Introducing the Baby Belt 3D Printer - Print Loooooong Parts For Cheap.

Rob Mink (Baby Belt Creator) says: Thanks for the time and energy you put into to producing this and the awareness it has created! The Y axis is adjusted by the 20 MM m3 screw at the top of the Y axis cap. When it homes, the screw limits how far it can go and creates an adjustment to the endstop. The Worm gear and several other issues you had have already been addressed! NAK 3D and I (ok, he has WAY more time atm and he is KILLING the redesigns...) on a better extruder, one that is modular and can be easily removed and replaced/upgraded. My focus on the last week is getting another 15MM of Y travel out of the machine and working on better belt stuff. The current printers are using the SKR MINI E3 V3 as the robins have become unubtanium....
Join the Discord at / discord
Open Source Files are available at: github.com/RobMink/Babybelt
Get a small parts kit from Rob at: www.printcepts.com
More Info on NAK's Forked version: NAK3DDesigns/stat...
Open Source files for NAK's fork: github.com/NAK3DDesigns/Babybelt

[@NAK3DDesigns]

Thanks for the Shout outs!!! Can't take credit for the new Worm Drive design that was all Rob Mink's work. Oh and the LCD was only $15 shipped as its currently on sale so might still be under $200. ;)

[@krypticvoyce]

I have gotten a few of these small printers that used those mini steppers and they fail a lot. Have you thought I about maybe pancake steppers. I’m referring to nant fun k series the extruders shred themselves. I would love to jump on this though.

[@NAK3DDesigns]

@@krypticvoyce I've been working on a Nema14 driven design but at the moment just trying to help make the current hardware work to its best potential. The Primary idea is to keep it inexpensive and upgrading the steppers will definitely hurt the budget.

[@BrainSlugs83]

You can always get those LCD kits for around 15.00. Even from Amazon.

[@Rctdcttecededtef]

Really cool to see an open source infinite axis 3d printer under 200. Would love to see some test prints in the future

[@davethacker8410]

What I find exciting about this design is not the belt but rather it's entire frame is 3d printed. Might not be a first but it's new to me.

[@MrFranklitalien]

the tantillus nailed it in that regard

[@karlbot4426]

Thanks for sharing this! I would love to try it out when I get the chance!

[@brendanroberts2032]

Way to go Rob! Cool little printer!

[@UniDuni3d]

Really nice! A little more of adjusts and it would be a great printer to have!

[@gillou4382]

Look really cool. Thanks for the discovery

[@FairFrozen55]

This machine goes BRRRRRRRRRRRRR infinitely in ONE AXIS

[@Nordern]

I'd be really interested to see what difference you could get from different materials, you said it was printed in PLA? would PETG help with things like the worm gear atleast, if not more?

[@georg6876]

Petg may also help with the extruder warping under pressure

[@Nordern]

@@georg6876 absolutely

[@relativisticvel]

PLA is strong and stiff so it works pretty well for stuff like this.

[@georg6876]

@@relativisticvel The main concern is "creep" (deformation under constant pressure) which is what I suspect happened to the extruder. Also I you were to add a heatbed the radiant heat may deform pla.

[@raisaapriliani2717]

the answer is, ABS

[@666nacirema666]

this kinda reminds me of the stuff i made out of scanners years ago when i first got into printing. way more functional than anything i ever built though

[@joseholguin436]

Nice video man. That's an interesting printer!

[@mindmending]

That’s a great concept,nice video too. I’d defo try a wider nozzle, treat it like a low res printer. Nema 14s are pretty cheap too, it might be worth spending the few extra bucks on those and using a cheap board, it’s easier to upgrade the board but since the steppers are integrated into the design it would make sense to go with the N14’s, still it’s a cool printer and looks fun👍

[@ahmetcemturan]

He is so lucky to have You review it.

[@georg6876]

Have you considered using some sort of surface on the belt to aid adhesion and release? I'd bet PLA could stick to some sticky back plastic or some Vinyl stuck onto the belt.

[@mmiscool]

The screw on the tip of the arm is used to calibrate the head distance to the belt and can be adjusted. No need to do firmware nonsense.

[@Nevir202]

Could use something like an outfeed platform on this, make it planar with the belt and in direct contact with it as it begins to curve, to help with separation of the part from the belt.

[@jean-francoisbouchard7207]

Wow! Good thinkering direction for an infinite z but instead of printing on a cold slack rubber-ish belt, is there any metal tambour-style track conveyor? A succession of carefully positionned nice flat surfaces about ½-1" to print on. Heat only the first ones and the part could pop off when it's cool at the end. Or the heat at the end, to a blade that shaves the part off smoothly, like the Autoejection Polar! I'll drop my Monoprice Select Mini in the stairway and fit all that in an old router table... I'll need a Discord account too!

[@brandonfranklin4533]

Could have sworn I was already subscribed to your channel. Oh well, I am now :) great vid!

[@nidavis]

Would be great to see a human treadmill conversion project. Maybe with a pellet or clay extruder. They're already built to handle heavy dynamic loads, just need to get fine control of the belt axis, and swap out the (usually wooden) deck plate for a piece of aluminum with a heater pad. And many of them already have the ability to set an incline angle.

[@VagabondTE]

This is exactly what I would want to see out of a printer designed to use recycled plastic. Household plastics were abandoned a long time ago because they reused plastic was too difficult to use and they warped too much. Plus people only wanted speed and detail. However, I've always felt we should have gone in the other direction. Big beefy hot ends that can chew through anything. Large diameter filament to compensate for a subpar material. G-Code that compensates for extreme warping. These things are all lying on the table and nobody's even trying. Just imagine throwing milk jugs into a shredder at the top of this treadmill pellet 3D printer contraption and it just continually spitting building bricks out the other side. That would be a dream come true for me. And I 1000% believe it's possible.

[@richiebricker]

What a very cool idea. Yeah having a substraight underneath the belt should work well and i think thats the layers problem. If it sticks to the belt i dont see it un-sticking so easily with the perfect material and perfect z or as u say Y placement. Very interesting though

[@josephpowell6009]

just thinking outloud ... what if there was a belted printer that printed at 90° (normally) and printed in a interlocking pattern. think wall bricks being laid with a shallow stairstep leading edge. it would be software intensive and need considerable Y (or belt Z) travel , quick clearance on 1 side of the nozzle , and it would have brick-like seems , but i think the would solve the layer-line weakness of current long parts. plus the regular benefits of a normal printer.

[@TiagoTiagoT]

What if you add a spacer for the Y axis to change the point the auto-homing zeros in/maxes out to address the printing-thru-the-fabric issue?

[@beauregardslim1914]

This is a great idea. If all you want to print is things like table legs or swords, a small X and Y are fine. That lace-like pattern really looks like under-extrusion. I'd try some glue-stick to reduce the amount that PLA is sticking to the belt.

[@ryangamble5131]

I think maybe the bottom price point goal is too prohibitive. A $350 machine with nema 14s, a screen, real guide bearings, and a slightly better hotend would definitely be worth the cost increase. It's great to see this as I couldn't pop for the cr30 cost!

[@brianmi40]

completely disagree. The simple fact that we have several E3 clones for well under $200 (e.g. Aquila X1 at $159 shipped), means that manufacturing costs are no more than about 50% of that pricing, or in the Aquila instance, about $80, There is no way the components to add a moving bed should cost more than $50, which would yield a total cost of $130, and suggesting a selling price of $260-280 at most.

[@multimagical3137]

Interesting solution

[@Karavusk]

I wonder if you could use a relatively stiff belt material and put kapton tape on it. I guess it probably just comes off after a while. Also the printer was probably just running klipper so you can either edit the config file on the raspberry pi to change the offset permanently or just enter the command in the terminal.

[@xbrain666]

Nice presentation. I thought, just add a metal plate under the belt for it to slide on it, and it will stop to be loose

[@joemama142]

You know what would be awesome, a belted build plate that goes below a Voron 2.4 with its fixed build plate. That could be scaled up to fit a voron.

[@chrisforeman7248]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/boCcdmyomK1pi9U

[@TheXiience]

love your videos. very great reviews and always interesting thoughts and ideas! keep up :)

[@kyleivie6984]

Have you thought of silicone coating the fabric?

[@whatif8741]

Isn't the cr30 pretty much a belted ender 3?

[@KanielD]

Have you seen the Enderbender? It’s an ender 3 belt conversion

[@potatomeatlabs]

Having worked with and used 28BYJ-48 steppers throughout my home automation projects, I don't really understand *why* they need to dwell in this application? That doesn't make sense to me. Is it to prevent overheating? If so, heat management is not that difficult with these, especially with this very low torque application. (EDIT: Ignore this point here, it looks like they are already converted to bipolar, as the red wire is not being connected to the main board). Also, it's possible to at least double the produced torque of these steppers by prying off the blue PCB cover and cutting the center trace of the PCB, thus converting it from a unipolar to bipolar motor. I use these to open doors and hatches in my greenhouse, and manage to get over 1 ftlb of torque out of them with a compound gearbox I designed. In any case, I feel like the technology used in this project could be leveraged a bit more with just a little more polish/nuance to the design. As it exists, it seems a little haphazard.

[@minnow11]

I think it would be cool to 3d print a 20x20 aluminum extrusion and build a "3d printed" 3d printer with them.

[@b1tw0nder]

I would rid the worm gear for hearing bone gears. 3d printed worm gearing tends to wear out.

[@matthewharris8400]

Could probably use some pei adhesive sheets, cut into strips to make a belt.

[@druidrvr]

Kapton tape and glue or abs slurry. Works for me . Never used one of these . Seems cool to many bugs for me to care right now I need it now so my makerbot replicator 2 will suffice for now . I've modified it to work perfectly because of new filaments such metal suspension in pla . Its awesome and you can put in a kilen and come back with 100% metal part. I think that's dope especially since I'm making crazy that requires all possibilities. There is only yes we never no we can't.

[@JonS]

Looks like a lot of fun and frustration at the same time! As an aside, the chip shortage isn't so much to do with China, as China currently only produces 18% of the world's semiconductors (just a little more than the US). It's really a global problem, but Taiwan makes 60% of the world's chips (by value) and just one company there, TSMC, makes about 90% of the leading edge chips.

[@LoneWolfsVoice]

Minor correction for this video. Chip shortage from Taiwan. China and Taiwan are two different countries.

[@brandoneich2412]

I also look into the FB group "45th Degree" they have designs to convert some printers to 45° belt printers.

[@brandoneich2412]

Oh, and if you check out on YT "Call me Swal" he has a video converting an artillery hornet (ender 3 "clone") with about $40-60 in additional parts, and the printer itself is usually selling for about $170-$190

[@CdoGtheGreat]

Shim that worm gear stepper motor with some washers and slot the belt rollers mounting holes.

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

I am sure Prusa will steal the design again 😂😂😂😂😂

[@FUKTxProductions]

kapton tape is what im using on my belt and 35 degrees is usually better than 45

[@GHILLIESARCADEANDMORE]

Cool

[@kevinkusman2081]

makes me want to make a similar design just to see what it can do with bigger motor.... not to the level of that creality one.... that's a bit over kill for my space....

[@jdjd0711]

Coat the belt with elders school glue stick.

[@shawnr699]

If you get a chance check out the ideaformer ir3 I just got one and would love some videos on it! :)

[@MrFranklitalien]

its like a mix of all the bad ideas

[@brandonb6164]

yep exactly, but it’s cool

[@boxsterpontus]

But it makes you smile, at least I smile

[@makewithmegma]

💕👌👍

[@davethacker8410]

Although unlimited length objects is flashy, it seems to me not nearly as useful or practical as it's made out to be. It comes at the expense of quality with these 45-degree print lines. Why not a vertical Z that builds one part at a time and ejects it. Following that logic, why not a special belt bed I can mount to my existing printer which allows me to eject parts. It seems like too many parts to put a printer on top of the belt mechanism when it could be a bed feature clipped and plugged into an existing printer. ??

[@NAK3DDesigns]

that type of belted feature can't be done because it is protected by a Makerbot patent, this is why all current belt printers use the 45 degree axis approach as it isn't covered by the patent.

[@davethacker8410]

@@NAK3DDesigns Thank you so much for educating me on that point. Patents do not stop people from designing and building their own or offering free plans to build such things. It only blocks (as I understand it) producing, importing or marketing that type for profit.

[@NAK3DDesigns]

@@davethacker8410 you’re 100% correct. You can design and share but you can’t profit from it in any way.

[@Reach3DPrinters]

singe the belt fabric with a flame.

[@jeremyholef]

Go look for the Piper infinity 🙂

[@RobMink]

Hah! Funny you should say this! I have a piper infinity that I added tool changing to. The things I learned from that printer lead me to make the Babybelt

[@BrainSlugs83]

In my opinion, it seems like you're misdiagnosing a few of these problems... the multi-second pause is not the motors, it's the software (possibly being held back by the MCU), for advanced kinematics like this you really need a 32-bit MCU. Also, the spotty infill is much more likely to be caused by the extruder not pushing the plastic evenly and consistently...

[@techdegenerate286]

If this wasn't his buddy's project he would be talking mad shit about it.

[@DesignPrototypeTest]

There is an edge of truth to your comment. Here's the thing: I showed every flaw that I found. If this was a Chinese company copying an idea from a Western project, you're damn right, I would be roasting this as hard as I can. But it's a passion project by a hacker who's not making any real money or stealing profitability from any other 3D printer companies with this project. It's in a different category from the things that I typically review so it has different standards that I apply to it.

[@techdegenerate286]

@@DesignPrototypeTest I atleast respect that you admit it

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I find the cr30 printer pointless. They used their bottom basement extruder and screen and built a 1500cad paper weight. Unless I'm wrong. That little printer puts creality to shame in so many ways. Good work. I love the little steppers, I have a bunch of them and drive them with the uln2003 darlington transistor ic. Those steppers all behave differently as well. I made the wife a carousel clock and I had to change the motor and tweak the code a bunch.

[@josephpowell6009]

you make the best videos. the nerd , the professor , major hardware might be more humorous. stefan is more technical. yours are the perfect middleground like many small youtubers , but you have high quality sound without irrelevant opening apologies and useless sidetrack stories. your videos are positive yet critical. hints of your politics are logical without overdoing it and without cowering to wokeness. you post on odyssey (a good youtube alternative). when i want a review i specifically search to see if you have done it. thanks for making all these great videos.

[@EV-wp1fj]

The extruder design is an absolute nonstarter and should be trashed. Fixing that design alone would greatly improve the overall print quality of this printer.

[@RobMink]

Done! Check out the current project!

[@makie1467]

Actually looks like an easythreed on steroids. My k7 prints way better and cost me 45€...turned into a belt one will push prices below 100€

[@brandonfranklin4533]

Could have sworn I was already subscribed to your channel. Oh well, I am now :) great vid!