- Part 1: Unboxing
- Part 2: Assembly
- Part 3: Wiring and Software Setup
- Part 4: Initial Prints and Modifications
- RepRap 3D Printing Toolkit
Printer Modifications
Board Mount
In my mind, the single most important upgrade I made to my printer was to mount it to a plywood board. This allows me move the printer easier without getting it out of alignment or level. It gave me a place to mount the PSU and several of the other upgrades I will discuss.
Filament Spool Holder
This was actually the first modification I made to the printer. I quickly got tired of having to manually unwind printer filament. It is a combination of parts almost identical to THIS blog post.
This spool holder actually did work pretty well. It would probably work better if you used real 608 bearings. I eventually abandoned the OSFA spool holder and just hung it on the rod. That actually works better for me. Another note, the spool mount limits the z-height on the printer as the stepper hits the mount. It needs to be a little thinner. At some point I will get around to fixing it. It is also worth noting that without the z-axis support (next mod), this spool holder causes the z axis to bend over slightly. This causes the nozzle to raise off the build plate. This means when you put a heavier spool on the holder the nozzle gets pulled off the plate more. Not ideal. Overall I would recommend this setup, but if you have something better, go for it.
Z Axis Support
Downloadable HERE this modification supports the z axis so that it doesn't rock during the print. It bolts right on to the back of the z axis rod supports at top of the frame and screws into the plywood board. It requires 2 each of the printed parts and one 5/16" x 36" threaded rod cut in half. It works great. I highly recommend an upgrade like this.
PSU Mount
This is not so much about performance as it is convenience. I drew up a PSU mount in CAD for the PSU that comes with the Replikeo kit. A couple screws and some zipties and the PSU is firmly mounted to the plywood board. Now the printer is one unit that can be carried or put in a car without worry. Get the printed parts HERE.
Power Switch
I was going to wire up a fancy power switch on my printer, so I would not have to unplug it all the time. Then I realized I could just get a cheap surge protector and use that instead. I think I got a 2-pack for $6. Worth it in my mind.
X Axis Belt Tensioner
There are a couple of these drop in replacement x idlers that add tensioners. I liked THIS one the best. It went on with no problems. Now I can tweak the x axis tension however I want. This probably isn't a high priority upgrade, but it is something that I changed.
Z Axis Adjustable Endstop
THIS upgrade has been very helpful in tuning the printer. It allows me to change the endstop location with the turn of a screwdriver. It is a little flaky having the screw hit the limit switch arm. Someday I plan to put a larger pad on the end of the screw so that it hits more uniformly, but it works for now. I printed the tall version and snapped off the bits I didn't need with some wire cutters.
Print Cooling Fan
I use THIS cooling fan setup and it works great. I highly recommend that you shell out the extra $2 and get a centripetal fan. This fan setup blows more air than I need.It blows air right across the nozzle, so I had to wrap a little insulation around the extruder block to keep the temperature from fluctuating too much when the fan comes on. Possibly against common practice, I use it both on PLA and sometimes ABS depending on what I am printing and what other settings I am using. See the next mod as well.
Dual Fan Mount
THIS clips onto the Wade's extruder body that comes in the Replikeo kit where the fan would go and allows you to mount two fans. That means you can keep your current extruder cooling fan and also use a print cooling fan like above. If you are going to add a fan, it works great for me.
That is all of the modifications I have made to my Replikeo Prusa i3 printer thus far. To me, I would consider the first 5 "must have" improvements. They just improve the performance or convenience of the printer so much that they are definitely worth your consideration. If you have any other improvements you recommend, let us know in the comments. Now the obligatory first prints I promised.
While I could post plenty more pictures I'd say this post is about long enough. If you want to see more, check out some of my other posts under the 3D printing tag to the right. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post below.
This was actually the first modification I made to the printer. I quickly got tired of having to manually unwind printer filament. It is a combination of parts almost identical to THIS blog post.
Z Axis Support
Downloadable HERE this modification supports the z axis so that it doesn't rock during the print. It bolts right on to the back of the z axis rod supports at top of the frame and screws into the plywood board. It requires 2 each of the printed parts and one 5/16" x 36" threaded rod cut in half. It works great. I highly recommend an upgrade like this.
PSU Mount
This is not so much about performance as it is convenience. I drew up a PSU mount in CAD for the PSU that comes with the Replikeo kit. A couple screws and some zipties and the PSU is firmly mounted to the plywood board. Now the printer is one unit that can be carried or put in a car without worry. Get the printed parts HERE.
Power Switch
I was going to wire up a fancy power switch on my printer, so I would not have to unplug it all the time. Then I realized I could just get a cheap surge protector and use that instead. I think I got a 2-pack for $6. Worth it in my mind.
X Axis Belt Tensioner
There are a couple of these drop in replacement x idlers that add tensioners. I liked THIS one the best. It went on with no problems. Now I can tweak the x axis tension however I want. This probably isn't a high priority upgrade, but it is something that I changed.
Z Axis Adjustable Endstop
THIS upgrade has been very helpful in tuning the printer. It allows me to change the endstop location with the turn of a screwdriver. It is a little flaky having the screw hit the limit switch arm. Someday I plan to put a larger pad on the end of the screw so that it hits more uniformly, but it works for now. I printed the tall version and snapped off the bits I didn't need with some wire cutters.
Print Cooling Fan
I use THIS cooling fan setup and it works great. I highly recommend that you shell out the extra $2 and get a centripetal fan. This fan setup blows more air than I need.It blows air right across the nozzle, so I had to wrap a little insulation around the extruder block to keep the temperature from fluctuating too much when the fan comes on. Possibly against common practice, I use it both on PLA and sometimes ABS depending on what I am printing and what other settings I am using. See the next mod as well.
Dual Fan Mount
THIS clips onto the Wade's extruder body that comes in the Replikeo kit where the fan would go and allows you to mount two fans. That means you can keep your current extruder cooling fan and also use a print cooling fan like above. If you are going to add a fan, it works great for me.
That is all of the modifications I have made to my Replikeo Prusa i3 printer thus far. To me, I would consider the first 5 "must have" improvements. They just improve the performance or convenience of the printer so much that they are definitely worth your consideration. If you have any other improvements you recommend, let us know in the comments. Now the obligatory first prints I promised.
First Prints
These are some of my first prints. The green is Hatchbox PLA. The white is the ABS that came with the kit. They are printed at various temperatures and layer heights using hairspray as the bed adhesive.
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| First ever prints. Learned the importance of bed prep right off the bat |
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| Switched to the included ABS |
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| Printed a few replacement parts |
While I could post plenty more pictures I'd say this post is about long enough. If you want to see more, check out some of my other posts under the 3D printing tag to the right. If you have any questions or comments feel free to post below.
-Matthew
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