Allow me to introduce Project "Full Metal Delta"
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So.. i Now feel that this build is complete enough to give a broader overview.
For photos, I have shared them on iCloud: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B18GWZuqDGIEuVw
I would like to introduce my "Full Metal Delta"-project (This is my printer. There are many like it, but this one is mine…)
It is the result of being fed up with my old build (1515 Openbeam and printed corners).
Friends, do not build a delta out of 1515 profiles or printed corners (at least not PLA nor PETG) you will be dissapointed.
Wise from previous projects i wanted to build this clean and true from the beginning- No "temporary" solutions (Apart from the cables to the extruder motor, still not sure where I want the motor, hence the cables are not in the spiral) or half measures. Think, Think, Plan, Build.
I even cut out cardboard templates from things like fans and PSU to ensure there were no conflicts.
The corner (pun intended) stones are the Robotdigg aluminum corners. The profiles (1000mm verticals, 390mm horisontals) were sourced from Dold Mechatronic and they are indeed cut extremely close to spec. I won no measureing device that can find any difference between them.
I chose the I types as they should give more rigidity, with the downside of not naving any nuts that can be installed after assembly, so profiles with closed ends have been preloaded with extra nuts.
Those of you who think "This looks a lot like what DC42 describe in his precsion delta build" would be right. I was directed to that article posting a question about arm length in relation to bed size. And i came down from 420 horisontals to 390 as a result of reading the article.
My plan was top reuse electronics (MKS Sbase), hotend, switches, heatbed etc from my previous build. But somewhere around this point I decided that I wanted a Smart Effector, and that called for a Duet Wifi. YOLO!
The same YOLO lead to adding linear rails to the robotdigg order.I really really do NOT regret the Duet. It just feels so much better then the alternatives.
I chose to run a couple of extra wires to the hotend, one never knows when hey will be needed. But they will. I am sure of it. I also ran three wires to each endstop in case i ever want to try optical endstops or such.
All wiring to hotend (and endstops) is AWG24 twisted silicone wire. Heater power is AWG20 (and as one photo shows, that was a bit much for the Microfit connector. Not happy with that crimp. But it will do for now)I designed my own cable clips, as all I could find on thingiverse were for B-profiles.
I am trying something different for the flying extruder mount. I crimped elastic cord to cable shoes and used that. Capricorn tubing is available, but I di not want to cut it until I am certain where i wand my extruder.
The side panel is DC42's design, but I split it in meshmixer to be able to print on existing bed. I also added for more screws, especially around the power connector as i was not happy with the amount of flex when plugging out the cable.
I am very very pleased with the build, and the initial test prints after autocalibration are better then after six months with the old frame.
Berd-AIR cooling has been ordered. Just to see what it does.
...so what to build next?
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Very nice. I've been considering rebuilding my SMC Rostock into an all-metal frame as well.
I see you have floppy sock issues, too.
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Very nice. I've been considering rebuilding my SMC Rostock into an all-metal frame as well.
I see you have floppy sock issues, too.
Thank you
Yeah, but in all fairness, I do not mind that "hack" at all.
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nice! thanks for sharing your pictures and thoughts. I like the flying extruder arrangement.
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I like it except the Duet under the heat bed. In my old 8 bit delta it was there too..a big mean heat trap and with TMC2100 i had to use a 14cm fan to proper cool it down..rebuild my delta in the moment to a bigger fram and will use an external housing
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I like it except the Duet under the heat bed. In my old 8 bit delta it was there too..a big mean heat trap and with TMC2100 i had to use a 14cm fan to proper cool it down..rebuild my delta in the moment to a bigger fram and will use an external housing
Doesnt even heat up in there. I see 0 fluctuation on the MCU temp channel even without my ventilator fan on. The 4mm Aluminum top (and for that matter bottom) plate are wicked heat spreaders.
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I like it except the Duet under the heat bed. In my old 8 bit delta it was there too..a big mean heat trap and with TMC2100 i had to use a 14cm fan to proper cool it down..rebuild my delta in the moment to a bigger fram and will use an external housing
Ok, "Zero change" was a bit of an oversimplification.
Ive just done a six hour print. The MCU temp started at 32C. Rose to 43C and levelled off there. (Again, this is without the internal ventilator fan running)
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ok..the duet have a good passive cooling…for me its the point that i would never again place the electronic under a heated bed...finally its just ur own decision
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I got around this on my all metal delta with substantial insulation between the bed and the electronics compartment and two fans push-pull config. They come on if the heatbed is above 40 deg C. Probably 5 degrees mcu temp rise printing but that's probably processing causing it.
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I got around this on my all metal delta with substantial insulation between the bed and the electronics compartment and two fans push-pull config. They come on if the heatbed is above 40 deg C. Probably 5 degrees mcu temp rise printing but that's probably processing causing it.
I do much the same, but I have only one fan. Ever since I set it to thermostatic control when the MCU temperature exceeds 45C or a motor driver signals a temperature warning, I have never heard it turn on. I have the motor currents set to 1A and the bed heater is AC mains voltage, so the Duet doesn't generate much heat at all.
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Yeah I might try that but I have a passively cooled psu in there too (just 120w) so I'd like to keep that cool, the first one I had in there died, this one has a 3d printed perforated cover.
I have to say if I built another delta (up to 1m tall or so) then I'd put everything on the top like the TevoLM its a nice way to do it, I did this for the cylinder framed delta I recently completed, very easy to work on the electronics. However you then end up with the machine on the floor (or a low table perhaps), so you don't have the print at eye level like you can if the electronics are under the bed. Much bigger than 1m and it might be impractical to put the electronics on top, as you're not lifting a machine that size down to change a wire and getting on a ladder to fix it isn't much fun. I've never actually moved my kossel XL since I built it.
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I do much the same, but I have only one fan. Ever since I set it to thermostatic control when the MCU temperature exceeds 45C or a motor driver signals a temperature warning, I have never heard it turn on. I have the motor currents set to 1A and the bed heater is AC mains voltage, so the Duet doesn't generate much heat at all.
Huh. Could you share a link to an example to use the MCU channel and/or driver sensors to do this? I cannot find such a resource?
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My electronics cooling fan is connected to the Fan2 output and set up with this line in config.g:
M106 P2 H100:101 T45:55 L0.3 ; electronics cooling fan
It means monitor virtual heaters 100 to 101 (change it to 100:101:102 if you have a DueX2 or DueX5), turn on the fan at 30% PWM if the highest monitored temperature reaches 45C, increasing linearly to 100% PWM at 55C and above.
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My electronics cooling fan is connected to the Fan2 output and set up with this line in config.g:
M106 P2 H100:101 T45:55 L0.3 ; electronics cooling fan
It means monitor virtual heaters 100 to 101 (change it to 100:101:102 if you have a DueX2 or DueX5), turn on the fan at 30% PWM if the highest monitored temperature reaches 45C, increasing linearly to 100% PWM at 55C and above.
Oh, marvellous
Now, My fan selector is set for 12V as my hotend / print cooler are npn PWM.
My ventilator fan is however a Noctua PWM expecting a 5V PWM. (Might be 12V tolerant, I do not know and do not want to test). Would it work to simply clamp a 4.7V Zener Diode on the FAN2 output to ground you think? Or is there a better method? Voltage divider?
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Nice looking build. Test the flying extruder carefully, I could never get it to work without it causing tilt / artifacts on my extruder's motion near the edges of the bed.
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My ventilator fan is however a Noctua PWM expecting a 5V PWM. (Might be 12V tolerant, I do not know and do not want to test). Would it work to simply clamp a 4.7V Zener Diode on the FAN2 output to ground you think? Or is there a better method? Voltage divider?
[EDITED]
If your fan is 5V only, connect it between the FAN- pin on your chose fan connector (black wire) and +5V (red wire). You can get +5V from the expansion connector, or from the 5V end of the fan voltage selector block (the pin that doesn't have the jumper on it).
If instead your fan is a 12V fan with an extra 5V PWM control wire (and probably also a tacho wire, but you can leave that unconnected), then connect the red and black wires to an always-on fan connector, and the PWM wire to the FAN- pin of a controlled fan output.
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Fantastic, very nice looking build. Good to see other folks going all metal.
You might also consider diagonal bracing, it is amazing how much it increases rigidity. Having said that, I have a much larger printer built in a similar fashion, and have not YET put bracing on… and I'm still getting excellent prints.
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And, I'm a huge believer in putting controller/power/motors at the TOP
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There's a good case to be made for electronics at the top and PSU at the bottom. It keeps all the mains voltage wiring out of the way when you are messing around with the electronics, and saves running mains voltage wires up to the top.
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There's a good case to be made for electronics at the top and PSU at the bottom. It keeps all the mains voltage wiring out of the way when you are messing around with the electronics, and saves running mains voltage wires up to the top.
Agreed, that is a nice balance.
And/or split the difference. I do have PSU on top on this particular printer, and therefore mains wiring… at the same time, this will have a heated bed, with the heater using mains wiring, and that will be via a SSR and separate mains plug, all at the bottom. So a little of each.
In any event, ALWAYS earth (ground for Yanks) the frame on an all-metal printer.
