3d printer with no belts

I recently purchased the Folger Tech Cloner 3D printer, and I have to say that I truly hate this machine. The thing is so poorly engineered, I can't believe they had the audacity to sell the thing to me. I can't even get it to be leveled and its not due to my lack of trying. Out of frustation, I am at the point where I am ready to start all over again with a new 3D printer. I want to either purchase a new kit, build one myself, or buy one ready made. After my experiences with the Folger printer I have a few criteria that I am looking for. 1. I want the printer to not use any belts. With the Folger printer the belts were always coming loose and skipping. Preferably a design with ball screws or threadless screws would be good. 2. Any printer where the board you are printing on doesn't move up and down. With the Folger Cloner it was a big problem since the base was attached from one end and was too heavy. Any slight touch to the base caused it to move. A major problem with this design. The designs where the base moves side to side is what I'm looking for. 3. I want a printer that can be automatically leveled. That has an auto leveler. 4. I want a 3D printer that is made of metal, aluminum preferably. 5. I want a printer that has the wiring nicely tucked away.

Can anybody recommend a printer that has these features? If there aren't any made like this does anybody know of any published designs that has these features?

Just because one company can't build a machine, doesn't mean every machine of that design is bad.

My last car was a piece of crap. The axle bearings kept seizing up. I don't want my next car to have axle bearings. See the failure in that logic?

There are plenty of printers that use belts, and they work just fine. There are lots of printers that having moving Z axis beds that work just fine.

I know some have frames made of wood, most have aluminum extrusion. I wouldn't even consider buying a printer that has plastic supports.

Auto leveling is a nice feature to have, but also having a dial indicator in your toolbox to really level your bed is also nice.

There is a reason god invented zip ties.

But all that said, there is probably a machine that fits your criteria. A home built Delta printer would probably do ya, but they have their own set of limitations.

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Originally Posted by Marm

Just because one company can't build a machine, doesn't mean every machine of that design is bad.

My last car was a piece of crap. The axle bearings kept seizing up. I don't want my next car to have axle bearings. See the failure in that logic?

There are plenty of printers that use belts, and they work just fine. There are lots of printers that having moving Z axis beds that work just fine.

I know some have frames made of wood, most have aluminum extrusion. I wouldn't even consider buying a printer that has plastic supports.

Auto leveling is a nice feature to have, but also having a dial indicator in your toolbox to really level your bed is also nice.

There is a reason god invented zip ties.

But all that said, there is probably a machine that fits your criteria. A home built Delta printer would probably do ya, but they have their own set of limitations.

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I think that about sums it up nicely.

There are 3D printers built with ball screws; they work well but are a lot more expensive than the ones driven by timing belts, which is why most designs don't use them. But if you're willing to pay for it, there are machines that are built much more sturdily than the average, with metal frameworks, ball screws, etc. Like this one, for instance: https://3dmonstr.com/t-rex-24

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com