Complete Frame Remake

I have always been disappointed in the rigidity of the frame, the unsupported bed, and the creakyness of the enclosure itself. My printer has recently been down due to hotend leakage, and during the time waiting for new parts to be ordered I have reflected on these issues.

I don't feel like compromising with this anymore, and am ready to go all out. I plan to have a bed that only controls the Y axis, place the head on a gantry moving in X and Z, and have them all running on linear rails.
The new enclosure will be made out of steel tube, filled with epoxy-granite. To keep it more stable without adding to the surface area, I might even fill the base as a granite slab.

While I'm at it, has anyone experimented with using different beds? The heated bed is a great feature that I would like to keep, but I would also like to expand the working area while I am doing all of this.

I might post video updates as well if anyone is interested. For now I just needed to write this all out publicly so I can stop procrastinating with it.

 

I have built an R2 using the Hypercube frame and would gladly give you all of the info if you would like it. I use the R2 xy drive system and the Robo software/fimware. It is very rigid and I have been running it for over 6 months. I have found that the R2 is very good and I did not get the huge improvement I was expecting, and that is with a 4 post dual z drive. What I did get was a more open, larger printer that is easier to work on. I picked up a used R2 for under $400 and I think that unless you need a larger print area it is a better more cost effective way to go.

 

Expansion of the working area by a large amount is a must for this to be worth it, I've found that some of the larger enclosures I design have to be split in unfortunate ways to print on the stock heat bed. The frame I have in mind would be very similar to that of a small drilling center, only with an extra axis on the "column" instead of the table moving in X and Y.

My only problem with this project is the heated bed: I don't know where to start with implementing the new properties that would come with a larger surface. I'm looking for about 3x the surface area, which is a huge jump. I could probably use the same thermal sensor that came with the R2, but can a larger surface be powered by the original hardware? If not, what would I need to make it work?

 

I use a separate power supply (26v@15a) and driver board
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3D-Printer...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649.
With this you can drive any bed heater. My 12"x12" bed was slightly warped, and I do not see any way that you can get something that size absolutely flat. My solution was to get 3/16" thick hardened glass. This works well and lets me just swap out glass plates. The problem with a large bed is that the print head has weight. I went through the moment equations and found that the deflection in the center goes up dramatically as I increased the bed size. The 9" Robo design with the four 6mm rods has deflection less than .001" in the R2. Just going to 12" brings that to .004"

 

And that's where the linear rails and bearings come in! The head will be mounted to a machined flat, solid beam that moves up and down on a column. The tiny head will not deflect thick steel plate!

 

The Robo firmware is very programmable. I easily changed all of the dimensions for my remake. You can do the same, or I can do it for you and explain where and how the changes are.

 

Thanks a lot! The separate bed-heating system is really helpful, could make it easier to warm up the bed and enclosure before prints too! I'm looking at about 16" of printable area or more, and that solves most of the problems I have with this!

If I have any questions about adjusting the firmware I'll be sure to ask! Thanks!

 

I used the Ramps 1.4 boards for my remake. There is no need to cannibalize your R2. At partsbuilt.com you can purchase all of the boards and cables. If you let me have a sketch of what you want to do with the rails I will try and design up a print head that works with the existing boards and aluminum plate.