What are 3D printers for? Printing new 3D printers! I’ve finished printing the CoreXY parts for my new printer. CoreXY is the method I’m using to control the X and Y axes (left/right, forward/backwards), using parts designed by Louis Zatak who put them on Thingiverse. He also provided parts for Z axis bed lift as well , using the same belt trick that the CoreXY uses.

The dimensions I’m printing are probably much too large – I went for 50cm cubed, which might end up with a print volume of about 44cm cubed, which is 8 times larger than my current printer (an Anet A8).

There will be problems, I’m sure – with 50cm rods, the x-carriage will probably droop near the middle. I have an idea how to solve that if it happens, but we’ll see if it’s necessary!

All that’s left to get for this new printer are some rods for the x-carriage, the y axis, and the z-axis, and a hot-bed. The hot-bed is not strictly necessary, but it will make it work much better. without a hot-bed, prints might curl upwards, and will probably have trouble sticking to the print bed.

After this is finished, I have a plan to build a brief-case sized foldable 3D printer.

The CoreXY design is compact and may be foldable, so I’m going to try find a way to have the z-axis fold upwards towards the CoreXY frame, and then fold the arms of the mechanism inwards. In my head, it works…