extruder tube holder

The Prusa i3 brand is part of the popular RepRap 3D printer devices family, it was created by Sir Josef Prusa and the term i3 means iteration 3. Sunhokey utilizes a special 'single frame/boxed frame' design, and one can recreate several derivatives from its original blueprint. Though most people prefer using the single frame model with water jet tapered aluminum sidings, it’s also possible to utilize the lasercut plywood casing which is cheaper but still very effective. Unlike other 3D printers, this one can be assembled right at home provided the correct materials are present. Below are the components needed to build up an i3 printer from scratch.


i) Frame. It’s a laser cut 6mm Baltic birch plywood that serves as the supporting unit for your device. This unit can easily be bought from your local hardware store, you’ll also need 4 x 25 mm bolts to fit the frames into place so that they don’t come out.

ii) Printed synthetic parts. You can either get them from private authorized sellers, or alternatively get a personalized version under the Josef Prusa GitHub label for Prusa3-vanilla scad and stl files. Also search Prusa i3 and Thingiverse for some quality deals.

iii) Nuts, Washers and Threaded Rod. You’ll need approximately 1m of quality M8 threaded rods and also a meter of M10 threaded rod. A set of 26 M8 nuts and washers including 12 M10 nuts plus washers would as well be required for Y-axis frame. 5mm threaded zinc rods for Z-axis may be needed for a light fit, though this can readily be replaced by stainless steel models if you’re interested in a more robust fit.

iv) Smooth Rod. Most designs do well with an M8 smooth-rod for both X, Y & Z axis. Note that quality straight rods are essential for making sharp prints, these components can easily be found in your local hardware store at affordable rates.

v) LM8UU Bearings. They are linear bearings typically used for spool movement along the Y-axis and extruder/hot-end movements on X and Z-axis as well. To make the (Push Connection) Prusa i3 printer you’ll need at least 10 LM8UU Bearings.

vi) Pulleys, Belts and Idler Bearings. Both the X and Y-axis rotate via a 20 tooth GT2 pulleys and also 1 meter of a rotating toothed belt. As for idler bearings, most i3 designs make use of either the 608 or 623zz bearings. They are easy to assemble and can also be maintained without stress.

As much as 3D printing is an exciting form of art, to build this particular printer one should be comfortable with assembling stuff up from nothing. Brush up on your skills of handling a multi-meter, solder and also know a few things about using electronics. The apparatus is usually sold with free 2kg filaments, spool holder and 8GB SD card that one can use at will. A generic wiring kit with heavier wiring may as well be required for 12V connections, you can buy a small-sized roll or black stranded cable of 16 or 18awg from the web. For more information about this product please feel free to check it out at Sunhokey Prusa i3 http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:753351. The creators have definitely made 3D-printing an accessible art to everyone.