Two years later, the RepRap is now printing! 5 things I’ve learned:
- Make sure you have all of the parts before starting the project. It makes more sense to build it all out to finish than waiting for more parts to arrive.
- The extruder is the main thing to get right. The designs for this part of the printer have gotten much better since we started. We’ve replaced the original extruder with a more modern one and we’re getting smoother prints now.
- Make the frame solid while building it, so there is no need to go back afterwards to adjust it. I thought I’d need to “fine tune” it afterwards. It turns out that all the fine tuning is mostly done on the height of the X axis and the print bed.
- Everything needs to be in place before printing (endstops, heated print bed, etc..)
- Metal pulleys are much smoother than the plastic printed pulleys.
I actually ended up selling the printer to a member who has luckily left it at the space for us to finish. We’re planning on getting another one to build. Suggestions are welcome as to which one we build next! I am leaning towards the Prusa Air. Be sure to stop by 3D Thursday to see the printer in action!
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Psytek is an inventor and engineer. He collaborates with other members of Alpha One Labs on unique projects including a 
