Hello from France

[Flob74]

Hi everyone,

I'm Florian, I live in France, in Haute-Savoie. And my hobby is to build, repair and upgrade things with a 3D printer. My goal is to have my own "prototyping laboratory".

I started to design a cost-effective 3D printer 3 years ago during my studies. Specifications : budget <500€, printable size 400x400x400mm and sourcing parts from China (as VAT were free) or 3D printed in the school's FabLab. I ended up with a working core XY 3d printer, Marlin 2.0 powered, but the X axis wasn't rigid enough. It was a very interesting, and I learned a lot about 3D printers. That's all that matters.

Recently, I got a "really big" problem  : my alarm clock died And as it would be too easy to buy another one , I got the "stupid idea" to design my own connected alarm clock that answer my specifications. So I need to homemade wood parts, a PCB, and 3D printed parts.

As I started working, I got more budgets for my hobby, I fall in love with the Voron 2.4 (flying gantry system, linear axis, Klipper, opensource ). So last summer, I anticipated the euro's fall against the dollar and I bought a 350mm Formbot kit . After considering sourcing myself every parts, I found that it was (for me) considerably more cost-effective to buy a kit. I also buy the Voron's ABS parts on Etsy. I spend a full week to build a working Voron 2.4 for PLA, and about a month to get the printer ready for printing ABS (klicky probe, panels latches, nozzle scrubber, stealthburner...).

I am enhancing the Vorons to be sure to print perfect parts for the skirt. I replace the formbot PEI bed for an Energetic 3D (incledible quality gap !), I replace the E3D hotend for a TriangleLab's Dragon HF hotend (I love sometime the 0.8 nozzle) and I would like to add a Mellow Fly's SB2040, LED strips and a webcam. Now I am trying to install the SB2040 that will unlock the input shaper milestone. And while I disassemble some electric stuff, I will add some led strips. What a schedule !

Besides that, I used the Voron to print 3D parts for repair and enhance a cnc 3018 Pro. It's a small 250W milling machine, all-aluminium that cost me less that 200€ in second-hand. But it needs some cable management and emergency stop.

 

Well, that's all for my presentation. Thanks for reading !

[smirk]

Hi Florian!

Welcome aboard and good to have you here. Sounds like you have a lot of skills and experience to share with the community. I look forward to hearing how you develop your 2.4 further - as you will notice from others, here, there is lot that can be modded and enhanced

[claudermilk]

Welcome again to the forum! Sounds like a lot of cool projects. Do you have any pictures of your self-designed printer?

These days the kits make more sense. I built my printer just when the first waves of what Nero 3D dubbed "BOM in a box" kits and they were questionable. Now with LDO's quality kits out and competition having to chase that standard it seems the kits are much better now.

I'd be interested in your 3018 project. I'm currently looking at the DIY CNC rabbit hole and the MPCNC has been really tempting.

[mvdveer]

Welcome Florian. A wealth of knowledge there. Thanks for the interesting introduction.

8 hours ago, Flob74 said:

After considering sourcing myself every parts, I found that it was (for me) considerably more cost-effective to buy a kit.

I came to same conclusion. Self sourced parts for 3 Vorons but postage just got too expensive. The latest build was in kit form, and I won't go back to self-sourcing again. 

[Flob74]

On 11/6/2022 at 4:24 PM, claudermilk said:

Welcome again to the forum! Sounds like a lot of cool projects. Do you have any pictures of your self-designed printer?

These days the kits make more sense. I built my printer just when the first waves of what Nero 3D dubbed "BOM in a box" kits and they were questionable. Now with LDO's quality kits out and competition having to chase that standard it seems the kits are much better now.

I'd be interested in your 3018 project. I'm currently looking at the DIY CNC rabbit hole and the MPCNC has been really tempting.

Sorry for the delay.

If you're interested this his how to NOT design a 3D printer. (maybe with a more rigid X axis it could be really better). I don't have the time yet to modify it. But I hope the Voron will help me to do it someday. Every red part was printed by a Zortrax M200 (FabLab74), and white parts were printed by the printer itself.

(yes, i'm selling it for those who knows the website, it takes too much space with the Voron)

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And this is my mod for the 3018 Pro:

I manage to make it move, but I didn't try to etch PCB yet. I add the cable-chain, the emergency button, a new fan, 3 enstops, the power-supply holder and a hall-effect tachymeter (that need a 7 segments display and an attiny85 board). And i'm waiting to receive two micro laser to display a laser target. And I still have some cable management to do. And a PCB to modify the endstop connectors on the motherboard.

For the spindle, I'm didn't make a decision. I will try and if the spindle is not fast enough, i will try to upgrade for a brushless motor (but these pieces and theyr controllers are really expensives for high power).

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And, for thoses who are interrested about my Voron, this is it :

  

It is still being modified. I added the last weekend the SB2040 to the Stealthburner (that why there is a fan, for the TMC2209 and the RP2040). I just love RGBs effects ! But it was totally motivated by the need to illuminate the part for the future webcam, not for turning the room into a night club . (OV5640 160°with autofocus)

Edited November 21, 2022 by Flob74