A Different Direction..............

[The Smythe Meister]

I'm in too Dave,
Very interested to see what's involved and pick up some tips for if I ever decide to have a bash

[Dave Ward]

The assembly itself is essentially kitchen table stuff - there doesn't appear to be any cutting or drilling, everything seems to be provided, and you don't need any specialist tools - bit like an IKEA flatpack cupboard!. Living by myself, I don't have any pressure to get the table clear for breakfast/lunch/dinner - otherwise you might have to assemble it in stages. One job that I've never done before is using cable tidy 'snakes' to keep all the wiring neat & away from hot/moving parts another first for me.......
Dave

[stillp]

Looking in with interest Dave, if nothing else to find out what the finger packages are for…….
I’d keep the build phase in this thread as well :thumb2:

I suspect they're to go on your fingers so you don't leave fingermarks.
Pete

[Gary MacKenzie]

Finger ( skin ) oils on the bed you print on will/can cause havoc.
At the price you paid you have a cracking deal.

[The Smythe Meister]

The assembly itself is essentially kitchen table stuff - there doesn't appear to be any cutting or drilling, everything seems to be provided, and you don't need any specialist tools - bit like an IKEA flatpack cupboard!. Living by myself, I don't have any pressure to get the table clear for breakfast/lunch/dinner - otherwise you might have to assemble it in stages. One job that I've never done before is using cable tidy 'snakes' to keep all the wiring neat & away from hot/moving parts another first for me.......
Dave

..... C'mon, c'mon Dave.....
.... how's it going together?!!

[Dave Ward]

Finger ( skin ) oils on the bed you print on will/can cause havoc.
At the price you paid you have a cracking deal.

When I produce my first good print - I'll agree with you!!!
Dave

[Dave Ward]

A few photographs of the parts - I'm just fiddling with the software provided, which isn't exactly intuitive.....................
The frame/chassis is made of 8mm laser-cut acetate - its covered with protective paper - I've peeled some back on the part in the centre

Here's where all the weight is:

Threaded rods & 8mm bars on the left, for guide rods. On the right, four stepper motors, X axis, Y axis & 2 for the Z axis ( it has to carry a lot of weight ) All very weighty & solid feeling.

The major components - the extruder & hot end at lower left, the motherboard, build plate and Y chassis lower right. Top left, power supply & display/control panel. Top right X & Y axis mounts.

Odds & sods, fixings etc

Y-axis bearings ( above the side cutters ) Loads of cables - which all seem to be helpfully labelled, Allen keys & a large packet of nuts, bolts & washers. Drive belt for X & Y axis, a tiny roll of filament and a cable to connect directly to your computer - otherwise you transfer files via micro SD card, which slots into the motherboard.
I've now sighted & identified all the major bits ( I haven't counted all the fixings! ), and I'm happy to say that everything is there - I'm always a bit doubtful about a bargain purchase, but the all important motherboard & control panel are still factory sealed, and all the other parts are brand new and in original packing.
I've heard that the acetate frame can flex, but a consensus seems to say that that is only evident when printing tall objects & printing too fast. One of the self-upgrade components that you can print is braces & strengtheners to eliminate this, which may be useful further down the line.
Dave

[Gary MacKenzie]

Not sure which is best test for a filament printer ( looks like they still recommend the ''benchy'' as the best ) , but some are essential tests to get the filament and the bed and extruder temps correct.
Once you have that sorted , you are 50% there.

[Neil Merryweather]

A few photographs of the parts - I'm just fiddling with the software provided, which isn't exactly intuitive.....................
The frame/chassis is made of 8mm laser-cut acetate - its covered with protective paper - I've peeled some back on the part in the centre

Here's where all the weight is:

Threaded rods & 8mm bars on the left, for guide rods. On the right, four stepper motors, X axis, Y axis & 2 for the Z axis ( it has to carry a lot of weight ) All very weighty & solid feeling.

The major components - the extruder & hot end at lower left, the motherboard, build plate and Y chassis lower right. Top left, power supply & display/control panel. Top right X & Y axis mounts.

Odds & sods, fixings etc

Y-axis bearings ( above the side cutters ) Loads of cables - which all seem to be helpfully labelled, Allen keys & a large packet of nuts, bolts & washers. Drive belt for X & Y axis, a tiny roll of filament and a cable to connect directly to your computer - otherwise you transfer files via micro SD card, which slots into the motherboard.
I've now sighted & identified all the major bits ( I haven't counted all the fixings! ), and I'm happy to say that everything is there - I'm always a bit doubtful about a bargain purchase, but the all important motherboard & control panel are still factory sealed, and all the other parts are brand new and in original packing.
I've heard that the acetate frame can flex, but a consensus seems to say that that is only evident when printing tall objects & printing too fast. One of the self-upgrade components that you can print is braces & strengtheners to eliminate this, which may be useful further down the line.
Dave

Now THIS is the Dark Art part where I'm concerned- anything electronic or mechanical:tears-of-joy:
I'm sure you are well capable, Dave

[Dave Ward]

I actually started putting this thing together - but the first operation was to strip off the paper covering of the frame parts - a ten minute job, I thought. Nope. Nearly 2 hours later, I'd finished. I'm still trying to limit the use of my right hand, so that was it for the day! Still, the parts look pretty good without the brown paper. I bet assembling the frame will be a 20 minute job - famous last words
Some pictures tomorrow, I hope
Dave

[Jim R]

You'll get there Dave and it's not a race. It would be too easy, in the excitement of a new venture, to work too long and damage your hand so that you weren't able to do any work.

[Tim Marlow]

Totally agree with Jim. Better to take a day or so longer to build it than to have to wait for a week to let your hand recover Dave :thumb2:

[JR]

Think you've made a good start, nice to know it's all there .Hope you will continue to post this as you go Dave .

[Dave Ward]

I was nearly right, It was about 1/2 hour! Would have been quicker, but there's a difference between the pdf manual & the video about the orientation of a limit switch - in the end I went with the video.


Y-axis stepper motor & limit switch

Difficult to take photos, as it's all shiny black & no contrast between parts;
Next will be installation of the Y-axis guide rods, build plate and Y-axis belt.
For those wondering, X-axis is left to right, Y-axis is front to back & Z-axis is down to up
Might be it, until Tuesday - other things to do tomorrow
Dave

[Neil Merryweather]

...as I suspected, a black art.
Good progress Dave