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3D Printer on Rails

The Prusa i3 MK2 is nearly the perfect printer, for those of you who wish it had proper linear motion, you are in luck.

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We took all the things the Prusa i3 MK2 did perfectly (software, electronics, calibration, heated bed, etc) and wrapped up all the things they do so well inside a proper linear motion platform. It's a no excuses culmination of everything a 3D printer should be... and it's amazing.

We replaced the 3D printed bits and zip ties with proper brackets and fasteners, dropped in a bondtech extruder, and removed all the guesswork and pitfalls of the assembly process. We used only the highest quality authentic rails for maintenance free, accurate, linear motion, one of the few corners that the original MK2 cut. The results speak for themselves.

The quest for a perfect 3D printer is a long one. I've had 6 of them now and have spent literally thousands of dollars chasing a printer that I could recommend. Finally, last fall, after hearing all the hype I bought a Prusa i3 MK2. I must say, it was awesome in nearly every way. They nailed the software, they nailed the calibration, they nailed the bed, electronics, etc. It is literally the first and only printer that I can click print and walk away from and know that a successful print will just magically be on the bed when I return.

I'm sure you have read the hype about that machine, and I'm hear to tell you, it's real. BUT.... in an order to keep costs low, some corners were cut. They always are right? For some reason designers always seem to arrive at the crossroads of linear motion and fall prey to the "this will be good enough" trap. They'll run cheap wheels/bearings across cheap extrusions, or buy cheap rods and pair them with cheaper bearings, all held together with zip ties. They’ll then sit an scratch their head wondering why their machine rattles as it moves along its way, lol.

After extensive testing and validation of various linear motion options, from the ultra cheap to the wildly expensive, we have a feel for where you need to go if you require near perfect linear motion. Proper results require proper hardware, there is no substitute. So, we’ve opted for high end authentic HIWIN rails and carriages. The MK2 will never be the same.

  • Waterjet parts are on the way!

    anthony.webb01/26/2017 at 06:50 0 comments

    Lots of exciting stuff happening. We are having waterjet parts cut this week. All 1/4" stock. Below are the pieces for the first couple sets. All other components are in house and ready to be assembled. Once we receive these parts we have quite a bit of hole tapping to do. Pretty exciting to see it all come together!

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ice2009 wrote 12/17/2019 at 11:56 point

Hello :) can you share parts for laser cut ? 

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DevDocX wrote 09/25/2017 at 14:31 point

What happened to the project?  Did it die?

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gmessemer wrote 09/16/2017 at 17:49 point

Is this project dead?

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x3n0x wrote 01/26/2017 at 07:56 point

This looks great!  Something besides the makergear M2 that uses real linear rails!  Having built a machine from scratch, I hear you when you say the quest is a long one!  Despite the very good performance I have managed to extract from my own homebrew machine, I cant help but wonder what kind of results I would get from doing something similar to this...  I look forward to seeing what kind of results you get with this machine!

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anthony.webb wrote 01/26/2017 at 08:17 point

Thanks man!  I will keep posting all updates here.  The rest of the hardware will be here soon and we can fire things up and see what we got.  I'm pretty fired up to get going though.  I love my PrusaMK2, which is why I am so excited about this one, it uses all the best stuff from that printer and adds some legit linear motion which should make it really sweet.  Stay tuned!

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PC1 wrote 05/07/2019 at 14:43 point

Parts of your frame caught by eye.  Do you have a list of materials, waterjet files or any updates?

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