Hey everyone Patrik CK here, welcome to episode four of 3d printing with the monoprice maker
select v2.
Last episode we printed a replica Cherry MX key cap and just touched the surface of support
structures.
There were a couple take aways from that episode that have been incorporated in this episode,
thanks to all my subscribers for the suggestions!
While the maker select v2 is a good printer, it can be even better with a few modifications.
In this episode we are going to investigate one of the most important of these modifications,
the Z –axis gantry brace.
But before we make any modifications to the printer we need to set a benchmark so that
we can see if our modifications are making a difference.
Of course one of the best and most popular benchmark prints is the 3D Benchy.
The 3D Benchy is designed to push any 3d printer to its limits with a wide array of challenging
geometry that will reveal even subtle issues related to the 3D printing process.
Examining the results of the Benchy can help determine where to focus modification efforts
to get a better result next time.
Anyone can download the files for the 3D Benchy by visiting its official website at 3dbenchy.com
and going to the download section where you can select from a number of repositories for
the files.
I used Thingiverse since they are already an amazing source of all things 3D CAD, a
link to it will be in the description below.
Simply download the zip file, extract the files, open the “Files” folder within
and select the 3DBenchy STL model.
In your favorite slicing program confirm all your settings.
I went with normal quality, 20% infill, and no support structure.
Save it to Gcode and start printing.
With these settings it should take about 2 hours.
2 hours later, it’s done.
The most obvious thing you notice is this hard line in the lower third of the boat.
This was caused by a change in filament.
I think it’s absolutely amazing the difference in quality between the two layers, I didn’t
expect much if any change at all.
The bottom third was using some generic PLA that came with the printer while the rest
of it is using Worksteel “high precision” PLA, who claim to have 0.02mm dimensional
accuracy and with the Benchy it shows, at least compared to the generic PLA.
Link to the Worksteel filament will be in the description.
(put line across screen separating old filament with new filament)
You see various artifacts and over all poor quality with old PLA but once the Worksteel
filament started flowing the quality shot up.
The lip of the deck is clean and sharp, there is no stringing in the gaps of “cockpit”.
The only thing that really stands out can be seen at the top of the doorway and windows
where the bridge or arcs were a little trickier for the printer to make sharp.
Honestly I was amazed it was able to bridge the gap for the front window at all.
I obviously have to have more faith in this printer.
Compared to other Benchy’s I’ve seen from unmodified printers in this price range I’m
extremely happy!
I’m not an expert at interpreting the results so if you peeps see something of concern that
I didn’t mention please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
Seeing the difference in the quality of filament makes me want to go back and print my other
models again to see how different they may turn out.
I might just do that later.
So now we have our benchmark and while I don’t see the major issues that I’ve seen in other
benchy’s there was still something I noticed while watching this and previous prints, and
that is the obvious wobble of the vertical gantry especially when the bed and extruder
moved in quick succession.
The wobble was amplified when I put on the new spool of filament since there was more
weight on top.
This wobble will adversely affect any print but especially ones that are tall.
(show wobble in the gantry) This is where our first and probably most
important mod will come into play.
The Z- axis gantry brace does pretty much what it sounds like.
It will support the top gantry and keep it from moving around during printing.
This is done by essentially attaching a support structure from the top of the gantry arm diagonally
to the front of the base.
The really cool thing is anyone can do this.
It uses a few printed pieces and some hardware you can find at any local home improvement
store like Hope Depot, Lowes, or Ace Hardware.
There are a handful of different pieces that we will need to print but they can all be
found in one zip file on Thingiverse at the link in the description.
While there are a few different configurations available they all accomplish the same goal.
I’ll take you through the one I choice which does require a few more pieces than the other
configurations but I believe offer better fine tuning in the final product.
Once you’ve downloaded the zip file and extracted everything inside you’ll find
a not small group of STL files.
We are going to focus on the following 7 models.
TopLeft TopRight
BottomLeftForBalls BottomRightForBalls
BackFootLeft BackFootRight
BallsMk2
Most of these are mirror sets of each other.
A quick overview of the pieces, TopLeft and TopRight will be attached to the top of the
gantry frame and will hold the rods in place at a slight inward angle, with the help of
some bolts and pairs of BallMk2 fasteners for each.
We will simply call them the top mounts BottomLeftForBalls and BottomRightForBalls
will have the other end of the rod attached to the base.
Each one of these will use just one BallMk2.
These two pieces have large areas on the bottom that will actually go under the base of the
printer, we will use this area to attach shock absorbing feet to further isolate the vibration
coming from the printer.
We will simply call them the bottom front mounts.
The BackFootLeft and BackFootRight to not directly contribute to the brace but they
also have a large areas on the bottom that will go beneath the base to attach more shock
absorbing feet.
We will simply call them the back mounts Lastly the BallsMk2 is basically the bolt
fasteners that will help tighten down and hold the bolts in place, I choice the Mk2
version because it has ridges on the outside to make adjusting them by hand easier.
We will simply call these bolt fasteners and will require 6 of them.
As the creator put it, these pieces are “over engineered” which is a good thing because
you want them to last but be wary that it is going to take some time to print all the
pieces, roughly 16 hours and use 44 meters or 144 feet of filament at normal quality
with a 20% infill so be patient.
You can print all the piece in one go but I thought it better to go one at a time, all
though I did printer 3 bolt fasteners at a time.
After you are done printing all these pieces there is very little in the way of cleaning
them up.
One thing you’ll have to do is remove the interior support pillar of bolt fasteners
by simply bending it with a small screw driver or pliers, it snaps right off.
The only other thing I did was lightly file the screw holes on the bottom brackets with
my precision round needle file.
Now for the actually hardware you’ll need for the configuration we are going with:
2 x 410mm or 16 inch lengths of 8mm or 5/16 inch threaded rods, Ace Hardware like other
home improvement stores sell these robs in 3 foot or 910mm pieces so you only have to
buy one and cut it to length.
I used a powered angle grinder to make quick work of the cuts.
You can use a hack saw but for a clean edge I’d recommend the angle grinder or ask someone
at the home improvement store cut it for you, they usual will for free or for a nominal
fee.
Next up are 20 x M3 by 10mm screws, these can be longer but make sure you have the clearance
before you buy longer ones.
Than 6 8mm or 5/16 inch nuts Lastly 2 8mm or 5/16 inch locking nuts
There is a pre-made hardware kit on the ultimate 3d printing store .com website that runs for
$21 and includes the bolts, screws, and threaded rods cut to length, link to that below.
While this is a great option I went ahead and picked up my stuff at Ace Hardware which
turned out to be ever so slightly cheaper plus I picked up a squaring tool and few other
things for later mods.
Now we have everything we need to put it all together.
Start by attaching the bottom front mounts, simply take out the original screws, lift
up the printer slightly, align the mount, use 3 M3 screws to fasten it in place, don’t
tighten it down all the way just yet.
Attach the back mounts in a similar manner Next, the top mounts, first make sure you
are putting the correct piece on the correct side because each one is slightly different
and you won’t realize it until you try and insert the rods.
Pro tip here, instead of removing all 4 screws from the corner at once, take only one out,
attach the mount, and then remove and replace the other three.
This will save you from having to realign the gantry frame.
With all the mounts in place go ahead and tighten the screws down.
On each rod slide a nut on both ends going about a quarter of the way in and then slide
on two of the bolt fasteners.
Now to install the rods, slide them up through the bottom of the top mount.
With them in a vertical position slide on another bolt fastener and bolt, doing this
pieces now will save some headache later.
Now carefully lift up the rod and let it settle into the bottom mount.
Attach the locking nuts from underneath the bottom front mounts.
I found it easiest to slide the rod through the mount about an half an inch, screw on
the nut until it locks and slide both back into the mount.
This is where the squaring tool comes in.
You want to make sure the printer stays as square as possible as you tighten the bolt
fasteners.
Start by tightening down the bottom fasteners until they are snug.
The fasteners of the top mounts are going to be used to fine tune the brace; adjust
these until the printer is perfectly square on both sides.
If the frame is leaning toward you adjust the bottom fasteners up, if it’s leaning
away from you adjust the top fasteners down.
Double check everything is tightened down and square once again, make adjustments as
needed.
Lastly attach a rubber and/or felt pad to the bottom of each mount under the base, any
kind will do here so it’s up to you but I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of money on
them.
And that’s it!
We are done.
You can clearly see how stable it is with the brace compared to without it.
I really think this is one of the most important mods you can make to printers of this type
and I highly recommend you do it if you haven’t already.
(after installation, show lack of wobble with brace side by side with video of without gantry)
There are few thing you can do to make it look better like adding binder clips to the
rods to classy them up a little but I personally like the industrial look, I mean it is a 3D
printer.
I’m more interested in how the models look compared to what made it.
So what to do now?
Let’s check our benchmark!
This time I won’t switch up the filaments in the middle of the print.
The results, of course it’s much cleaner than the last one but that more because it’s
come from one roll of filament.
Like before the arcs and bridge on the top have the same issue.
I did notice however the surface of the roof is just a bit smoother than before and the
definition of the lip of the deck is ever so slightly sharper.
I think it’s beautiful.
Again I’m no expert so if you see something I didn’t mention please leave a comment.
This is has been an exciting project and I’m very happy with the results.
Of course there are quite a few more mods that will continue to improve the print quality,
I will continue to investigate the more applicable ones and bring them back to you soon.
Special thanks again to my subscribers that recommended the Benchy print and the z-brace
mod, you’re awesome!
Well this has been Patrik CK, like and share if you enjoyed this content.
Subscribe to get more videos when they come out and hope to see you all next time, thanks
everyone!