Hey! This thing is still a Work in Progress.
Files, instructions, and other stuff might change!
Mendel Mini-Carriage.
Description
After trying a resistor heated hot-end, I got a little concerned with the tight fit in the standard mendel X axis carriage. I tried Bubak's OpenX Carriage (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6278) and I really like having an open center.
In my config, I've got the dump zone on the far left and the OpenX won't let my extruder reach it. I started playing with this idea for a very lightweight carriage that would only have what I needed. Since I use mechanical endstops, it has no holes for mounting flags and is optimized for a horizontally mounted Wade's extruder.
This design is narrow, light, and uses only 8 bearings. (It might be possible to fully constrain it with just 6 bearings by eliminating one on the bottom of each rail.)
Since this is just an experiment, I'm marking it as a work-in-progress and I welcome comments.
So far, I've only printed a couple small parts with it but it seems very light and tight.
carriage3.stl is a revised version to deal with a couple problems:
The belt is uncomfortably close to the screw heads on the unclamped rail. In my setup, it barely touches, but any rubbing is probably too much. This version recesses 4mm nuts in the carriage and expects a 4mm bolt instead of socket head cap screw. The direction of the bolts is reversed.
The posts for mounting the extruder have been widened and are a little taller to give some additional clearance for the big Wade's gear.
I added a gusseted side on each end to stiffen the carriage.
I'm still planning to redesign the clamping rail to add a tensioning screw for the belt.
In my config, I've got the dump zone on the far left and the OpenX won't let my extruder reach it. I started playing with this idea for a very lightweight carriage that would only have what I needed. Since I use mechanical endstops, it has no holes for mounting flags and is optimized for a horizontally mounted Wade's extruder.
This design is narrow, light, and uses only 8 bearings. (It might be possible to fully constrain it with just 6 bearings by eliminating one on the bottom of each rail.)
Since this is just an experiment, I'm marking it as a work-in-progress and I welcome comments.
So far, I've only printed a couple small parts with it but it seems very light and tight.
carriage3.stl is a revised version to deal with a couple problems:
The belt is uncomfortably close to the screw heads on the unclamped rail. In my setup, it barely touches, but any rubbing is probably too much. This version recesses 4mm nuts in the carriage and expects a 4mm bolt instead of socket head cap screw. The direction of the bolts is reversed.
The posts for mounting the extruder have been widened and are a little taller to give some additional clearance for the big Wade's gear.
I added a gusseted side on each end to stiffen the carriage.
I'm still planning to redesign the clamping rail to add a tensioning screw for the belt.
Instructions
Print and assemble using 8 bearings, M4 Screws, nuts, and 16 M4 washers.
pinch the belt between the flat part of the clamp rail and the little clamp plate with 4 M3 screws and nuts.
pinch the belt between the flat part of the clamp rail and the little clamp plate with 4 M3 screws and nuts.
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Mrrocketman
on
June 19, 2011
said:
Any chance of getting the original files? igs, stp, or par would be awesome!
hintss
on
June 14, 2011
said:
I'm designing yet another printer. could you tell me the distance between the holes on a wade extruder, and the distance between the mendel X rods?
Radcnc
on
June 12, 2011
said:
Now if you use your carriage and Greg Frost's belt tensioner and make it work for the Prusa Mendel I will buy one from you.
4ndy
on
June 12, 2011
said:
You said there's no place for an opto-flag, but actually you could quite easily put some thin sheet next to (or maybe in place of) one of the M4 washers, bend it round and use that for an opto-endstop. :)

Hi,
when i try to print this in ReplicatorG i only can pick build from SD card, is this normal?
The reason why i write this is because for the moment my SD cardreader isn't working on the motherboard from my ToM. So unable to try this nice feature out :(