Creating a 3D Printer from a Kit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Assembling a 3D printer from a kit can seem like a daunting task, but with the right guidance, it can be a fun and rewarding experience. In this article, we will walk through the process of building a 3D printer using a Delta-style kit.

Preparing the Electronics

The first step in assembling our 3D printer is to prepare the electronics. The kit comes with a control board, motors, sensors, and other necessary components. Before starting, it's essential to take everything out of its packaging and examine each component carefully. Next, we need to slide each sensor into a slot cut into the base plate, leaving the connector end near the front where the display is located. We then plug each motor into the control board, ensuring that the plug is facing the right direction and attached to the correct terminal. The extension wire needs to be plugged in, but it's best to leave it loose for a minute before connecting the sensor wires and the ribbon cable.

Connecting the Display Panel

Once we have the electronics sorted out, we can connect the display panel to the control board. This involves attaching the yellow and black heater wires to the terminal on the side of the board and setting those two wires aside. Next, we plug in all three limit switches, ensuring that they are securely connected. After connecting the wiring, we use zip ties to bundle everything up and manage our cabling.

Mounting the Control Board

The next step is to mount the control board underneath the printer. We use screws and standoffs (although initially, we remove them) to secure it in place. This will provide a stable foundation for our electronics.

Wiring and Cable Management

Now that the control board is mounted, we can focus on managing our wiring. We zip tie everything together to keep the cables organized, and then feed the red and black wires through Mr. Cable underneath the board. We attach the yellow and black heater wires to the terminal on the side of the board and set those two wires aside.

Attaching the Hot End

To create the hot end, we push a thermistor and heater cable into an adhesive-backed pedestal that we've secured in the center of a platform. We then slide it up through the platform and lock it into place. Next, we feed our thermistor and heater cables from the top and mount the heater with a small Allen wrench.

Assembling the Motor System

We attach nuts to the bottom of each motor shaft and screws to the side. Then, we slide these spacers and pulleys over the shafts of the motors. At each bottom bracket, we add a screw to hold spacers and pulleys in place for all three carriages. We then feed fishing line through a hole, tie a knot, and create a loop. This process is repeated on the opposite side of the carriage.

Fine-Tuning the Pulley System

The trick to this system is keeping it tight. We use scotch tape to hold everything in place while we move the pulley up and down to get the correct tension. Finally, once we've finished all three carriages, we tie another knot and remove the scotch tape.

Hiding the Wire from the Extruder

To hide the wire from the extruder, we push it into a slot on the backside of the printer and secure it with scotch tape. This will keep our cabling organized and prevent any potential damage to our printer.

Conclusion

Building a 3D printer from a kit is an exciting project that requires patience and attention to detail. By following these steps, you can create your own unique machine using the Delta-style kit. With its huge build area relative to the cost, this printer is perfect for beginners or experienced makers looking to expand their capabilities. If you have any experience with 3D printing, please share your tips and advice in the comments below.

**Technical Details**

The price of the Delta-style kit was approximately $500 when it was backed on Kickstarter.

The build area of this machine is relatively large compared to other printers in its class.

This printer uses a unique combination of mechanical and electronic components to achieve precise control over its movements.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey I'm Bob but I like to make stuff today I'm going to show you how to build a 3d printer now real quick I wanted to point out that this is not like sponsored I bought this machine with my own money I don't have any association with this company I just wanted you to be able to see how easy it is to assemble a kit like this to have your own 3d printer alright let's get started there's a bag with everything you need for each stage of building the printer it also has some aluminum extrusions and all the laser-cut wood I wasn't really crazy about how the laser cut would look so I decided to spray-paint it all this worked pretty well but did cause some of the joints to be a little tight you attach the motors to the bottom plate by just putting some screws in through the front making sure to get the motors oriented the right direction each foot is made up of two pieces of wood snap together with the center piece with screws and nuts along the bottom the screws and nuts have to be loose so that they can slide down into the slots on the side of the aluminum extrusion once you've got them on just tighten up all the nuts to hold them in place each one of these feet snaps into the slots that are cut into the bottom panel finally secure them by sliding in a nut into the hole on the side and driving a screw and a washer down from the top there's four of these per foot to assemble the carriages you start with the plastic plate and then you drive a screw through the holes into the end of these acrylic arms when you drive the screw in you're actually creating the threads on the inside of the plastic so it's a little bit of work but it holds it really tight then you push some longer screws through these holes and add a spacer a wheel and a spacer to each one add the other plate on the other side and then attach it with some nuts once you've finished all three carriage arms you attach them to the center platform with the screws just like you did before just take your time and make sure that you have the screw going and straight into this plastic because once you've made some threads with the screw there's no going back then you just slide the carriage onto the extrusions by lining up the wheels and slots the brackets for the top piece are assembled almost exactly the same way as the ones for the bottom snap in some pieces of wood put in a piece from the front and then attach it all with some nuts and screws do two of these brackets the third one is different because it holds the extruder you add limit switch this to both of these brackets using some really small screws and nuts then add two larger screws and nuts on the outside this will attach to the frame later the extruder motor gets a wood plate on the front and the back put that aside we'll come back to that you screw in the push-fit to this piece of wood until it's flush on the other side then just snap together a few pieces and you've got the bottom of the extruder for the top of the executor you snap together a few pieces at a screw and a spacer drive another screw in from one side and add a washer and a bearing before you drive it all the way through both pieces of wood next use a washer and one of these bolts with the taller head you want to screw it in but not all the way then do the same for the top piece of the exterior screw the top and bottom pieces to the motor and put a spring in between the two bolts that you left partially unscrewed this gives the top piece some spring action like this then you slide a hopped pulley over the shaft of the motor and tighten it with an allen wrench then add a limit switch just like you did with the other brackets at this point the two pieces of wood around the motor aren't attached to each other it makes it a little bit harder to mount this to the top of the printer just because these pieces can move once you get them lined up you can snap them in just like the other ones then you add the front panel at the screws and the nuts just like over top then you flip it over and add screws and nuts loosely that will attach it to the extrusion later then you need to add a pulley to the front of each one of these brackets it's a pulley and a washer with a screw and a nut on the back you got to leave this loose because it needs to be able to move up and down later on feed the wire for each limit switch through the back of each bracket now fit the top down onto the extrusions and tighten the screws on each one of the brackets the wires from the limit switches can fit inside the slot on the back of each one of the extrusions and snap in the controls and the LCD and screw them in from the front side then you add a couple more pieces of wood and some screws and nuts to attach it to the body of the printer I added the brass standoffs at this point but you can actually wait on that you'll have to take them off later anyway to start the electronics you slide each one of the three sensors into a slot cut into the base leave the connector end up near the front where the display is then plug each one of the motors into the control board you want to make sure that the plug is facing the right direction and you've got it attached to the right terminal then take the extension wire and plug it in just leave it loose for a minute then connect the sensor wire and the ribbon cable connect the other end to the display panel then using some screws and standoffs you're going to mount the control board underneath the printer next you'll need to take some time to manage your wiring you zip ties to bundle them up and then stuff the men around the motors feed the red and black through mr. cable underneath the board and plug it in then attach the yellow and black heater wires to the terminal on the side set those two wires aside and plug in all three of your limit switches once they're all plugged in clean up the cabling a little bit more with some zip ties the kit comes with a flexible wire wrap go ahead and use that to hold the thermistor and the heater cables together and that's it for the electronics flip the printer back over and if you are like me and attach the brass standoffs go ahead and take them off I'm going to have to screw them into these pieces of wood shaped like ovals once you've got both of them in you can put screws up through the bottom of the plate and screw them in these sensors have an adhesive back so carefully peel it off and put it right in the center of this pedestal to attach the hot end you push it up through the platform and then slide it to the center that locks it in feed your thermistor and heater cables in from the top mount the heater with a small allen wrench the thermistor just pushes into the hole but make sure that you get it all the way in then use a zip tie to hold these in place for each one of the three spools put a nut through the bottom and a screw through the side then slide them down over the shafts of the motors and tighten them up then at each bottom bracket add a screw to hold spacers and pulleys do this for all three for each one of the carriages feed the fishing line through the hole and tie a good knot then make a loop feed it up and over the pulley then back down through the carriage through the pulley at the bottom under the sensor and then wrap it around the spool five times come off the spool and go back the same path on the opposite side the trick to all this is just keeping it really tight you can use some scotch tape to hold it in place while you move it through once you get it back to the carriage to tie another knot but don't worry too much about getting it too tight at this point you can raise and lower the pulley at the top to get the correct tension once you've finished all three the last thing is to hide the wire from the extruder the easiest way I found to do this was to push it into the slot on the backside of the printer I used some scotch tape just to hold it in place because there's so many wires then just connect it to the extension cable that comes out of the bottom lay on the acrylic base and you just made a 3d printer now even though you may not get this same machine I wanted you to see how easy it is to put together a 3d printer from a kit all you need is a screwdriver and some needle nose pliers now this style of machine is called the Delta style because of the way this is all configured but you also have the more traditional XYZ Cartesian type of printer between both of those types there's a lot of printers that are coming out right now in this price range this was about $500 when I backed it on Kickstarter one thing that's really unique about this particular printer is the huge build area the area that it can print something is really large relative to the cost of this machine now I don't have any experience with 3d printing so this is all very new to me and I will hopefully share with you as I learn about the software and about the actual printing specifics if you've got experience with 3d printing please share those tips in the comments below or I like to make stuff calm or on my Facebook page that'll help me and the other people watching learn more about 3d printing if you like this one please let me know in the comments down below I'll have a new project video coming up next and I've got a lot of other stuff for you to check out here thanks for watching guys see you next timehey I'm Bob but I like to make stuff today I'm going to show you how to build a 3d printer now real quick I wanted to point out that this is not like sponsored I bought this machine with my own money I don't have any association with this company I just wanted you to be able to see how easy it is to assemble a kit like this to have your own 3d printer alright let's get started there's a bag with everything you need for each stage of building the printer it also has some aluminum extrusions and all the laser-cut wood I wasn't really crazy about how the laser cut would look so I decided to spray-paint it all this worked pretty well but did cause some of the joints to be a little tight you attach the motors to the bottom plate by just putting some screws in through the front making sure to get the motors oriented the right direction each foot is made up of two pieces of wood snap together with the center piece with screws and nuts along the bottom the screws and nuts have to be loose so that they can slide down into the slots on the side of the aluminum extrusion once you've got them on just tighten up all the nuts to hold them in place each one of these feet snaps into the slots that are cut into the bottom panel finally secure them by sliding in a nut into the hole on the side and driving a screw and a washer down from the top there's four of these per foot to assemble the carriages you start with the plastic plate and then you drive a screw through the holes into the end of these acrylic arms when you drive the screw in you're actually creating the threads on the inside of the plastic so it's a little bit of work but it holds it really tight then you push some longer screws through these holes and add a spacer a wheel and a spacer to each one add the other plate on the other side and then attach it with some nuts once you've finished all three carriage arms you attach them to the center platform with the screws just like you did before just take your time and make sure that you have the screw going and straight into this plastic because once you've made some threads with the screw there's no going back then you just slide the carriage onto the extrusions by lining up the wheels and slots the brackets for the top piece are assembled almost exactly the same way as the ones for the bottom snap in some pieces of wood put in a piece from the front and then attach it all with some nuts and screws do two of these brackets the third one is different because it holds the extruder you add limit switch this to both of these brackets using some really small screws and nuts then add two larger screws and nuts on the outside this will attach to the frame later the extruder motor gets a wood plate on the front and the back put that aside we'll come back to that you screw in the push-fit to this piece of wood until it's flush on the other side then just snap together a few pieces and you've got the bottom of the extruder for the top of the executor you snap together a few pieces at a screw and a spacer drive another screw in from one side and add a washer and a bearing before you drive it all the way through both pieces of wood next use a washer and one of these bolts with the taller head you want to screw it in but not all the way then do the same for the top piece of the exterior screw the top and bottom pieces to the motor and put a spring in between the two bolts that you left partially unscrewed this gives the top piece some spring action like this then you slide a hopped pulley over the shaft of the motor and tighten it with an allen wrench then add a limit switch just like you did with the other brackets at this point the two pieces of wood around the motor aren't attached to each other it makes it a little bit harder to mount this to the top of the printer just because these pieces can move once you get them lined up you can snap them in just like the other ones then you add the front panel at the screws and the nuts just like over top then you flip it over and add screws and nuts loosely that will attach it to the extrusion later then you need to add a pulley to the front of each one of these brackets it's a pulley and a washer with a screw and a nut on the back you got to leave this loose because it needs to be able to move up and down later on feed the wire for each limit switch through the back of each bracket now fit the top down onto the extrusions and tighten the screws on each one of the brackets the wires from the limit switches can fit inside the slot on the back of each one of the extrusions and snap in the controls and the LCD and screw them in from the front side then you add a couple more pieces of wood and some screws and nuts to attach it to the body of the printer I added the brass standoffs at this point but you can actually wait on that you'll have to take them off later anyway to start the electronics you slide each one of the three sensors into a slot cut into the base leave the connector end up near the front where the display is then plug each one of the motors into the control board you want to make sure that the plug is facing the right direction and you've got it attached to the right terminal then take the extension wire and plug it in just leave it loose for a minute then connect the sensor wire and the ribbon cable connect the other end to the display panel then using some screws and standoffs you're going to mount the control board underneath the printer next you'll need to take some time to manage your wiring you zip ties to bundle them up and then stuff the men around the motors feed the red and black through mr. cable underneath the board and plug it in then attach the yellow and black heater wires to the terminal on the side set those two wires aside and plug in all three of your limit switches once they're all plugged in clean up the cabling a little bit more with some zip ties the kit comes with a flexible wire wrap go ahead and use that to hold the thermistor and the heater cables together and that's it for the electronics flip the printer back over and if you are like me and attach the brass standoffs go ahead and take them off I'm going to have to screw them into these pieces of wood shaped like ovals once you've got both of them in you can put screws up through the bottom of the plate and screw them in these sensors have an adhesive back so carefully peel it off and put it right in the center of this pedestal to attach the hot end you push it up through the platform and then slide it to the center that locks it in feed your thermistor and heater cables in from the top mount the heater with a small allen wrench the thermistor just pushes into the hole but make sure that you get it all the way in then use a zip tie to hold these in place for each one of the three spools put a nut through the bottom and a screw through the side then slide them down over the shafts of the motors and tighten them up then at each bottom bracket add a screw to hold spacers and pulleys do this for all three for each one of the carriages feed the fishing line through the hole and tie a good knot then make a loop feed it up and over the pulley then back down through the carriage through the pulley at the bottom under the sensor and then wrap it around the spool five times come off the spool and go back the same path on the opposite side the trick to all this is just keeping it really tight you can use some scotch tape to hold it in place while you move it through once you get it back to the carriage to tie another knot but don't worry too much about getting it too tight at this point you can raise and lower the pulley at the top to get the correct tension once you've finished all three the last thing is to hide the wire from the extruder the easiest way I found to do this was to push it into the slot on the backside of the printer I used some scotch tape just to hold it in place because there's so many wires then just connect it to the extension cable that comes out of the bottom lay on the acrylic base and you just made a 3d printer now even though you may not get this same machine I wanted you to see how easy it is to put together a 3d printer from a kit all you need is a screwdriver and some needle nose pliers now this style of machine is called the Delta style because of the way this is all configured but you also have the more traditional XYZ Cartesian type of printer between both of those types there's a lot of printers that are coming out right now in this price range this was about $500 when I backed it on Kickstarter one thing that's really unique about this particular printer is the huge build area the area that it can print something is really large relative to the cost of this machine now I don't have any experience with 3d printing so this is all very new to me and I will hopefully share with you as I learn about the software and about the actual printing specifics if you've got experience with 3d printing please share those tips in the comments below or I like to make stuff calm or on my Facebook page that'll help me and the other people watching learn more about 3d printing if you like this one please let me know in the comments down below I'll have a new project video coming up next and I've got a lot of other stuff for you to check out here thanks for watching guys see you next time\n"