Vertical X Axis Standard

From RepRap
Jump to: navigation, search

This is the spot for documentation of the standard configuration for vertical X axis assemblies. The original discussion about why we want such a thing is here. (TLDR; It's that big to fit the extruder motor between the X Smooth Rods) If you are a designer of an extruder, X carriage, X axis assembly, or whole bot that works with this standard, consider yourself an editor of this page.

If you are simply looking for an optimized X-Carraige and the separation of your Z Axis Rods is 30mm and you are using a Bowden setup that doesn't require an extruder motor on your x-carraige you can probably use:

  • RepRapPro Mendel3 X-Carraige (M5 Threaded, 8mm Smooth Rod)
  • Prusa i3 X-Carraige (M8 Threaded, 8mm Smooth Rod)
  • Prusa i3 Rework X-Carraige (M8 Threaded, 8mm Smooth Rod)

!! There is a contest going on for those wishing to port existing designs or design new parts that fit the standard!! - Contest over as of Dec 2011 Vertical_X_Axis_Standard_Contest

Benefits

Benefits of a vertical X axis assembly on Mendel style bots include

1. A vertical x-axis should make head changes and hotend designs easier because the head can slide out unobstructed.

2. Should use less plastic (print faster) than a horizontal X axis assembly.

3. Should be stiffer than horizontal X axis configurations given the same amount of plastic.

4. Naturally lends itself to integrated X carriage/extruder designs as they are now both in the same plane.

5. ? :)


The Standard

The currently agreed upon standard is to space the two X smooth rods 70 mm center to center and the Z smooth and threaded rod 30 mm center to center. A diagram below explains the basic constraints. The Z rod spacing is identical to the Prusa and Mendel, so it is likely that X axis assemblies that conform to this standard could be used as replacements in those bots as well.

Vertical X-Axis standards.jpg


Current standard-compliant projects with Vertical X Axis

Feel free to add your project here if you have a design that is or will soon be compliant.

Other projects with Vertical X Axis

The following projects are not necessarily compliant with this standard. They may choose to work with the standard or not as they see fit.

  • Mixtape_mendel A Prusa style bot designed to be fully parametric.
  • 1X2 A Prusa style bot made from standardized blocks of wood. Easily built with hand tools.
  • RepRapPro_Tricolour A Prusa Mendel variant. Design was updated circa March 2013 to include a vertical X axis. Uses 40mm X rod spacing.
  • EMAKER_Huxley A smaller bot, sort of a mixture of the original Huxley, and the Prusa.
  • Gen X Skb-Kiparis remix Based on Mendel. With original idea of vertical x axis and vertical extruder combined with x carriage.
  • Doboz
  • Wallace ~ Parametric: X spacing is set in the scad file by the variable 'x_rod_spacing', default 30. Z spacing is set by a combination of yz_motor_distance, motor_casing, and the rod size, default of (yz_motor_distance+motor_casing)/2+rod_size for a NEMA14/6mm setup is (25+38)/2+6=37.5
  • SibRap Russian printer, have 55 mm vertical distance.