Speaking of 3D printing... I had an idea...

[chrisinestes]

I've been interested in a 3D printer for a while now, but I don't have the money to buy one that I think is actually reliable, has good resolution, and isn't painfully slow.

Then... BOOM! The "something To Doodle With" thread kick-started my brain.

I already have a very well built 3-Axis CNC router table that is good to a couple thousandths of an inch! It's got 8' of X-Axis, 4' of Y-Axis, and around 4.5" of Z-Axis!

So, I Googled it up, and found that I'm not the first one to think of it. Turns out I'm even further along on that setup than I thought I would be.

The control box I already have has a Gecko G540 4-Axis stepper controller in it. 3 are in use for X,Y,& Z, and one is free for use for a feeder motor for the 3D printing filament. My control software, Mach 3, is capable of controlling 6 Axes, AND there is already a 3D printer driver built to run with Mach3. Sounds to me I lucked into being a long way towards this conversion.

I'm going to see if I can get something working for this. I figure 3D prints would come in handy in the model engine hobby. Especially for casting molds.

Has anybody here done this type of conversion to their CNC machine?

Woohoo!
Chris

 

[Tin Falcon]

Has anybody here done this type of conversion to their CNC machine?

there ia company that sells food 3d printers that are a import router with an extruder built on it.

My only concern about your plan is how do you plan to control the heat of the extruder and the heat bed.

 

[RonGinger]

The heat control is simple- there are many good temp controllers for under $30 on ebay. Just wire it up independently and let it control the temp. Temp is not something that gets changed while a job is running.

The bigger problem is speed, particularly with such a big router table. 3D printers run quite fast, and they are still slow as molasses in doing a job.

But you are right, the idea has occurred to many and has been talked about on lots of forums. I have not yet heard from anyone that is doing it well. Good luck.

 

[ruzzie]

Mach3 3D printer Add-on
This site is worth a look to get a few ideas

https://cnc2printer3d.wordpress.com/software/

 

[Tin Falcon]

The bigger problem is speed, particularly with such a big router table. 3D printers run quite fast, and they are still slow as molasses in doing a job.

if you are still doing this you may want to look into an ED3 volcano extruder. They use a larger . 8 mm ozzle a larger heater block and can spit out the plastic a lot faster.
Tin

 

[chrisinestes]

It's still on the list, but delayed. I'm developing a new product line, and it's putting all the fun stuff to the back burner.

I'll check out that ED3 nozzle, though.

I did know about the Mach3 add-on. I run Mach3, and my control has an extra stepper driver to run the extruder motor. I've just not had the time to dig into it.

I'd also like to have a 25-ish watt laser diode attachment for some engraving.

So many projects! oh:

Chris

 

[Tin Falcon]

They are available for a couple hundred bucks . to do it right you need laser shielding and safety lockouts some kits have all this stuff.

I think if i was going to do laser I would just buy a laser engraver . You can get imports with water coolers for around $500 IIRc about 50 watt with a working envelope about 8 x 10 x 2 inches. Something else for the dream sheet. I have actually wanted one for a long time but until recently not affordable.
so many tools so little money.
Tin

 

[Tin Falcon]

40 watt laser


http://www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/products-page/laser-engraving/40w-co2-laser-machine-software-training
Ed3 volcano
http://www.filastruder.com/products/e3d-volcano

 

[chrisinestes]

40 watt laser


http://www.automationtechnologiesin...aving/40w-co2-laser-machine-software-training
Ed3 volcano
http://www.filastruder.com/products/e3d-volcano

Wow... that's really cheap for a complete laser engraving system. I'll have to check them out and see if they're any good.

Thanks for the heads up,
Chris