User:RobertKuhlmann/RepRap Morgan

Progress of my own Morgan

This bill of materials is based on the status of my own build of a RepMorgan. You can see, how far I've got until now over here:

Update: Wed. 08/14/2013

My struggle with Quentins pipe-supports and pvc-pipes lead me to redesign them, because I was unable to use his original files in a way they fit together acceptably (neither in Inventor nor in reality). I'll update the extended BOM.

deprecated: The bracket from Quentin's repository doesn't seem to fit. Here's a new version for the z-mount-bracket with an axis distance of 175mm instead of 190mm. This is since resolved in the repository (qharley)

Update:Fri. 08/16/2013

The CAD-model now contains screws and gets more complete. Parts have realistic movement-parameters, so the completed model should be able to act like my real RepRap Morgan. I will update the extended BOM soon.

Update: Sat. 08/17/2013

It's alive. The virtual Morgan has it's arms and toolhead and they can be moved by turn the steppers, just like in reality. Now I'm only a few parts from completing the model. I'll try to make the z-axis behave realistic too, but don't know how to do that - we'll see. Completing the building platform is the next task.

Update: Sun. 08/18/2013

I've worked in the real Morgan prior to complete the virtual one. At this point I have to recommend a tool that kept my project going, while some of my parts broke or didn't fit. My pvc-pipe-supports, that were printed by a member of the community, didn't fit and two them broke apart in my experiments. As if that wouldn't have been enough the z-mount-bottom broke too, when one of the smooth rods didn't fit as aspected. Additionally the bed-z-mount-bracket had the wrong size (it's rod-distance was 190mm instead of the required 175mm). Instead of waiting for new parts I decided to repair them, using a special industrial glue. It consists of two components, a very fine granulate and a cyanoacrylate adhesive. In the very moment these two components come together, they build a very strong compound that is extremely strong and like welded to the surfaces it covers.

It can even be used to glue broken car bumpers. The plastic will break on any other other part than the glued region. It can be found over here: Hosch-Kleber

Sorry for advertising this here, bit it's a unique product in its abilities and one of my most important and frequently used tools for repairing and building. It's quite expensive though, but worth every single (Euro-)Cent.

With this I finished my real Morgan to the point of it's virtual brother this afternoon, without the need to reorder some of the printed parts. But reality hits me anyway: I only had 1m of T2,5 6mm drivebelt. Not enough for the Morgan, that requires app. 1,2m in its actual setup, and I had to order some more. And I need to buy some grub screws (replaced them with standard M3 screws for the moment).

My new designs for the top and bottom platform do fit as expected and I even don't need reprinted pvc-pipe-supports (but the newly designed ones would fit ways better, of course).

I'm using a threaded rod for z-axis for the moment, because the bed-z-axis-bracket only fits with M8 nuts at the moment (or with Quentin's Alpen SDS solution, that isn't an alternative for me right now). So one of my Morgans first printjobs will have to be a new bracket that fits with my trapezoid thread and nuts.

The actual Inventor-files (including the assembled Morgan from the picture above) can be found here: File:RepRap Morgan Inventor Files.zip

New ideas and notes

More stability for the frame

The stability of the frame could be improved by using steel cables or sth. similar to pull the supports together with some tension. Therefor there could be some wing nuts on the top platform, to tense the cables. (drawing will follow)

Multi Morgan

I'm planning to extend my morgan (once it is completed) to three print arms. With this configuration, it should be possible to use an extreme fine nozzle for the (slow) detailed work, a big nozzle for fast infills and a third one for support structures or e.g. to combine two materials with different properties into one print. Using the three printhaeds one after each other (they would collide otherwise) could make it possible to use the same electronic for all three printheads by competely switching the connections between the three sets of steppers, printheads and RAMP.

Long Morgan

It should be possible to extend the print height to almost any size, because there's no horizontal movement of the printbed. Therefore it should be possible to extend the print-height easily by placing the Z-Axis behind or in front of the drive-wheels, instead of above. The count of necessary modifications for that sounds not too big. Even the firmware would no be affected. The problem, that the print material on the top could become too cold (because of a greater distance to the heated printbed), could be avoided by using simple infrared lamps to keep the top portion of the print warm.