Delta build (with videos)
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I'm currently working on a Delta printer of my own design - 800 mm vertical rails based on the MakerSlide profile, 400 mm horizontal 2020 extrusions, magnet arms and - of course - Duet controlled. I'm taking some footage along the way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSrgxVcQdWA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRScnpT1RcA
At the end of the second video, you can see the first movements (although still without the arms - I've already mounted them, but the video still needs to be cut). I'm really impressed how quiet the setup with the DuetWifi and the 0.9° stepper motors is so far. (The MeanWell power supply - now that's a different issue. "Quiet" is not what would come to mind…). The Duet was relatively easy to setup so far, although I'm seeing some weird connectivity issues. I'm attributing that to the cheap tablet I'm using to access the DuetWifi rather than the printer though. -
I've now assembled the arms and checked for effector tilt using a spirit level (is that what it's called?). Won't know more until I get the print bed, which is somehow delayed in production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnhrKwNJCBU -
The print bed finally arrived. I had to change the arm joints a bit because there was way too much play in it. I've mounted the IR probe and so far, I'm happy with the results, even though it's technically a delta plotter rather than a delta printer at the moment…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3biL1VWBWKI -
Lots of other stuff going on at the moment, so unfortunately, the printer will have to wait… Anyway, in the meantime, I got the LCD panel mounted inside a case and had the heated bed isolated.
https://youtu.be/D6qnkeS8BVI -
sigh Long time no vid… At least I finally got the power distribution set up, and the bed is heating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jAG9W-Nybo -
Great documentation! Looking forward to seeing more.
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Nice build, very neat! I subscribed.
Are those black corner pieces printed? Would be really great if they were available in aluminium…
And the design of the arm ends is really nice. Did you design this yourself? Though I'd probably rather go with bal/up arms... -
Are those black corner pieces printed? Would be really great if they were available in aluminium…
Yes, all of the brackets are printed (and designed to be printable on a rather cheap chinesium printer). Here's an example file: https://github.com/vwegert/Deltonator/blob/master/parts/printed/head.stl
And the design of the arm ends is really nice. Did you design this yourself? Though I'd probably rather go with bal/up arms…
I originally had the intention to use this machine for other stuff besides 3D printing. Although I have mostly given up on that idea, I still plan to outfit it with a Diamond clone or maybe a dual extruder for soluble support material at some point. That would make the effector and the cable and bowden tube harness rather heavy, and I was concerned that the weight of the effector might cause it to detach from the magnets. I came across this design here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1239984 and decided to adapt it. The main advantage is simply that the magnets only have to keep the joint tight in all directions - the main lifting forces are handled structurally. Another advantage might be that, should the head crash into the bed or printed part too severely, it can lift up and out of the way, hopefully avoiding further damage. But we'll see how well it will work in the end. Unfortunately, due to some otherwise very positive developments, I haven't been able to free up much time for this build during the last months. The fact that someone has dropped the remains of an eShapeoko 1.1 in my lap recently (ouch) does not appear to help either…
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Really great work Volker, and beautiful videos! I'm currently up to the wiring phase on my delta so this last video was especially inspiring for the thorough, clean and thoughtful layout which you've illustrated. Thanks!
- Michael
