Lemontron open source FOLDING 3D PRINTER ready to download and build from scratch

[@imst4722]

Homies don’t let their homies use soldered wires in screw terminals. Solder drifts and could be a fire hazard. Pla also drifts over time so you’ll need to constantly re-tighten all your bolts. It’s likely that any pla part under constant strain like the idler mounts and gantry mounts will shift/warp

[@lemontron]

Yup will keep an eye out. This and general warpage were brought to my attention back when I began. I do have one prototype (the one in the last video) that had been printing for a month, and it held up very well with no drift. I noticed some flex at the last minute so I fixed that with the new reinforced z block design so I’m on top of it. I suspect because it’s so THICC what little forces are acting on it just don’t contribute to much drift and all the pulleys are screwed in tight and have a washer to sit on which spreads the load many THOUSANDS of times over just having a screw post cantilever like in the journeymaker design. Time will tell.

[@ericleung34]

Please avoid using solder on screw terminal wires. This has caused problems with the Ender 3 in the past, leading to burnt terminals for many users.

[@woutervossebeld4664]

​Fyi, the term for material slowly moving under load is creep. You might also be less affected by it since it is a function of temperature and the positron isn't enclosed.​@@lemontron

[@TheGiuse45]

Solder doesn't drift

[@Roobotics]

@@TheGiuse45 Incorrect, it does, under pressure it very slowly 'flows' and deforms, shifting away from the compression forces, the connections becomes looser and higher resistance, starts to heat up, the solder oxidizes and flows away even more, then fire/melting/charring from the wire insulation.

[@bizget]

I've been following the Positron project since it was first announced and have always wanted to build or buy one, but I definitely had to wait for you to finish the Lemontron before throwing money at anything. This is sublime!

[@Smokinjoewhite]

Haha, orange ya glad you didn't just build the positron?

[@lg1355]

Banana

[@AckzaTV]

Sub-lime? It's Super-Lemon

[@SpeedyGwen]

same

[@KallePihlajasaari]

Insanely compact and complex but a real pleasure to watch the build process, the sound effects are super cool too.

[@randyp6474]

I hope this video reaches many young people (and older) and inspire them to think and create just as you have done. Don’t ever stop what you’re doing, the world needs more people like you.

[@spike13011]

As soon as you started making noises to narrate what you were doing...I subscribed immediately. Great video bro!

[@JamieBainbridge]

That's the most compact elegant extruder I've ever seen. Brilliant.

[@ipadize]

11:42 just a tip for flush inserts and no plastic overflow: stop just before completely pressing the inserts in and then use a flat metal block and press it in the rest of the way. That way it will be completely flat and also squish the plastic back.

[@stevenshaughnessy3525]

I like to just use a countersink/deburring drill bit and add a small chamfer before inserting! Works great.

[@Mischievous_Moth]

I know an engineering teacher that would LOVE to build these with his students. Definitely showing him this video.

[@braedenday1652]

I’ll design and build a new printer every year or two for fun and this video just makes me want to do better. Nice work!

[@mikecrane2782]

Nice, some really sweet detailing, with some very good quality 3D printed parts. Subscribed and liked, thanks for sharing

[@coolcat312]

I’ve wanted a positron ever since it first hit the scene. This variant looks like the most approachable build yet.

[@lemontron]

Yes indeedy with all the improvements over the original plus the price tag that’s been cut in half now is the time to build a positron!

[@Leclaron]

Watching this has inspired me to consider making a mini Lemontron, maybe a kumquat-tron

[@Cyber_Gas]

Document the journey please

[@Leclaron]

@ if I can find the time to do the design work I’ll definitely document it!

[@Jynxx_13]

Looks like a very well thought out design. The tinned wires in a screw terminals is a big no no, especially on power wiring. I'm also not fond of using a screw gun without going back and hand torqueing. Cool printer but having 3 printers with this build volume already I can't justify building one....yet.

[@lunaumbra5179]

But what about bringing a printer to remote satanic rituals in the woods at 2am?? Which printer will you bring for those events?

[@11darkraven11]

What's a better way to do that wiring?

[@endthefighting]

⁠ferrules. Always ferrules. Even raw wire is "safer" than tinned wires into terminals.

[@ccujo7875]

@@11darkraven11tinning stranded wire effectively makes it "solid" wire (think house wiring). You don’t ever rely on clamp/crimp connections for solid wire. Basically, if you don't need to tin the wire, don’t.

[@elyknavillus777]

Dude I never watch ads and always jump ahead for sponsors but you were halfway through it before I even realized it was a plug so impressed I didn't skip forward. Well done sir.

[@010falcon]

To people doing DIY, buy ferrules, they cost 1$ on Ali for a set of them. Soldering the wires has caused many fires by them coming loose, don't cheap out!

[@hasso0n]

If only the multiple crimping tools needed didn't cost so much

[@-Xaverius]

@@hasso0nthose are also quite cheap and they are certainly not a single use item

[@kennydubroff7772]

Wires coming loose after soldering sounds like a skill issue. Invest in yourself and get some soldering skills I say :P

[@finncreatesshorts]

@@kennydubroff7772 no, only when using soldered wires in a screw terminal. Thats not what they are meant for

[@kennydubroff7772]

Fair, I’ll watch the video before being a smart ass next time lol

[@fish9468]

I've been looking forward to this video!! Thanks for taking the time to document your hard work in such an accessible way for so many people.

[@jasonjohnson785]

Dude, the self-made sound effects totally make this video.

[@tylermoore5065]

Beautiful cinematography, and good music choice. Like the video!

[@mertyaldz04]

The voice acting is very professional, please keep it up man 😎

[@orbitalair2103]

Nice. Appears very professional. When I started I grabbed a SmartMini fileset and began learning, when redesigning it I saw the original designers great ideas in areas that i could not improve upon. You use a plethora of screws, I found the 3mm and 5mm screws to be expensive, and to be ordered from china. Same with pins and connectors. Anyways, fun video thanks, and best of luck.

[@YTfrog233]

Insane production. Not nearly knowledgeable enough to follow along but I loved every second of it anyway. Hope your channel blows up!

[@diamony123]

Well if 80 percent us feels like you. i question their profitability, no matter how nice the video is. They might want to sell the lemon without us making lemon aid, have it half install.

[@TheZolon]

Nice video. As mentioned, tinned ends bad. This is why we use ferrules on the positron.

[@lunaumbra5179]

Best build video I've ever watched. Excellent effort!!! I am so jazzed this came out and I cannot wait to snatch up that toolhead pcb and get cranking on the DC input mod. Thank you so much for making my vanlife printing dream feel attainable. Have an excellent end of year Mr. Lemon 💕

[@adventureaeryck]

Dude, This is awesome! I really hope that the bill of materials includes tools and crimps

[@lemontron]

I understand where you’re coming from but you would never want to put a tool in any BOM unless it was a consumable. But yes I do have a list of required tools in the website and crimps ($20) are almost non negotiable, though if you were really for some weird reason opposed you could always work around it.

[@spambot7110]

you use flat head and button head cap screws in a lot of weird places, wherever possible you really wanna use socket head cap screws. they usually take a larger size hex bit, reducing the risk of stripping the head; future you after a few maintenance cycles will appreciate it. one use that especially stands out is the countersunk screws on the linear rails, if you look at the rails they are counterbored, not countersunk. this means that the bottom surface is flat, rather than sloped like with a countersink. that means that your flat head cap screws, which are designed to go into countersunk holes, will only have a thin ring of contact where the conical shape of the screw head intersects with the flat bottom surface of the counterbore. the mounting pressure will be concentrated all on these small rings, resulting in a shearing force that will likely deform (or possibly even sever) the screw heads as the rail goes through load cycles, requiring more frequent tightening and earlier failure.

[@ulrichkliegis4138]

Thank you so much for that professional comment. Mechanical engineering and construction 101.

[@spambot7110]

@@ulrichkliegis4138 although on reflection i think i'm incorrectly identifying some screws as flat-heads when they're just low-profile socket heads. still preferable to use full size socket heads where possible but at least the mating surface issue isn't there in those cases

[@cwaldrip]

The sound effects just make it. You'll be the next Bambu Labs in no time!

[@Diabl0pl]

Ok, that is amazing. I think that as soon as I finish my Pandora's Box I'll try to give it a try if i manage to get qll the parts where I live.

[@Mobile_Dom]

damn son, this has more flat head screws than i skipped over in the voron v0.2 build

[@lemontron]

You can use the same size button head but since you have to buy the wafers anyway for the x axis I just reused the same screw over and over again

[@dineshvyas]

This is the first video with sound effects that I liked. Well done sir.

[@cdevidal]

The sound effects 😂 Really well engineered build, was a pleasure to watch it come together. I can only design 1/10th as well.

[@ahrrr7690]

I seems like ages since I seen this for the first time. Happy that it’s finally coming out 😊

[@rhileygriffin4380]

As someone who's Ender melted, don't forget the ferrules!

[@Devviiiii]

5:32 that little rap was fire xD

[@neoyagami]

Came for the proyect, stay for the sound effects

[@wYatt121509]

SUBBED! You got me with the metric sized 'subscribe buttons'. Good humor and I like the content so far.

[@tblkbandec]

I love the voice acting

[@rewi.alchemy]

no plan to build but stayed for the sound fx lmao

[@fancytableshoes]

This is seriously impressive work! And the sound effects

[@forivall]

I love the little noises you make when applying solder, etc

[@herrpez]

And, conversely, I genuinely can't stand them. Made it halfway through the video before I had to give up. 😢

[@surfinbirdzx]

@@herrpez the same. Had to turn off the sound.

[@FuttFel]

Is there a reason for going with screws that go into plastic, as opposed to just using more heatsets? Screws that go into plastic is almost a one-and-done type of deal and are extremely easy to strip out. The base is such a large print that it would suck to have to re-print the whole thing because one or two important holes stripped out. Such as those for the rails. Also, the kapton tape used later to hold down the wires, perhaps one addition here could be U-shaped channels that will accept those really small 2.5mm cable ties? Aside from that, fantastic work! Really looks like you one-upped all the other Positron variants and made one that's actually viable for most people to make! If I didn't already have a full kit and all parts printed for a Micron+, I would build this instead.

[@lunaumbra5179]

I am curious about why not more heat set as well. I'm happy to load it up.. Looking at the files there might be a couple places, or maybe one in the center of the y rail, which might not take a heatset well.

[@HBDE.official]

Nice work! I ordered 50 tool head board PCBs in yummy lemon yellow. I'd like to share a few if you're based around Germany/Europe.

[@unlucky6928]

9:11 after school, when my mate finally messages me on skype just to say he has to go to dinner

[@cgwworldministries83]

its a total lemonparty ;)

[@crowguy506]

Congrats. So what keeps the Bowden tube from hooking on the x-rail? Seems unsolved for any Positron design right now, maybe with the exception of the 3.0, which had a support.

[@lemontron]

Yeah the positron v3.2 has that problem. On the lemontron it’s a complete non issue. The place where the wire comes out is just higher up. The Bowden tube doesn’t overlap with the rail and never has an opportunity to snag thru its entire range of motion.

[@riccardocaracuta8781]

Really well done, congratulations! Is it possible to have the names of the songs used in the video, especially the one at 18:48, thanks

[@FilterYT]

Congratulations and good luck!

[@Kasdejan]

Amazing, whats this nice ABS you used for the toolhead? Thats one of the prettiest filaments I ever saw.

[@SeanBurnett405]

It is BambuLab's Royal Purple Sparkle PLA

[@Kasdejan]

​@@SeanBurnett405 Thanks, that looks lovely. Mr Lemontron himself however said in another comments that apparently it's ABS from CookieCad

[@lemontron]

The blue filament used on the tool head is Cookie Cad Witchcraft ABS and the top plates and z axis is Witches Blue PLA. The lemon is Solar Flare PLA.

[@alexthelion335]

What's the difference between this and the Positron?

[@lemontron]

Same print volume at about $300 less cost, with an internal extruder as opposed to external, and a strong unibody chassis as opposed to the metal plate construction, 0 (!!) cnc parts as opposed to heavily relying on custom machined parts, includes a bed mesh probe which eliminates the levelling process, and internal psu as opposed to external brick psu

[@alexthelion335]

@lemontron Oh nice, what's the approximate build cost for this version?

[@GoatZilla]

this is some pretty good work. serviceability suffers a little though. shouldn't you be tightening the hotend jibblies while it's hot though?

[@lemontron]

You do tighten the nozzle hot, but the cold side doesn’t thermally expand to the point where it affects leaks. Yep issues with serviceability are definitely there, specifically when you need to replace the heater or clean the hotend. I really just made some calls in the name of miniaturization, it’s all calculated for cost/benefit but it’s nothing a little more RnD can’t fix. Sample Name actually linked me a SMD finger that allows the heater to be installed toollessly.

[@C4Consultant]

The sound effects are perfect

[@delecti]

I was confused by the kinematics of those idler wheels at 90° angles until you mentioned the belt tightness. So it's like an inside-out Core-XY? That's kinda wild.

[@landroveraddict2457]

Can you provide a link to the heat insert tips you used. Mine are not stepped like yours so the hot bit always touches the plastic. Thank you. Great video can not wait to build one of theses.

[@lemontron]

Hi, I used this kit amzn.to/4gr9H5D

[@landroveraddict2457]

@@lemontron Thank you .👍👍🎉🎉

[@repalmore]

I don't think I'll build a Lemontron but I subscribed because you did such a good job on the design and video, sound effects and all. ;o) Keep up the good work.

[@sp4rtan148]

Which purple filament did you use for this build? It's absolutely beautiful

[@civicsr2cool]

Beautiful engineering brother 👍

[@802Garage]

Good stuff! Looks like a decent print result as well.

[@lemontron]

Yeah believe me the quality is up there. Admittedly there are vfas to address but by all other measures it’s super performant.

[@802Garage]

@lemontron Nice! I mean clearly this is a compromise printer focused on cost, size, and portability. So good print quality by any measure is great.

[@galgrunfeld9954]

This is absolutely fantastic! What are the limitations in scaling the print build volume?

[@gfixler]

The limitation is that if you go any bigger, it won't fit in a filament box, and that was kind of the whole point, for coolness factor, and bragging rights.

[@lylek8933]

Looks like the Positron 3D printer now has a cousin. :)

[@Kato0909]

That is a good project! Love it!

[@UltimatePerfection]

How can I modify it for a bigger build volume? I love the concept and how affordable it is, but it's too small for me.

[@lemontron]

It is a parametric design so you can change the WIDTH user variable but of course it’s gonna break dependancies, but should be easy enough to repair them. The real challenge is adapting larger rails because the cantilever forces start becoming a major pain, and creating a larger bed because the PCB beds are all 180mm. Anyways I’m working on a larger Lemontron but it’s more of a complete redesign so it would be cool if the community made this one bigger in the meantime.

[@dazealex]

Nice soldering bro!

[@AlanTuringWannabe]

The sound effects are top notch.

[@rrittenhouse]

LMAO for real! I loved it. Bro is actually pretty funny. Plus the video is great as well.

[@BigEpinstriping]

Great design! very cool! That hotend is nuts!

[@Borret]

you should do a table sized cnc!

[@SujanPoddar-r6d]

Can u say what is the total cost of this lenontron 3D printer project?

[@andreamitchell4758]

You don't even want to ask

[@mAXIZ-g8i]

150-400 usd

[@ИгорьЛушников-с9и]

Потрясающе.Великолепная работа.Всё гениальное-просто.Успехов.

[@SinedWOLF]

13:51 - Можно вращать ротор мотора пока спиливаешь и получится ровный срез почти как на токарном станке! И фаску легко снять.

[@moosekababs]

hmmm... are there kits for these or something???

[@moosekababs]

i've always wanted a 3D printer but they're soooo expensive ;;

[@JSparrowist]

The sound effects are choice! Very cool build!

[@inadad8878]

So the supports don't come off?

[@Makaphin]

I'm keeping this video saved until I have the cash and commitment to put one of these together or someone makes a kit. I've been wanting a Positron for a while now, and this looks like my way in.

[@jacobb1384]

now that was clean

[@drewsprague88]

Is there a way to download the files as STL? This project is wonderful!

[@mmmuck]

Why would one build this versus getting an a1 or a1 mini

[@lunaumbra5179]

* portability - it goes anywhere and you don't have to fuss with someone else's printer. * Small living, tiny house, van life (that's me) , RV life, tiny city apartment * Remote work. The rare few where printing on the job anywhere could speed things up a lot. * It's badass * Bring the printer to your friend and fix their tool/issue with them instead of the back and forth, so long as it's a short print.

[@ljadf]

* Portability - an A1 mini is pretty small, if you aren't concerned with packing it up, and putting it in a backpack, you're fine. You'll also have reliable prints at a higher quality. Small living, same reason, and no need to spend a couple of days assembling it yourself, more likely than not forgetting, damaging, or misplacing something. If you love building stuff, go for it, otherwise don't do it.

[@lunaumbra5179]

@@ljadf I think you are missing the point. I literally do not have room for an A1 mini. You do not understand what small living really means. A1 Mini: 347 x 315 x 365 mm³ Lemon: 200 x 200 x 73 mm³ with the same build volume Are you making claims about the quality or reliability of this printer? Sounds like you are a consumer and not a maker *shrugs*

[@andreamitchell4758]

If you are small living a 3D printer is not for you . I live in a decent size apartment and I can't even run my printers because of the fumes. They say PLA is safe but I call BS After only a 1.5 hour print I feel like 💩 These things are not practical at all unless you have a dedicated space that can be closed off and then there is the issue of humidity. About 90% of the year you won't be printing anything unless you live in a desert or want to lay high utility Bills to run a dehumidifier. I can't get any work flow going at all because Iive in Massachusetts and the humidity is over 90% 90% of the year now. We are having bad fog and humidity now in December. If you run these things in your living space you are poisoning yourself and if you run them outside or in a basement or in a ventilated room the humidity is going to negatively affect your prints.

[@lunaumbra5179]

@@andreamitchell4758 very important comment. Funny that I'm not normally concerned about my health but with this project I have considered a few things about safety. I live in a van with about 60sqft, and maybe 1/3 of the cubic volume is furniture. I have an exhaust fan capable of circulating the entire air volume of the van in less than a minute probably less than 30 seconds. I will also be upstream from the printer. Further I plan to build a cute little enclosure with a filter for this. I know I'll have to be careful about the printer getting warm for creep/wrap and it won't be a perfect seal but it's an additional step. The humidity is the harder things to deal with imo. I'm truly hoping I can get the right filament dryer to fit in my lifestyle. Mr. Lemon is hoping to design a dry box that fits underneath the printer with enough post processing it could be real nice. We'll see how far I get and how much I suffer, but I'll make it work somehow. I really have no desire to live beyond 50 anyway. (Chronic incurable health issues will do that)

[@Tarbard]

Good job on the printer and the video (even the ad was good).

[@garcy9983]

whats the estimate cost to build this? hardware-wise i mean not printed parts

[@Ale_giro]

According to the author's comment: the bill for the hardware is ~420$ (without printed parts!?). Which is totally crazy for a printer like that.

[@Jokershadow696]

Amazing printer. But maintenance on this thing is almost non existing, you need to desolder things to replace parts? Or i missed something?

[@lemontron]

Don’t worry, I know what you are talking about and Sample Name and I are working on a toolless maintenance PCB and we need time to make it amazing.

[@Jokershadow696]

​@@lemontron I am just curious, how difficult would be to use existing builds, like hotend from a1 bambu lab with fast hotend swaps.

[@lemontron]

​​⁠there are two hotends that have a 90 degree bend. the funnsor hotend which is a waste of time and the positron 90 hotend which is an absolute unit. There are also some open source designs for hotends you can build if you have a CNC.

[@ShcherbynaM]

SFX are top notch, subscribed for more :D

[@dennisvorwerk9210]

Wow, ultra clean build and really entertaining! Well one! :D

[@coledavidson5630]

What would this motion system be called?

[@lemontron]

This motion system is called inverted hbot, or some have coined it Positron system. It’s not corexy but the motor kinematics are identical.

[@TOjoe1strow]

positron looks sick!

[@snowsh1ne]

Damn nice. Merry christmas :) Is that Bambu Galaxy PLA on the Toolhead? Looks really good

[@vladi_g]

In my experience, thermal paste is inappropriate in such places. The temperature is too high and the thermal paste dries quickly and stops working (starts to harm).

[@youtubehandlesux]

There are pastes rated for 400°C.

[@vladi_g]

@@youtubehandlesux This is not what is shown in the video...

[@lemontron]

The paste in the video is boron nitride, which is for this exact application

[@coledavidson5630]

Is this based on the positron?

[@lemontron]

Lemontron is the newest positron style printer and it shares many design decisions. Same print volume, but half the price, internal extruder as opposed to external, unibody chassis as opposed to plate construction, 0 cnc parts as opposed to heavy use of cnc parts, it has a bed mesh probe, and internal psu as opposed to external brick. I hope it proves to be a big innovation over the previous positrons.

[@JaCKoP619]

@@lemontron so it's basically modded positron for DIY construction? pretty neat!

[@PCBWay]

Love this SO MUCH! 🔥🔥🔥

[@TheGeordietheWitchandtheWench]

this is a good effort!! thanks!!!!

[@hed420]

How much does this cost to build?

[@lemontron]

This one costed me $413 all in. Check out the website where I documented the BOM!

[@Ale_giro]

​@@lemontronwtf?! It's like literally 2 and half A1Mini or 1 A1Mini+ams+another A1mini! It's a crazy amount of money for that print...

[@bruwyvn]

@@Ale_giro self-sourced vs mass-produced my guy

[@himmelfahrt8387]

That sound’s 😂😂 you don’t loose my attention 👌❤️

[@jupiterbjy]

next tier sound effects, love it

[@gman1976]

awesome video. but whats the name of the song 9 minutes in?

[@simontanguay3619]

Is it normal I don't see the pics for step 7 and onward on the website? Haven't seen the full video yet so maybe it's addressed in there, just thought I might ask.

[@lemontron]

The build guide is in the works

[@simontanguay3619]

This puts my mind to ease. I thought my browser was goofing up! 😅 Looking forward to starting my build!

[@poetac15]

Nice work

[@francoisrainville]

the sounds effects man!!!

[@X862go]

Great work, guys 👍🏼👌

[@DoctorDerpman]

Okay I'm sorry but 5:35 vibes _way_ too hard 🔥🔥💯 Goddamn

[@JyHandmadeStudio]

brilliant！yet something went wrong when i dropped the 3mf file into Lychee. it says the file may be corrupted and needs to be fixed. any chance i did sthing wrong?

[@lemontron]

Try using OrcaSlicer! I’m not sure what the deal is, but Orca is reportedly working for everybody using it. You can also export from orca to lychee if you are more familiar with that slicer.

[@JyHandmadeStudio]

@@lemontron thx dude! i‘ll give it a shot!

[@JyHandmadeStudio]

@@lemontron problem solved!

[@andreamitchell4758]

I am facinated by the upside down plate design though I have seen it before. Unfortunately the price to build this is kind of ridiculous considering you can get an A1 mini rigut now for $150

[@keisisqrl]

What’s the goopy tape you use for the connector at 5:43?

[@lemontron]

It’s called double sided clear sticky tape (catchy name) and I also use it to hold down everything while filming. Worked pretty well!

[@stefanschuchardt5734]

That was fun to watch! (I dont intend to 3D print)

[@certified-forklifter]

please dont put solder in screw terminals! :/ it is a fire hazard