Prusa i3v Rigidity of 8" vs 10" vs 12" and other Nooby questions

[sniffle]

Thats why i said i wasnt sure it looked like it also had a set screw. Im going to get a pair soon as well. Just gotta get paid. 2 rolls of really bad filament and 2 of out of guarenteed spec filament that were jamming in my print head to replace the 2 rolls of really bad have broken the bank for the moment.

[usarmyaircav]

I have a pair of the 2 screw couplers from Amazan and I really had to crank down hard on them. So far no slipping that I can tell but I really need to mark them to be sure.

[printbus]

For thoroughness...

The spiral cuts in the aluminum couplers can create an annoying ringing sound when the Z motors are being driven. What I found helped was wrapping the installed couplers with about two layers of clear packaging tape. That seems to dampen the spiral enough that the ringing is prevented or at least can't be heard.

Wrapping the threaded rod with something like foil or metal tape is likely still a good idea, since that will help align the undersized threaded rod in the 5mm shaft coupler hole. If the undersized rod is pushed off to one side by the set screw, there's a chance that the offset rod will wobble some in rotation, possibly tugging on the X carriage a bit as the Z rods rotate to different positions. Rather than worry about whether it's enough to notice in print quality, I prefer for the rods to rotate as true as they can.

I also tried with these solid shaft couplers with set screws - http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-2-Shaft-...item339910ee99. They mounted onto the motor shafts true, but tightening the set screw on the threaded rod would cause the threaded rod to distort out of being straight. Whether this can be a problem on the spiral couplers with set screws, IDK. I futzed with them a bit, but eventually went back to my clamping-style spiral couplers that I had also tapped for set screws.

[beerdart]

If your concerned about the threaded rod wobble just install a M5 heli-coil to eliminate any slop.

[gswaluk]

Hi, I've been following this thread (in silence) as I am also about to become a 3D-print nooby. I am a Mech Engineer and run a small practice in VA. Although, we consult in the Arch/Engr/Construction field (vs product design & development), we decided to build a small "maker lab" in our office more or less to keep our engineers excited about being engineers. That being said, I have been researching a lot and landed here as I am honing in on the 12" i3v kit from Makerfarm. The intent is to get a solid, versatile machine that we can upgrade/customize as we learn. I am thinking about the kit (vs scratch-built) in order to hit the ground running and get the lab open.

I like the idea of the 12" build volume for future use and I am leaning toward the RAMPS with a .4mm Hexagon Nozzle for 3mm filament. Am I correct in assuming that the Hexagon nozzles can be swapped out without changing the entire hot end (since they are available individually)? Also, I am stuck a bit on the electronics. I like the "accessibilty" of the RAMPS setup. Adding extra fans or LED lighting doesn't seem like it would be hard to do "outside" the controller, but with no experience, I would appreciate any comments/advice that others could share on this or on my "choices".

Thanks!

[sniffle]

Hi, I've been following this thread (in silence) as I am also about to become a 3D-print nooby. I am a Mech Engineer and run a small practice in VA. Although, we consult in the Arch/Engr/Construction field (vs product design & development), we decided to build a small "maker lab" in our office more or less to keep our engineers excited about being engineers. That being said, I have been researching a lot and landed here as I am honing in on the 12" i3v kit from Makerfarm. The intent is to get a solid, versatile machine that we can upgrade/customize as we learn. I am thinking about the kit (vs scratch-built) in order to hit the ground running and get the lab open.

I like the idea of the 12" build volume for future use and I am leaning toward the RAMPS with a .4mm Hexagon Nozzle for 3mm filament. Am I correct in assuming that the Hexagon nozzles can be swapped out without changing the entire hot end (since they are available individually)? Also, I am stuck a bit on the electronics. I like the "accessibilty" of the RAMPS setup. Adding extra fans or LED lighting doesn't seem like it would be hard to do "outside" the controller, but with no experience, I would appreciate any comments/advice that others could share on this or on my "choices".

Thanks!

Outside of having little to no support because it's so new the Rambo board has been quite nice. Ultimately though Ramps, RAMBo and Rumba are all the same thing with just different ways of going about it.

smoothieboard would be something crazy different.

[TopJimmyCooks]

gswaluk - you can swap nozzles on a hexagon by unscrewing the nozzle from the heater block. I have never done it but have a couple of different sized nozzles when the time comes. you would need to recalibrate Z or recalibrate Z offset if you are using ABL.

[printbus]

If your concerned about the threaded rod wobble just install a M5 heli-coil to eliminate any slop.

That's an interesting idea. Tool kit and inserts on order...

[AbuMaia]

Here's an interesting set of couplers I just found: http://amazon.com/gp/product/B00P8WBRJS. They have both the split *and* set screws. I wonder how well they would work?

[printbus]

Here's an interesting set of couplers I just found: http://amazon.com/gp/product/B00P8WBRJS. They have both the split *and* set screws. I wonder how well they would work?

That's essentially what I have, except that I tapped the split couplers for a set screw on my own. It's great - tighten the clamp as much as you can and then tighten the set screw as an extra measure.