Makerfarm Prusa 8" i3v UPGRADES?

Hey,

I'm still just finishing setting up my Makerfarm Prusa 8" i3v, but I'm already thinking of some future upgrades. Have any of you done (or considered) any of these?

• Extending Y Bed - Would require longer Y rails, a new bed base, a bigger heat bed (and therefore...), a heat bed relay, extension for the end stop cable, extension for the heat bed cable, longer timing belt.
• Extending X Carriage - Would require longer X rails, a new or modified Prusa frame (cut and extend top, back, and front bottom), a new bed base, a bigger (wider) heat bed (and therefore...), a heat bed relay.
• Extending Z Height - Would require longer Z rails, longer threaded Z motor rods, modification to top and top front of Prusa frame.
• Adding an Extruder - New X carriage assembly, new extruder, new wires, new stepper, new hot end (and associated items), POSSIBLY upgraded Z motors to handle additional weight.
• Enclousre - This topic is already well-covered in gMay3's post here: http://3dprintboard.com/forumdisplay...akerFarm-Forum (and a few others).

Any other upgrades folks are considering, other than swapping out hot ends?

- Sean

Sean,

Get yourself some experience with the i3v for a while. I think that this is your first printer, so you are still a "student". You will need to learn how to maximise the output from slicing software and how to tweak your printer for best results. Maybe by Christmas you will have gained enough experience to design a bigger printer based on the i3v. I don't think that the printer as it stands will take too well to size mods. Don't forget that you still have to install the bed levelling and the second extruder on this one.

OME

Sean,

Like OME said the MakerFarm plywood frame is not really a good platform for bed expansion. I have a 8" i3 and I am reprapping a http://reprap.org/wiki/Wilson TS that uses 2020 extrusion and can make any size bed you want. I have printed all the parts on my i3 and can salvage all the electronics from my i3 to get it running. This photo is for the 200x200 bed. I have the 2020 to make it a 300x200 once I find a 300x200 heatbed instock somewhere.

Attachment 940

But it sounds like you are just getting your i3v up and running. I would suggest you get a few cube prints under your belt then start tuning it. A fun object is the Make: Robot used in their printer tests http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:40212 See how clean you can print the little guy. Then once you are happy with that go for the Make: Tourture Test https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:33902

aBrainDump

Sound advice, but in the interest of full disclosure, this isn't my first 3D printer or my first automated manufacturing device.

I've printed pretty much non-stop since I got the i3v working on Sunday evening. A few hiccoughs that Colin was able to talk me through, but great success in general.

As for the bed-leveling, I've read all the threads here on auto-leveling. On the other printers I've worked with, re-leveling was rarely needed, and if so, a couple quick turns of the Allen wrench did it without anything complex, like has been shown in the other threads.

As has been asked before, what's the big deal? Am I missing something?

If anything, the only "upgrade" I'd recommend on the i3v in terms of leveling would be to add nut-traps to the lock nuts on the underside of the Y bed to keep from having to pull out a wrench. Four simple, self-adhesive attached ABS nut traps on the bottom side so all you have to use is the Allen wrench when a re-leveling is needed.

Maybe making extra bits and building a bed leveling system is getting away from the KISS Principle, but its is fun, and you get to learn a bit about the firmware and your machine.

OME

True! Half the charm of this device was being able to build it myself.

With a second extruder, don't you lose X width as a result?

Any links to replacement/upgraded X carriages for the Makerfarm 8" i3v with TWO extruders?

- Sean