I have been looking at the X Axis mods on Thingiverse using the roller bearings and decided to take a different slant on the subject.
I decided to try some linear ball race bushes as used on CNC engravers and routers.
I managed to track down some 3/8 inch id bushes with an od of the exact size that fits the existing holes which are holding the plain bushes.
The X table now moves as if it is floating on air.
After seeing this result I intend getting another two to put on my Y axis.

This device has two parallel surfaces that can be moved far enough apart to measure the width (or length) of your head.

Note that the extra holes on the end pieces will hold a wade extruder.

This printable extruder is intended to work on RepRap Mendel (both standard and Prusa), RepRap Huxley, and virtually any other open-source 3D printer you can find.

It features:

1. 1.75 mm filament
2. Adaptable mounting plate to attach it to virtually any 3D printer
3. Very compact high-torque NEMA 11 motor
4. Active ducted fan cooling for high reliability
5. Wade-style hobbed bolt filament transport
6. Wing-nut drive to spread the torque loading on the plastic gears
7. Push-fit hot-end parts - no thread cutting
8. Easily replaced PTFE liner for the hot end
9. A single M3-threaded rod cut to lengths makes all the fixings
10. Lightweight: 420g
11. Compact design (110 mm x 90 mm x 80 mm)

I based this design (loosely) on Jstkatz's extruder (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7037), in particular, the idea of using a lever to trap the filament against its drive.

This type of joint is used in a gate of OOSAKA castle in Japan.
It seems to a puzzle. If you do not have 3D printers, please challenge to make a papercraft of this object which is uploaded by PDF file.

This is an experimental replacement for the larger of my two silent Rapman extruder gears.

After extensive printing with the silent gears, some 'click-clack' noises started to reappear, probably due to friction wear.

This gear attempts to solve this problem once and for all by incorporating a spring into the gear which itself is about 1.5mm larger in diameter. The spring provides constant pressure between the extruder gears, removing the tolerance and therefore the noise.

The big unknown of course is whether it will be durable and effective in the long term!

Update 22/2: The test gear survived a 5-hour torture test that contained a lot of reversals. The noises are gone, but this is most likely due to the gear simply being bigger - the teeth ring isn't flexing around the hub like I wanted. Basically, it's too strong. I think a new design with 6 (rather than 8) spring units is next on the todo list!

This is another cooling design, inspired by (but not directly based on) thing 5756.

I wanted to use Iwo's design, but I just upgraded to a MakerGear stepper plastruder on my Thing-o-Matic, and there wasn't enough clearance around the extruder nozzle to mount any fan ducts on the top side of the Z-stage. So, this design is a circular cooling nozzle that mounts around the extruder nozzle, just under the Z-stage.

It is fed by two 1/4" PVC hoses, attached to a fan mount that sits on top of the Z-stage, near the rear of the bot. This mount holds a 40mm fan salvaged from an old graphics card.

The overall airflow is very subtle- it's detectable with your hand, but just barely. But it makes a huge difference in print quality for small parts. In the attached image of two single-wall calibration boxes, both boxes were printed consecutively using the same g-code. The only difference is that one box had the cooling fan intake blocked.

This design is in parametric OpenSCAD, so it should be fairly easy to adapt to other nozzle types or fan sizes.

Note: This adds some extra hardware to the underside of your Z-stage. Make sure there will be clearance with anything you have sticking up from your build platform. I had to remove the nozzle wiper from my ABP. (The wiper wasn't working very well with my MakerGear nozzle anyway, so no big loss...)

This has been superseded by thingiverse.com/thing:6236

This is a python3 script for blender 2.5 that reads gcode files and creates polylines for tool head moves. It also animates with 1 frame per layer.

Put the script up on github for development

github.com/zignig/blender-gcode-reader

This modification is intended to improve heat transfer to the nozzle an allow better heater core insulation for lower power heating and better temperature control.

I am adapting the extruder head to fit to a CNC mill to increase the accuracy and build envelope available to me, so whilst I've had my extruder running on the bench, I'm still working on adapting the extruder controller to allow it to be driven by the CNC controller (Siemens Sinumerik)

UPDATE: I've got my TechZone Extruder controller re-coded and running my extruder nozzle now. I've measured a warm-up cycle at 3'44", with the heater running a continuous 28W. Some of my theoretical power has disappeared somehow - not sure why

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This design is obsolete and should be considered abandoned. I've left it online so people can look at it for ideas.

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Its a Cupcake, but SUPER!

If you like what I'm doing, then flattr me!

******
Currently at revision 1.?
I lost track... many many revised parts.

I just finished printing my first test (a minimug, obvs). I have terrible backlash and I still need to work on the bar.rider designs.

But the mug looks good!
I'm going to have a lie-down now.
******

Featuring a Fab-in-a-box/Ultimaker inspired Cartesian System coupled with a Bowden extruder to give high speed printing over a larger area. All with a minimum of new parts.

Take 1 Cupcake, Add 6 more steel rods and 2-3ft of PTFE tubing. Bake.
Behold, its SUPER!

Aproximate build area: 120x180x160mm
Feed Speeds: at least 50mm/s

NEEDS NO SOFTWARE, FIRMWARE OR ELECTRONIC UPDATES.
You don't even need to change your machines.xml
Although I'd recomend you switch over to a stepper extruder when you build this, just so you've done it.

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This is a current, WORKING design, not to be confused with v2: thingiverse.com/thing:5327
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Very much inspired by thingiverse.com/thing:4740 by twotimes.

Originaly started just to see if I could design a simpler z-rider that worked... v1 was an attempt to remove any requirement of 'bot modification. A miserable failure.
v2 went with the maximum spacing on the vertical guide rods. A slightly less miserable failure (it worked, but not as well as my 2 screw bodge of the existing CupCake Z axis).

v3 was a complete redesign from scratch, starting from the most solid and stable bearing arrangement I could envision that would total 10 bearings or less.

If you look closely you will see that some of the parts seem to not completely match, this is because I have added the 2 extruder mounts as a interim measure, the complete design is part of a larger project I am working on. As part of this its also worth noting that this design currently limits you to a max build height of about 95mm

Oh, and the z-axis can now manage 250mm/m!

Update: v3.2
Revised version of top.screw.bearing added, alternative motor mounts added (they are inverted as suggested by Cryozap, they are currently untested but should be fine).
Extruder mounts added that allow the use of the Mk5 extruder WITHOUT modification (can't for the life of me think why I didn't do that from the start).

Update:
Bearing mounts version 3.2 added. Testing on-going but design should now be considered finished.

Update:
New top section added (General improvements, including the return of the original top panel, also adds compatibility with SUPER Cupcake Mk3). Version updated to v3.3
Top.center.bearing.new includes mounting holes for an endstop (although the flag for said endstop will need to be taped in place!)
Top.center.new is kinda huge, 120mm long. Let me know how it works out.

We bought lots of white ABS with our shapercube.. Lots. But who wants
to print everything in white? After a while that got a
bit.. samey. So, an experiment, jam a coloured marker in the feedstock
inlet and see what happens. What happened was, coloured prints came
out. So the idea for the marker organ was born, a way to attached
several coloured markers to the feedstock, and pick which one, or
combination, is colouring the plastic.

This is the first attempt, a simple clamp over the feedstock which
holds a single marker against it.

This is a conceptual descendant of the CupcakeCNC from Makerbot.

When I originally wanted to make a CupcakeCNC, I ran into the problem that a lot of parts from Makerbot were out of stock. Since I was impatient, I ordered what parts I could (The electronics and the extruder parts) and designed up my own frame to put them in. Then I spent a year improving on it.

The major features are:

* A larger build area (about 165x175x170mm)
* A heated build platform to allow warp-free large builds
* Support for computer-less control via an LCD and keypad
* The ACME threaded rod and guide rails makes the Z axis wobble less
* Endstops on one side of each axis makes for quick and easy automatic homing/centering
* The frame and sled are built mostly from parts you can find easily on mcmaster.com

Yes, I know, I'm a heathen American for using non-metric parts, but it turns out it's a lot harder to find all the right metric parts in American hardware stores. Feh. Luckily most all the non-metric parts can be replaced by metric parts of close size without too much problem. Except the 12" slider rods. 300mm sliders rods will be 4.8mm too short.

Here's a video introduction to the Fabber Mk1:
youtube.com/watch?v=XKoIKgk9Grc

Rhombot 0.3 alpha

See an animation of it on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=zSeg-Th1tRw

The Rhombot is a printable XYZ stage based on 3 chains of rhombus shapes. It is currently just an early alpha version. It's a rough sketch of the idea. See one of the two .MOV videos for how it is intended to work.

The Rhombot can be used with Makerbot motors, electronics, and extruders. All parts can be built in a Makerbot, or in itself. The Rhombot has no rods, belts, pulleys, nuts, threads, screws (other than the screws on the motor), sarrus hinges, moving towers, or moving motors.

That last point is important. The XYZ motors and extruder motor are all fixed. The X motor does NOT move a carriage carying the Y motor. The Z motor does NOT raise a platform carrying the extruder motor. Instead, all 4 motors can be permanently mounted. This means it will work with motors that are arbitrarily large and heavy. That should help when we start printing motors, since the early ones are likely to be large and heavy.

The green build platform has a Z coordinate that is the sine of the rotation angle of the NEMA17 stepper motor under the light blue panel. X is the sine of the dark blue arm's motor, and Y is the sine of the purple arm's motor. To use this to print, it would be necessary to modify Skeinforge to take the extra sine into account.

The build volume is large enough to print all its own parts. The animation even shows it building 4 of its own parts, as well as building a cube large enough to hold any of its own parts. The build volume actually extends beyond this cube, but is an odd shape. The cube in the video is the largest cube that fits within the build volume, oriented that way.

This has now been printed on a ZCorporation ZPrinter 650. It glues powder together to give an object similar to sandstone. This means the pieces are extremely rigid, but break easily. The printed Rhombot has hinges that move smoothly, with almost no slop at all in the direction of the hinge, nor orthogonal to it. The smooth movement is surprising, since the surface feels like sandpaper.

If you hold two panels that should stay parallel and try to twist one, it seems to allow almost no twisting at all. The small amount of twisting that it does allow seems to be from some of the hinge pins that are too thin. The hinge pins are wooden toothpicks, and don't have uniform diameter. They will soon be replaced with segments of 2.4 mm diameter aluminum rod.

The next step is to build this in plastic. It will be far stronger, but it may start having problems with panels bending and twisting. That's the big question. There are also several design changes that should make it into the next version.

Mecanum wheels designed to fit onto low-cost ($3.40!) continuous rotation servos for a low cost rover/robot platform (less than $25?).

New video : youtube.com/watch?v=QE9Zacy5AdE
Newer Video with Chumby+iPhone+Android Love : youtube.com/watch?v=cB-6qN8dbVQ

Spraying on some "Plasti-Dip" seems to have improved traction greatly :- youtube.com/watch?v=-33-aXVN8e0

today i had this idea so i thought i would try to get the basics of it modeled, it is not done yet, and i would like to see what people think of it, i think it could work, so i welcome the feed back.

mike-mack.blogspot.com/2010/12/crazy-idea.html

each of the stright pieces is 150mm by 100mm with a 50mm overlap i am not sure if that is a bit big or not, but at the time it seemed like a good size to work with.

update

i have finished the frame so i wanted to know what people think of it please let me know.

i up loaded one more file that is smaller the pieces are 80mm X 120mm this one you can print on a mendle with out any trouble. it is also at a 120deg so that with this one you will only need the 2 pieces to make the whole thing.

This is an attempt to combine various aspects of Adrian's and Wade's extruder drivers. Specifically, It keeps Adrian's extruder clamping system, uses a prime number of teeth for good wear characteristics but uses Wade's hobbed bolt to do the driving.

As the name suggests, the design uses Herringbone gears. This ensures that backlash is substantially reduced, which should result in the extruder requiring slightly less reverse, but more importantly run quieter. The design of the drive gear is somewhat experimental. As with other gears, this uses a grub screw to secure the gear to the motor shaft. However, on this design the hole goes through the root of one of the teeth. This takes up less space, and also lets you adjust the position of the gear without taking the motor off. However, it is quite intricate. Many people have managed it, but your printer needs to be running well to do it.

This is a second pre-release of the core files for the my development of an Integrated Parametric RepRap in OpenSCAD. These files contain the following:
IPR_DNA: All constants and calculations, the constants define all the possible things that make a specific robot unique. (ranging from desired build space to fastener and bearing sizes)
IPR_func: All "standard" modules, such as motor mounts, bearing mounts, hardware models, etc... currently this file "builds" the main frame out of the hardware specified in the IPR_DNA file (as seen in the attached pictures).
IPR_parts: All the actual parts you would print.

Currently there are some printable parts (although still untested):
z-axis bases
guide rod clamps (based on thing:3437)
z-axis lifters (inspired by thing:4428)

And some unprintable:
Vertexes (with no holes)

For more information visit the main documentation at:
reprap.org/wiki/Integrated_Parametric_RepRap

This is a first release of the core files for the my development of an Integrated Parametric RepRap in OpenSCAD. These two files contain the following:
IPR_DNA: All constants and calculations, the constants define all the possible things that make a specific robot unique. (ranging from desired build space to fastener and bearing sizes)
IPR_func: All "standard" modules, such as motor mounts, bearing mounts, hardware models, etc... currently this file "builds" the main frame out of the hardware specified in the IPR_DNA file (as seen in the attached pictures).

For more information visit the main documentation at:
reprap.org/wiki/Integrated_Parametric_RepRap

An adapter for the Makerbot Mk5 extruder for a stepper motor

Here is my first take on a bearinged Z stage.


You might notice that the upper bearing mount is VERY similar to clothbot's locking bearing mount. That was my inspiration. thingiverse.com/thing:1064

JohnA was kind enough to gather all of the parts into 1 large plate and 13 makerbot sized plates! Download them below!

Update: There will be a gen6 version coming out very soon, It has to do with stiffening the Z platform just a bit. You can go ahead and print the body pieces, they didn't change.

Ok, JohnA was kind enough to email me and tell me to get off my lazy butt and post the Gen6 files. The only change is the Z platform got more robust.

There are two .zip files, one has almost all of the parts as separate .stl files, one has them setup into build plates.

Here's a link to the stepper coupling that I am using. The flexible one was cool but caused more problems that it solved. thingiverse.com/thing:8565

If people need screw kits, I'll be selling them for $19 plus shipping. Send me a message.

Inspired by TheRoosters printable linear bearing.

5 piece linear bearing with slack adjustment.
As the plastic wears away you can take up the slack.

This is only a concept and will require refining.

The Slot/Track is modeled at 5mm for 4.5mm BB's
Uses only 3/4 of the BB's required for TheRoosters design

All Parts may require scaling. (if you have to scale it please let me know)

The SAE variation of the Prusa Mendel is in a constant state of development, and that being true, Thingiverse is not the appropriate places to hold these files. Please go directly to the prusa mendel github at:

github.com/prusajr/PrusaMendel

I strongly suggest you follow the calibration routine Prusajr describes in this video:

youtube.com/watch?v=kwQzp2hvcBI

This will insure that your fasteners will fit correctly.

Pop your top and lift your lid with this Z axis extension kit. I can print up to 205mm so far, and it can probably be tweaked to go higher. (Now that I have it installed I realize that I could add another 10mm to the base)

This was inspired by thingiverse.com/thing:4261 and the pulley mounted crank from that settup works great with this.

I've added .obj files for those who want to stretch things a bit more...

Designed to run a motor for ~3 seconds when triggered.

Can be used to remove the strain of pulling a spool of filament from the extruder.

Is your MK4 sitting unused and lonely since you've upgraded to the MK5? Give it a new lease on life and turn it into a handheld welding gun! Use it to patch up any holes or loose threads in your prints or to glue broken plastic parts back together. You can see me welding the lid of a very poorly printed and particularly dangerous teapot shut to prevent accidental use.

The STL files include parts for a hand grip that slips over the DC motor, a finger guard so you don't burn yourself on the retainer washer, and a trigger bracket for a push button. SolidWorks 2010 model files are also included.

Plastruder MK5, Do or Die!

After strenuous testing which logged hundreds of hours of continuous extrusion, we are supremely excited to offer the all-new Plastruder MK5.

Designed for reliablity, low maintenance, and ease of use, the next-generation MK5 revolutionizes the MakerBot's extrusion mechanism.

Hot End Reinvention:

This story begins with the complete redesign of the extruders' heating element, barrel, and nozzle. Our goal was to take user feedback and our experiences the MK4, and return with the most robust, most reliable, and longest lasting extruder possible.

In close consultation with our manufacturers, we opted for precision machined stainless steel throughout the hot end. Every part was totally redesigned and pushed to the limit before we included it in the final product.

Each component screws tightly together, creating rigid connections and no room for leaks or loosening over time. The result is an all-stainless hot end that feels heavy and strong, and extrudes smoothly for hours and days without issue.

The heating element has been reinvented too: Nichrome wire has been replaced by two matching power resistors that screw-mount directly to the stainless steel MK5 Thermal Core. The resistors receive current straight from the Relay Board, and they heat evenly to produce a consistent temperature perfect for reliable extrusion.

Sayonara Idler Wheel:

You may notice the reduced footprint and profile of the MK5 Plastruder. It's thinner, sleeker, and the motor housing is smaller. The reason for this is the complete "Paxtruder" inspired redesign of the filament guide mechanism. Now simply twist the thumbscrew to push the Delrin plunger into place, and your filament guide is set. No moving components, and the low coefficient of friction and high strength of Delrin means that the filament will slide over it smoothly and meet with the MK5 Drive Gear with no variation. It's a simple design, and it's simply effective.

The Gear that Drives It:

The MK5 Drive gear, released earlier this year, has become the defacto standard drive gear for MakerBots around the world. It's custom machined stainless steel, lasts ages, and is easy to clean without removing from the plastruder body. The MK5 Drive Gear grabs filament with 100% greater push strength than the MK4 Extruder Pulley. The proof is in the pudding for this item- it's already in successful use around the world.

Power Play:

With the larger surface of the MK5 Thermal Core to heat, the extruder needed more juice to get hot. For this reason the MK5 is powered by our Relay Board Kit, already in steady use with our Heated Build Platforms.

The Relay Board comes standard with enough outputs to run the Plastruder MK5 and the HBP simultaneously. By using the relay, the MK5 doesn't draw the power load through the Extruder Controller. Translated- Steady power, without wearing on sensitive circuits or microcontrollers.

The combined effect of our innovative new components, redesigned filament guide, and stainless steel construction is tremendous. It's a totally reinvented extruder that mounts easily to existing CupCake CNC Z-stage, and makes your machine better instantly.

A quadcopter frame on 1 sheet for easy lasercutting. Files are from the arducopter project
( code.google.com/p/arducopter/source/browse/#svn/branches/jpkh/frame )

1x BatteryHolder
1x CarrierBoard
1x MainSQRE
4x MotorMount Lower/Upper (8pc total)

This is yet another set of printable dinos, but this set doesn't require any assembly.

This very simple object aims to help solve the problem so many Makerbots are plagued by each and every day. This problem is that prints are not automated. Most Makerbots start the print by going up a little then heating up, doing a test extrusion, then the operator has to get rid of the extrusion before continuing the print.

This simple add-on allows your prints to go unattended after you press build. Using this object and some custom start gcode, it will move from the center to over the bucket, do a test extrusion, wipe the nozzle on the side of the platform and start the print. Here is a video of it in action: flickr.com/photos/49325300@N07/4886162173/

I have been using this for a couple weeks now and it works really well.