Hello Guest it is March 28, 2024, 07:01:16 AM

Author Topic: Mach3 3D Printer  (Read 42827 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mach3 3D Printer
« on: January 05, 2014, 12:26:20 PM »
This project started with requests.  I have clients that want to do a 3D print, then be able to machine the print while it is still on the same machine. Using electronics and software control that is already in place.  
The extruder is a Spider from Rockcliff.  The simple effective way the extruder uses a dimmer switch to control the heating element is useful, smart and very helpful as it is all stand alone.

Set out with a small mill frame.  Stuffed some big ball screws into it.  Most 3d printers do not throw around much mass so they use wire or rubber belts with nema 17 steppers.  I went with nema 23`s and ball screws to get the speed and accuracy and mimic existing machines.

The extruder is setup on the 4th axis stepper drive and is tuned to give me 1 inch of filament is moved when 1 inch movement is requested.

KisSlicer handles the slicing and Gcode which mach3 really has no problems running.  

Its now a simple matter of heating the extruder, slicing a file and running the code.  I made no other mods to mach3 other then the motor tuning for A.
The extruder is plugged into the coolant relay to toggle power off when the print is done.

So now, if the machine was bigger, the extruder could hang off to the side of the spindle.  Print the part, then come back with the spindle and "LIGHTLY" machine the part.

This setup is for printing with PLA only right now as ABS requires a heated platform to build on.  This is in the works.  
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2014, 12:31:21 PM »

Offline khalid

*
  •  213 213
    • View Profile
    • My Wood carving
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2014, 01:46:05 PM »
wonderful job:)... Thanks for posting..
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2014, 09:58:57 PM »
Looks good,

I'm working on doing the same thing.  My machine is a little bigger 18" x 18" x 18" travels and Nema 34 steppers running on 68vdc. I have a 12" square heated bed but the extruder isn't mounted yet as I am making new parts for it.  It was a really poor design as recieved.  All the wiring is already installed, I just need to make a few connections and update the PLC code to work the extruder and heated bed.

http://s811.photobucket.com/user/garyhlucas/library/?sort=2&page=1

In the pictures you can see a lathe tool post behind the spindle.  The extruder mounts just behind that.  So with no tool in the spindle or tool mounted for the lathe the extruder is the lowest point.  Installing a mill tool or a lathe tool makes that the lowest point.  So in theory I can clean up a printed gear with the mill and use a shaping tool on the lathe tool post to cut a key in it, without moving the part.

Offline Tweakie.CNC

*
  • *
  •  9,196 9,196
  • Super Kitty
    • View Profile
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2014, 11:28:46 AM »
Excellent work Fixittt.

Tweakie.
PEACE
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2014, 12:36:58 PM »
Fixittt great work I've been trying to convince the 3-D printing community to look in to Mach 3 for a couple of years now. I have built one starting off planning on using Mach 3 works great. I did not need machining capabilities afterwards but through my research I found that nobody had reliable enough extruder and hot end for me large prints were going to take 70 hours. So I started off the build with the extruder and hot end designed and built and tested until I was happy with it worked out very well. But turned out to be quite heavy so the machine had to be good enough to drive it and accelerate it. Nema 34 motors for XYZ and Nema 23 for the extruder and 100 to 1 planetary gearbox with a large diameter serrated drive wheel from a mig welder for the filament I used to be a prototype technician for a large pro audio company this is a tool I made for myself to make my job easier here are a few pictures
« Last Edit: January 06, 2014, 12:51:20 PM by cnc dick »
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2014, 04:45:26 AM »
Hi
Nice!
I made 3d printer with mach3 as well. Now I am trying to get dual extruder to work but kisslicerĀ“s maker is missing and I have to search an alternative program.
What program do you use for slicing?

I am not convinced with slic3r and perhaps cura would do the job but there has to be post processing plugin to convert the GCODE to fit the mach3.
Has anybody already done this plugin?
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2014, 05:07:41 PM »
Hi
Nice!
I made 3d printer with mach3 as well. Now I am trying to get dual extruder to work but kisslicerĀ“s maker is missing and I have to search an alternative program.
What program do you use for slicing?

I am not convinced with slic3r and perhaps cura would do the job but there has to be post processing plugin to convert the GCODE to fit the mach3.
Has anybody already done this plugin?

                                                                                                                                                                                  Slic3r has setting for mach 3 and emc2
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2015, 01:39:08 AM »
So the 3d printer project got shelved for about a year.
I decided to bring it back to life as it was before.  I ran into a very big problem.  The printer volume was very small.  3.5 inches square.  While frustrated, I looked over at my Chinese 3040 router and ......... well...... yeah.
Used the router to make a platform for the print head.  Used my lathe to make the bar to fit into the spindle block.  So now I can swap out print head, spindle in minutes.
The punisher skull was the first "test" print and everything went beautiful.  So me being me.... I wanted something bigger.  Go big or go home.
Found a V8 engine block on thingiverse, sliced it, crashed KISSlicer64bit a few times and went back to the good old 32 bit version.  It chewed on the 5 1/2 inch long model for a while then spit me out a 63 meg gcode file for Mach3 to spew.
Re: mach3 3D printer
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2015, 01:43:24 AM »
Got the code into mach 3.......  over 2 million lines of code.
pressed go and hoped for the best.

As of this writing, the machine has been going for over 30 hours.  Funny how mach 3`s elapsed time actually counts days, hours, minutes, seconds.