Reasons to DIY build a 3D printer

unknown wrote:

If I see "game changer" in a another YT review I'll be quite upset and may commit an act of unfathomable violence upon society.

+1
And another thing:
Bambu is the best printer.......
Yes they are good, no doubt about it, but when they fail (and they do fail often) takes days or weeks to get them back, while the Voron you built yourself you can fix in about half an hour, while having a smoke or coffee or both!
So far, for nearly 5 years, the only things that failed on my Voron's is the cabling as i used very bad (well the best i could find) cables.

jimmyrig wrote:

Most printers are made of 80x20, which while it works in the short term, fails slowly over time. Bolts come loose, pom wheels (that ride in the 80x20) wear out, belts loose tension, etc.

You probably mean 8020 alu, the profile is mostly 20x20 and rarely 20x40.

Cant say I've had any bolts come loose, Loctite will fix that if that's the case. The wheels are a consumable, but meh.

If you decide to build your own, look up marl rehorst's megamax design.

I'm about ready to mill a 315x315 core xy top plate from 10mm aluminum. Center cutout will be the bed. Similar to a e3d tool changer. I've had many of the parts for over a year.

I recently saw some big multi color prints done on a bamboo printer that were frankly amazing. If I didn't enjoy building my own printers, I'd probably just purchase the bamboo PS1 and save some money and an incredible amount of time.

Thanks very much everyone.

So the one thing I'm noticing from the replies, is the large amount of time it takes to build one.

I wonder if the main reasons for self build are the enjoyment and learning, or just to get a much better quality printer that lasts.
And I like the idea of the Voron longevity and being able to quickly fix it
I certainly find myself drawn into the DIY build rabbit hole, but I'm trying to learn to pull on my own reigns if need be.

I haven't even tried this old Ender 3 yet and I've already ordered a new mainboard, a "self leveling" probe, and I may install Linux on a spare laptop we have, so I can run Klipper.
Next thing I'm thinking of is changing the Y "flexi-rail" system to a solid dual linear rail bed. I can't see that original bed keeping it's position when moving about with a large tall print.

Yep, just can't help myself I guess.

Just be careful the modify it to make it better rabbit hole gets to be expensive real quick.
Especially with a Voron.