• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

  • New
    • Editor’s blog
    • Industry news
    • Motion Casebook
    • Video
  • Applications
  • Slides + guides
    • Ball + roller guides
    • Track roller (cam + wheel) guides
    • Crossed-roller slides
    • Linear bearings
    • Plastic + composite guides
  • Drives
    • Ball + lead + roller screws
    • Belt + chain drives for linear
    • Rack + pinion sets
  • Actuators
    • Ball + leadscrew driven
    • Belt + chain driven
    • Linear motors
    • Mini + piezo + voice coil
    • Rack + pinion driven
    • Rigid-chain actuators
  • Encoders + sensors (linear) + I/O
  • Stages + gantries
  • Suppliers

Better components help prosumer 3D printers deliver better parts

February 28, 2013 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Industrial type linear components will be key in low-cost desktop model 3D printers because they can deliver the accuracy and repeatability that users of these units desire. You don’t often hear about the use of linear guides and rails and other components, but these mechanical devices enable printers to deliver ±0.02 mm/m repeatability.

A number of low-cost desktop 3D printers use belt drives for motion to keep the cost down. But the trade-off is lower resolution for a part, giving parts that stair step look you used to see in early professional 3D printers. Increasingly, however, you will start to see low-cost desktop 3D printer developers turning to experienced motion component manufacturers for their X, Y, and Z parts. It is possible to build a low cost 3D printer using parts more commonly found in industrial applications.

One example is the prosumer unit, the Aluminatus TrinityOne from Trinity Labs. This printer uses PBC Linear components.

PBC-Aluminatus2

The Aluminatus TrinityOne, is an open source design. It uses the SIMO Series lead screw driven rails on the X and Y axes and Constant Force Technology (CFT) lead screw and nut to drive the carriage, from PBC Linear. The 3D printer delivers linear motion with a repeatability of ± 0.02 mm/m and a layer height of 50 microns. The parts produced on this printer show a very small stair-step effect. The CFT lead screw allows the drive mechanism to accelerate, brake, and corner fast and precisely.

Those 3D printers that use belt drive technology can hold repeatability to about ±0.1 mm/m and layer height to about 100 microns. Belt technology, though, can result in “springy” motion, which can create parts with moray patterns and a loss of sharpness in holes, cavities, or other object features. So the use of machined components delivers better quality 3D printed parts.

Use of rails and lead screws in the Aluminatus also means this printer is made of fewer components than many 3D printers in this class—35 parts versus several hundred in other units. It takes about 2 hours to assemble. Another benefit is the lead screws let users use the entire 300 X 300 X 350 mm workspace.

The creator of this design, Ezra Zygmuntowicz, CEO, founder at Trinity Labs wanted a simple, easy to build printer, so he chose to work with a company experienced with motion and motion control. Noted Ezra, PBC Linear offers a range of axes, actuators, lead screws and other components, at an affordable price, that fit together in the kit style he wanted, and that take the work out of assuring his printer delivers good resolution and accuracy. This printer currently works with PLA and ABS in multiple colors. As Ezra noted, all the Pantone colors.

PBC Linear
www.PBCLinear.com

Trinity Labs
www.trinitylabs.com

 

Filed Under: Featured, Industry news, Linear actuators (all), Linear drives (all), Slides + guides (all)

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion
Subscribe Today

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Evaluating actuators for washdown in food & beverage applications
  • Identifying Best-Value Linear Motion Technologies
  • Introduction to accuracy and repeatability in linear motion systems

RSS Motion Control Tips

  • Schneider Electric launches Universal Automation Discovery Packs to foster industrial innovation
  • Encoders from SIKO support Industrial Ethernet
  • Draw-wire encoders from SIKO measure position, speed and inclination
  • Incremental encoders configurable via NFC (near-field communication)
  • Low-cost motion control offered with CLICK PLUS PLCs from AutomationDirect

Footer

Linear Motion Tips

Design World Network

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Motion Control Tips
Bearing Tips
Fastener Engineering

Linear Motion Tips

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us

Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookAdd us on LinkedInAdd us on YouTubeAdd us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy