MP3DP Frame

How important is it to have the frame 7.2 mm thick? I wanted to make it out of a nice wood, and and would have to edge glue boards together to get a sheet big enough to cut the z frame. I’d feel better about edge glueing thicker boards (1/2) than thinner ones (1/4).

Are you guys using MDF? Anyone made one out of anything other besides MDF or Acrylic?

I was also thinking about splitting it up in 3 pieces. I just joined my local fab lab and their laser cutter only has a bed of 12 by 24. The bed isn’t big enough. I could wait for and user their shopbot, but I have to go attend their classes before they’ll let me loose and they are 3 weeks away, the laser cutter course is next week.

Thickness will take away Y axis total travel and you will need thicker screws.

So If I go with 12.7 mm I won’t lose that much y travel. I don’t think that’s a big deal, I never used near my full bed size on my last 3D printer.

I’m excited to see a real wood frame. There was another user that cut the big pieces into two, but I can’t seem to find it at the moment… Maybe it was in the original MP3DP topic? IIRC, there was a half lap joint at the corners.

I was thinking about using some maple for mine, and I was thinking I would use 1/8" thick pieces, laminated in two different directions, but making it thicker is probably a lot easier. At some point, I got delayed so much designing the frame that I just made it from 1/4" MDF, but I do plan on replacing it with something else later. The other thing I thought of, which you could do, if you were a real badass, is to trim a section where the 3D parts would sit inside the 1/2", so it would be as though they were on a 1/4" piece of material, but everything else would be thicker.

Yeah, I’ve been toying with that Idea, I’m going to head to lowes tomorrow to pick out some wood. Then’ll make a decision on how to handle the frame.

Hmm, I asked this before but I didn’t get a reply. So I’ll ask one more time.

I was thinking about buying the pursa Mk2 upgrade kit. It comes with with their bed, a probe their motion kit which includes 4 motors and two of them have integrated lead screws. and an ed3 v6 all metal hot end, and a bunch of plastic parts I probably won’t beable to use. Other besides the LCD box. it’s 200 plus 50 shipping. Anyone think it’s a good Idea to buy this kit?

http://shop.prusa3d.com/en/printer-upgrades/106-original-prusa-i3-plus-to-mk2-upgrade-kit.html

That’s awesome that they offer something like that, but there are many reasons why you can’t easily use that with the MP3DP. The bed is too big, for one thing. I can’t see a very specific list of parts, but you will be better off with Ryan’s list from the project page, plus, you’ll be supporting the designer, and these forums.

Ha, thanks for that!

Without Prusa I don’t think I would be doing what I am doing. I really want to own a genuine prusa, and have no problems withanyone supporting him or his work.

Like Jeffeb3 said without a full list you are really shooting in the dark , and it is 5 weeks out? But if you can afford it one of his full printers is bound to be awesome.

Dang, I didn’t even think about the bed size. I would have assumed they’re the same… lol. I was just thinking because the ed3 v6 is 75 on it’s own and those integrated lead screws are sweet. But if I can’t use the bed too then it makes it a lot less worth it.

I will get on of his printers one day, It’s just I’m buying a bunch of other stuff to set up shop, and a 3d printer isn’t as important as other tools.

Anyway, I started messing with this last night, Basically we were thinking along the same lines.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/543/31465368643_71d354ffd7_h.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/646/32126329992_5c475042d8_h.jpg

Ha, yeah, I didn’t even think about how prusa was the original.

I am really impressed that they can offer an upgrade kit though, that’s pretty awesome. I especially like their new bed leveling, and they could easily keep that as a “new printer only” feature to sell a ton of printers.

What I need to do is find a way to make $800 with my current toys, and then spend that on an original prusa. That would be justified. Anyone want to buy an $800 Batman™ keychain?

I know this is probably overkill, but would something like aluminum work good for the frame? If so, what thickness? Cause 7.2mm thick aluminum sheet isn’t really that cheap and seems way overkill. Would this have an effect on rigidity at all?

Last one for the night, I really don’t like doing it the way I am because I can’t be sure I’m putting the plastic parts in the exact location they need to be. So i’m leaving a bit of a gap around the back feet to make sure I didn’t slightly cock it wrong in my model. I think the front and back wood sections will remain 1/4. Those pieces are small enough anyway.

Why are you trying to do that to the frame?

That thickness does not matter, none of them do, except the thickness of the y axis motor mount and idler mount. Use whatever thickness you want, if you want to get fancy sink the y axis parts in with a fancy pocket and keep all the y axis travel.

My guess is it would actually have the opposite effect and make it flimsy and introduce a lot of vibration. If you could go thicker it would be better or go steel. But I think vicious would be able to answer that better.

Well I started off with just putting the interlocking fingers just to get fancy. Then I was thinking about keeping the full travel, just in case I wanted to print something that large. So I moved the inside back to where it would be if it was 7.2 mm thick, then I thought because I did that it would stretch the feet out and then it wouldn’t meet with the front and back panels. And it eventually turned into this.

Really I’m just experimenting because…

As soon as I finish up with the lowrider release I have a crazy frame for the new printer…I hope it works. I was experimenting and it came out wild…and simple.

Oh man, Should I just wait? lol.

I would say it will take about a month…ish. If it works. I still need to do any revisions on the lowrider if needed first, and get out the bundles.

I have the X and z finished prototyped and printed. y axis is easy. I have the frame roughed in CAD and hand drawn in the rest. China is about to go on vacation though and things get squirrely around here when that happens so I am not sure when I can work on.

Man, I’m not sure how long this is going to take me anyway, I just got my printed parts for this build. I might just build that one too.

So far most all the same major hardware, just using some small idlers in the new one instead of the 608’s. I would say finish what you started you never know when/if I will finish the new one.

Alrighty, Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I did what I did. I was thinking totally wrong. I’ll just pull those down, and go back to the fingers, I do kind of like that look anyway.

My plan was to keep the front and back panels at 7.2 mm …