17
votes
Accepted
Why all the excitement about linear rails?
The following is a compilation of the input from a number of sources.
Linear rails in general are mechanical components that - when designing equipment - offer great flexibility.
The profile of the ...
- 4,775
10
votes
Accepted
What do linear rail codes mean?
MG stands for minature guideway.
N signifies narrow, whereas W means wide.
So, there is <...
- 6,688
9
votes
What grease to use for linear rails?
Don't use grease, it is better to use a light oil to lubricate the rods. A light oil will help flush out any dust and filament debris, grease will trap it.
I've used both light machine oil (like ...
- 37.1k
9
votes
Polyurethane-and-steel timing belts?
It's a question of what you want to use the belt for.
All Belts are subject to stress as they run around the motor and idlers and gears and bend. They will get eaten as they are subject to friction ...
- 22.5k
5
votes
Polyurethane-and-steel timing belts?
Belts come in several formulations. This page from McMaster-Carr lists several types of belts. The main materials (rubbers) are Neoprene and urethane, with fiberglass, Kevlar, and steel ...
- 4,591
5
votes
Classifying method of control of 3D printers?
The question is if robots classification terminology the textbook sketches applies to 3D printing?
Servos (closed loop) are used in robots to guarantee position (you don't want to accumulate an error ...
- 37.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Clearance between moving parts
Each printer will have different "print in place" tolerances, but you can find such a model with which to determine the numbers you seek.
One such item is on Thingiverse:
- 12k
4
votes
Which is a more accurate linear motion system?
I used a few different linear rail systems in my build:
plain smooth rods for Z motion
smooth rods bonded to a T-haped steel base for a 1200mm Y axis (similar to those at https://cdn.automationdirect....
- 3,227
4
votes
Accepted
Can linear guide rails be joined?
The answer is yes; and it's a normal thing to do.
https://www.igus.com/info/linear-guides-butting-rails-together
Basically you should only do it with rails from the same manufacturer and you might ...
- 2,448
4
votes
Accepted
What defines the 'straightness' of linear rods and how to measure it?
A common metric for straightness of shafts in industrial equipment is Total Indicated Runout (TIR). The shaft is placed in V-blocks or ball bearing rollers at its bearing journals. Runout is checked ...
- 521
3
votes
Accepted
Can I lubricate the timing belts to prevent squeaking against pulleys?
The pulleys on nearly every 3D printer I've seen are held in place on the stepper motor shaft with a grub screw. A bit of rotation of the pulley should bring into view this screw, which will use a ...
- 12k
3
votes
Use external sensor
The standard G code of "wait one second" is G04 X1 on many CNC machines. Does this code exists on 3D printers as well?
Yes. The exact set of commands supported by a given printer will ...
- 500
3
votes
Use external sensor
G4 is the "Dwell" command in Marlin, so you could specify a wait duration using it. Note that the time parameter is designated using S for seconds and/or P for milliseconds:
...
- 495
2
votes
Accepted
GRBL: inaccurate on X axis by ~4 mm on 400 mm
This seems to be either a case of either belt slop or missed steps or it is a case of the accuracy of the limit switch.
If the limit switch moves even a little into either direction, you have to ...
- 22.5k
2
votes
Polyurethane-and-steel timing belts?
I have recently changed the standard belts on my Prusa MK3 for the aramid fiber reinforced E3D neoprene belts. Those belts are really tough and hard to cut even with a quality side cutter! They have a ...
2
votes
Accepted
Robotdigg linear guide not smooth motion
Difficult to say with the given data, but here are a couple of ideas:
First theory:
The belt is too thin/flexible for the linear guide.
Linear guides remove the backslash by adding quite some ...
- 300
2
votes
Accepted
What type of kinamatics is 3D Gence One using?
I'm can't say for sure, since this is my first time seeing this type of 3D printer configuration too, but I think this is a cartesian style printer. If you think about it, it is similar to a Prusa-...
- 411
2
votes
Incorrect beginning Z movement
Your printer probably has an issue with binding in the lower region (binding means extra friction possibly causing the Z stepper to skip steps). Disconnect the lead screw an manually move the X gantry ...
- 37.1k
2
votes
Accepted
Y-axis on KP3S Kingroon only moves in one direction
The answer might just be replace the mother board.
If I understood everything correctly there are 5 things to check to break down the problem:
the motor,
the cable,
the stepper connection,
the ...
2
votes
Accepted
CraftBot XL (CoreXY) part of x-axis movement resistance / high force required
I'm going to answer this myself, as I believe I have found the issue. It was purely a mechanical issue.
On this particular model, the extruder motor rides just on top of / above the crossbar that the ...
- 143
1
vote
How should I implement the Z-axis in a fixed build plate 3D printer?
Both are viable.
There are classic CoreXY printers where the extruder is moving along a gantry that slides along two rails which are moved up and down by four vertical lead screws in the corners. It's ...
- 372
1
vote
Are resonances of belt driven carriage strongly direction dependent? Mitigations?
No, at least not to the extent the above result suggests. I had the idea to try rotating the piece 180° around the Z axis, and got nearly the same effect: low ringing in the middle segment, strong ...
1
vote
Which material should I use to print a mounting adapter for the y-carriage?
Any thermoplastic is a bad choice to carry a heated bed. For an unheated bed, monolithic (cast, not printed) acrylic plate of sufficient thickness can be used.
To get the needed stiffness and ...
- 22.5k
1
vote
Is it an issue when X-axis rods are able to slide in their mounting bracket?
If the x-axis rods only move in the x axis then there’s no problem, but if they aren’t firmly secured in the other axes then there could be issues. If they’re able to move then presumably they aren’t ...
- 131
1
vote
Classifying method of control of 3D printers?
Upon further research these defined classes of control (from a robotics perspective) only apply to servo motors.
At the highest level the methods of control being categorised as:
Servo
Non-Servo
...
- 433
1
vote
Classifying method of control of 3D printers?
3D Printers fall under additive manufacturing and then can be classified by the material first. Usually, the material dictates entirely what the design looks like and it would be foolish to not ...
- 22.5k
1
vote
Should I Opt For Linear Rails With Belts OR Linear Rails With Ball Screws For A Cartesian Style Printer?
At the limit, precision is limited by the achievable positioning accuracy of the motors and the mechanical reflection of that precision into a linear position.
With a belt drive, the mechanical ...
- 4,591
1
vote
Should I Opt For Linear Rails With Belts OR Linear Rails With Ball Screws For A Cartesian Style Printer?
In many years of building printers I only used ball screws for the Z-axis, and even then only for larger Makerbot and Ultimaker style designs that had a heavy platform.
Even for the Z-axis, a good ...
- 189
1
vote
How do you call the Z-axis mechanism in a Cartesian 3D Printer?
Linear actuator would be the proper name for the mechanism driving the movement along a single axis. There are 2 linear actuators driving the X-axis platform (for a Prusa i3 Cartesian printer, or the ...
- 37.1k
1
vote
Polyurethane-and-steel timing belts?
I do not believe the standard rubber/plastic belts have any significant stretching over time, nor do they stretch under drive motor force during acceleration (and in any case, extrusion takes place ...
- 3,051
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