[timmyb199]

So I bit the bullet and bought an extruder. It was from qb-bd and was about 68 bucks with shipping. I have a home built wood router I made about 6 years ago.

Is it just me or is any other cnc addict shocked at the cost of IMO low quality 3d printers. I was amazed at the size of the print head . My first response was oh ain't that cute. I'm coming up with some ideas. My first plan was to add it to my wood mill. But the decided to build a standalone. I found an old flatbed scanner ht looks like gold for a base.

My question I guess is what limits the speed of these things. Is it the speed of extrusion or the fact the steppers are so small. My plan here is to document my build and try to reinvent the wheel. Perhaps finding an aha moment.

It will use abs. And my own controller with mach3 driving it. Hope to get some good input

Tim

[jolafson]

Hey tim, John here

Mach3 can make a great 3D printer controller, trust me

As for what limits the speed of the prints, it's mainly mass of the moving parts. If you're going to build a good/better printer, you want belt drive for the speed, while a router/mill you want screws for rigidity/strength. The two don't usually play well with each other as a combination machine, without going to massive multi-start lead screws etc...

[timmyb199]

Thanks for the input. My wood mill using chain drive. While overkill for a 3d printer I have to agree on belts. I am also working on my own screen set for Mach 3 for 3d only printing and am hoping for temp feedback also. I hope to hear more input from you. Il be a tad quiet until all my parts arrive in a week or so

Tim