i3 pro C - rearranging the metal block below the extruders

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waldamore
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:40 pm

i3 pro C - rearranging the metal block below the extruders

Post by waldamore » Sun May 14, 2017 9:30 am

hey guys,

i'm fiddeling arround with my printer for quite some time and ever since instead of having xyz 200x200x200mm building dimensions, i only got 180x175x198mm.

because of the frame, i can't do much about the x and z limitation.
but the y limit mainly comes from my clamps, holding my buildplate down to the heating bed.
and since they are a few mm thick, the printhead can't move over them. that way, i'm losing the space between the nozzles and the printhead plate (connected to the two rods). if i could lower the nozzles significantly, i'll gain about ~20mm printing space in y axis!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/am8a3ojs3hq8k ... 7.jpg?dl=0

long story short, i'm thinking about re-positioning the metal block below the stepper motors and place it below the extruder holder (black metal plate). that way the nozzles are ~10mm lowered (minus a washer or two) and i'm good to go!

before i started, i want to know: is there anything obvious i'm missing? maybe some worse heat transfer, or mechanical issues of some kind? better/other clamps? (not printed ones, those s**k)
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atgaskins
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 8:28 pm

Re: i3 pro C - rearranging the metal block below the extrude

Post by atgaskins » Thu Jun 01, 2017 7:06 am

What a great idea! I also don't like how the heat blocks are right up against the mounting plate, I suspect at the least this has to lower life expectancy of those bearing right behind there. But yeah, I have the same issue with it bumping the clips, and there's so little room between the screws on the corners of the heatbed and the glass that none of the alternative glass securing methods I've found on Thingiverse and elsewhere have been usable. So did you try this? Was everything just fine? I, for one, would love to hear a follow up report!

waldamore
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:40 pm

Re: i3 pro C - rearranging the metal block below the extrude

Post by waldamore » Sat Jun 03, 2017 3:40 am

hey there,

i was able to solve the issue.
i disassembled the whole printer head. i unscrewed the heatbrakes and had a closer look how the stepper motors are mounted on the aluminium "bridge".
since the bridge has to be screwed to the black metal plate from below (there is no place for the screws elsewhere), i had to rethink.

the initial idea was to get rid of the big offset of the bridge. so why not make a thinner one?!
i went to my trusty workbench and made a new one:
the original bridge is 5mm thick + 5mm high feet on each side --> get rid of the feet!
after a few hours of measuring, sawing, drilling, threading and sanding the brand new bridge v2.0 was finished...and BOOM, it WORKES just fine :-)
(i first thought about sawing the feet away, but if something goes wrong, i can't use my printer any longer...)

see the pics for proof :-)
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pekote
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:01 pm

Re: i3 pro C - rearranging the metal block below the extruders

Post by pekote » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:18 pm

There is an easier solution,

I Just unscrewed the barrel from the bridge, a little bit, just to be away from the clips and that's it all.

There is another upgrade you can do for X axis. You will notice that the X axis is limited by the dual head BIG size. You can devastate the dual head steel plate with a dremel, just in the places that the plate touch the rods. You can also eliminate the plastic pin that push the X axis switch for homing. Result is you will get about 190mm for X axis, maybe more.

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