Seb's Formbot 2.4 300mm Adventure

[sebster]

Background

I've really enjoyed improving and working with my Ender3 v2. Leaving it at that turned out not to be an option for me and my love for pushing the envelope. I was going to go for a Trident but Formbot will apparently take another month or two before the Trident Kits come out in a pro version. So here I am
Canbus and Tap are the mods that I definitely want to implement immediately. I work in IT so I'm ok with terminals etc. My ender is running Klipper and I love it.

Favourite Resources

• Manual looks thorough
• Printed Parts List to keep track of prints here on teamfdm
• @Buurman Thread

Questions

Outside Canbus and Tap, is there a mod that I should really be taking into consideration?

BFI: seems popular but would require ordering more parts presumably from Aliexpress. I'm hoping to use the default unless that is a really bad idea.

TAP: there are already newer mods out there but it seems like I should be ok in terms of value for money with a printed TAP. The reviews of the chaoticlab CNC version were mixed enough for me to be happy to give the printed version a go since the parts are included in the kit.

Grease: There are a lot of opinions around. I struggled to find Mobilux in private use quantities. I have ordered some but I'm not sure how long delivery will take. Liqui Moly was explicitly not recommended due to additives. I have connex machine grease which is recommended for bearings. Would that likely work? I couldn't find a meaningful data sheet. Is there an alternative grease sold on amazon (de)?

Cheers

I've mostly printed small ESP project cases so printing a Voron is the biggest print job I have ever started. So far it's looking good. The part design is amazing from everything I've seen.

Edited March 10 by sebster

[mvdveer]

1 hour ago, sebster said:

Outside Canbus and Tap, is there a mod that I should really be taking into consideration?

Beefy front idlers or Ramalama2 idlers.

Ellis bedfans.

Nozzle scrubber and purge bucket.

Panzer ball feet.

VeFach Filter.

or if you want a full list - see here

Looking forward to the build

 

[sebster]

Thanks for the links and inspiration. It seems BFI is worth it and I should have the components to build it. Otherwise I'll try to get the build set up before the complexity escalates. My ender is working overtime

If anybody has suggestions on the grease front I'm all ears

[zav3nd]

BFI has a printed part for an M5 BHCS instead of a 5mm rod. But there is probably someone selling the right length of rods within quick shipping distance from you.

 

Grease wise I resorted to what I had and just loaded my own syringe.

[sebster]

10 minutes ago, zav3nd said:

BFI has a printed part for an M5 BHCS instead of a 5mm rod. But there is probably someone selling the right length of rods within quick shipping distance from you.

Grease wise I resorted to what I had and just loaded my own syringe.

Thanks for the info @zav3nd

I have some M5s that should fit. If not I'll cut the heads off. Since it shouldn't impact the function or beauty of the machine I'll take the path of least resource use.

Hopefully my Mobilux will arrive soon otherwise I might test a rail with what I have on hand. Then again I don't need to rush through this project. The opposite is the case. My plan is to use this as a project to work on some of my less useful behavioural patterns. For the machine I have planned all parts should be on their way.

How do you guys organise big print jobs like printing parts for a voron?

I'm printing more than I ever have. I think I'll create on directory with all the parts that I have settled on and then print and label them. Then use directories and my excel sheet to track what I have printed.

If going fast was the goal I could print in the order that I will need the parts in. But that would mean swapping filament in and out which I don't want to do.

The plan is to batch into 4-10 hour print jobs that finish at times where I can start the next batch. So far the ender is working better than I had somehow feared. The parts aren't perfect but they look pretty good if you don't take out a magnifying glass.

[zav3nd]

I went a similar route on the printing, I put enough on to make it to a time where I could be home again. I averaged about 10 hour prints. Organizing the parts I based on the spreadsheet, I didn't make quite as many bags (XY, AB Drives, and Idlers all went into one instead of 3 different). The parts get used quicker than you would think and the pile diminishes fast. But keeping them grouped made it easier. Quite a few of the accent parts can be printed in a couple plates, then just have to sort them to the right set.

 

[claudermilk]

I also tried to set up print jobs so I was around when they finished. I printed up generally in subassembly groups and got large ziplock bags to keep them in. So X axis parts, electronics bay parts, tool head parts, etc.

I am still on printed Tap parts and the printer is working just fine. I'm keeping an eye on the CNC kits and will more than likely switch over to one eventually--I'd really like to get that 3mm travel back.

[Penatr8tor]

On 3/10/2024 at 7:05 AM, mvdveer said:

VeFach Filter.

Hmmmmm. Interesting. I was thinking of reworking my rear panel filter on my 2.4 Refurb.

I have 5 Hepa filters and a few sheets of carbon filter left over from my VzBot build. They're not the same size but... I have CAD and I will make adjustments.

[Penatr8tor]

1 hour ago, claudermilk said:

I am still on printed Tap parts and the printer is working just fine. I'm keeping an eye on the CNC kits and will more than likely switch over to one eventually--I'd really like to get that 3mm travel back.

Yep, that 3mm loss from the printed TAP rendered my nozzle brush null and void. I'm hoping I can claw back a millimeter or two with the Mellow CNC TAP I have. Fingers crossed.

[sebster]

The Kit has arrived! This is one of the best presents I have ever gotten myself. It was surprisingly satisfying to unpack.

The frame is assembled and seems square as British Royalty. My poor ender is putting in overtime in the back.

Avoiding unnecessary prints is a challenge. It seems The x gantry print will be replaced by the TAP. I did nazi that coming.

The only unidentified object as of now is this

What is that? I have not come across it anywhere and have no idea what it's for. Some clamp mount?

Grease is on the way. Tomorrow will probably be time to print the first round of accent parts. I still need to go through the stealthburner and TAP STLs as well.

[PFarm]

It attaches the SSR to the din rail.

 

Edited March 11 by PFarm

[mvdveer]

3 hours ago, sebster said:

What is that? I

The DIN mount for the SSR in the electronics bay

 

[atrushing]

8 minutes ago, PFarm said:

It attaches the SSR to the din rail.

You mean this isn't the new "mass production" TAP?!

[sebster]

9 hours ago, atrushing said:

You mean this isn't the new "mass production" TAP?!

I'm embarrassed to admit that the thought crossed my mind but I was pretty sure that it wasn't. SSR mount was honestly not something I knew even existed Everything else was labelled.

For all the conflict western media drums up, I'm really grateful for what the Chinese are doing. I can get micro-controllers delivered to my house from china cheaper than a pizza from next door. How is that even possible? Or this printer. Somebody had to put all the right amounts of parts into bags, and the bags into boxes and then send it around the globe.

So far I'm loving it. I'm starting to understand people building one voron after another. Hopefully it stays this way for me as well

[Penatr8tor]

Good luck on the build @sebster

I don't mean to scare you but... What is the black deck panel (the one under the print bed) made from? Is it acrylic? 

I ask because my 2.4 300 was built from a Formbot kit. The kit itself was really good BTW with good quality components. My problem was that the bottom deck panel couldn't withstand the rigors of heating and cooling over hundreds of prints and eventually warped. The deck panel I got with my kit, it's been close to 2 years now, came with a standard high gloss acrylic sheet. It's the one highlighted blue. Now, if you do have the glossy acrylic one, there are some things you can do without replacing the panel and obviously, you want to do these things before it warps. At a minimum print and install Deck Panel Support Clips. That will greatly minimize any potential warping in the future and also the headache of removing and re-installing every component in the electronics bay. If you want you can also buy a pre-cut deck panel made from ACM (best of all of them), Polycarbonate (Lexan), ABS and some have said that corrugated panels worked well. Regardless, the clips are worth printing and installing irrespective of what panels you have. Cheers.

Edited March 12 by Penatr8tor
Spelling of course

[PFarm]

 

@sebster I've had the same experience as @Penatr8tor with warpage. Recently replaced the bottom panel with the Aluminum Composite Panel, if you're going to use the clip suggested in the above post do a minimum of 4 clips per side. Before replacing the bottom panel I used these covers to secure the warped panel down. Extrusion covers bottom panel

[sebster]

Thanks @Penatr8tor and @PFarm for pointing this out. I can vaguely remember people having this issue. Telling plastics apart is not of my better skills. It looks to me like formbot have replaced this panel with a different version to what @Penatr8tor posted pics of. I think it is an aluminum composite with aluminum on one side (or both?). Initially I had mounted it with the aluminum side up but that looked bad so now I have the plastic side up. I tried to take a pic:

My ender has had its first minor hickup. The first plate of accent parts has a tiny layer shift. Not sure what caused it. It seemed the wheels on the xcarriage were a little too tight. For now I'll try to use the parts unless there is a tolerance issue somewhere. The shift looks to be less than 1mm.

Would you re-print or use this part?

I'm torn between "perfection" and wasting resources...

The second (12h!) accent plate is almost done. Hopefully I will then have all the functional parts that I need. Grease should arrive today so I can continue with the rails assembly.

Edited March 13 by sebster

[zav3nd]

6 hours ago, sebster said:

Would you re-print or use this part?

If it fits and isn't visible yes. (Especially that idler piece isn't very visible.)

 

But I'd also reprint later on.

[Penatr8tor]

@sebster Yup, that is an ACM (Aluminum Composit Material) panel. I'm guessing Formbot got the message and adjusted. Good to know.

Also, regarding skewed parts. If the part/s are small and don't take a long time to print then I just re-print them. If it's something that takes hours and it's not too bad, I let it slide. I printed Nevermore filter for my 2.4 refurb and got a little corner curl up on one of the larger parts. It didn't matter that much so I left it. Accent parts are visible and the stuff that everyone will see, IMO, needs to be nice looking.

BTW, Love the accent color. I used that color on my RatRig V-Minion.

[sebster]

@Penatr8tor that looks like an interesting little machine! There is something about adding a "girly" colour to a machine like this that makes me chuckle.

Instead of rushing through the build I'm really enjoying it. The parts are so well designed and beautiful, I feel like I'm learning through osmosis.

[mvdveer]

34 minutes ago, sebster said:

"girly" colour to a machine like this that makes me chuckle.

Yuo calling me girly?   I'm just in touch with my feminine side 

          

[claudermilk]

I'll add in my contribution to the pot. 

[MrSprinklz]

We purple posting? 

[sebster]

Purple Posting. I like

Degreasing the rails was easy (isoprop into a ziploc bag) but I wasn't sure on greasing them. The grease ports (if they are real) are tiny so I initially squeezed grease through one of the screw holes until it came through the carriage. I seem to remember seeing than maneuver in a video. It left two of the rails feeling pretty bumpy. I cleaned them again and then slid the carriage off the rail and applied grease directly to the balls using a toothpick. That worked so well that I repeated the procedure with all rails. They seem fine now. I used my finger as a rail to keep the balls in when sliding the carriage back on. Lots of grease and balls today

How do you guys grease your rails?

Edited March 15 by sebster

[MrSprinklz]

I grease mine the same way, through a screw hole. I normally leave the block on the rail, but if you need, one of the Voron Tap files is the mgn9 assembly tool that is perfect for taking blocks off the rails to clean. I'm not sure if someone has made one for mgn12 or an mgn7 one for V0.

Edit: some syringes come with very fine tips that work for directly greasing the bearings if you remove the block. usually the same tip you would use for the grease port *if it were real*

Edited March 15 by MrSprinklz
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