New 3D Printer - Build Log #15 

I don't have any personal experience with the IGUS polymer bushings/bearings but i believe part of the biting issue may be because they're meant to have a uniform radial compression applied to them, whereas you applying pressure in mainly one axis of the bearing. There are IGUS bushings sold that have a metal compression sleeve already applied to it to provide this uniform compression, so maybe that could solve your problem.

This video is four years old now and you've probably already worked out your bearing solution for your X-Y joiners, but just in case I thought I might share this info. IGUS makes an aluminum-cased version of their drylin bearings. With the aluminum cased version, you would be able to clamp them down tightly into your X-Y joiners without any issue. I bought four of the RJUM-01-10 bearings to replace the LM10UU bearings that I was using. They are really excellent bearings and I feel really confident recommending them. I can't take any credit for discovering them though. I became aware of these aluminum cased drylin bearings from one of Thomas Sanladerer's videos.

The LM8UU bearing have groves cut into them to help grab onto whatever there housed in. I would suggest adding lips/groves on the XY joiner to hold onto the poly LM8UU's groves. Awesome video!

According to Thomas Sanladerer's video on bearings, the metal sleeve version of the IGUS bearing gives proper tolerance so there is no slop. Even with that I am not sure that it would work on the steel rod on the Y axis. Is the steel rod exactly 8mm, I can't remember if you measured them in a previous video. I haven't been able to find anyone using the IGUS bearings with the metal sleeve on a 3d printer build. It's a shame you couldn't get them to work, as I was really looking forward to seeing how they fare against the LM8UU bearings on the hypercube. I do love the new setup for the x axis and z axis. Thanks for sharing your 3d printing adventures Tech2C!

The RJ4JP needs a press fit. Try the RJUM-Series. They are already in a metall casing.

Nice update! I've found that using short linear bushings offset (like what you did for the X axis) is in general the best solution for getting smooth movements, but with a small sacrifice of lifespan. Perhaps implementing something like this on the y axis will work out for you if you want to replace those ball bearings still. And nice change on the z axis, that new nut block looks much more rigid!

IGUS bearings ARE NOT Concentric. That's why they appear to bind. If you rotate one bearing in relation to the other( in the same bearing block) you will find you can make them bind or loosen up, just buy rotating only one. This is great, as it allows you to eliminate all slop, just by rotating one. This is the secret to using more than 1 IGUS bearing in the same bearing block.

this is on a "or so i have heard" basis: if i am not mistaken, the drylin bearings are supposed to be a pretty snug fit in to theyr seatings, and would have a little play on the rods, if not compressed form the outside. (a precisely sized hole, not clamps ment to hold steel brearings) and need some breaking in to work as smoothly as they can.

The dry lubricant is a MoS2 molybdenum disulphite, the anodized aluminium is too rough for them, they should be perfect with some grease or a smooth rod .

The black material is called Delrin, very durable and perfect for making parts that require a thread to be included. Since the print bed always provides a load due to it's weight the brass screw will be sufficient and is very cheap to replace if ever needed, however because it is always loaded by the weight of the bed you will never notice any issues in print quality as the usable life of the brass nut will easily outlast the life of the printer. I like how you have experimented with lots of different possiblities with the build. That delrin block z axis setup would definitely be benificial on a i3 type design because there is no bed to preload the z axis.

I believe the black residue you're getting on the aluminum rods may actually be very fine aluminum particles which are wearing off the rods. If you take a piece of aluminum and rub it against another hard surface repeatedly, you will begin to see a "dirty" looking build-up of these fine aluminum particles. The coating inside the steel bearings may also be wearing off. But aluminum is a very soft material that will wear away faster than most people realize. Anodizing helps harden it a little but I think it will still wear. It would be interesting to try those same bearings on a steel rod and see if you still get the residue. Anyway, great videos! I hope to build a printer like this someday. :)

Look up sustaglide, which is a self lubricating nylon. It's very slippery feeling and has is super low friction. Another is Polystone M Natural, it also has a low coefficient of friction and is very abrasion resistant. Worth looking into.

For the Y axis, (these are some more hacky methods), you could try printing bushings out of PLA or nylon(self lubricating). I use PLA carriages that run on aluminum extrusion, and those work pretty well, but they gain play over time.

You could print ridges into the holder that align with the ridges in the polymer bearing to keep it in place.

I allready use the igus bushing and i have the same problem with the y-Axis als you have. For the x-Axis you can use the Igus A181SM-10-12-20, they have the same size than the Bearing Bushing you use normal. instead of using a normal aluminum shaft you can use the Igus AWMP-10 which have a hard anodized surface. if you try to print your own bushing igus have there own filament. Thanks for your help you do a great job

Yes, you can print a cylindrical adapter (to use on the Y axis) the length of two lm8uu. then use two sf1 or use Igus J bushings and ream the adapter to achieve the pre-load that you want. It will be quieter. I just ordered titanium X axis rods to play with.

these polymer bearings need a pressfit. sadly pressing then between two parts doesn not work :/ i have used the igus bearings with the steel sleaving on my printer with great succes

There are two versions of the IGUS bearings: canned and naked, the canned ones are much harder to crush

I used chemical metal for mine, wich i now have switched for pla printed. I use aluminium tunes with athreaded rod insert. The chemical metal ones, i made by taking a regular linear ballbearing, placed it in alginate, removed it and filled with chemical metal. Then drilled them out. They work flawlessly and are almost self greased as the material is somewhat soft and yet durable. Why i went over to printed pla is mainly due to upgrading my hand made printer with printed parts and they didnt have industrial finish, but from a movement perspective they were better than the pla, however the pla is easier to maintain.

Great vid. My only suggestion is to get lithium grease in a tube. The spray cans make such a mess.

For the plastic bearing, you will need a stop rim in the holder. Then it will work perfectly, with them sliding around and with less pressure when clamping down. Your clamping printout is the problem, not the plastic bushings, I assume.

Much thanks for doing the research on bearings. This is a useful resource! - Eddy

I've had bad luck with that WD40 brand white lithium grease spray. It was drying out too much. I would recommend some molybdenum disulfide spray, it is black however, almost like graphite. For metal-plastic friction contact, a teflon based "dry" lubricant may work, if you find lubrication is needed.

At build log #5 I was wondering if you could move z-motor with cantilever to the opposite side, so all obstructions (motors) would be in the same side, that would also solve the need for long wires in build log #6. Belt "crossing" might be a bit ugly on the new front side but does not look like it would block too much. Or maybe move x-y motors, they might even be a bit more centered along a long belt and make slack/delay/etc a bit more symmetric. Anyway, your printer seems to beat most commercial offerings, cool!

Polymer nuts and bushings works nice and quiet but you must be aware they don't glide as well and they wear much faster. I had to replace my Igus RJMP bushings (higher quality than RJ4JP) within 6 months. So I gone back to bronze bushings that can last a couple of years.

Try spray silicone instead of the 3-n-1. While 3-n-1 is great stuff, I would think it is a bit "heavy" for this application. And it does cause dust to stick to the surfaces. I've found that silicone lasts just as long or longer, doesn't accumulate dust. The only problem with the spray silicone is that it is very easy to get it on everything but what you wanted lubed.

Did you try adjusting the clamping circumference to say 45 degrees where there is the most clamping force and 0.5mm less than the bearing diameter to see how that might work? The rest of the clamping circle if you will would have a larger diameter than the rest of the clamp.

the material of the anti backlash nut looks like acetal which is commonly used for these applications

I do want to scrap at least most of the LMUU bearings in my Prusa. The Y axis should be easy enough, I'm a little curious about the X axis since I'll have to redo the carriage.

The igus bearings are meant to be pre loaded. There is a version that is press fit into a metal tube that is a drop in replacement for the LM8UU.

You know that you've chosen a bearing version from igus that is made to be fitted into a tube or, more exact, into a fitting hole (around IT7)? So basically you are using the bearing wrong and, as expected, it doesn't perform in the wrong use case.

When is going to be available the complete guide and the final result?

Maybe a way to use the Igus bearings on the xy joiner is to use some epoxy instead of clamping. Many Igus bearings are meant to be pressed into a precision bore that reduces the size of the Igus bearing to it's intended size. Clamping an Igus bearing into a non-precision 3D printed assembly will definitely deform it. I think it might be better to use an on-size or slightly oversize bore and use a little glue of some sort, maybe Loctite or CA or epoxy.

I would either use all aluminium and switch the parts from time to time or go for steel rods for less maintenance, basically because the nozzle movement is half of the performed movement work and need to be at least as sturdy as the rest, plus the fact that aluminium oxidises eventually in strange ways wich steel if lubricated does not and thus probably is a better choice but a tad bit more expensive

The anti backlash material most probably is Acetol. Great video .

YAS, NEW BUILD LOG! Just in time before I order bearings!

You need a clamp for igus bushings that equally reduces the diameter as it gets clamped down. The 4 screw type shown cant achieve that.

2 lead screw with a spring in the middle. tension by reducing the space containing the spring ;)

You can print out a casing for those bearings so you can clamp them normally

For the IGUS bushings, they are designed to be pressed (I.E., with an arbor press, with somewhere around 100+ pounds of force) into a bore of a very closely tolerated bore (specifically, an H7 bore, which for a 19mm hole is +0.021mm -0.000mm). This is effectively impossible to achieve with a 3D printer, but can be done with other tools. I've made a bearing block for these type of bearings, but used a Bridgeport mill and a 19mm reamer to create the hole. The difference between this and the clamping method used in this design is that the press-fit circularly deforms the bushing, creating not only a tight fit for motion but a proper clearance for motion operation. The clamping creates an oval shaped hole, which will quickly cause binding before it is securely held, as the plastic is so flexible. Using a high-quality linear shaft (such as the one you have in this video), there is an extremely small amount of clearance, somewhere around .012 to .03 millimeters. Over the scale of the printer, this is a negligible amount (especially for this kind of printing). I want to say that this clearance is advantageous in this application, as it will allow for less frictional forces and take up for inaccuracies in the printer construction and allow for a potentially higher printing speed. But I am not sure, I've yet to build my printer and see if that's the case. Of course, this sort of thing isn't available to everyone, and the steel housed drop-in replacements IGUS makes are a great substitute here. Regardless, this is a great thing you've got going, and your videos are very informative. Subscribed!

Always enjoy watching your videos.

Hello, I Love the work you do on the channel and also very excited about building the current design , but i have few queries 1) Cantilever style preferred or Dual Z- axis , planning to use 12mm Aluminium Rods (Similar Build Volume Slightly Bigger ) Desperately don't want any z-artifacts if possible 2) Planning to convert everything to 12mm rods has i have many lying around , for which what are the changes? how can i edit these Files? 3) I Dont have linear bushings , instead planning to use regular 12mm bearings , how do i modify the x-axis carriage ? For this , Prefer no Zip Ties

Tech2C I am so excited to make this printer. but my only concern is how often parts are tweaked. I'm not saying change is a bad things but my suggestion is change your system to have "stable" and "beta" releases. Pretty much like code. I think advantages here are you can upgrade all the things at once when a new "stable" release comes or or you can slowly change the printer every time a "beta" release comes out. Just a suggestion but I really love what you are doing here, keep up the great work.

Im watching your videos because of the soundtrack. ...And also some great R&D stuff.

Why not print a very very slight slope on the carriage to offset the bushings?

already ordered some of those Igus hope they are ok at least for x or y ...

Tech2C why you didn't use circlips to lock the igus bushings in place? It has more advantages when compared to the clamping method.

Have you ever planed to use Linear Rail like HIWIN? I've found some implementation to your design. Also there is a designs with ballscrews

Why did you opt to put larger stepper motors for the X and Y axis and what is the advantage over the smaller ones linked in your thingiverse page?

@Tech2C ; Why are you not using the steel sleeve type bushings on the Y axis, but LM8UU or the Igus bushings? I'm planning to build a coreXY printer with steel sleeve bushings on both X and Y axis

great vids, can you make a summary video of this build as you are making minor changes through the series . keep up the good work

When joining the corners of the aluminum..did you consider large plates covering the corner or are the brackets you chose making it solid enough?...my end stops came in today woohoo!!!

I've been trying to figure out the size envelope needed surrounding the gear, so the padding dimensions around the build area to upscale the build size. HELP :D

The problem that I find with those nut blocks is that I use TR8x2 acme threaded rods and they all seem to want TR8x8 which simply will not do.

Hello, my 8mm Steel rods just arrived 5 mins ago. They are 700mm long and not perfectly Straight (1mm dent) Is this bad?

Are there any downsides to printing and tapping the block yourself instead of buying?

Have you thought of using teflon rods? instead of aluminum rods?

I really appreciate the scientific approach you have taken in this project. You mentioned in a previous video that some viewers have asked if a kit of the printed parts is available. I have no local access to quality 3D printed parts. Is there such a kit available? Thank you. Bbox

i love this printer design and i am really thinking about making it soon! how up to date is the thingiverse page?

Heya, Have you looked at Phophor Bronze bushes ? not sure if they work with anodized Al, but the internet says its good. Plus I don't know jack mechanically...

how many hammerhead nut do you use? in your thingiverse page, its just said 2x100pcs nut, but i think you dont need all of them right?

i am planning on building a printer that is 500mmx500mmx zaxis 600mm is having a z asix on both sides going to be fine or do i need one on back also ? like videos.

Wonderful job designing and documenting your printer. Thanks so much for sharing. I'm planning to build one myself and I'm cannibalising parts off my Kossel Mini but I can't find any suppliers for the anodised aluminium tubes in Sydney. Did you order yours online? Thanks!

Hi, I am new to 3D printing, but I really would like to make my own printer like you did. Is there anyway you could post a written tutorial of how to do this. The videos are very helpful, but writing is more detailed, like measurements, parts, names, prices, places you can buy them, etc. This would be great! I would read the whole thing and start building! Thank you in advance! your videos are awesome! and I can't wait to start

nice work

Do you know why the makerstore website is not currently working?

I'm working on hypercube with carbon fiber x axis. Trying to decide between igus and original steel bearings. The igus are $17 for 4 in US. Is it worth it? Did you try the steel bearings on carbon fiber?

Would a dry Teflon lube have a negative effect?

I am hoping to take some of this info when I modify my Wilson TS. Anyone know of a good set of metric screws with different lengths?

Hi, great set of videos, I have one question do u run your electronics via a PC or an attached LCD screen to the board, many thanks

igus bearings for 8mm rod *gap********gap* maby you can put in the circle groove of the igus bearing a set ring so they dont slide out any more

great videos , congrats

Cool. But the polymer bearings wear out. A good set of linear bearings should never wear out the rails, if this is happening you have very poor bearings or an improper pairing of metals.

Getting ready to build this set up. Any issues with the amount of belts your using now that you have some run time on it?...seems like thats the only thing im worried about at this point. Thank you for a great video series by the way. i have 2 davinci's for my business and need bigger volume so here we go!!!

The reason the igus bushings weren't working for you was because you were using them completely incorrectly. They aren't drop-in LM8UU replacements and if you'd bothered to read the specifications you'd know that they have to be preloaded by pressing them into a hole with the specified diameter and tolerances or by using one of the (stupidly overpriced) aluminium shells they sell for exactly this.

Ho there im a long time viewer first time commenter . I work for a bearing company. .. the black material is teflon have you tried using them on the liniar rail ?

The best threaded rods are ball-screws!!! zero backlash!

glue the eigus bearing in

hey Tech2C. Thanks for the videos i been enjoying them. i'm thinking of building a 30x30x30 (build volume). I want to ask a question. Have you tried printing flexible filament with the hyper cube? That's one of the things i'm really interested at doing with this printer.

What about printing your own bushings? Have you considered it? I've tried some LM8UU PLA printed, and seems to work fine (just tried without putting it into the actual printer) Cheers!

What material are these polymer slides made from? Is it polyoxymethylene (delrin)?

i love your build and am starting to pick up parts to make my own. I am looking to have a printable area of 360x360x400. i plan to use a dual leadscrew system for the z axis. I am worried there may be sagging in the y rods though at that length. Do you think upgrading to 10mm steel rods on the y axis would eliminate this issue?

Tech2C i want to know what happens when you slap a AZSMZ mini(32bit controller) on it would it print faster and better? the chinese version on aliexpress is $48 us

do you live in Australia?

I've noticed you've been updating files on thingiverse but are you leaving the old files up as well? (V1, V1.1, etc...)

Why do you need to lubricate metal to metal and not metal to plastic ?

Could I use parts from my Anet A8 to build this printer?

tech2c. how do i contact you about printing parts for this printer

would anybody be able to 3d print out the plastic parts and setup an ebay listing?

Lol I got that same oil

Why not just superglue the IGUS bearings into the housings and then you don't need to screw them down tight.

Did you see this solution?, I think is the way to go. "It's better to pull than to push". Remember that commercial from Dodge, when the first K cars came? Check the Z axis. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5SOvJisTPNc.html

That plastic is not better than a proper anti backlash lead screws nut fitting.... Why do people always try to improve in procen designs. It may be because people only shop on eBay for these things and not properly sourcing parts

My printer ist based on the Rj4jp's from igus. At first I noticed the sticky behavior too. When you use two on top of each other it getting worse. But if you let them run for a while they getting quite good. In the end I use Rj series which come in a aluminum housing for my new printer.