3D Printing Stack Exchange
3D Printing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [hardware]

Any questions related to 3D printer hardware, implying physical parts of the 3D printer or in the immediate vicinity of the 3D printer may be tagged with this tag

All hardware parts or devices related to 3D printing are meant to be tagged with this tag as long it is not software related. This includes 3D printer parts (please beware of existing tags for specific parts like extruder, heated bed, etc.), devices, spool systems, tools, etc.

36 questions
19
votes
2 answers

Why all the excitement about linear rails?

Whenever a 3D printer that uses linear rails is announced (case in point: the cetus), the Internet (well... at least that corner of it dealing with 3D printing) gets abuzz with excitement. I researched a bit the topic myself, and while I understand…
mac
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11
votes
1 answer

What's a good way to secure bushings in a 3D printed part?

I'd like to secure bushings in 3D printed parts. They would be used for a drilling jig. I've seen heat-set inserts, but they've all had threaded interiors. The best idea I can come up with is printing the plastic hole several thousandths of an inch…
user441767
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10
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1 answer

How long is an extruder's/nozzle's life?

I've been using a printer for several years now and I've never replaced any of my extruder hardware (nozzles, steppers, gears etc.). I was wondering how long you should expect your extruder hardware to last? Is it indefinite, or are there normal…
Diesel
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10
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1 answer

What do linear rail codes mean?

In looking at 3D printer motions systems, I've seen linear rails with codes like MGN15H and MGN9C. What do the letters and numbers mean?
chobok
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8
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3 answers

Does anyone know the thread size (pitch and lead) of the Anet A8's lead screw?

I bought a new printer, and unfortunately the left nut for the lead screw isn't tapped. Does anyone know the thread size, w.r.t. both pitch and lead, of the lead screws?
user441767
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7
votes
3 answers

Filament Guides Drag

Backstory I've had issues in the past with my drive gear "eating" my filament. It seemed that the filament quit extruding for one reason or another and the drive gear would slowly eat away at the side of the filament. I eventually assumed it was the…
tbm0115
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7
votes
3 answers

What is the largest microSD card that a Monoprice Select Mini can read?

I have a Monoprice Select Mini v2 and it came with a 256 MB SD card. I have a bunch of 16 GB cards. I have made sure that the new SD card has a FAT32 filesystem. I copy the gcode file onto this card and when I put it in the printer, it can't find…
NomadMaker
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7
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1 answer

Why is my Ender 3 restarting spontaneously in mid print?

tl;dr How can I test whether my sporadic in-print restarts are a thermal problem or a firmware issue? The problem I've had my Ender 3 (not V2 or Pro) for about a month, and gotten a number of excellent small prints with Amazon Basics and SunLu PLA,…
Zeiss Ikon
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5
votes
1 answer

Printer is Confused-Printing in Air Literally

So I got my 3D printer (Anet A8) a few years ago and put it together. I couldn't figure out how to use it. Then about a month ago I decided to try again now that I am older and got it to work. I know more than I did by far. I have printed about…
john
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5
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1 answer

Getting rid of hardware parts smell (GT2 timing belt)

I ordered 10m of GT2 timing belt for a printer I want to build, however, the chemical smell from the belt is completely unbearable, in the sense of it gives me the feeling it is destroying something in my nose (and my nose isn't even particularly…
kamuro
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5
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1 answer

Did I just destroy my MKS Gen L v1.0 board by shorting the stepper driver?

I was attempting to install new TMC2208 chips on my MKS Gen L v1.0. Everything was going swell, I just had one more thing to do. I was checking and tuning the Vref for TMC2208 by measuring voltage across the GND pin and the through-hole shown in…
Heeba Jigry
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4
votes
4 answers

Which belt tension gauge do I need?

I have a 3D printer that is going crazy with x-axis shift, and I need a tension gauge belt to measure the tension. I've never used one before, and looking online, I can't tell which one would be the right fit. Any ideas? What things should I look…
Bashar Abdullah
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4
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2 answers

Can't print anything, clicking and low extrusion

I am the owner of a pretty Anycubic Mega I3 and it was very cool to own it. However, now I have several problems when printing with it. It clicks all along, at high or low temperature, at 5 mm above the plate, and the result is very disgusting. It…
Obibousky
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4
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1 answer

Has anyone used a Shield Buddy (en lieu of a Arduino Mega2560) as the RAMPS 1.4 host board?

I have read a few times1 that the Arduino Mega can struggle to perform the tasks required for 3D printer control, as the AVR chip is working at its limits, and this is why some manufacturers have moved away from the ATmega2560, to make custom (and…
Greenonline
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3
votes
2 answers

Easiest way to build a horizontal hotend mount at home, without printing

For my Frankenstein's printer I am at a loss with the hotend mount. I cannot drill holes of 16 (upper diameter) and 12 mm (clamping diameter, 6mm high) which i would need to mount the E3D V6 clone I have. What I am looking for: a hotend mount plate…
kamuro
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