DIY all aluminum 3D Printer

After 5 months of hard work on this 3D printer project, this is my final result. An all aluminum 3D printer. I design this 3D printer model in Solidworks based on some other 3d printers I found online (ie Aluminatus TrinityOne, MendelMAX v2, Lulzbot TAZ, etc....) and then CNC machine myself most of the parts you see in this video.
Download this design: www.thinhla.com/diy-all-alumi...
If you like my work, please consider donating. To donate, please click www.paypal.me/lavith/10
I will list primary parts of the part I use in this 3D printer project and some of my comments/review about it.
NEMA 17 Stepper motors from StepperOnline - excellent customer service, will exchange bad motor if you run into one without question.
SeeMeCNC EZStruder Cold End - used to be good quality and sturdy but not anymore. I would not buy another one from them. Holes are not lined up with stepper motor holes unless you drill it bigger. Material used is not that great. So soft and flexible.
Gadget3D electronic parts which include RAMPS 1.4, stepper driver and Arduino Mega board, etc... and all the wires for you to connect - excellent customer service from China and fast shipping.
8020 Inc aluminum extrudions profile - excellent stuff to make 3D Printer with or any other machine for that matter.
Maker's Tool Works TR10x2 lead screw and nuts - I had to ditch this and replace with M6x1 stainless steel threaded rod which i believe is more reliable. I might use these lead screw for other project like DIY CNC mill or CNC lathe.
Gates PowerGrip GT2 belt from 3D Maker World - excellent product.
E3D v5 Hotend Extruder - For the look E3D looks better than a J-Head Mk V-BV but in terms of PLA printing J-Head hotend leads by far.

[@lavithhcm]

For all who subscribed, I'll post a Solidworks model of this 3D printer.

[@lavithhcm]

Solidworks model source file is posted on Thingiverse www.thingiverse.com/thing:468612 Thumbs up to video if you like it.

[@2112user]

lavith.hcm I like the design, been thinking of building an "all rail" I3 for a while now. 1 idea I had was to use rollers on T-track for the Z, and then rotate the X 90 degree to hold a sled with the extruder and the X motor. I was thinking that this could then be enclosed with aluminum and Plexiglas to keep the heat (and smell) inside while printing ABS. Thoughts on it?

[@Shadd0wz]

+lavith.hcm Question: If I were to expand on the dimensions of your model and make the printbed larger, and adjust the rest of the printer to allow for it as well, this printer would effectively be 100% scaleable, right? How difficult would it be, then, to add a second head? How realistic would one of these be at a print surface the size of a coffee table?

[@lavithhcm]

for my current size you can at least accommodate 11"x11" heat bed. I just don't have the money to put on the 11x11" heat bed so I used 8x8

[@davidebruschi4114]

Chrysopelea FPV

[@solidus784]

Those linear rods are clearly made of steal horribly misleading title officially TRIGGERED!!!! Really nice job man looks impressive.

[@ManoloManni]

The best DIY 3D printer i have ever seen. Absolutely great.

[@TMCHL]

those machined parts are piece of art!

[@vaughanza]

Wow fantastic printer. Well done

[@RichardEricCollins]

Very nice build, looks really solid. :)

[@PiefacePete46]

Very professional machine, properly finished.

[@lavithhcm]

thank you....

[@sinyar83]

Cool design and it looks very rigid! well done.

[@lavithhcm]

+Abdullatif AlSharhan Thank you. Glad you like it.

[@giulio5656]

great work ...thanks for the model sharing....

[@TheMaxshark74]

Wow ! This is a demonstration that a really well engineered and built 3d printer can achieve a really high performance result ! Rigid frame, well selected materials and wondreful couplings ! So impressed !

[@lavithhcm]

Thanks for your kind words about my design. You can download the design thru the link posted above in description.

[@KnurdMonkey]

THIS IS AWESOME!

[@lavithhcm]

Thank. Btw i am adding laser cutter function to it.

[@mehmetalperkuyumcu1862]

Fascinating DIY

[@GRDwashere]

Love your work! As an engineer I appreciate the thought and care you invested in this build, and it's really quite a beautiful machine to see operate. I do have one question, you ditched the leadscrews for threaded rods? I'm very curious why?

[@cerberes]

very nice high quality printer you built.

[@kefrank5846]

very good printer of i3 , I think it will be a trend in the future

[@jamesbh101]

It's a work of art.

[@lavinhthuy]

I like this, look COOL. Best 3D printer ever.

[@lavithhcm]

Thank you!

[@cloroxbleach7837]

Look great !

[@leonwood9933]

very nice build giving me some good idea's

[@lavithhcm]

thank you.

[@free_spirit1]

holy cow, you really went all out! wonderful job! Did you try printing other materials than plastic?

[@mulberryworkshop]

Have you ever level your building plate after the first time? that looks amazing.

[@Bu5H84]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if this is your 3D printer, i can imagine what your CNC machine must look like, please make a vid on it .

[@anupdujari]

good work..! Cheers buddy.. :)

[@essam7709]

very nice.. please provide us with fully detailed instructions to build it.. and I appreciate it.. many many thanks..

[@lavithhcm]

It took me months to put these parts together. It'd probably take months to show you " fully detailed instructions" Subscribe and check back later if there are new instruction video how to build. I'd probably build another one and sell it.

[@geforcy]

Looks really nice! What cnc machining did you use for the aluminum parts? So tight!

[@TheScrappingJeahaha]

Nice build, I'm gonna build one too but with the x and y axis on top and only the z axis moving up and down, so that I can get more building space ( I'm planning for ~400x400x400mm, perhaps bigger if I can engineer it good enough :P )

[@jordanbourns4328]

why did you choose threaded rod over lead screws? amazing printer build so pretty

[@jeffkopp1962]

Can you explain more on why you swapped the lead screw and nuts? Thanks!

[@methujeraya]

I love it. What CNC did you use? I need some tips I really wanna make that, But I need a CNC and Im finding a hard time with cnc, where to buy., what to buy

[@amrfwwz5470]

someone, pls help me to choose my first 3d printer kit that have a full aluminum frame. geeetech i3 A pro is my second choose..I'm afraid to choose the worng(first) printer, but with a 5mm thick metal frame is very tempting for me. Thanks for anyone answer..

[@iMobileGuru]

Великолепное исполнение. А где вы брали запчасти для него? Они выглядят как заводские.

[@snaprollinpitts]

looks expensive, but very nice!!!

[@Peacemaker8507]

Really nice work Sir, and so quiet compared to my Anet A6. How do you level your heated bed ? It seams to be mounted fixed.

[@lavithhcm]

thank you for your comment. the heatbed is level using dial test indicator. Usually it's not off more than 0.006" from left to right or back to front. In that case, just a thin paper shim or paint tape underneath pcb and on top of the nylon stand-off works wonder.

[@onurkostak9155]

dude good job i love it.but i have to ask a question you dont tell about electronic parts and software you wrote yourself 3d printer software if you wrote yourself how can you write pls tell me about it thank you

[@Idiocracy.is.now.]

Hey, bud great job. Im working on one myself... Going to use an arduino running GCODE, big easy drivers for the steppers and i think im going to go for screwed drive rather than belted. Anyway, awesome design.

[@lavithhcm]

I haven't got a chance to explore Arduino running G-code field yet but if time allows I will. Anyway screw drive will give you more force but compromise the speed. If you want more speed for the screw drive you need to run those stepper motors at higher voltage. I run mine at 12V. So you'll probably want to run those steppers at 24V

[@NoFaithNoPain]

Hi, the bit I am unsure of, is the code which parses the G code into XYZ movements, but more critically, coordinates feed rate with XY speed. Which software did you use?

[@lavithhcm]

I have the solid model exported to .STL file and use Repetier-Host software with latest Slic3r so slice it.... All setting about feed rate is in Slic3r software. Good luck

[@bt97gml]

how good is your x/y/z resolution? how many steps do your motors have?

[@ranked991]

Esta impresora es comprada o es ensamble y si así fuera donde puedo conseguir los planos..

[@asdasdasdasdasdas244]

Good work . I want to do the same on cnc milling m. :)

[@nizarfalestine]

Very well done job I'm happy for you, I would love to do it myself too I could afford to buy one, I would like to make it in aluminium too. If wouldn't mind to share the solid work it will help me to build it faster and to make it better.

[@jonjonsson6323]

Sounds noisy. Add rubber mats on the front of the nema 17:s and it will take away a lot. Even a third of noise is worth removing as it works a bit different than one expect, resonance is often very easy to remove

[@lavithhcm]

Thanks for suggesting! I am rebuilding it to add tiny laser cutter/engrave into this 3D printer. check back for more!

[@MilanPotterSmith]

What are the costs in building this. what do you think you spent on this project making parts yourself ? so just cost of parts and raw material ?

[@lavithhcm]

Though I have an account on Thingiverse but I don't really share anything with Makerbot's. You might find the doc somewhere else. Search "Understand copyright on thingiverse with Makerbot"

[@jimngugk4741]

Great design sir , like to build one soon , but don know the real size of it :( can you share all measurement ? Also for those cnc parts don know where to get them too ? Thanks

[@lavithhcm]

you can download the design in solidworks format. Read description. If you like my work, please share, like, donate or subcribe to my channel :)

[@fabiogarcia1431]

Nice job! Why didn't you use leadscrews instead of threaded rods?

[@lavithhcm]

First, its an stepper motor. So it better to use smaller pitch thread for better resolution in z travel. a lead screw has too big of thread pitch. If you have motor with encoder then yes it will be better with lead screw since you can make z travel much faster Besides, a cheap lead screw is not better than SS threaded rod imo. I had lead screw for Z but I removed them.

[@fabiogarcia1431]

@@lavithhcm Leadscrews are much better machined and precise than threaded rods, specially if you buy from a good supplier. And you can get leadscrews with 2mm thread pitch, which is more than enough for this application. Apart from that, your project is nice!

[@GeektoTheFuture]

Гаджеты из будущего, необычные устройства, забавные девайсы - как управлять жестами, где взять робота-аватара, можно ли читать мысли, что такое молекулярный сканер, какие видеоочки лучше... Какими гаджетами мы будем пользоваться через 5-6 лет? Заходите - расскажем и покажем.

[@techjensen6579]

your printer looks verry god and solid, compared with other printers. I am planing on building one, using yours drawings😊 Is the printer still going strong? Are you still happy with the 6mm thread rods?

[@lavithhcm]

+Jonas Skov definitely good with the 6mm thread. I purchased the stainless steel 6mm threaded rod

[@Metallocity]

what rc truck is that in the background there?

[@adriansierramartinez7516]

hello, excelent job i want to ask, what is the print volume?, you think i can made it for 300x300 mm?

[@lavithhcm]

yes the print volume can be 12"x12"x12" but i didn't bother to make my own heated bed that big. I might though using power resistor for heat and thin aluminum plate to spread the heat onto the glass. I

[@himanshuparmar20]

I want to build a 3d printer like this . Can you give the list of items you used in this printer ? Please help.

[@lavithhcm]

sorry i dont' have the list but if you read the description it has some link you can download the design file for this 3d printer. www.thinhla.com/diy-all-aluminum-frame-3d-printer/

[@luisnavarro4777]

thats really cool, which software did you use?

[@lavithhcm]

Repetier -Host

[@luisnavarro4777]

thanks bro, im triying to build one but im not sure about the software

[@TesserLink]

im designing my own 3d printer and i just wanted to know were you got your stepper motor mounts or did u make them.

[@lavithhcm]

I make my own by machining an aluminum block. You can view the source (solidworks model) for details about it.

[@machinist123]

I have the same LCD controller mine lights on but its not reading anything just blocks. What do I need to do to get it working?

[@lavithhcm]

you need to re-upload firmware marlin or something with the lcd hooked up.

[@Mikesplanes54]

This is just what i am looking for. Are there any plans available please?

[@lavithhcm]

+Mike North if you read the description you should be able to find out.

[@TurboStreetCar]

Looks Awesome. Can you post a picture of the completed part? It looks like it came out amazing.

[@gtapirate7428]

The completed part is used to mount my LCD screen to the machine frame which can hardly be seen

[@TurboStreetCar]

***** Im curious to how the surface finish of the part is. From what i can see it looks pretty smooth. Im looking to make one of these machines for myself but im oncerned i wont be able to get a decent surface finish.

[@gtapirate7428]

Surface finish has a lot things to do with your hotend extruder. In my case it is the E3D v5 which I am not satisfied how it turns out. I had to tune the 0.4mm E3D v5 nozzle, polish the barrel in order for it to print great. I had previous experience with J-Head and it prints great and smooth out of the box. Another thing that dictate surface finish is the material used. Different supplier of PLA can give you different result. You have to tune your machine to that material anyway. But in the end you need consistent filament diameter though out the whole spool. If you build a 3d printer machine, just think of the way how it is true, straight, perpendicular to others and how do you know that it is. In the end, everything has tolerance.

[@gtapirate7428]

Nosechunks Dont worry I had prusar i3 built out of wooden box frame but still print out great surface finish. Look at my other videos with Prusa i3

[@technobrainer8822]

OMG why are your belts not made of AL. very miss-leading title about a printer that is AWESOME> thanks for sharing

[@user-oh4xv9vf1h]

Hello! Explain please, that for a 8020 profile? What is its width and height in centimeters?

[@lavithhcm]

that profile is 1 inch x 1 inch. so that would be around 25.4mm x 25.4mm

[@bitsurfer0101]

If you took some pictures, would you be able to do a slideshow on how you put it together? I would definitely consider donating at that point.

[@lavithhcm]

thank you... you can always download the solidworks file posted in the description and you will see how things fit together. And if you like it buy me a starbuck :-)

[@filipejosecampos]

the main probem of the prusa is the bed moving on the y axis. so this one move the bed on x and y?

[@adisharr]

The bed moves in the Y and the extruder moves in X as show in the video. Also, the new Prusa does the same thing and is a benchmark for printing quality.

[@GregTheNomad]

i would pay you to build me one that is amazing i out a printrbot metal plus but after getting it i want to build my own but i have no knowledge in this area has anyone asked to build them one

[@HawkWorley]

So. 2 years later, how did it hold up?

[@lavithhcm]

Still strong and i never have to do anything with it. Just click print and off it goes

[@cerberes]

She's a beaut!

[@lavithhcm]

Thanks for watching.

[@qizhao107]

Hello, could you tell me what typer of "Nema 17 Stepper Motor" you use? I find Nema store they have Nema 17 -- 17HS16-2004S and 17HS19-0406S and 17HS19-1684D and 17HS19-1684S etc , which is best for? Thanks

[@lavithhcm]

Honestly. any NEMA 17 bipolar (4 lead wire) stepper motor with 38/40 mm long vill be ok to use. If you can find 60 mm long stepper for more torque, it will be fine too, But I have to tell you that not all stepper motor are created equally. First thing I usually do is to check T.I.R of the motor shaft with dial indicator. Everything has its tolerance. For most stepper motors TIR is about 0.05mm or 0.002" TIR in the spec sheet. Motor at maximum tolerance 0.05mm TIR is a really badly produced motor. You will experience some jerky linear motion or if on Z axis, you will experience wobble which can't be fix. I'd prefer motor with tolerance of 0 TIR or at the maximum 0.01mm TIR I have seen some motors from Chinese store with 0.12mm TIR which is a very very bad motor. But they will be happy to replace it for you if you can prove that is a bad motor. That was what happened to me.

[@lavithhcm]

For motor I'd suggest Bundle of 5 Kysan Stepper Motors 1124090 from 3DMakerWorld which I think is best bang for your buck.

[@huizhang6614]

Where did you source all the aluminum parts, including sheets?

[@lavithhcm]

I design the parts and machine them myself with CNC machine. There is no other 3d printer like it except for the fact that there are some people making iterations of it on Thingiverse. Check it out in the description.

[@sandydream5047]

how to write firmware to control 3D printer?

[@yippykaiyay012]

Hey buddy, got one more question for you if you dont mind. How thick is the bottom aluminium bed on yours? i bought 4mm at 217x217 and am thinking it might be a bit too heavy.

[@lavithhcm]

mine is .250"

[@yippykaiyay012]

thanks. should hopefully be ok then! easy swap if it does cause problems anyway. Cheers again man.

[@TheBlone444]

well...this seems fckin expensive...but the quality shows, that worth it :D

[@yippykaiyay012]

do you know the part you have that goes on the other side of the belt? the bearing pulley bit. having trouble finding a suitable one. Is it toothed or just round?

[@lavithhcm]

I use bearing as pulley to reduce drag. I can't remember the size on top of my head but i am sure I used the same size as motor pulley

[@yippykaiyay012]

+lavith.hcm thanks for the reply man. mine will hopefully be finished by June 2063. haha

[@lavithhcm]

@@yippykaiyay012 hahahh did you finish now? I hear you can buy for $200.

[@yippykaiyay012]

@@lavithhcm yeah I did finish it! Decades ahead of schedule haha. It weighs 10 tonnes but it was a super fun project.

[@pinklemonade03]

Can you make a document on thingiverse? I am very interested in building one.

[@Mamoondar]

What is the cost for the setup? ?

[@pesho9971]

What is the diameter of the linear rods used?

[@lavithhcm]

10mm

[@ismaelvella378]

what are the specifications of the stepper motors that your using please?

[@lavithhcm]

+Ismael Vella get the Kysan stepper motor 1124090

[@izimalta]

+lavith.hcm thank you very much my friend... can you recommend drivers?

[@karl-heinzhilbert1597]

Da fehlt mir die Rechte Motor auf hängungung für meine DIY Drucker ka.hilbert.de Wo bekonne ich sa eine aufhägung her

[@Jimmy7aidar]

how is the bed 32c and the object stick on the bed ?

[@lavithhcm]

Jimmy Haidar becuase it's PLA plastic that i was printing with. I had the bed heated to 60C at the beginning of the print with some harispray. After few layers I shut off the heated bed resulting 32C as you see in the video. PLA sticks really well with hairspray. I now don't use hairspray anymore since it might be toxic when you heat it up. I now use PVA wood glue mix with water at ratio 10:1 (1 part glue - 10 part water)

[@Jimmy7aidar]

great tip bro thank you the info ! and great printer how much it cost you total ? i'm planning to make printer like your :) but can i build 12" size ?

[@user-lx9jm1wo3h]

Whats the max build size if you upgraded the build plate to its max?

[@lavithhcm]

T. Price 12x12" mounting holes at the max but I can't seem to find a heat bed that big. Also even if I do have 12x12 heat bed I still need the separate PSU for it.

[@kniefi]

lavith.hcm Hello, build your own! It is not very hard. There are thin self-adhesvive copper-layer-film available for a technique called "tiffany glas technique" one can simply use that - stick it in windings onto a mirror tile in 12x12 and if calculated correctly, you can influence the Wattage and Power-consumption on it very accurately and have a custom heat-bed for around 25$! here some usefull links for you: www.dr-henschke.de/Tiffany_Heizbett.html forums.reprap.org/read.php?334,281115 glas-per-klick.de/tiffanytechnik/kupferfolie/kupferfolie-15mil-dicke-starter/index.html it is all in German - but you can easily translate via google translator, or I can of course help you with it one roll of this foil is actually around 5€ - so very very cheap - i have a 5mm Mirror-tile I got at some homestore for 2€ in the assorted shelf^^ cheers, Alex

[@benjaminschippers3536]

lavith.hcm makerfarm have a 12x12 heated bed in stock

[@lavithhcm]

Benjamin Schippers good find. I might consider the 10x10 and that for sure needs a separate PSU or a relay to separate high current through the RAMPS board. For the current setup of regular 8x8 heated bed, I already melted the terminal block when doing 110C for ABS printing. For now I rarely print object that bigger than 8.00". But if I do have some that's for sure on my upgrade list.

[@user-lx9jm1wo3h]

lavith.hcm 12x12 is impressive! Would you be interested in milling all the parts for me? I could send you paypal if the price is right... I was looking at the mendelmax 2.0 but its not a large enough build size.

[@laliborio]

wow

[@onrcelk]

I can not download solidworks files. is there another alternative.

[@lavithhcm]

you can find it on thingiverse www.thingiverse.com/thing:468612 But for your info I convert it to use linear rails

[@templatesgenius]

do u plan to sell those aluminum parts ? can u amke some to sell?

[@user-me9tk4ow4z]

waaaaaaaauuuuu

[@attulsanjay6045]

does it print metal

[@lavithhcm]

hahha... does it melt metal? NO 😁

[@jorgecardenas5868]

nozzle 0,25?

[@lavithhcm]

+Jorge Cárdenas Ostos i think .4mm when i ordered.

[@hardikmakvana2119]

how much total cost of making it??

[@lavithhcm]

I machine the parts myself but the cost was high for the frame and parts at the time. Now its so cheap (except for the machined parts of course) if i have to build another one. It cost me around 1K at the time.

[@hardikmakvana2119]

Chrysopelea can u please tell me cost of it because I'm planning to make it

[@lavithhcm]

I made this machine 3 years ago. You can download the SolidWorks file and all machine parts and check out the dimemsions. It cost me around 1,000 US dollars at the time. As I said it's now way cheaper to source out the parts. Check it out goo.gl/M91Nb2

[@mertcuhac7781]

it takes too much air while travelling.

[@ismaelvella378]

hi my friend. i would really love doing this project. i have machines to cut them as well but i dont know how to run solidworks :( secondly i no nothing with electronics as like i went to buy the nema motors 17 but there are lots of different types yeah? so I would love to help me buy the proper things would really appreciate . contact me if you would like to help a fellow man building his dream machine. :) thankyou

[@lavithhcm]

+aaroncmx I paid $0.25/inch for 1010 series and more for 2010 series.

[@henrybalodaki4151]

Is this aluminum? How come it looks like a white plastic to me?

[@lavithhcm]

Look closer and tell me if it's plastic.;-) All machined parts are 7075 aluminum except for the frame which is aluminum extrusion from 8020.net Don't all aluminum bare part look like white plastic on KZbin?

[@henrybalodaki4151]

Ok...got it thanks. I just wanted to make sure, you or the owner of this site can validate my question.

[@nizarfalestine]

so you don't know the aluminum from plastic Colors you must have a big problem to in this industry or you have to check if you are Colors blind!!!!!!

[@iMobileGuru]

Он имел ввиду, что деталь пластиковая, как мне показалось.

[@iMobileGuru]

Нужно быть слепым, чтобы подумать что принтер из пластика...

[@claitonleite6000]

MiMi f3k

[@mashersmasher]

dozens of custom designed parts, custom milling and design.... paperclips

[@lavithhcm]

yeah. totally agree. i will design a clamp for it. Thanks for the comment. Please check back the content later since i will be adding laser engraver feature to this 3D printer where it actually print and laser cutter/engraver at the same time without the need to second laser engraver machine.

[@smoochies5056]

haha...this too much

[@lavithhcm]

I know right? I plan to to add laser cutter/engraver but still use the 3d printer functionality. how cool is that?