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Build a Laser 3D Printer - Stereolithography at Homeby RobHopeless on November 8, 2011

Table of Contents

Build a Laser 3D Printer - Stereolithography at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Build a Laser 3D Printer - Stereolithography at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Materials, Tools and Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 2:   Y Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 3:   X Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 4:   Assemble X and Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 5:   Z Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 6:   Finish the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 7:   Stepper Driver Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 8:   Laser Driver Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 9:   Limit Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Step 10:   Wire it all up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Step 11:   Software Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

File Downloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Step 12:   Laser and Iris Mount . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Step 13:   Print Something! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Step 14:   Wrap up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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Author:RobHopeless    RobHopeless.comCheck out my other projects at http://www.robhopeless.com/

Intro:  Build a Laser 3D Printer - Stereolithography at HomeHere is how to make a Stereolithography 3D Printer. It is still a bit of a work in progress but so far it is working pretty well. This is mainly an experiment which started as aDelta Robot Stereolithography Printer but ended as a more traditional Cartesian Stereolithography Printer.

"I'll be honest, we're throwing science at the walls here to see what sticks. No idea what it'll do." - Cave Johnson

Stereolithography (SL or SLA from Stereolithography Apparatus) is an additive manufacturing process using a vat of liquid UV-curable photopolymer "resin" and a UVlaser to build parts one layer at a time. On each layer, the laser beam traces a cross-section pattern of the part onto the surface of the liquid resin. Exposure to the UVlaser light cures, solidifies the pattern traced on the resin and adheres it to the layer below.

I have wanted a 3D Printer for a while now and there are some very reasonably priced kits available like the Makerbot , Ultimaker and the RepRap project. I could havejust bought a kit and started printing things but at the time I had not seen great resolution or print quality from those. I started looking around at the other 3D printingtechnologies and found SLA made some amazing quality prints, so I decided to try making my own. Since I started this a while back those projects have come a longway and they can make some beautiful prints now. There are also people working on a UV resin and DLP projector 3D printer which is showing promise.

I decided to enter this in the Epilog Challenge Contest because I could really use a laser cutter :-) I also have some ideas how to redesign this project, for creation on alaser cutter. I wouldn't mind making kits for people if I had one.

Something to keep in mind is the current cost of commercially available UV/Visible resins. 1 Liter is about $200 - $250 so compared to ABS or PLA for the plasticextrusion printers it is about 4 - 5 times more as far as I can tell. There are other types of resin that are cheaper but I do not know how well they will work.

Since I wasn't really sure if this was going to be a viable method of creating 3D objects, this was a fairly cheap and quickly designed project. I have a small Taig CNC Millfor cutting metal so the custom parts are made of scrap aluminum I had laying around. You can probably use wood and maybe even hand cut the parts if you are careful.

This project is Open Source Hardware .

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Image Notes1. It just crawled out of the resin vat.

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Step 1: Materials, Tools and SafetyThis is a list of the parts I used.

General Parts3 - 16" x 171/2" x 3/4" Plywood for the back and sides of the case2 - 16" x 16" x 3/4" Plywood for the top and bottom of the case24 - #6 x 3" wood screws and washers4 - Rubber Stoppers 1 7/8" x 1 3/4"4 - 1/4-20 x 2 1/2" Bolts8 - 1/4-20 Nuts and washers1 - 4" x 4" x 1/4" Black Acetal sheet (Delrin)1 - 1 Liter Beaker

Linear Rail and Blocks from Automation Overstock4 - AG Linear Rail 15mm x 200mm2 - 15mm Bearing Block, 2 Bolt Flange2 - 15mm Bearing Block, 4 Bolt Flange

Electronics Parts from Sparkfun and others6 - microswitches with roller3 - ROB-09238 Stepper Motors3 - EasyDriver Stepper Drivers (Pololu drivers should work too)3 - Polarized Connectors 4-Pin housing3 - Polarized Connectors 4-Pin Header2 - 6 pin female headers2 - DC Barrel Jack Adapters - Female1 - Sanguino (Arduino Mega would work too with code modifications)1 - 5V FTDI USB Cable1 - Omron G5V-1 Relay1 - LD33V 3.3V Voltage Regulator2 - 9V 500ma or higher Power Supplies (could use one but they are cheap)1 - 12V - 24V 2000ma or higher Power Supply (for Stepper Motors)1 - TIP120 Transistor1 - 1K Resistor1 - Protection Diode such as 1N41482 - 2 pin screw terminalsVarious Male and female .1" headers, wire and protoboard big enough to fit everything

Leadscrew from McMaster-Carr1 - 1018 Carbon Steel Precision Acme Threaded Rod, 1/4"-16 Size, 3' Length

Leadnuts from DumpsterCNC

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3 - Acme 1/4"-16 (1 Start) Leadnuts Square flange 4 hole3 - Acme 1/4"-16 (1 Start) Couplers 5mm Bore

Laser parts from Aixiz1 - Aixiz blue laser glass lens1 - Aixiz 405nm violet laser 20mW1 - Iris Diaphragm, Zero Aperture, 21mm Outer Diameter from Edmund Optics

The UV/Visible light cure resin from Ellsworth Adhesives1 - liter Dymax 3099 Ultra Light-Weld Adhesiveor1 - liter Loctite 3105 Light Cure Adhesive

Tools NeededDrill and various bitsDrill PressJigSaw4-40 tapAccess to a CNC MillGorilla glue or similarLong clampsHacksawFiles

SafetyLaser Safety Goggles such as these . They must protect against 405nm light to be effective.Well ventilated area, don't inhale the vapors from the resin or those produced when curing.

Step 2: Y AxisA couple of notes before you begin.

The bearing blocks come with a piece of plastic where the rail goes, this holds the bearings in place. Do not take it out. When putting the bearing block on the rail justpush the plastic piece out with the rail. If you have to take the block off the rail push the rail out with the piece of plastic lining it up the way it came.

Some of the pictures have bearings for support on the end of the Acme rods, I found that they were not needed due to the short length of the rod.

If the assembly order doesn't work right or you have questions about anything let me know and I will modify the instructable to include the changes.

Please use laser safety goggles for 405nm lasers. This laser is strong enough to cause permanent eye damage.

Cut all the parts on the mill. The part drawings are attached as dxf files and the sketchup file is there also.

Drill holes in the stepper mount flanges and the edge of the Acme nut block. See image notes above.

Insert the Acme nut into the mounting block and mark the holes. Drill them out and tap them with a 4-40 tap or drill them larger and use machine screws long enough togo through and a nut to hold them.

See the drawing above for how to cut out the top part of the case.

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Image Notes1. Stepper mount flange. Drill holes that fit the screws you use to mount to thetop board. I used #6 machine screws.2. Drill and tap with 4-40, or similar size tap.

Image Notes1. Not really needed.2. Not really needed.3. Drill holes here.

Image Notes1. You can cut two of the mounts for the stepper or just use a piece of anglealuminum for the back support.

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Image Notes1. Mark, drill and tap with 4-40 or use longer screws and nuts to attach.

Image Notes1. Click on the i in this corner to see the full size version.

File Downloads

UVLPrinter.skp (1 MB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'UVLPrinter.skp']

XY - Laser Mount 12.7mm.dxf (181 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'XY - Laser Mount 12.7mm.dxf']

XY - Main Beam 9.8mm.dxf (151 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'XY - Main Beam 9.8mm.dxf']

XY - Stepper Mount One 12.7mm.dxf (154 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'XY - Stepper Mount One 12.7mm.dxf']

XY - Stepper Mount Two 12.7mm.dxf (154 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'XY - Stepper Mount Two 12.7mm.dxf']

Z - Arm 9.8mm.dxf (152 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Z - Arm 9.8mm.dxf']

Z - Bracket 12.7mm.dxf (154 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Z - Bracket 12.7mm.dxf']

Z - Plate 6.8mm Delrin.dxf (151 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'Z - Plate 6.8mm Delrin.dxf']

3D Printer - Model.dxf (1 MB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to '3D Printer - Model.dxf']

XY - Main Beam Acme Rod Mount 12.7mm.dxf (149 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'XY - Main Beam Acme Rod Mount 12.7mm.dxf']

3D Laser Printer DXF files.zip (190 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to '3D Laser Printer DXF files.zip']

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Step 3: X AxisMark, drill and tap with a 6-32 tap the bottom of the stepper mount. Attach the stepper mount to the bottom plate with 6-32 machine screws.

Attach the stepper to the stepper mount. My stepper used M3 screws.

Mount the linear rail to the bottom plate using 4-40 screws and nuts.

Drill holes in the laser mount flanges and mount to a 2 hole bearing block. (I know it shows a 4 hole block in the pictures you should use a 2 hole block.)

Image Notes1. Drill holes in the laser mount block flanges. Then mark, drill and tap the holesfor the ACME nut.2. Mark the holes in the bottom of the stepper mount then drill and tap with 6-32tap.

Image Notes1. Not really needed.2. Not really needed.3. Drill holes here.

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Step 4: Assemble X and YFirst put the rails into the two bearing blocks making sure to push the plastic bearing retainer out with the rails. Then screw the plate to the two bearing blocks. Check tomake sure the rails are parallel by measuring the distance apart at both ends of the rails. Then check that they are square to the plate. If they are not parallel then loosenthe screws and adjust until they are and then tighten.

Once the assembly is adjusted set it on the top piece of the case and then mount the stepper. Screw the Acme rod into the nut and the coupler then attach to the stepper.

Once everything is lined up mark and drill the holes for the rails to attach to the top piece of the case. Attach with machine screws, nuts and washers on the outside of theboard.

Image Notes1. Not really needed.2. Not really needed.3. Drill holes here.

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Image Notes1. Mounting screws, washers and nuts for the rails.2. Mounting screws, washers and nuts for the rails.3. Mounting screws for the stepper.4. Ignore these.

Step 5: Z AxisDrill the flange holes in the Z arm mount. Drill and tap 4-40 holes in the end of the arm mount by the slot. See the picture below.

The arm should fit into the slot and stick out a little past the end. Cut a short piece of 1/8" thick 2" x 1" aluminum and drill holes to match the ones in the end of the armmount. Then place the arm into the slot and screw the aluminum on to clamp the arm in place. See the pictures above if you need clarification.

In the bottom piece of the case use a jigsaw to cut out the hole for the Z axis stepper.

To mount the stepper to the case bottom you can see the picture above but that was actually kind of hard to line up right. You could find a single piece of aluminum that iswide enough to cut a hole that matches the raised circle area on the stepper. Once it is cut you can mark and drill the holes for the stepper and then holes to mount to thecase.

To mount the circle platform onto the arm just drill and tap with 4-40 tap the bottom of the arm then drill a hole in the platform and mount with a screw.

Image Notes1. Drill the flange holes.

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Image Notes1. The arm should stick out a little past the end of the arm mount so that thearm can be clamped in place where needed.

Image Notes1. The arm should be a little deeper than the slot cut into the mount so drill andtap 2 holes in the mount and then just it just clamps into the slot.

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Image Notes1. Drill and tap the bottom of the arm then drill the platform and attach.

Step 6: Finish the BoxClamp the box together as shown and make sure everything is as square as you can make it. Then drill holes following the pictures above and screw together with woodscrews and washers.

You can use store bought leveling feet or just make some with a stopper, bolt, 2 washers and 2 nuts. Follow the pictures above. Just drill into the stopper far enough to fitthe head of the bolt then drill holes in the bottom of the case. Use a bullseye bubble level to level the case by placing it in the center of the bottom then turn the bottomnut on each foot to get the case level.

Cut three 9" (about 228mm) lengths of ACME rod. File the ends so that the threads are formed well enough to thread into the ACME nuts. You may have to use a smalltriangle file to form the threads back to a usable shape.

Once the case is assembled you can attach the Z axis linear rail to the back of the case. First assemble the whole Z Axis including the linear rail, the ACME rod and theACME coupler. slide the coupler onto the stepper shaft. The rail should be flush with the back of the case, if not then you may need to adjust the position of the Z stepper.

Position the rail about where it is in the pictures above and mark the 4 sides. Take the Z assembly back out. Measure the rail from the end to the center of the first holethen the space between the other holes and mark lines across the outline of the rail on the back of the case. Find the center of your marks on the back of the case anddraw a line down. Where the lines cross drill holes to mount the Z axis rail and then mount it.

Drill a hole in the top big enough for the 4 pin connectors on the steppers to go though.

Image Notes1. Drill a hole in the top big enough for the 4 pin connectors on the steppers to gothough.

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Image Notes1. Drill 3 holes a little smaller than your wood screws along each edge.2. Drill 3 holes a little smaller than your wood screws along each edge.

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Image Notes1. Click on the i in this corner to see the full size version.

Step 7: Stepper Driver BoardI may design a proper circuit board for all this but since I was designing as I went this was the most flexible setup for me.

Hopefully the drawings and pictures make sense, let me know if clarification is needed. This was my first use of Fritzing so it's not as pretty as I could probably make. TheFritzing file is attached below.

Start by soldering the polarized 4 pin connectors into the Easydriver boards on top. Then solder the male header pins into the other holes on the Easydrivers on thebottom*.

*One thing I should have done is put the header pins marked MS1 and MS2 on the top so it was easy to jumper them to ground or solder up some headers on theprotoboard for jumpers. I ended up wanting to change the microstepping from the default of 8th step microstepping. I have added these jumpers to the drawings now.

Once you have the male headers soldered, cut the female ones to match then put them on the male pins and place them in the protoboard spaced out with enough roomto work.

Solder the screw terminal to one end then wire up it up to each of the headers for the Pwr In on the Easydrivers. Mark + and - on the screw terminal.

I used a 10 pin header and ribbon cable to pass the 6 step and direction pins and ground to the Sanguino. you could just put a regular header row to pass the signalsstraight to the Sanguino. Dont forget to connect the ground from the different boards together.

The wire colors for the coil pairs in my steppers are yellow+blue and green+red. Verify your stepper coil pairs by following these instructions . Solder the female polarizedheaders to the stepper wires using the pairs you verified for your steppers.

The drawings show headers for the microstepping selection. I am using half steps for the X and Y axis and it is working pretty well. To use half stepping put a jumper onthe ms2 pin to ground.

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Image Notes1. I used a red marker to mark the layout for spacing.

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Image Notes1. Step and Direction pins.2. Stepper power in.

Image Notes1. Ground from 12V - 24V to drive the steppers.2. 12V - 24V in to drive the steppers.3. Make sure to connect the stepper power supply ground to the rest of the boardsground.4. Step and Direction pins running to the next board.

File Downloads

UVLPrinter.fz (696 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'UVLPrinter.fz']

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Step 8: Laser Driver BoardThere is most likely a better way to do this but I am not an Electrical Engineer, the parts I used were on hand. This setup has worked fine for me for hours of printing sofar.

The drawings below are a little different than what I have wired but should work. You could also put this all on one board, this was the biggest board I had on hand.

The Laser driver board takes 9V from a wall wart power supply to drive the relay and the LD33V 3.3V Voltage Regulator that powers the laser. The TIP120 transistorswitches the relay which switches the ground of the laser to turn it on or off.

Image Notes1. TIP120 or similar transistor2. Omron G5V-1 9V Relay3. LD33V 3.3V Voltage Regulator or similar4. 9V Power supply5. Ground pins for the limit switches.6. Laser control pin and ground to Sanguino7. 1N4148 Diode or similar8. 3.3V output to laser.

Image Notes1. Step and Direction pins from the stepper driver board.2. Tip120 transistor3. Ground for the limit switches4. 3.3V voltage regulator5. header for the laser6. Protection diode7. 1K resistor8. relay9. I'm using 9V in since the relay is rated for that.

Image Notes1. Step and Direction pins2. Ground3. Ground for the limit switches4. Ground5. 9V6. Step and Direction pins

Image Notes1. Laser signal pin from the sanguino on the left and ground on the right.2. ground wire from the stepper board3. laser power4. 3.3V from the voltage regulator5. ground from the laser is switched by the relay6. 9V in from the power supply to the 3.3V regulator7. 9V to the relay8. tip120 connects or disconnects the relay's ground depending on the singnalfrom the Sanguino

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Image Notes1. DO NOT connect or disconnect these with the power on or it will fry theEasydriver.2. Laser3. 9V Power Supply4. 12V - 24V power supply5. Step and Dir pins to the Sanguino6. Laser pin and ground to the Sanguino7. Ground for the limit switches8. This cable just moves the Step and Dir pins to the other board.

Step 9: Limit SwitchesThe limit switches keep the controller from accidentally moving too far in one direction. They can also be used to home the machine and tell it where to start from.

Solder wire to the NC and common pins on each switch.

Put a little dab of gorilla glue on the switch then place it so the bearing block with hit the switch before going too far. A 1/2" in from the end of the rail is fine. Tape them inplace, making sure they make good contact to the wood. The X axis ones were glued to the aluminum plate and it worked fine. If you have switches with holes formounting you can drill and mount them that way. I couldn't find screws small enough for the mounting holes on the ones I had.

Run the wires up and out the hole for wires in the top of the case. I tacked them in place with wire staples.

Solder all of the common side switch wires into a 6 pin female header. Then solder the NC side wires to another 6 pin female header.

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Image Notes1. The X Axis switches will have to be in front of the mounting screws far enoughfor the leads to not touch.

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Step 10: Wire it all upMount the boards to the top of the case with screws or nonconductive double sided foam tape.

*Do not plug any power in before you connect the steppers. Connecting or disconnecting the steppers while power in on to the stepper drivers will fry the driver board.

Connect the the steppers to the Easydrivers.

Connect the laser to the 3.3V header for it on the laser board.

Connect the ground for the limit switches and then the signal to digital pins on the Sanguino. I used 17-22.

Connect the Step and Dir pins to the Sanguino. I used 2-7.

Connect the laser pin to the Sanguino. I used pin 23.

Make sure ground from the laser board and the stepper board are both connected to ground on the Sanguino.

Connect all the power supplies. 9V for the laser board, 9V for the Sanguino and 12V - 24V for the Stepper board. I connect all of these to a power strip to control them allat once. You could wire a header on the laser board and then connect it to the Vin pin on the Sanguino to power it from there if you want.

Connect the the 5V USB FTDI cable to the Sanguino. It is marked with the wire colors. If using an Arduino Mega just use a regular USB cable.

Image Notes1. 9V power supply2. 12V - 24V power supply3. 7V-12V power supply. The Mega automatically detects external power, theSanguino needs the ext jumper or switch set.4. Limit switches5. The laser. No, really it is a laser.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

Image Notes1. DO NOT connect or disconnect these with the power on or it will fry theEasydriver.2. Laser3. 9V Power Supply4. 12V - 24V power supply5. Step and Dir pins to the Sanguino6. Laser pin and ground to the Sanguino7. Ground for the limit switches8. This cable just moves the Step and Dir pins to the other board.

Step 11: Software SetupDownload and install the Arduino IDE and install it. If using a Sanguino see this page for the rest of the setup.

Download and install Replicatorg and install it.

Download the file UVLPrinter.zip below and extract it to your Arduino Sketchbook folder or just open UVLPrinter.pde wherever you extract it from. It contains a modifiedversion of the Sprinter firmware .

Open the pins.h tab and change any pins that you may have connected differently than my setup.The step and dir pins should be easy to find, the MIN_PIN and MAX_PIN for each axis are the top and bottom limit switches. Anything with a -1 is not used. Everythingelse should be easy to figure out.

#define X_STEP_PIN 6#define X_DIR_PIN 7#define X_MIN_PIN 19#define X_MAX_PIN 20

If you are using anything other than half stepping you will need to go into the configuration.h tab and change the following line.

float axis_steps_per_unit[] = {251.971678, 252.4475, 1007.87402,700}; //Half Step

The information needed to figure this out is the 16 Turns per inch on the Acme rod, the 200 steps per turn of the stepper and the microstepping. If using 1/8th steppingthen take the 200 steps of the stepper times 8 to get 1600 steps.

The calculation for figuring out the steps per mm for 8th stepping is:

1 inch is 25.4mm so 25.4 / 16 TPI = 1.5875 mm per turn

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

1.5875 mm / 1600 steps = .0009921875 mm per step1 mm / .0009921875 mm per step = 1007.87402 steps per mm

So for 8th stepping you would put 1007.87402 for each axis like this:float axis_steps_per_unit[] = {1007.87402, 1007.87402, 1007.87402,700}; // 1/8th Step

The following lines are for configuring the max speed the steppers will try to move at. I start to loose steps past 400 and the Z axis doesn't need to go faster than 200.Test out your setup and change if needed.float max_feedrate[] = {400, 400, 200, 500000};float homing_feedrate[] = {400,400,200};

Once you have made any changes needed you can verify and upload the code to the Sanguino.

To setup Replicatorg copy the file uvlprinter.xml into the machines folder in the replicatorg folder.

Start Replicatorg and click on the Machine menu then Driver and choose UV Laser Printer. Set the serial port to the one you are using. On the GCode menu and ChooseGCode Generator choose Skeinforge (40).

Go to File then Examples and pick any of them. then press the Generate Gcode button. Press the duplicate button and Name it UV3D or whatever you want. Select thatprofile and click the Locate button. It will open a folder with the settings for this profile. Click cancel on the GCode Generator window. Copy everything from the UV3D.1mm.zip file into this folder replacing what is there.

You should be configured with the basic settings for running the printer.

File Downloads

uvlprinter.xml (1 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'uvlprinter.xml']

end.gcode (166 bytes)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'end.gcode']

replace.csv (30 bytes)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'replace.csv']

start.gcode (243 bytes)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'start.gcode']

UV3D .1mm.zip (41 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'UV3D .1mm.zip']

UVLPrinter.zip (68 KB)[NOTE: When saving, if you see .tmp as the file ext, rename it to 'UVLPrinter.zip']

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

Step 12: Laser and Iris MountPlace the laser in the slot for it and tack in place with dabs of hot glue on each side.

Put on Laser Safety goggles now.

To turn on and off the laser, open Replicatorg and connect to the printer. Click the control panel and then toggle the checkbox for Valve.

Move the Z axis down to about the level where you will fill the beaker. I usually fill it to about 500ml unless I am printing something tall. Turn the lens in the laser until thedot is a small as it can go, there is a point where it will get small then big again, try to get it as small as possible.

Slide the iris into the slot for it and line it up with the laser. Center the iris by turning the laser on and moving the iris around. Close the iris slowly and watch the dot getdimmer until it almost disappears then open it up just a little bit so the dot is small and not too bright.

Once you have it lined up carefully tack it in place with hot glue. There is probably a better way to do this with set screws or something else but I haven't spent the time toredesign it yet.

You will have to adjust the iris and laser focus if you change the build height. I have not come up with an easy calibration system yet. I will update this if I do. Right now Iadjust the iris and print something and see how well the layer thickness and line width worked.

Image Notes1. Laser goes here2. Iris goes here.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

Image Notes1. Make sure the wire doesn't rub on anything. Tack it with hot glue or tape it to themount as a stress relief.

Step 13: Print Something!Using the 1 Liter beaker that I have the print area is about an 85mm circle by about 100mm tall. You can adjust the build area size in the uvlprinter.xml file if needed.

To use Replicatorg there is already an excellent How To at Makerbot's wiki .

To set the Z height on this machine pour the resin into the beaker up to the height that you set the laser at. Use the control panel in replicatorg to move the Z platformdown into the resin to coat the platform then back up to just above the surface of the resin. Set all the axises to 0 then close the control panel and print.

The Z axis lowers into the resin then raises and waits a few seconds after each layer is printed. The commercial printers use a wiper to wipe a precise amount of resinacross the part but that would have made the design much more complicated. This process isn't perfect but so far seems to work alright.

I have only done a little bit of work with coloring the resin so far. What I have tested so far is using Castin' Craft pigments and dyes and they seem to work.

Image Notes1. View through the Laser goggles.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

Image Notes1. It just crawled out of the resin vat.

Step 14: Wrap upSo, there it is. It works, but should you build one? Well that depends on what you want to get out of building/buying a 3D printer. If you just want to print 3D things forcheap then no, I wouldn't build one. Get a Makerbot or an Ultimaker or build a RepRap. If you want to tinker and possibly get some amazing prints and don't mind thatthey cost a bit more to print than the others then go for it. I would love to have some other people testing and thinking up new ways to tweak this.

As for cost of building the machine, I think I spent about $600 - $800 for everything. Less than the extruder printers but the material cost is about 4-5 times more so it'snot really the economy option.

There are also other ways to print with UV cured resins, like using a DLP projector to show images for long enough to cure a layer. There is one person that has madeone that seems to work well but it looks like it is closed source and going to be expensive when he starts selling it. There is also a Yahoo group calleddiy_3d_printing_and_fabrication with people sharing their DLP based builds and resin tests.

You should have used a laser galvanometer (galvo)! Sounds great, if you find one accurate enough for under a few hundred dollars let me know!

Just for fun, the picture above shows most of the bad prints I've made so far.

I probably missed something so let me know if you have questions and I will get to them as soon as I can. Thanks for reading.

Image Notes1. This was actually made with the Delta Robot version of this. Don't ask...2. This was actually made with the Delta Robot version of this. Don't ask...3. Not curing enough, the layers floated away.4. Going too fast for the steppers to handle, it started missing steps.5. No clue what happened to this...6. Adjusting settings in skeinforge can make for some interesting prints.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

Related Instructables

XY-Plotter bybdeakyne

CraftTechnologyLab, CU Boulderby hypergami

How to Make aThree Axis CNCMachine(Cheaply andEasily) byoomlout

open-sourceCNC project byfrits297

OPENSOURCENEMA 17MOTOR MOUNTby CNCSnap

x(Photos) byCNCSnap

Comments

35 comments Add Comment

 dizingof says:  Nov 14, 2011. 10:52 AM  REPLYWell done ! - this will start the revolution ! ;)

Thanks.

 gossumx says:  Nov 14, 2011. 10:53 AM  REPLYI agree. This is definitely something that could get big. Especially if you made kits for it. I suggest checking out www.kickstarter.com/

Basically you post your ideas for a project and put the amount that it would cost to get that project kickstarted, then people fund your project. Dependingon how much they fund, they can get anything from a thank you email to a custom version of your product. But they only get that if your funding goal ismet within the necessary time frame. If it's not met, then you aren't required to do anything, and the money is automatically returned to the funder.

No this isn't an advertisement. I've just been drooling over the idea of owning a 3d printer for a long time, but like you, I've been put off from buying oneby having to choose between buying an incredibly expensive machine, or settling for a low quality finished product that I'm ultimately just disappointedwith. If you could get a funding started to get kits fabricated in semi bulk quantities to sell, then I would be the first one to fund your project. (If I make it intime, my internet is preeetty crappy.)

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 14, 2011. 9:19 PM  REPLYI've been thinking about a redesign that could be kitted and address a few things with the current build. Kickstarter would be a good way to do that.Or if I win the laser cutter. ;-)

 jeanyes says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:14 AM  REPLYIf you don't win the laser but would like to have some parts cut I'd be happy to cut some for you free of charge. Hopefully you are located in theUS? I live in Dallas, TX. I own an Epilog Legend 36EXT...

A friend of mine and I have been toying with the idea of building an SLS machine but adding an even level of powder for each pass would be achallenge. I like the idea of adapting what you've done to my existing laser much better.

If the resin source from India at $12/ltr is true then this could really explode!

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 17, 2011. 11:42 AM  REPLYThanks, that would be awesome.

The resin price is the big problem, there are many UV cure resins, the main differences are the light cure wavelength, how quickly they cureat a given intensity and how viscous they are. I would suspect the one from India mentioned below cures slowly and not well at 405nm butanything that cheap would be worth trying out.

 htbeef says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:28 AM  REPLYExample of how to reduce the number of custom components (items that need to be fabricated) and replace them with stock components (items purchasedwith no need for modification).

 htbeef says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:39 AM  REPLYMaybe an image that people can actually read....

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

 htbeef says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:33 AM  REPLYWhat the heck? Where is the image I attached....

 htbeef says:  Nov 17, 2011. 9:06 AM  REPLYThis looks like a very interesting project.

I don't know how to provide this info without it sounding like an advertisement, so it's just going to sound like an ad. Misumi (full disclosure, I work for them)sells many of the components that you use in your design (like lead screws, linear guides, plates, motor brackets, couplings, radial bearings in housings,angular bearings in housings, shaft supports, hardware, etc). The thing that most of you makers out there will find useful is that there are no minimum orderquantities with Misumi (this includes springs, washers, spacers, screws, bolts, and nuts) and you can order everything online with a credit card (nodistributors, they deal directly with the customer). Also, cad models are available for the vast majority of the parts they sell. I only bring this up because youlist automation-overstock as a source for some of your parts and you were also talking about setting up a kit. Seeing as the stock of components at anoverstock website can not be guaranteed, Misumi could be a nice potential source for your components. There are also components in the catalog that youcould use to redesign your assembly, effectively taking custom components (components that you need to make) and replace them with stock components(components that you can simply buy). Misumi has an entire catalog devoted to assembly automation (with many parts you would never expect to find in acatalog).

Just to give you an idea on prices, the closest linear guides to what you have would be 16mm tall and 190mm long. For the 2 hole block sets (rail and block,part number SEBS16-190), the price would be $50.71 and for the 4 hole block sets (rail and block, part number SEB16-190), the price would be $57.73.Smaller sizes are available (8, 10, and 13mm overall heights) that would be cheaper. Volume discount rates start at quantities of 4 and greater.

Sorry for the ad, but I didn't write this to try to sell Misumi products. I wrote this because many people probably don't even know that this source of assemblyautomation components exists and is available to the "home tinkerer". This catalog can really help out the home builder who doesn't have access toadvanced fabrication techniques available to them.

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:05 AM  REPLYThanks for the info, I was not aware of Misumi. The prices for the rails and blocks seem very reasonable.

 elabz says:  Nov 15, 2011. 9:49 AM  REPLYThis is a fascinating project! I'm glad I came across it today. I think my time sitting on the sidelines of 3D printing may be coming to an end :)

Regarding focusing of the laser: I also have to deal with focusing quite a bit with my DIY laser cutter and I 100% agree it's not easy. However, the way youfocus it depends on what you're trying to get from the beam.

If you're trying to get the maximum concentration of energy in the tiniest of spots and you're trying to judge the focus visually, the smallest, hottest spot doesnot mean the smallest dot of light you see.

Because of the design of AixiZ lens (for collimating, not for focusing) to get to the tiniest hottest spot you have to go past the visually smallest dot (unscrewthe lens further out of the housing). It sounds counterintuitive but even though the overall size of the light dot becomes larger, the center of it - the part withthe most energy - keeps getting smaller.

There's a lot of splatter around the center, and the splatter itself it very bright and it masks the actual true hottest center beam. I honestly don't know how tofocus it just by eye. Since I deal with a tad more powerful laser diodes (160-200mW), they are starting to burn a piece of thin light-colored paper (whitewouldn't work, I use light blue) I put on the base of the machine. So, I keep adjusting the focus by looking at the width of the cut in the piece of paper until itbecomes hard to see (~0.1mm). Like I said before, all the while the overall size of the light spot becomes larger and larger which at first makes little senseuntil you realize that most of what you're seeing is just lost light - splatter. The actual beam is so small you can't really see it, you can only see its burningeffect on the paper.

All of this has to be done in THE HIGHEST OPTICAL DENSITY SAFETY GLASSES YOU CAN FIND!!!

Anyhow, sorry about the long comment. My question actually was: what characteristics of the beam you are looking for in terms of UV curing: intensity oruniform exposure? Because if that's intensity you're after, the overall spot will actually become larger. But maybe you can then turn the speed up a bit? I'd bevery interested in learning your take on the UV curing.

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 15, 2011. 6:15 PM  REPLYThanks for the great info, I will see how it applies to this setup.

So far I've found that the 20mW 405nm laser I am using is too powerful for the max speed I can run at with this setup. If I redesign this I would make itable to go much faster if it can keep the resolution close to this.

The main problem I have seen is balancing the width and depth of cure against speed. I don't know a ton about lasers so I don't know if there is a betterway to do this but using the iris in front of the laser seems to work fairly well for cutting down the power and scatter. I have found that the scatter wasoften enough to not fully cure but to start to cure where it hits.

Mostly what I have done so far is adjust the laser and iris then print a sample and measure it and either adjust the laser or the settings to fit.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

 bfarms says:  Nov 17, 2011. 9:10 AM  REPLYHave you considered using a spatial filter to reduce or eliminate the spatter?

It's basically a tiny pin hole that you put in the path of the beam, the center of the laser beam goes through the hole and the spatter is stoppedbehind.

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 17, 2011. 10:02 AM  REPLYI am no laser expert by far but I think that is what the iris diaphragm in my setup is doing, at least in part. It also cuts back the intensity of thelaser. I will have to look into it some more. Thanks for the info.

 elabz says:  Nov 15, 2011. 10:56 AM  REPLYThanks, Rob! So, my guess is that if 20mW laser diode is too powerful then we are not talking intensity but rather just the size of the spot. So, I thinkyou still want to focus if with the iris fully open, then close it to cut the splatter off. Also looks like the lower the iris the better except of course youdon't want the resin getting on it accidentally.

I also wonder if using PWM to control laser intensity might work. You'll need a different laser driver though, a one that has a TTL input. Since you'retalking about very low power laser, there's a ton of cheap, ready-made constant current drivers with TTL control that can fill the need - most are madevery small to fit inside a high-power laser pointer. The only issue I see with PWM is that in low duty cycles (less than 50%) the laser will be off most ofthe time but it's still moving, so there could possibly be areas that get skipped. Well, some food for thought, anyhow.

Thanks again!

 dizingof says:  Nov 15, 2011. 8:16 PM  REPLYGuys you have got to see this *25 years old video* by the inventor of Stereolithography i stumbled upon a minute ago - it looks EXACTLY likeRob's UV laser printer !Amazing :)

Check out:The speed the of the X-Y ! ..The low-viscosity of the resin !The blue dye ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyUPSYynywM

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 15, 2011. 8:25 PM  REPLYWow, that is cool. At least I have the basics right... :-)Great find, thanks.

 robot19 says:  Nov 17, 2011. 8:54 AM  REPLYI love this project, I just wish I had the time and money to build this.Great job you have my vote!

 jalvarado-3 says:  Nov 17, 2011. 8:21 AM  REPLYGood work, if this goes mainstream, I think gamers like me are gonna make figurines for days.

 cspacone says:  Nov 17, 2011. 1:10 AM  REPLYExcellent work!

 arupbsk says:  Nov 16, 2011. 9:58 PM  REPLYHere in India, UV curable polymer resins cost Rs600/ltr only. (~12$)

 gabdab says:  Nov 17, 2011. 12:48 AM  REPLYDo you have a link ?Also check this 'How laser sintering works' for an alternative approach :http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/11/how-laser-sintering-works.html

 gabdab says:  Nov 16, 2011. 8:27 PM  REPLYGreat stuff.I see the light curing plastic too expensive , is there a cheaper alternative available, anyone ?

The UV/Visible light cure resin from Ellsworth Adhesives1 - liter Dymax 3099 Ultra Light-Weld Adhesiveor1 - liter Loctite 3105 Light Cure Adhesive

~240 $ * 1 lt ..

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

 Edgar says:  Nov 16, 2011. 7:57 AM  REPLYGot you a vote, this one, hope you'll win that Epilog =D

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 16, 2011. 8:39 AM  REPLYGreat, Thanks!

 jlamarche says:  Nov 15, 2011. 6:00 PM  REPLYThis is amazing! I've been wanting a low-cost, high resolution 3D printer for some time. I just wish I had access to a CNC machine.

I would definitely throw in on a Kickstarter project if you do one. A kit with the custom parts would be awesome.

Couple of quick questions: It looked like from the source code that this machine is capable of a resolution of .1mm? How difficult would it be to increase thatresolution even higher? Would is just mean more precise step motors, or would it require a different laser and/or other parts to be swapped for differentones?

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 15, 2011. 7:36 PM  REPLYIf I had a laser cutter I would have kits ready really soon.... ;-)

The steppers move .0079 mm per step if using full steps and 1/8 stepping is .00099 mm so the resolution of the x,y and z axes is very good. Increasingthe resolution is mainly dependent on the laser spot size, speed it moves and laser power. The laser is the limiting factor really, the faster you go the lessit will cure so the layer thickness can be less. I just need to spend some time tweaking to see what it can really do.

I have to say that .1mm is really smooth. I still need to get a macro lens so I can get some better close up shots of the prints.

 jlamarche says:  Nov 15, 2011. 8:18 PM  REPLYWow, thanks for the info.

I hope you find a way to offer kits using KickStarter or some other option.

With stepper motors that precise, it looks like the potential here is nearly unlimited. I wonder if there's any way to get the resin cost down. Not thatthat would discourage me if you made kits, because most of what I want to make is very small (which is why I'm interested in the high resolution), butfor larger adoption, a cheaper resin would be a big win.

I'm curious, are you aware of this project?

http://3dhomemade.blogspot.com/

He looks to be using the same process, so maybe there's an opportunity for learning from each other.

Anyway, thanks again for all your hard work. This is an insanely cool thing you've done and I'm glad you shared.

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 15, 2011. 8:38 PM  REPLYI am aware of that project but it looks like Junior has gone closed source and stopped sharing info from his DLP build. There are others workingon the same basic build though so there may be many options soon.

Thanks.

 chylld says:  Nov 15, 2011. 7:04 PM  REPLYvery nice work! feel free to upload your print of the vica sculpture to my Thingiverse page :)

 RobHopeless says:  Nov 15, 2011. 7:14 PM  REPLYIt's been there for about 5 days. :-) Great object to print by the way, thanks!

 chylld says:  Nov 15, 2011. 7:17 PM  REPLYhaha the one print I decided not to look at ended up being the most awesome!

you're more than welcome, keep up the awesome work.

 jeff-o says:  Nov 14, 2011. 6:37 PM  REPLYThis looks very promising! I've seen only a handful of other DIY stereolithography rigs out there, so it's nice to see someone working on this.

 DJJules says:  Nov 14, 2011. 3:31 PM  REPLYExcellent project! I am in process of building a CNC router but what I learn from that, I can apply to these machines.

Good Job!

Jules

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

 hafsteinn says:  Nov 14, 2011. 12:34 PM  REPLYnice!