Update: I think the Nimbles and their drive cables are twisting the hole carriage so after taking a year off printing I'm going another way. Working on this instead: https://forum.e3d-online.com/threads/stians-chimera-zesty-nimble.3277 _________________________________________________________________________________ Seing all the IDEX mods and builds and Nimble stuff I was sorely tempted. But I wanted something simpler. Goal: Full print volume. Bonus if I can extend the bed later and manybe achieve 225 x 325 mm. Lighter X carriage Simple mechanics Use stock spacing of X rods (I have Chases Dual Titan mod with a wider stance at the moment) First version will use as many stock parts as possible. As the fans and blowers. One caveat is that I have to replace the X motor idler because I am not able to find a suitable location for the X endstop. Since I have Chases mod I will also make a new X motor mount where I do not have to dismantle the printer to swap out. BOM (so far) Nimble Dual, https://zesty.tech/products/chimera-cyclops-kit E3D Chimera, https://e3d-online.com/Chimera M3 screws. Maybe the stock screws will do but I have so many sizes available I have lost track of whats needed. Have to catalog them before final assembly. New printed parts X carriage base, testing a click on mount for the base. So no clamps needed for the bearings. Fan shroud for print cooling So far it looks like I'll be able to just have a 45mm wide carriage. Just as wide as the bearings. This is an early render. I have done some changes since this:
It's a bit tight between the fan shroud and the heat blocks. I might have to add a few millimeters between them. Here you can see the two small holes for the endstop and a M3 screw should fit on the X idler Click on mount
Getting closer. Not much time to spend on this these days. I'm getting very close to start implementing the modification. Top of new carriage with connector bracket on the back. I uesd the dual hybrid as a template for the belt grooves and fastenings. Connector bracket for all wiring not going to the hot end. Incorporated slots for 4 pin MF 3.0 housings for hot end wiring. It should be easy to swap out the complete hot end / heat break assembly for quick nozzle changes. Not sure if this design holds up to use over time yet. I'm also printing with a 0.35mm nozzle and might be tricky to print parts with a wider one. You can compare the size of Chases dual Titan with single extruder attached. I have made a new X motor idler to maximise movement on X axis. I had to move the endstop switch to the side. I also made a kind of hinged bearing clamp that should be possible to dismantle without taking any acrylic parts off the BigBox for later maintenance.
Finally I'm printing. Juggling family life with work and 3d printer mods has been a slow process. First print is a Benchy scaled down to ~60%. For being a first print I'm VERY satisfied!
Quick vid of pushing a 0,4 nozzle. Print width 0,6, thickness 0,4 speed 80mm/s at the fastest. See at 36 seconds for fastest movements.
Great project! Looks really good. Nice and light. Should allow for some fast printing. How is the nozzle height adjustment working out for you? Is the second nozzle catching on the print when it's not active?