Prism
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Release status: Experimental
| Description | Mendel Frame
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| License | unknown
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| Author | |
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Prism Mendel
A Mendel in a tuxedo. This extruded aluminum frame is a quick upgrade to your standard Sells Mendel. It makes it prettier and, more importantly, more rigid.
The design is finalized (mostly) but i'm still building, and don't want to post too much until i have it finished, so don't expect much more info/pictures till next week at the earliest.
design goals
I've always disliked how parts of the Mendel jut out. it's a minor complaint, but one I wanted to address as I moved to extruded aluminum. The Z rods are now inside the 'triangle', as is the z motor and y motor. The x axis can still jut out, but how much really depends on which x axis you choose, which isn't really part of this mod. It is much easier to travel with the Prism or make a case for the Prism because of this change. It also just makes the printer build area seem more open and accessible.
Another thing I want to try in the future is making a tent out of Mylar. The tent would hold in the heat from a heated bed and hot end and block errant air currents, but wouldn't get as hot as a heated chamber so overheating motors hopefully won't be a problem. This is going to be much easier to try with the Prism.
In addition, the y and z motors are in direct contact with the aluminum frame, which should dissipate motor heat nicely.
Unfortunately, for people who like Prusas, the frame won't allow top mounted motors as is. I think moving the motors to the base and using gears to drive the z lead screw is a good workaround if you still want two motors, but belt routing and tensioning is much easier with the Prism, so it might make a Sells-style single motor/belt more attractive again. Either way, a gear driven system also allows other gear ratios and takes care of the shaft coupling issue. However, if you prefer Prusa, the MendelMax is a great alternative.
Another benefit of the Prism is a much larger Z build area(20-60 mm, hard to be precise because it depends mostly on your extruder and x axis) since the Y rods now sit below the bottom end of the Z rods. The x and y can also be increased, potentially.
Finally, most extruded aluminum profile suppliers cut to size for no extra cost, and the cuts are much more precise than you would get with a hacksaw at home. It's a nice extra that should make assembly and calibration easier.
New non-printed parts
- Extruded Aluminum Profile
- 20x20x400 - 9
- M3
- M3x10mm SHCS - ~10-20
- M3 Nut - ~10
- M4
- M4x12mm SHCS - ~70
- M4 T-Nuts (which are compatible with your extrusion) - ~70
- M4 washer - ~140
Printed Parts
Coming Soon!
influences?
Just yesterday I saw that sublime had posted a similar frame design about a year ago. It only bears a superficial resemblance to my design, but I just wanted to post it here to show that the idea isn't totally novel.
