Thingybot Mini $200 3D Printer - Looking For Feedback!

[orangefurball]

Hey everyone!

Haven't visited in quite some time, but I am back and need your help!

I have a new design called the Thingybot Mini. Before I go any further, here are some pictures.

Front.JPG

And a comparison to the Printrbot Play so you can size it up a bit better

PlaySizer.JPG

Anyway, here are some features;

$200 cost for the fully assembled base model!
Print size - 6" x 6" x 5"
Metal frame (15mm extrusions)
Metal hot end (final version will use an E3D clone)
Bowden system - less weight on the carriage
CoreXY style motion system - keeps all motor weight in the back of the machine, meaning that there is less weight to throw around
RAMPS board - no proprietary boards here! Easily modify the printer to add extra features!
The firmware is Repetier Firmware. They just handle the CoreXY system better than Marlin.
No heated bed, but the option is there to DIY one with the RAMPS board
And of course, the design will be released and totally open

The casing is just 3mm acrylic, it will be a (low cost) optional add on. The base model will not include the casing. An LCD will most likely be an optional add on, of course you can just use any RAMPS compatible LCD!

My plans for distribution are to do another Kickstarter. I feel that at the price point I have set it will be a successful campaign and an easy way to gauge exactly how much interest people will have in the printer.

So anyway, I'm looking for some feedback on the printer! If you have any questions I will be dropping by periodically to answer them!

Thanks!

Matt

[frankv]

A very nice piece of design. Well done!

Some feedback questions/ideas for you to think about (I'm not expecting you to reply necessarily):

I'd be very cautious about selling anything with a "clone" E3D hot-end. You may wind up with a lot of support costs and returns. I have 4 E3D "clone" hot-ends, all different. One of them (without a PTFE liner) never worked properly at all. Two were intermittently bad, but by combining the parts from these 3 I currently have a good reliable hot-end. The 4th one came with my Delta printer, and much to my surprise, has been very, very good.

Is there room on the print head for a Diamond hot-end ("clone")? And also room for a RAMPS extender board, and a larger PSU?

The print head seems to be right off the front & side of the bed? So you could perhaps increase the bed dimensions by 25mm or so each way?

Use countersunk screws to attack the bed, so that the nozzle can't crash into the screw heads.

I take it the bed is mounted on springs for levelling?

No auto-levelling?

Presumably the bed descends while printing? Does the bed stay really level?

Is there any reason not to make it (say) twice as tall?

Diagonal braces across the top (above the moving parts) would improve rigidity.

Put the extruder at the front to make it easier to change filament.

Is the hot-end accessible for disassembly and/or clearing jams?

[orangefurball]

[WayTooManyHobbies]

Looks nice. I second making the extruder as accessible as possible.

Using the deltaprintr mini hotend was a nice touch for the prototype. I wish that would be a cost-effective solution, as it would certainly maximize the build volume. Hopefully you will release the mount design files, so people can retrofit.

I'd certainly be interested in it when it hits Kickstarter, so keep us informed!

[orangefurball]

[Mooselake]

Offer the better extruder as an option.

Does this.mean the current KS is about done?

The $200 space is getting pretty crowded, and the Monoprice printer is pretty tough competition, in addition to being able to ship today. You'll need to work pretty hard to stand out.

Kirk
On the beach in troll land

[orangefurball]

[WayTooManyHobbies]

Autoleveling would be a solid improvement over other printers in that price range.

I can think of a couple of fairly low-cost differentiators from the crowd. With the proliferation of cheap SBCs, you could build in an Octoprint server as a low cost option. The Pi Zero, Omega2, and CHiP are all pretty cheap and very small. The latter two even have built-in WiFi. Even making provisions for the user to add their own SBC easily would make the printer stand out a bit.

Another one, and perhaps more appealing, is to design the carriage to accommodate two hot ends out of the box. Ideally, that would be a bolt-in-ready option - have the extra wires already in the harness. This would require some thought to make sure there's an integrated and simple way to level the hot ends to each other.

[orangefurball]

[orangefurball]

Hey everyone!

I took all of your feedback from here and some people who have been messaging me about the machine and have come up with a total remodel.

Here are some pictures of the design. This is a draft only, so things will most likely change, however it should remain mostly unchanged.

CV_Extruder.png
CV_Back.png
CV_Top.png
CV_Angle.png

Alright! Now onto what has changed...

The Good
*No more extrusions! CNC cut aluminum bent into a custom frame replaces the plastic joints and 1 5mm extrusions for a clean, consumer friendly look.
*Auto level! No more pesky screws and endstops.
*Dual extruder support! While the hot end mount doesn't have a spot for a second hot end, the casing already has a second extruder spot punched in. Just design/print a hot end mount compatible with your dual hot end choice and get printing!
*Metal>Plastic! The motors are now mounted on the metal frame, goodbye fear of warping or melting!
*LCD! An LCD is included out of the box!
*Better cable management! The wires for the top of the machine are now easily tucked next to the Z rod mounts thanks to the extra room in the case now that it lacks the 15mm extrusion frame.
* More Z height! The Thingybot Mini now has ~7 inches of build height (175 mm)

The Bad
*Harder to build at home, you need custom cut metal parts. The aluminum extrusion version will be released as a "Makers Edition" to download for the DIYers out there.
*Not as easy to expand. The custom metal parts make scaling up of the machine difficult.
*The price will probably be higher. I'm shooting for $250-$300, hopefully the lower. Obviously the addition of the LCD, custom case, increased Z height, and auto level don't come free.
*The machine is slightly larger at 250 mm x 305 mm x 375 mm

So what does everyone think of this one? I am getting the metal cut soon to make some prototypes for testing, but I am very happy with the printer at this point. With the higher price it will be harder to beat the Monoprice printer, but there are a lot of features packed into this printer to separate it from the competition.

[Mooselake]

Looks good!

I suggest you order one of the Monoprice minis for a comparison, plus it'll give you an idea if the arm controller is any better. I'd do it if there weren't too many projects in the moosecave already, making an Arduino powered spot welder and ordered parts for a micro usb tester (ever try to find an inexpensive one?). Plus that new delta...

Kirk

[orangefurball]

[Mooselake]

[KD6HQ]

Hello Orange
Glad to see that you are doing well, I've been gone for about a year but am back now and starting to burn up some plastic.
Have you considered a E3D-Lite6 ? The new owner could have a taste and upgrade if they wanted to. You should not have any worries with it. Just a thought.

[orangefurball]

[orangefurball]