Thingiverse
Mar's E3D Trinity Mount: for mounting 3xE3Dv6's! (1.75mm and 3mm) by mar363636
by Thingiverse
Last crawled date: 4 years, 5 months ago
7/31/17
Please don't print this just yet... 3mm bowden version is unreliable due to flexing issues because 3mm filament is too stiff. A possible solution may include relocating the bowden extruders to key locations where they may extrude with little resistance. However, after trying different positions, I find it more reasonable to just use more flexible 1.75mm filament, which is a complicated process. My hardware is currently setup to handle 3mm filament, so I need to print new 3x extruders and order 1.75mm compatible PTFE tubing/fittings. Not to mention, I need to order 3 new rolls of 1.75mm filament. I'm really disliking these bowden setups. They're nowhere near as reliable as my E3D's direct. On my main rig, which has a single 3mm E3D direct, I've been able to run 2-4 rolls before dealing with clogging issues.
Also, after experimenting further, I find the E3D bodies to run too warm, which is a show stopper. I need to redesign the main mount to divert more air toward the E3D's. I might end up relocating the 3xE3D's closer to each other, which means printing holders and a new carriage, ouch...I may also end up relocating the internal 30mm fan outside, below the mount to allow the E3D's access to the 10mm clearance that is currently taken up by the internal 30mm fan. Another solution may include increasing the mount by another 10mm, which may introduce new challenges.
In other words, I'm making the project private to address these serious issues ... I'll release it after fixing all these issues...
7/27/17
Waiting on more parts, releasing another revision...
7/25/17
Update: Stream lined carriage: made it smaller to increase printing area.
7/22/17
Update: updated my wade idler to latest version.
7/20/17
Update: Those printing imperfections from the wing nuts were making it really difficult to detach each E3D, so I redesigned them. Currently, each E3D detaches by rotating those wing nuts 7 times, which i find really convenient compared to my old setup.
-Made E3D holder available for printing spares.
-Made available my private Greg-Wade bowden mount for 3mm filament (sorry, I provide no wade support for 1.75mm. Please, don't ask). You need 3 of them! If you want, you can also print my gears, which compliment the system nicely (they're found under my other things).
7/17/17
update: These last few updates address servicing issues. After dealing with clogged E3D's, it became really difficult to remove individual E3D's because the holder secured them all. The holder now detaches to secure them individually. As seen on pictures, the E3D's are now secured by wing nuts. Also, I intentionally left the three bottom M4 holes for expansion purposes. They can secure the wiring or extra accessories.
-fixed alignment issues caused by printing body upside down.
-fixed alignment issues of lower 30mm fan
7/14/17
Update: Using the 30-50mm fan reducer made it difficult to umount the Trinity from the carriage because the top service bolt became inaccessible: the 30-50mm reducer raised the height by almost 12mm. This update lowers the top mount by an additional 10mm, which is more than enough to have access to the service bolt.
-increased size of upper mount to accommodate larger 30-50mm fan reducer.
7/6/17
Update : After considering designs dealing with filament cooling, I redesigned my mount to include an optional internal 30mm fan. External fans take up much needed space, so I decided to integrate my design. My design will work without an internal 30mm fan, but it's there if you want enhanced cooling for ABS. Still, the greater need for cooling 3 hot ends and filament means installing a larger, upper fan: a 16CFM 50mm fan. Luckily, I found a nice 50-30mm reducer from TheMeerkat: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21112
-Now support for ALL Bowden version of E3Dv6 (for Chinese clones use version 1.75)!!
-Included PDF detailing instructions to Modify a RAMBo to drive 1 additional extruder
6/29/17
I'm in the process of upgrading my TAZ printer to use 3 hot ends. After experimenting with several designs, I settled on one that uses three bowden E3Ds (v6). I was really happy with my E3Dv5 and really wanted to use three all-metal v5's to take advantage of the reliability. However, I could not overcome the spatial challenges to include the hardware (three sets off herringbone gears, nema motors, etc) within my x-carriage constraints. Therefore, I settled on using the smaller E3Dv6.
The carriage mount is for my TAZ, but you can use "E3D_trinity_model" to design your own mount.
I started this project because I could not find an extruder body that could carry 3 hot ends. I really like the idea behind Sebastian's awesome Diamond design but wanted an alternative.
Note: this design is for advance users. For starters, you have to have the proper hardware, which not only requires the proper power requirements (each additional hot end may raise your power requirements by 60Watts!), but also the obvious extra hardware support for additional nema motor drivers, resistors, thermistors, etc. The details are beyond the scope of this summary, but if you have found me on Google+, you could read more about them there. As stated, I'm in the process of upgrading my printer, which only has support for 2 hot ends. All important details pertaining to the process will eventually be documented there.
In addition to hardware changes, if your printer doesn't support three hot ends, you will need firmware changes.
The following offsets are required for your firmware:
extruder 1: 0,0
extruder 2: x=-29.45, y=-51
extruder 3: x=29.45, y=-51
in Marlin, you will need to enable the following parameters:
//#define HOTEND_OFFSET_X {0.0, -29.45, 29.45}
//#define HOTEND_OFFSET_Y {0.0, -51, -51.00}
The reference E3Dv6 model I used from WVermaak: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2396508, and lXGaimMasterXl: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:341689
Recommended hardware:
*6x M3x20 hexagon head bolts (standard hex bolts will not work!) They attach to the body and extend outward for the wing nuts.
6x M3 nuts (for wing nuts)
6x M4 nuts
3x M4x10 bolts (lower holder)
3x M4x25 bolts (upper mount to carriage)
4x M3x30 bolts (upper fan)
4x M3x10 bolts (lower fan)
8x M3 nuts
1x 30x30mm fan ( internal) - recommended
1x 50x50mm fan (top) -required
Recommended printer settings:
PLA (for precision)
.2 layer height
Instructions:
The dimensions for X axis are increased by 29.45, therefore you must add a spacer to your min X-endstop. See Fig 2: I glued a small stepper gear to increase reach of X axis. Note: failure to do so may damage your belt, so please do it.
*Please remove printing imperfections from the body and holder. Specifically, "E3D_trinity_body_fixed" M3 holes need to be clean to allow proper wing nut detachment from the body.
*I highly HIGHLY recommend you print "E3D_trinity_body_fixed" upside down (No. 1 dimple has to face down) to ensure equal height for the 3x E3D's. You will also need to enable support.
*Part "Lower_cooling_fan_Pt1" may also need to be printed upside down.
*Wing nuts need a 4mm brim! Otherwise, they may not attach to the heating bed because they're small. You need 6. Print with no support: you don't want imperfections on this part.
Print Holder with support, but remove all/any* printing imperfections. Access to the 3 E3Ds will depend on the holder, so this part is crucial. Use wire cutters to make cuts. When finished, you should have 3 pieces to hold each individual E3D. Look at Fig 1 for guidance.
Please don't print this just yet... 3mm bowden version is unreliable due to flexing issues because 3mm filament is too stiff. A possible solution may include relocating the bowden extruders to key locations where they may extrude with little resistance. However, after trying different positions, I find it more reasonable to just use more flexible 1.75mm filament, which is a complicated process. My hardware is currently setup to handle 3mm filament, so I need to print new 3x extruders and order 1.75mm compatible PTFE tubing/fittings. Not to mention, I need to order 3 new rolls of 1.75mm filament. I'm really disliking these bowden setups. They're nowhere near as reliable as my E3D's direct. On my main rig, which has a single 3mm E3D direct, I've been able to run 2-4 rolls before dealing with clogging issues.
Also, after experimenting further, I find the E3D bodies to run too warm, which is a show stopper. I need to redesign the main mount to divert more air toward the E3D's. I might end up relocating the 3xE3D's closer to each other, which means printing holders and a new carriage, ouch...I may also end up relocating the internal 30mm fan outside, below the mount to allow the E3D's access to the 10mm clearance that is currently taken up by the internal 30mm fan. Another solution may include increasing the mount by another 10mm, which may introduce new challenges.
In other words, I'm making the project private to address these serious issues ... I'll release it after fixing all these issues...
7/27/17
Waiting on more parts, releasing another revision...
7/25/17
Update: Stream lined carriage: made it smaller to increase printing area.
7/22/17
Update: updated my wade idler to latest version.
7/20/17
Update: Those printing imperfections from the wing nuts were making it really difficult to detach each E3D, so I redesigned them. Currently, each E3D detaches by rotating those wing nuts 7 times, which i find really convenient compared to my old setup.
-Made E3D holder available for printing spares.
-Made available my private Greg-Wade bowden mount for 3mm filament (sorry, I provide no wade support for 1.75mm. Please, don't ask). You need 3 of them! If you want, you can also print my gears, which compliment the system nicely (they're found under my other things).
7/17/17
update: These last few updates address servicing issues. After dealing with clogged E3D's, it became really difficult to remove individual E3D's because the holder secured them all. The holder now detaches to secure them individually. As seen on pictures, the E3D's are now secured by wing nuts. Also, I intentionally left the three bottom M4 holes for expansion purposes. They can secure the wiring or extra accessories.
-fixed alignment issues caused by printing body upside down.
-fixed alignment issues of lower 30mm fan
7/14/17
Update: Using the 30-50mm fan reducer made it difficult to umount the Trinity from the carriage because the top service bolt became inaccessible: the 30-50mm reducer raised the height by almost 12mm. This update lowers the top mount by an additional 10mm, which is more than enough to have access to the service bolt.
-increased size of upper mount to accommodate larger 30-50mm fan reducer.
7/6/17
Update : After considering designs dealing with filament cooling, I redesigned my mount to include an optional internal 30mm fan. External fans take up much needed space, so I decided to integrate my design. My design will work without an internal 30mm fan, but it's there if you want enhanced cooling for ABS. Still, the greater need for cooling 3 hot ends and filament means installing a larger, upper fan: a 16CFM 50mm fan. Luckily, I found a nice 50-30mm reducer from TheMeerkat: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21112
-Now support for ALL Bowden version of E3Dv6 (for Chinese clones use version 1.75)!!
-Included PDF detailing instructions to Modify a RAMBo to drive 1 additional extruder
6/29/17
I'm in the process of upgrading my TAZ printer to use 3 hot ends. After experimenting with several designs, I settled on one that uses three bowden E3Ds (v6). I was really happy with my E3Dv5 and really wanted to use three all-metal v5's to take advantage of the reliability. However, I could not overcome the spatial challenges to include the hardware (three sets off herringbone gears, nema motors, etc) within my x-carriage constraints. Therefore, I settled on using the smaller E3Dv6.
The carriage mount is for my TAZ, but you can use "E3D_trinity_model" to design your own mount.
I started this project because I could not find an extruder body that could carry 3 hot ends. I really like the idea behind Sebastian's awesome Diamond design but wanted an alternative.
Note: this design is for advance users. For starters, you have to have the proper hardware, which not only requires the proper power requirements (each additional hot end may raise your power requirements by 60Watts!), but also the obvious extra hardware support for additional nema motor drivers, resistors, thermistors, etc. The details are beyond the scope of this summary, but if you have found me on Google+, you could read more about them there. As stated, I'm in the process of upgrading my printer, which only has support for 2 hot ends. All important details pertaining to the process will eventually be documented there.
In addition to hardware changes, if your printer doesn't support three hot ends, you will need firmware changes.
The following offsets are required for your firmware:
extruder 1: 0,0
extruder 2: x=-29.45, y=-51
extruder 3: x=29.45, y=-51
in Marlin, you will need to enable the following parameters:
//#define HOTEND_OFFSET_X {0.0, -29.45, 29.45}
//#define HOTEND_OFFSET_Y {0.0, -51, -51.00}
The reference E3Dv6 model I used from WVermaak: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2396508, and lXGaimMasterXl: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:341689
Recommended hardware:
*6x M3x20 hexagon head bolts (standard hex bolts will not work!) They attach to the body and extend outward for the wing nuts.
6x M3 nuts (for wing nuts)
6x M4 nuts
3x M4x10 bolts (lower holder)
3x M4x25 bolts (upper mount to carriage)
4x M3x30 bolts (upper fan)
4x M3x10 bolts (lower fan)
8x M3 nuts
1x 30x30mm fan ( internal) - recommended
1x 50x50mm fan (top) -required
Recommended printer settings:
PLA (for precision)
.2 layer height
Instructions:
The dimensions for X axis are increased by 29.45, therefore you must add a spacer to your min X-endstop. See Fig 2: I glued a small stepper gear to increase reach of X axis. Note: failure to do so may damage your belt, so please do it.
*Please remove printing imperfections from the body and holder. Specifically, "E3D_trinity_body_fixed" M3 holes need to be clean to allow proper wing nut detachment from the body.
*I highly HIGHLY recommend you print "E3D_trinity_body_fixed" upside down (No. 1 dimple has to face down) to ensure equal height for the 3x E3D's. You will also need to enable support.
*Part "Lower_cooling_fan_Pt1" may also need to be printed upside down.
*Wing nuts need a 4mm brim! Otherwise, they may not attach to the heating bed because they're small. You need 6. Print with no support: you don't want imperfections on this part.
Print Holder with support, but remove all/any* printing imperfections. Access to the 3 E3Ds will depend on the holder, so this part is crucial. Use wire cutters to make cuts. When finished, you should have 3 pieces to hold each individual E3D. Look at Fig 1 for guidance.