Building a RepRap 3D Printer

The base of the Y-unit is built with two M10 threaded rods. A number of nuts on these rods will hold the base together.

The Y-motor will move the print platform. The front and back plate will hold the linear rods.

Setting the belt tension is important to achieve correct movement without wear.

Wondering how to make a perfectly parallel movement? Take a perfectly flat mirror and adjust the linear rods.

The X axis moves the extruder from left to right. You can just slide them together.

The Z axis moves the extruder up and down. This is through some simple assembly steps.

Timing belts are the tendons of your 3D printer. The correct tension will ensure proper movement.

The power supply converts the high voltage to a safe 12 Volt working power for the printer. For your own safety, please follow the steps in this video carefully.

The 3D printer has two main units that can be taken apart for easy transport. For the best print results, calibrate them at a perfectly straight angle.

Messy cabling looks ugly and can cause problems. Organize the cables neatly by making them the right length.

The motors of the Z axis run in a series. Cross-link them to make them work.

There are many electrical connections to be made for the extruder. Follow the step-by-step instructions to prepare the extruder.

The heatBed needs a decent cable and a well-positioned thermal sensor. Following these special assembly instructions will help you through.

Magnetic endstops have special issues to take into account. This video will show how to glue in the magnets correctly.

Uploading the Marlin firmware to the RUMBA controller is easy with Arduino...if you know how to do it.

Mounting the E3D hot end requires some special steps. You will need to heat it up; this is why you had to first finish the wiring and install the software.

This special extruder construction requires that you test the grip on the filament. If needed, you have to quickly reassemble the extruder.

The movements of the printer should be as close as possible to their software values. This is done with some simple measurements.

The print platform should be perfectly aligned with the nozzle to get a good first layer. This is done by turning the three screws in such a way that a simple piece of paper just fits underneath.

Setting the printer and filament settings is the basic preparation in Slic3r.

Print settings depend on your personal taste and the requirements of the object to be printed.

The first layer is the most important one. If the nozzle is too high, the print won´t stick, and if it´s too low, you might damage your print platform. Learn what the first layer can tell you about improving the quality of your printer.

Printing in two different materials requires additional workflow. Learn all about it.

The i3 Berlin comes, like many other printers, with a full graphic display. This opens the door to many advance settings for tweaking.

Cura is a user-friendly open source 3D printing software. Use the custom settings to use it for the i3 Berlin.

Kisslicer is a high-speed path generator with a freemium license. Understand the main settings to generate high-quality G code.

There are many filament resellers. Some are cheap and some are good. What to take care of when buying one?

The plastic should stick on the platform while printing, but you should also be able to get it off after the print. There are several choices for print bed surfaces.

There are many different printers with a large variety of extruders and hotends. What to look at when you buy one?

The concept of the i3 Berlin 3D printer is straightforward and clean. There are many other techniques for 3D printing that are faster and more precise.

Sometimes, extra drivers have to be installed. These are needed for connecting with the Arduino board. Most Linux distributions don't support the default baud rate of 250000. There are three ways to solve this.

Layer shift is a nasty problem that causes a non-aligned printed object, which is of no use to you and can be thrown away. The X or Y stepper missed some steps while printing, producing unusable objects. There are three common causes for this problem, which can all be easily solved.

Oozing is the unwanted extrusion of material during travel moves. Oozing can be prevented by temperature settings and retraction

Sometimes, the extruder doesn´t work. But don’t panic. There are three common causes for this, all of which can be easily solved.