3d printer kits

[dthomas6184]

Are the various printer kits out locked to just one size build platform or can the sized be increased? I'm looking to build something that can print pieces at least the width and height of a torso (just reference, I don't have the exact numbers yet).

[3dkarma]

Theoretically you can increase the print volume of a Prusa i2 kit by increasing the length of the threaded and smooth rods (in this case, I'd buy a kit of the printed parts and source the rods separately). Practically, the greater the length of the rods the greater the chance of deflection / sag in the middle. This can be overcome by buying hardened rods, increasing the diameter of the rods and / or dealing with it in software.

The Prusa i3 Einstein variant / rework increases threaded rods in the frame from M8 to M10 improving the stiffness of the chassis, which would help your cause. Part of the frame has a fixed size, but can be scaled up if you build a DIY box frame.

The larger the build volume, the beefier your stepper motors will need to be, too. I'm sure others will jump in with something more concrete, but I think about a torso volume is as much as Nema17s will handle. Anything larger and the motor mounts will need to be redesigned to cope.

tl;dr: yes - look at Prusa, self source the vitamins (steel bits) and see if you can find some examples to determine optimum stepper size.