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1 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
This project describes the design of a very low budget 3D Printer that is mainly built out of
recycled electronic components. The result is a small format printer for less than 100$.
First of all, we learn how a generic CNC system works (by assembling and calibrating
bearings, guides and threads) and then teach the machine to respond to g-code
instructions. After that, we add a small plastic extruder and give an overview on plastic
extrusion calibration, driver power tuning and other few operations that will bring the printer
to live. Following this instructions you will get a small footprint 3D Printer that is built with
about an 80% of recycled components, which gives it a great potential and helps to reduce
the cost significantly.
On one side you get an introduction to machine building and digital fabrication and on the
other side you get a small 3D Printer built out of reused electronic parts. This should help
us to be more conscious about the big problems related with e-waste generation.
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-e...
24/03/2015 20:48
2 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Needed components:
2 standard CD/DVD drives from an old PC.
1 Floppy disc drive.
We can get this components at no cost in a waste station in our neibourhood. We want to
make sure that the motors we get from the Floppy disc drives are stepper motors and not
DC motors.
Components:
3 stepper motors from the CD/DVD drives
1 NEMA 17 stepper motor that we will have to buy. We use this type of motor for the plastic
extruder where more power is needed to drive the plastic filament.
CNC electronics: RAMPS or RepRap Gen6/7. It is important than we can use the
Sprinter/Marlin open firmware. In the present example we use RepRap Gen6 electronics
but you can choose according to price and availability.
PC power supply.
Cables, female connectors, heat-shrink tube.
The first thing we want to do once we have the mentioned stepper motors is to solder the
cables to them. In this case its 4 cables for which we should maintain the corresponding
color sequence (described in the data sheet).
24/03/2015 20:48
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http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
The first thing we want to do once we have the mentioned stepper motors is to solder the
cables to them. In this case its 4 cables for which we should maintain the corresponding
color sequence (described in the data sheet).
Data sheet for CD/DVD stepper motors: http://robocup.idi.ntnu.no/wiki/images
/c/c6/PL15S...
Data sheet for the NEMA 17 stepper motor: http://www.pbclinear.com/Download/DataSheet
/Stepp...
Next step is to prepare the power supply in order to use it for our project. First of all we
connect the two cables with each other (as indicated in the picture) to allow the direct
power-up with the supply's switch. After that we select one yellow (12V) and one black
cable (GND) to power the controller.
24/03/2015 20:48
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Now we are going to check the motors. For that purpose we need to download the Arduino
IDE (a physical computing environment) that can be found at: http://arduino.cc/en/Main
/Software.
We need to download and install the Arduino 23 version of it.
After that we want to download the firmware. We have chosen Marlin which is already
configured and can be downloaded under:
Marlin: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Wa...
Once we have installed Arduino, we will connect our computer with the CNC-Controller
Ramps/Sanguino/Gen6-7 with an USB cable, we will choose the corresponding serial port
under Arduino IDE tools/serial port and we will select the controller type under tools/board
(Ramps(Arduino Mega 2560), Sanguinololu/Gen6(Sanguino W/ ATmega644P Sanguino
has to be installed inside Arduino )).
Main parametres explanation, all of the cofiguration parameters are in the configuration.h
file:
In the Arduino environment we will open the firmware that we already downloaded
File/Sketchbook/Marlin and we will see some configuration parameters before we upload
the firmware on our controller.
1) #define MOTHERBOARD 3 value, according to the actual hardware we are using
(Ramps 1.3 or 1.4 = 33, Gen6 = 5, ).
2) Thermistor 7 value, RepRappro htoend uses Honeywell 100k.
3) PID this values makes our hot end more stable in terms of temperature.
4) Steps per unit, this is a very important point in order to configure any controler (step 9)
Printer control software: there are different freely available programs that will allow us to
interact and control the printer (Pronterface, Repetier, ) we are using Repetier Host,
which you can download from http://www.repetier.com/.
It's easy
to install and integrates a slicer. The slicer is a piece of software that generates a sequence
of sections of the object we want to print, associates those sections with layers and
generates g-code for the machine. Slicers can be configured through parameters like layer
4 de 18 height, printing speed, infill, and others, that are important for the printing quality.
24/03/2015 20:48
5 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
of sections of the object we want to print, associates those sections with layers and
generates g-code for the machine. Slicers can be configured through parameters like layer
height, printing speed, infill, and others, that are important for the printing quality.
Usual slicer configurations can be found under following links:
Skeinforge configuration http://fabmetheus.crsndoo.com/wiki/index.php/Skeinforge
Slic3r configuration http://manual.slic3r.org/
In our case we have the Skeinforge profile configuret for the printer, that you can integrate
in the reperier host software.
Skeinforge profile link: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Waste
/Skeinforge_profile_for_e_waste.zip
We are now ready to test the printer motors. Connect the computer and the machine
controller using an USB cable (the motors should be connected to their corresponding
drivers). Run Repetier Host and activate the connection between software and controller by
choosing the corresponding serial port. If the connection was successful, you will be able to
control the attached motors using the manual controls at the right.
In order to avoid an overheating of the motors during the regular use, now we will regulate
the current intensity that every motor can get. This is an important operation in order to
avoid motor overheating or step loss.
24/03/2015 20:48
6 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
the current intensity that every motor can get. This is an important operation in order to
avoid motor overheating or step loss.
For this we will connect just one motor at a time and we will repeat the operation for every
axis. For that we will need a multimeter attached in series between the power supply and
the controller. The multimeter has to be set in Amp mode (current): see figure ?.
We then connect the controller to the computer again, power it and measure the current
with the multimeter. When we manually activate the motor using the Repetier interface, the
current should rise by a certain amount of milliamperes (which is the current that goes to
the activated stepper motor). For every axis a slightly different current is needed depending
on the job that every stepper has to carry out. You will have to adjust the small
potentiometer on the stepper driver and set the current limitation for every axis according to
the following reference values:
The board drives a current of approximately 80mA
We assign a current of 200mA to the X and Y-axis steppers.
400mA for the Z-axis because it needs more power to lift the carriage.
400mA for the extruder motor because it is of a bigger type.
In the following link you will find the necessary templates to laser cut the frame parts that
are not recycled. We have used 5mm thick acrylic plates but you can use other materials,
like wood, according to availability and price.
Laser Cut file: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Waste/CAD_Frame
/e-waste_laser_frame.dwg
The design of the frame makes it possible to build the machine without glue: all the parts
are assembled using mechanical joints and screws. Before you laser-cut the frame parts,
make sure to adapt the motor hole positions according to the CD/DVD parts you have
recycled. You will have to measure and modify the holes in the CAD template.
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7 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Although the downloaded Marlin firmware already has a standard calibration for the axis
resolution, you will have to go through this step if you want a precise printer. Here you will
tell the firmware the steps per millimeter that your machine actually needs. This value
depends on the steps per revolution of your motor and on the size of the thread in the
driving rod of your axes. By doing that we make sure that the movement of the machine
actually corresponds to the distances in the g-code.
Knowing how to do that will allow you to build a CNC-machine of your own with
independence of the component types and sizes.
In this case, X, Y and Z axes have the same threaded rods so the calibration values will be
the same for them (but that might not be the your case if you use different components for
the different axes).
We will have to calculate how many motor steps are needed to move the carriage 1mm.
This depends on:
The pulley radius.
The steps per revolution of our Stepper motor.
The micro-stepping settings in the electronics (in our case 1/16, which means that for one
step signal, only 1/16 of a step is performed, giving a higher precision to the system).
We set this value in the firmware (stepspermillimeter).
For the Z axis:
Using the Controller interface (Repetier) we tell the Z axis to move a certain distance and
measure the actual displacement.
As an example, we tell it to move 10mm and measure a 37.4mm displacement.
Being N the number of steps defined in stepspermillimeter in the firmware (X=80, Y=80,
Z=2560, EXTR=777.6).
N = 2560
N = N*10/37.4
The new value should be 682.67.
We repeat this for 3 or 4 times recompiling and reloading the firmware to the controller, so
that we get a better precision.
In the present project we have not used end-stops in order to build a more affordable
machine but they could be incorporated easily and the firmware is ready for them. Heaving
end-stops makes homing the machine more easy. The lack of them will force us to bring
the machine manually to the origin of the printing area.
We are ready for a first test, we can use a pen to test if the distances in the drawing are
correct.
24/03/2015 20:48
8 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
The filament drive is composed of a NEMA 17 stepper motor and an MK7/MK8-type drive
gear that you will have to buy. You will also have to 3D-print the direct-drive extruder parts,
which you can download here.
1) Extruder idle: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Wa...
2) Extruder body: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Wa...
3) Hot end Holder: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Wa...
The filament, after being pulled into the extruder by the filament driver, is then fed to the
heater chamber or hot end. Between filament drive and hot-end, the filament is guided
inside a flexible teflon tube.
We will assemble the direct-drive as seen in the picture (Fig X.) attach the stepper motor to
it and attach the whole to the main acrilic frame.
In order to calibrate the flow of plastic we have to fit a piece of the plastic filament and
mesure a distance (for example 100mm), put a piece of tape in this. Then go to Repetier
Software and click extrude 100mm, mesure the real distance and repeat the Step 9
(operation).
24/03/2015 20:48
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Now the machine should be ready for the first test. Our extruder uses 1.75mm plastic
filament which is easier to extrude and more flexible than the 3mm diameter standard. This
will require less power to drive our small machine than the 3mm filament would. We will be
using PLA plastic which is a bio-plastic and has some advantages compared to ABS: it
melts at lower temperature, it attaches easily to the printing bed and it has very little
retraction.
Now, in Repetier Host, we want to activate the slicing profiles that are available for the
Skeinforge slicer. You can download some profiles from the following link.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/67249288/e-Was...
We want to start printing a small calibration cube (10x10x10mm) because it will print very
fast and we will be able to detect configuration problems and motor step loss by checking
the actual size of the printed cube.
So, to start printing, open an STL model and slice it using a standard profile (or one you
downloaded) with the Skeinforge slicer: we will see a representation of the sliced object
and the corresponding g-code. We will preheat the extruder, and when it has reached the
plastic fusion temperature (190-210C depending on the plastic brand) extrude some
material (press extrude) to see if the hot-end and the filament drive are working properly.
9 de 18 We bring the extrusion head to the origin coordinates (x=0, y=0, z=0) taking care that the
24/03/2015 20:48
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
plastic fusion temperature (190-210C depending on the plastic brand) extrude some
material (press extrude) to see if the hot-end and the filament drive are working properly.
We bring the extrusion head to the origin coordinates (x=0, y=0, z=0) taking care that the
head is as close as possible to the bed without touching it (take a paper as separator). That
will be the home position for the extrusion head. From there we can start printing.
Paso 11:
10 de 18
javierdemartin
Hi there,
9 hours ago
I'm on my way to build this printer and as another comment said I have
everything wired up and connected to the Ramps and charged a test code I
found that moves all the motors and heats up the extruder correctly. But when it
comes to use Repetier Host I can't get it to work, I've set up a printer and
connected to it but all the commands qeue so I cannot move anything, how is
the proper way to set up this printer in Repetier Host?
Thanks in advance.
Responder
J-M-Z
Hi everyone , and be the force be with you. Or the darkside, it's your choice.
So below some pics of my product made from 3dvd drives, some acrylic plates
from an old floppy box ( remember what it is men ? ) for the structure. And also
metallic plate from ikea for the hot end fan.
a day ago
24/03/2015 20:48
11 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Responder
nicotina
hi! question, how to identificate the cables of the motor stepper? y can not
identificacion!! help plz :(
2 days ago
Responder
copystring
nicotina
2 days ago
you need a multimeter. alternatively you attempt to find the matches with
trial and error
Responder
2 days ago
opie071
Just wanted to put this out to help with testing. Reprap forum has a test code for
the ramps 1.4 board. Works great to check all motors and electronics. Using leds
to check motors, jump two motor connections and spin the motor, if the led blinks
the motor is good. Leds will also work to check electronics without the possibility
of burning a motor. I still cant get repetier to work properly but God willing I will
find the solution.
Responder
stuffing
also... i can measure the 200mA on the x and y axis but according to the
voltmeter the z axis and the extruder motor pots can not go over 250mA. not
sure how to set them to 400 mA as indicated here. this is a ramps 1.4 with the
iduino (it's not misspelled) mega board. again, any help will be appreciated.
2 days ago
Responder
2 days ago
stuffing
following the instructions here and after successfully uploading the marlin
firmware i'm trying to get the repeater host application to talk to the board. at
connection attempt i can see on the bottom of the repeater window a message
saying it can not recognize the firmware. and then it promptly barfs and becomes
unresponsive. i have everything wired and setup ready to go but this repeater
host thing is not that great. any help will be appreciated. is there any other
repeater i can use?
thanks
Responder
iagobag
Hello . I'm new mebro this site , and would love to develop this printer to a
scientific project here at my university faculty . Well, I already have some
components for the printer and would like to know if someone has already
created could guide me if some doubts arise ? Thank you all !
2 days ago
Responder
copystring
2 days ago
24/03/2015 20:48
12 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Responder
copystring
2 days ago
Nearly finished it. Just need to find a bed for it. Thinking of a glass tile from a diy
shop.
Responder
Science in my blood
Thanks in advance
6 days ago
Responder
Science in my blood
Sir, Can I use MakerBot Software for 3d printing
6 days ago
Responder
SimpleEvan
This looks awesome, I'm going to try it out
6 days ago
Responder
6 days ago
mattjmadsen
When I attempt to verify the firmware, I get errors. Tried several versions of
Arduino and Marlin; Still having troubles. Any suggestions? I'd start debugging,
but I feel I'm having a larger issue if it won't compile and no one else has asked...
Appreciate any help!
7 days ago
litooangel
Maybe this question is asked already, but, What extruder are you using? Thank
you, is the last thing that i need for start this project.
Responder
10 days ago
chenying
Under step 2 "Preparing the motors" the pictures show a black 4 pin connector
that is soldered to wires. Can that connector be found in computers on
motherboards? If so are they 0.1" pin headers?
Responder
24/03/2015 20:48
13 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Responder
Bitpharked
7 days ago
chenying
Yes you can, in fact you can use 2 x 2 pin if you wish.
Responder
fallenhawk
9 days ago
chenying
wilkattt
HI, I am new to 3d printers and all sorts of building electronics. Can someone
please help me and list all the parts needed to build this project.
9 days ago
Responder
patrickhausmann13
wilkattt
7 days ago
You can recycle not many parts from floppy disk drives...
Responder
wilkattt
9 days ago
wilkattt
also can you clarify which items can be salvaged from an old pc and which
have to be purchased. Thanks
Responder
ignacio.naval
I can replace the ramps with an arduino?
10 days ago
Responder
Bitpharked
ignacio.naval
No, you need both the ardunio board and the ramps board. See my
comment above on how it works.
8 days ago
Responder
22 days ago
fe1od1or
Can anyone direct me to where I can get a CNC controller? I've looked around
online, but every one I've seen is rather expensive.
Responder
Bitpharked
fe1od1or
22 days ago
24/03/2015 20:48
14 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Responder
fe1od1or
Bitpharked
21 days ago
Thanks!
Responder
Bitpharked
fe1od1or
21 days ago
No worries, but this board doesn't control a 3d printer. I Use this one to
run my cnc and works great
Responder
symptome
Bitpharked
18 days ago
Hi,
What's differences between this board and a complete arduino ?
Responder
Bitpharked
symptome
14 days ago
Not sure what you mean by a complete ardunio, but heres the best way I
can explain it. Ardunio boards are programmable boards. You send
certain firmware to this board to carry out specific functions. One of the
boards you can attach to this is a ramps board. The ardunio board is
loaded with the software to run or command the ramps board (which is a
program that runs the ramps board to function as a 3D printer.) A
common firmware to load on ardunio for the running of the ramps board
is Marlin (there are others) Now the ramps board (not the ardunio board)
to operate correctly, need, to have its own power supply attached to it to
so it can run 3-5 motors, a hot end and in some cases a hot bed. A
standard pc power supply (between 400-600 watts) and 10 amps and
upwards (depending on setup of 3d printer) can be used to achieve. DO
NOT PLUG IN A POWER SUPPLY MENTIONED ABOVE TO THE
ARDUNIO BOARD, these only require 5 volts to turn on and upload
software to the board and thats all they are intended for. The CNC V3
board with an ardunio works the same way as above. I use both boards
for my projects and they work well. Everything I have learnt about these
boards and basics of programming these boards is on the internet.
Responder
symptome
Bitpharked
8 days ago
Thanks for your reply, that exactly what i was looking for.
Responder
Bitpharked
symptome
8 days ago
StuartD1
How did you make the extruder? also, What are the dimensions for the CNC
template?
8 days ago
Responder
24/03/2015 20:48
15 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
template?
Responder
10 days ago
nicotina
No entiendo de que manera conectar el Power Supply al RAMPS, tengo miedo
de quemar todo, saludos.
Responder
nicotina
hello, while I understand that I have to do bridge with green and black cables,
wires must not understand that adapt to RAMPS 1.4, I need your help!
10 days ago
Responder
patrickhausmann13
My first print results *_*
10 days ago
Responder
GaryC3
made it!
13 days ago
Here are some initial results. Clearly, there is still some work to do, but I'm happy with
progressing to printed cubes, even if they're missing some height (due to issues with
melting filament too quickly and having to stop everything).
What helped me most recently was 1) using a motor from a floppy for Z, as mentioned by
@BenAHudson and others and 2) lining up the extruder with the hot end (have not really
tried a teflon tube like was used above).
Is it just torque that makes the floppy motors useful for Z? I think it is something other than
torque, but it is key that this type of motor does not move freely when being pushed (by the
filament) like some other motors I'm working with.
Responder
24/03/2015 20:48
16 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
Responder
fallenhawk
GaryC3
12 days ago
GaryC3
fallenhawk
11 days ago
Thanks!
The motor for the z axis must allow the extruder to push the filament into
the hot end, the motor must provide some resistance, (i.e. it must push
back). The DVD/CD-ROM motors that I've encountered do not allow that,
rather they get pushed down, the extrusion doesn't occur, the z axis
doesn't lift, etc.
Responder
nicotina
whats is the original size? the A4 not is
11 days ago
Responder
GaryC3
14 days ago
made it!
Here are some initial results. Clearly, I still have some learning to do, but I'm happy with
progressing to printed cubes, even if they're missing some height (due to issues with
melting filament too quickly and having to stop everything).
What helped me most recently was 1) using a motor from a floppy for Z, as mentioned by
@BenAHudson and others and 2) lining up the extruder with the hot end (have not really
tried a teflon tube like was used above).
Is it just torque that makes the floppy motors useful for Z? I think it is something other than
torque, but it is key that this type of motor does not move freely when being pushed (by the
filament).
Responder
Bitpharked
GaryC3
12 days ago
24/03/2015 20:48
17 de 18
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
have different heat settings as well (I found mine on the net) I have 4
different colors and each one has a different heat setting. ABS cannot
really be used for this type of 3d Printer, as it requires a heated bed for
good ashesion for the builds. PLA is fine for an unheated bed setup, and
most use builders tape on the bed to get good adhesion on the first layer.
Fans are used for PLA to keep it cool as it has a tendancy to create
blocakages in the nozzle, and create uneven lays of plastic. The fan
cools it down quicker to reduce the chance of blobbing of the plastic.
There is an easy method of unblocking PLA from a nozzle that can be
found on the net. Good work...you are on your way!!!
Responder
GaryC3
Bitpharked
11 days ago
AKKID
does anyone know how old the pc has to be in order to have a disk drive as
shown in this tutorial ?
21 days ago
Responder
VitalyP
18 days ago
AKKID
AKKID
11 days ago
VitalyP
11 days ago
technobe
You can find the 3-D printed parts on eBay. Just look for 3-D printer direct drive
extruder parts.
Responder
18 days ago
SimonJ4
Really interesting article. I have a slight issue with the '3D-print the direct-drive
extruder parts'
Bitpharked
SimonJ4
You wil have to spend a little extra on a motor (nema 17) and feeder. But
the good thing is , once you master this project and want to make
14 days ago
24/03/2015 20:48
18 de 18
Bitpharked
http://www.instructables.com/id/eWaste-60-3DPrinter/?lang=es&AL...
SimonJ4
14 days ago
You wil have to spend a little extra on a motor (nema 17) and feeder. But
the good thing is , once you master this project and want to make
something bigger, you can re-use them. Heres a link for a filament feeder
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3D-Printer-Filament-Feeder-ExtruderFeed-Upgrade-Fit-Nema-17-Motor-RepRap/191449385041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item2c9345c851.
I get my motors from BANGGOOD.com for arounf $17. I think its a great
project to understand the mechanics and programming of 3d printers,
and once you have mastered it, you can move onto bigger things!!!! And
if you loose interest, sell the motor and feeder on to someone else, there
is a huge 3d Printer community out there.
Responder
Bitpharked
Bitpharked
14 days ago
By the way, with this filament feeder I mentioned above, I threaded the
top so I could attach a bowden tube to the hotend
Responder
15 days ago
csh98
hello! my friends and I are building a 3d printer for a school work but we lack the
extruder. Someone can tell us where we can to get one in Spain? thank you
Responder
Bitpharked
csh98
14 days ago
24/03/2015 20:48