CR-10 S4 Skookum Brace by jailcee

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

This is a major modification / upgrade for the CR-10 S4. A few things you need to know right away:
1) If you don't feel comfortable taking your printer apart and putting it back together, and troubleshooting any issues you might introduce, this is not a modification you should attempt.
2) Some of my design decisions, particularly around the tensioner, were driven by the parts available to me. There's no doubt that there are better, more elegant solutions for that part.
3) This modification is targeted for the S4 however there is no reason it could not be applied to the standard 300x300mm CR-10. In that case the belt would need to be shortened and the angle of the support brackets adjusted.
https://youtu.be/mVY5oR_-VKs
That being said this modification introduces added Z stability for the gantry. The lead screws are identical so that a full turn of either screw results in the same Z travel. The screws both have an identical belt gear on them so that Xmm of belt travel results in the same amount of rotation on both screw. The belt is kept under tension so there is no opportunity for it to slip from either gear. Both screws move in unison and so the level of the gantry is maintained throughout the whole Z axis
Additionally the diagonal bracing adds stability to the gantry towers. When printing small infill or other zigzag patterns the back and forth motion of the print bed can induce a vibration of the gantry towers and the gantry (and print head). This is more noticeable the higher the gantry goes, on tall prints. The diagonal bracing prevents that vibration, increasing the potential for quality prints under conditions that would otherwise affect that quality.
Top spool holder arms, from another of my designs, have been added here for convenience. This way to hold the spool makes a lot of sense in the context of this modification.
Front side view
Rear side view
Having questions about this mod? Want to discuss and share your ideas for improvements? Come to this thread on the CR Forum and I'll be happy to answer!