Auto Bed Leveling

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By Gregorio Rios – 3D Modeling

Auto leveling is the process of having a servo attached to the side of an extruder along with a switch to test several points on the printer’s bed.

8A
Fig. 1

3D Printers require their print bed to be perfectly level to the print head. If it’s not properly leveled it will not stick to the bed and may fall off, or warp. Auto bed leveling does not level the bed itself, it helps compensate for the bed not being leveled. Physically leveling is a tedious but a necessary process for 3D printing.  Having to level the bed every time you print without auto bed leveling involves making multiple adjustments: getting a corner in the right position, adjusting and verifying that other corners did not get out of alignment before rechecking.

The way that auto bed-leveling works is by analyzing several points on the bed and taking that data to calculate the plane that the print bed actually sits on. The calculations are done by modifying the software responsible for printing. The printer is then adjusted so that the printed objects are perpendicular to the bed, which is not leveled.

The only items you need are a servo and a switch. Both the servo and the switch will attach to 3D printed mounted parts. A servo allows the 3D printed arm to swing down, so that the switch can test several points on the bed. With this simple process it will make printing more proficient without too much prep work.

8B
Fig. 2

LCD/SD Smart Controller

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By Jessica Salazar – 3D Manufacturing

The smart controller is easily able to connect to your ramp’s board using the smart adapter, which is included. It contains an SD-card reader, a rotary encoder and a 20-character x4 line LCD display. The benefits to using a smart controller are that you don’t need a PC to connect to the microcontroller.  The SD card is powered by the smart controller with a g-code design stored on it allowing you to print your 3D designs.

The smart controller also allows you do actions like calibration and axis movements by using the rotary encoder on the smart controller. The rotary encoder is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to an analog to an analog or digital code.

E3D Hot End Nozzle

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By Jessica Salazar – 3D Manufacturing

A hot end usually refers to the tip of the extruder. The hot end nozzle allows plastic and other material to melt. The hot end uses materials that can stand up to ~240C heat (for current thermoplastic extrusion). With no PEEK or PTFE the all-metal hot end can withstand temperatures that surpass the thermoplastic extrusion levels.

The heated part provides highly precise extrusion. The short distance between from cold filament to molten plastic reduces extrusion and jamming providing higher quality printing. The supplied thermistor has a maximum temperature of 300ºC and compatible with most 3D printing systems.

The Bowden that we are using ships with 800mm of tubing. 

Features:

  • No PEEK or PTFE
  • Reach Extremely High Temperatures
    300ºC with supplied thermistor
    >400ºC with thermocouple (additional electronics may be required)
  • CNC Machined Parts
    High precision
    High quality surface finish
    Aesthetically Pleasing 
  • Prints almost every material (including PLA)
  • Short Thermal Transition
    Improves extrusion accuracy
    Reduces ‘blobbing’
    Lowers extrusion force
    Less retraction required
  • Easy Mounting
    Plenty of community designed mounts (e.g. Thingiverse)
    Designed to fit in 16mm Groove Mount (i.e. J-Head)

What is in the box?
Metal Parts

  • Aluminium Heatsink
  • Stainless Steel Heatbreak
  • Brass Nozzle (0.4mm)
  • Heater Block

Additional Parts

  • 100K Semitec NTC thermistor
  • 12v 40W Heater Cartridge
  • 12v 30x30x10mm fan
  • Fan Housing (Printed ABS)
  • High Temperature Fiberglass Wire – for Thermistor (150mm) 
  • 2 x 0.75mm Ferrules – for Solder-Free Wire Joins
  • Kapton Tape
  • Plastic Screws & Grub Screw
  • 2 x Pneumatic Couplings

800mm of PTFE

Bowden Extruder

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By Jessica Salazar – 3D Manufacturing

A Bowden extruder is part of a printer where there’s a flexible tube guiding a filament from the extruder motor also known as the cold end is located and the nozzle also called the hot end.  The separation of these two parts while running a tube between then would make it from a traditional extruder to a Bowden extruder.

The Direct Extruder

5A
Direct extruder

The diagram above shows a typical extruder. A geared motor pulls filament, driving it into the hot-end for melting. The extruder motor is right above the hot-end making the whole part heavier and having to use more force to move and print parts. A direct extruder will often look something like this:

The Bowden Extruder

5B

The diagram above shows the look of a Bowden extruder. Having the stepper motor moved from the top makes the hot end work at faster speed. The running a tube between above is generally made of Teflon.

Pros:
– Reduces the weight of the moving components
– Hot end can be moved with less force
– Faster speeds of printing

Sasha’s New Frame

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By Jessica Salazar – 3D Printing

4A

This frame is based on twelve pros designs. The printer is made of 3mm laser cut steel, making a structure very sturdy.

4B

 Pros:
– Steel is 10 times cheaper than aluminum
– Laser cutting steel is easier and cheaper than cutting aluminum
– Steel is stronger than aluminum

Cons:
– Steel is 3 times heavier than aluminum

4C

 The design of this structure was made with a lot of carvings in order to reduce weight.  These carvings, holes, tab and rounded corners where made to accommodate parts while providing a good fit.

4D

 

4E

Advanced 3D Printer Possible Improvements

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By Mustafa Alkhulaitit – Project Manager

3.rapman_closeup

After studying the company’s objectives, our group has decided on some of the possible improvements that can be applied on the 3D printer to meet those objectives. This blog is only to list the different possibilities without analyzing each and every one of them. Future blogs will include further analysis and research studies.

  • Frame upgrades – the frame of Sasha is to up upgraded to a stainless steel frame that would provide the printer with more durability.
  • Auto bed leveling
  • Dual extruder heads
  • All metal hot end
  • Auto calibration
  • Box enclosure
  • Bridging fan
  • Surface toning
  • LCD panel/SD reader
  • Heat bed

The first five upgrades will be our group’s top priority, since they meet most of the desired objectives.

Level 1 Objectives

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By Mustafa Alkhulaitit – Project Manager

There are multiple objectives for the advanced 3D printer project. Those objectives will eventually lead to the requirements of the group, where requirements will determine the type of upgrades and improvements that will apply to the printer.

The objectives can be summarized as follow:

  • Reliability – how reliable is the printer and the printed object
  • Elimination of shape restrictions – there are many shapes that cannot be printed by regular 3D printer
  • Repeatability – loss of precision after the first print
  • Resolution – how clear is the printed object
  • Reducing print time – time to setup and time to print

For each of our objectives, we will have a research study that will be posted in future blogs.

Introduction to 3D Printing

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By Mustafa Alkhulaitit- Project Manager
Gregorio Rios: 3D Modeling Division
Jessica Salazar: Manufacturing Division

The world of 3D printers is rapidly growing and expanding. New models are invented every day and new technologies are used in 3D printers. Lack of knowledge in this field will lead to confusion about the many different devices, models, and updates related to 3D printers. Therefore, the first step in our plan was to get familiar with 3D printers and technologies involved with them in order to determine our requirements and objectives.

Researching 3D printers will lead to a better understanding of 3D printers and, as a result, will give us a better opportunity to upgrade and improve Sasha, the 3D printer.  We will be able to easily figure out the best possible improvements that meet the company’s expectations.