Reuse parts from existing paper printers and scanners
Used two linear rails from paper printers as Z axis (30 cm build height)
Used one linear rail from paper printer as X axis (30 cm build length)
Used flatbed scanner as Y axis (45 cm build length)*
Used optical interrupters as endstops for all axes
Keep cost of printer low
Used non-genuine hotend assembly
Used non-genuine RAMPS 1.4 electronics board
One Z axis linear rails did not have enough torque to lift the X axis rail
Removed recycled Z axis rails and completely redesigned system with custom 3D printed parts (80 cm build height)
Hotend would clog frequently
Replaced hotend with E3D Lite6
Printed parts would come out with sagging layers
Added part cooling fan
No automatic bed leveling
Added aluminum sheet on top of build platform
Made metal nozzle physically contact metal build platform
Prints did not adhere well to aluminum build platform
Removed metal platform (and, therefore, auto bed leveling)
Installed manual bed leveling clips and two sheets of glass
Part cooling fan was not cooling parts effectively
Installed a new part cooling fan shroud to better direct airflow