Posts made by scerbera

@dc42 said in Please help with a couple of Delta queries.:

@scerbera said in Please help with a couple of Delta queries.:

Can I have my z height controlled independently of the carriages and so also the effector? So if the bed is movable in the z and controlled by a drive motor, can it be configured as such to do the z moves?

That combination is not supported directly at present. However, you can define additional linear axes when using delta kinematics. So you could create a U axis and post-process the GCode file generated by the slicer to replace all instances of Z by U.

One of the big advantages of a delta printer is the fixed bed. What do you see as the advantages of moving the bed in the Z direction? You are already planning to use a flying extruder, so it wouldn't shorten the Bowden tube.

Thanks, my design is continuing to evolve so 6 towers probably not required, however z height via bed is integral to design. The biggest plus is structural rigidity and the requirements for a heated chamber. I have isolated the towers from any chamber heat and that would not be possible with existing conventional designs, I have settled on an 800mm bed diameter and will want 1000mm in z axis. I'll post design features in my build thread in the next week or so.

Thanks for the information regarding potential U axis, would bed levelling still be an option with 3 drives on the U?

Thanks again.

@dc42 I note this has an unsolved tag, is this something you are able to implement? If so can you advise an approximate timescale? many thanks, Ryan.

Build thread 3

Build thread 2

Build thread 1

electronics parts list

custom machined parts

Parts list

Already in possession:

I have 3 of the following hybrid steppers already never used. https://www.cnc4you.co.uk/Stepper-Motor-Plus/Stepper-Servo-Motor/Stepper-Servo-Kit-12Nm

Aluminium stock

Not yet purchased:

I will be using ballscrews for motion, i'm looking at these at the moment as they come pre machined so a little less work. They are C7 tolerance which should be good enough. I'm not sure about the 5mm lead yet.
https://www.cnc4you.co.uk/Ballscrew/Ballscrew-with-Fitted-Anti-Backlash-Ballnut-RM1605-C7-16mm

10mm lead option https://www.automationshop.co.uk/r2010-919-1002-018-r-machined-ballscrew.html

I am looking at this limit switch for probing as it has a 200C temp rating but happy for alternative suggestions. I haven't 100% figured out the probing yet as it will be dual extruder. https://www.lamonde.com/sts060a-ht2.html

Low temp limit switch option https://uk.farnell.com/imo-precision-controls/fa4501-2dn/limit-switch/dp/9941436

Either of the following for critical insulation areas which will become clear as I post more info https://www.par-direct.co.uk/Products/SH91 https://www.par-direct.co.uk/Products/CEMT

Cartridge heaters for bed and chamber heating https://cartridgeheaters.co.uk/cartridge-heaters-metric/

I will use the flex3d g5 extruder https://flex3drive.com/product/g5-flex-extruder/ Thanks for the heads up @fcwilt

Duet electronics? please help!

Hi to all, this will be a build log for my Delta style large format high temp printer. The aim of the printer is to equal or better currently available similar spec printers for a fraction of the cost, most comparable are starting at $50k and upwards for a smaller build volume.

I'm mostly looking to make engine parts with this, manifolds, throttle bodies etc, but i'm sure when you have the option to print any current material other things will come up.

I'm looking for a print bed 600mm in diameter although getting a print surface for this size may prove tricky. I may need some custom glass or something.

The bed base will be aluminium with locations for cartridge heaters.

The frame will be aluminum solid bar so that it is as rigid as reasonably possible. Fortunately I have cnc machines on which any of the parts I need can be made.

Chamber heating will be achieved with cartridge heaters with a custom fan and heatsink.

I plan for dual extrusion water cooled hot ends, with the extruder not being within the heat zone.

I may design a custom hot end I am still pondering that.

Any comments/advice most welcome. Further posts to follow.

@HighTemp3D I have a unique design which I will post up in due course in my build thread, there will be no bearings/rails inside the heat zone.

@HighTemp3D

Awesome, thanks for reply, yes i'm planning to make it a 200C temp chamber with possibility of higher if needed. Will be able to use the chamber for part annealing also. Bed temp will be whatever is needed also. I am quite a way through the design, just starting a build thread. Any advice on which Duet electronics I need greatly welcome.

@dc42 Any thoughts? Many thanks, Ryan.

@fcwilt Thanks for your replies. Much appreciated. Do you know if what I have asked is possible and configurable? Thanks, Ryan.

@fcwilt said in Please help with a couple of Delta queries.:

@scerbera said in Please help with a couple of Delta queries.:

Can I have my z height controlled independently of the carriages and so also the effector? So if the bed is movable in the z and controlled by a drive motor, can it be configured as such to do the z moves?

Interesting question.

What would be the advantages of that?

You have to have vertical movement on the towers to obtain XY movement and you get the needed Z motion as well.

Thanks.

Because lets say I need 300mm vertical travel to give me the full range of motion on the xy planes, but I want for example 600mm print height then I need 900mm total travel. If I can separate out these requirements then I can create a much more rigid structure with only the 300mm. I intend for the chamber to be heated with a max temp of 200c so it also allows me to do this with less heat affected areas.

Hi all,

I'm looking to build a large format delta machine, 600mm diameter print bed. I am reading through all the various documentation but can't find an answer to a couple of questions.

Can I have my z height controlled independently of the carriages and so also the effector? So if the bed is movable in the z and controlled by a drive motor, can it be configured as such to do the z moves?

I understand I can have up to 6 towers which would be useful as I can keep a second parallel effector to hold extruder above the print effector, it would follow the exact same movements, is this something that the firmware would automatically do? Or would it somehow need to be programmed via the slicer software? The reason i'd like to do this is to keep minimal weight on the print effector as it will be a dual extrusion set up and gives me some options in the design.

Many thanks for any advice.

So I have already iterated this design 3 times, think i'm close now to where I want to be mechanically, if anyone could list the electronics i'm likely to need that would be really helpful, it will be duel extruder.

I also have a question relating to heat compensation, whilst this is a high temp printer, it wont always need to be at max chamber temp etc. So there are parts here which are going to expand with chamber temperature, is there any scope in the firmware to enable a heat compensation parameter, basically the z height of nozzle is going to lower with increasing heat, can this be automatically corrected?

Many thanks

So my design is coming along nicely, i'll post up some screen grabs later when it's more polished. I am exploring a delta configuration, I have no experience of running a delta machine. Can anyone clarify that it's simply the firmware which interprets the g code to produce required motion, and as such, if I want duel print head it isn't an issue?

Can anyone advise which duet board I should be looking at? Chamber heating will be run using relays so I assume one output for that is sufficient, 1 bed, 3 axis, 2 extruders.

I will use the previously mentioned hybrid steppers and drivers along with ballscrews.

So I have 3 of these hybrid stepper units which I originally purchased years ago to upgrade our very first chinese milling machine, which I never got around to as we ended up buying proper cnc machines instead.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32497270371.html

They are a little large for a printer but I intend to make this pretty robust so I'll use these if possible.

Hello to everyone, i'm a new user!

So I have an engineering company, we make concept engines. I use an ender 5 at home for some work bits and stuff at home. I would like to be able to print using ULTEM or PEEK so that I can make manifolds etc. Looking around the market there is the Intamsys Funmat HT Enhanced but the build area is on the small side, anything bigger and i'm looking at around 20k which I can't do.

So the plan is to make my own printer with heated chamber. What I will need a little help on is the electronics side if possible. I'm looking at a decent build volume and will go about a printer design this week.

I'm thinking water cooled hot end and possibly dual extrusion although I have zero experience of this, I have only used the creality slicer.

Looking at the industrial solutions available the hot end temp is up to 500, chamber temp up to 200 in some cases even higher and bed temp of up to 200. I'm fine with building a mechanical solution to this as I said its the electronics side I'm looking for help with.

Can anyone nudge me in terms of where I should be starting here?

Many thanks for any replies!