What do you call the type of printer that uses the Z axis to raise/lower the bed?

[fcwilt]

Hi,

There are many approaches (in terms of what axis does what) to designing non-delta 3D printers.

Does each approach have a name?

What do you call the type of printer that uses the Z axis to raise/lower the bed?

Thanks.

Frederick

[curious aardvark]

The ones that run on rails and either raise or lower the bed or raise or lower the print head while moving the bed are generally called Cartesian style 3d printers.
No idea if anyone has bothered to divide them into categories and give the categories silly names or not :-)

[fcwilt]

The ones that run on rails and either raise or lower the bed or raise or lower the print head while moving the bed are generally called Cartesian style 3d printers.
No idea if anyone has bothered to divide them into categories and give the categories silly names or not :-)

Thanks much.

It would make searching for a given style easier if they had names of some sort. I was looking to buy a printer that moved the bed along the Z-axis and couldn't figure out a google search that yielded the desired results.

Frederick

[curious aardvark]

well all the makerbot clones and machines based on that design have x&y on the print head and z on the printbed.

It's a pretty good system. I've got no complaints.

[fcwilt]

well all the makerbot clones and machines based on that design have x&y on the print head and z on the printbed.

It's a pretty good system. I've got no complaints.

Thanks - that helps.

[ralphzoontjens]

My thinking is that the best system is one that keeps movements in the different directions independent from each other and the BCN3D+ for example does that, the printhead is on a Z-screw and moves only along X with the bed moving along Y. With an XY moving printbed you see a bit more vibration. An XY moving head is a good system, only after 5 years of use I am seeing that tiny perturbations occur and I probably have to reassemble the entire shaft assembly.

It makes sense distinguishing these if you like. In robotics people are doing PhDs developing taxonomies just so we can classify all different possible workable configurations of robots, with many DOFs.
We will for now need X-bed, XY-bed and Z-bed types for Cartesian printers, then there's Delta, Scara and Polar printers. I still prefer the Cartesian type because of the accuracy.

[fcwilt]

My thinking is that the best system ... I still prefer the Cartesian type because of the accuracy.

Thanks for the feedback.

I have little experience with 3D printers.

It just seems to me that moving the bed in the Z axis makes sense as that movement corresponds to the layers printed.

Frederick

[curious aardvark]

As a recent and complete convert to delta style printers. Got to say the best solution is the head moving in all three axis.
Once you're dialled in and tuned, a delta will print cleaner, faster, quieter and with considerably less of the artifacts you get in cartesian machines.
The model does not move and the way deltas move creates almost no vibrations, so you you get less detached prints (none so far) you don't have to stick things to the bed as hard as you do with a cartesian.
And you can do really improbable prints like this one:

I'm still pushing her to find the limits.

[fcwilt]

As a recent and complete convert to delta style printers.

I bought three low cost delta kits (from China) just to see what you got for $300 or so.

I first put them together using the stock parts and they seemed to work fine BUT I did not do a lot of testing as I was already looking ahead to upgrades.

My long term goal is to equip them with Diamond 3/5 color hot ends.

I want to have a non-delta printer just to compare.

Frederick

[curious aardvark]

in that case your best bet is to get qidi x-one: https://www.amazon.com/TECHNOLOGY-X-...idi+3d+printer
$299 decent bit of kit.
Has x&y on the print head and z on print bed. Probably the best of the real budget cartesian machines around that isn't a prusa i3 style.

My delta build 'blog' here :-)
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...t-a-delta-kit-)

My delta thingiverse page here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2386628
Most delta kits look practically identical, so all the mods should work on all cheap delta kits.

Still trying to find anything negative about her. :-)
Just wish i could find a manual for the board.