Steven
Zadourian
Background/Inspiration
Once I learned how to model; I purchased an Anet A8 3D printer to bring my models to life. It didn't take long to realize that my printer needed some additional modifications. These modifications included wifi-support, auto-leveling, power supply , and overall structure support. To perform these I replaced the original motherboard with an Arduino Mega, using open source Marlin software. Switching to the Arduino not only provided me extra hardware ports, but also gave me the ability to modify the printers settings to achieve better printing results.
Results
1. Adruino Mega with Ramps 1.4
I chose to use an Arduino Mega simply because I've worked with Arduino's in the past and am comfortable with them. Using Marlin, an open source software in C++ gave me significantly more control over the printer. With this board I was able to replace the previous 5 button LCD screen with a Kingprint 12864 LCD that has a nob rather than 5 buttons, making navigations on the printer much smoother and appealing. The Ramps 1.4 also allowed me to change thermostats, auto-leveling, access to more speed variable, etc. The Ramps 1.4 board also has additional ports for dual extrusion that I plan on putting to use once I design my own extruder carriage.
2. Raspberry Pi 3
The Raspberry Pi allowed me to use the open source software Octoprint, which allows me to control the printer over wifi. Which with this a huge improvement from the previous setup, since before everything had to be hard wired. After the Raspberry Pi was installed I was able to monitor prints via wifi through a webcam and have axis control, also over wifi.
3. AutoLeveling
Once the motherboard was wired, the software side of this modification was pretty straightforward. I chose to use a capacitive touch sensor since I wasn't planning on using any glass beds. I only had to do step down the 12V signal from the sensor to 5V using voltage division. After, this was setup I choose to do a nine point auto level before every print, so I wouldn't have to manually level the bed using a white paper. This made a significant improvement in consistent prints that properly stayed on the plate.
4. ATX Power Supply
Once I started experimenting with other types of materials such as ABS and Nylon, I quickly realized the previous set up had difficulties reaching high extruder temperatures around 250 °C. To fix this I decided to buy a 550W ATX power supply to replace the previous one. The power supply needed to be dissembled and rewired so it would turn on without detection of a computer motherboard, then I cut all the connected off and required all the 12V, 5v and ground wires to the other side. After this modification, the printer was able to reach the desired extruder temperatures and was even able to heat the bed up to 100 °C.
5. Plastic Linear Bearings
These plastic linear bearing were the last modification I made to the printer. This was simply to reduce the rattling noise from the original bearings and reduce vibrations.
Before
After
Unfortunately, I did not document the calibration process as well as I would have liked to and have only one picture of my process I did. Other tests that I performed that aren't documented were boat and overhang/bridge benchmark tests.
Improvements
1. After numerous prints the belts loosen, and the printer looses quality on prints, to fix this I want to print and install belt tensioners for both the X and Y axis. This would prevent me from needing to take apart the belt and retightening it.
2. Purchasing a BuildTak build surface would eliminate the need to use blue painter's tape as the print surface. Using a BuildTak would create less waste and better surface texture between the bed and print.
3. For a long time, I have wanted to experiment with dual extrusion and multi material printing. The main reason being is I to be able to use water soluble materials for a support structure. I know there is a handful of prints that already exist on the internet, but ultimately I would like to design and prototype my own extruder carriage.