Author: Eric Girard

What a week... I started to place the order for the extrusions at OpenBuilds.com and found out the shipping cost to Canada would be 218$usd  + customs.  I then found a local supplier in Montreal and called for 3 days in order to get a quote.  I finally gave up on this supplier and looked at imperial extrusions instead, which are way easier to find in north-america.  I found a distribute for 8020 inc in Ontario and then decided to change the current design to use imperial extrusions. While modifying the original design, I also spent some time trying to identify possible ways to make the design / construction easier.  I then decided to change the bottom frame of the machine for one that would be easier and cheaper to construct. Specifications : 7" Z clearance below the beam...

Today, I 3d printed a bunch of parts that I will later machine out of aluminium.  I also placed the order for t-nuts and will probably order the extrusions tonight or tomorrow.  I'm having a bit of an issue with the rails supplier (china) due to holidays there.  Worst case, I'll find another supplier! I set my 3D printer to the fastest print / lowest quality (0.35mm / layer, 120mm/s)  as these parts will be discarded anyway.  I also had a 'spaghetti' incident where one of the supporting rods for the head disconnected (magnetic) and the head simply sprouted plastic in the air.

Progress update Over the last few days, I added all missing screws, normalized screws lengths and started to build my orders for material.  I'm going to start with the rails / extrusions in order to build the frame.   Printing the plates using my 3D Printer I've finally decided to print all parts that can fit on my 3D printer. Pros: Faster than manually cutting / drilling the parts Allows for inexpensive test-fit / changes Allows to use the machine itself to machine the parts using aluminium Cons: Not sure about the rigidity of the printed parts : will the machine be stiff enough to machine its own aluminum parts ? Will require complete disassembly / reassembly to replace the parts   Here's a teaser of some motor mounts, limit switch holde...