Titan Aero Upgrade for Original Prusa i3 MK2(s) by jltx

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

Why do you want this Titan Aero upgrade for your Prusa i3 MK2?
Benefits:
Lighter, more compact assembly with center of mass closer to axis -> higher print speeds, more immune to knocks
see video: http://e3d-online.com/Titan-Aero-Standard-175-12V

440 cc more build volume due to shorter stack
Full X and Y range with additional Z height

Shorter filament path means less ooze and better handles flexible filaments
Easier manual loading and unloading of filament
Simpler nozzle changes with no disassembly
Better print visibility for progress or identify issues
Manual tension adjust, cleaning, maintenance without tools/disassembly
Enhanced part cooling
Minimal changes to stock:
NO FIRMWARE CHANGES

These 4 printed parts + 4 screws + Titan Aero + Motor^
^ This is designed to use a short body nema 17, not the stock unit.
Motor body length must be <= 23mm , such as: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PNEQ79Q/
If you want to use a motor with 24-26mm body, such as http://e3d-online.com/Electrical/Stepper-Motors/NEMA17-Titan-Slimline, you lose 3mm of X range. See notes at end of build section. You may need to adjust currents as well (see end).

Print (slic3r PE instructions):
I recommend printing x carriage, aero, pinda mount together
Print in ASA or ABS. PETG can work. Because I am taking advantage of the shorter Titan stack to improve Z, the heater block is closer to the x carriage, so I recommend the e3d silicone sock. The glass transition is roughly: ABS/ASA 100C, PETG 80C, PLA 60C.
aero mount -> object settings: infill 80% or 100% for strength (other two can be normal infill I suspect)
add supports -> use on build plate only which should add very little support
also add brim, maybe 8mm, to help corners hold with ABS/ASA
I printed these in ABS and they came out pretty well. First clean your bed with alcohol and then acetone. I used a 0.4 nozzle, 0.2mm layer, 20% infill, 255C nozzle and 105C bed, no fan. I also put a large plastic tub over the printer as a cheap enclosure to trap heat. I had to clean up the pinda mount slot and aero mount center pin with a knife. Otherwise everything fit nicely.
Blower mount can be printed in PLA, with supports.
I have had good luck with these support settings on PLA
contact Z: 0.15
pattern angle: 20
interface spacing: 0.5
XY: 70%
Build (assumes you are upgrading from stock):
Please read through first to know the order of steps and take your time.
Unwire the extruder wire bundle from the RAMBO. Remove two screws on X motor to loosen and remove belt. Cut the zip ties on x-carriage. Remove stock extruder + x carriage.
Fit pins of aero mount into holes in X-carriage and screw two ends down with 2 M3x20 (or longer) and washers and nuts, very snug. Screw head fits in recess on back, nut and washer in front. Make sure base of mount is flush against carriage all the way across.
X-carriage mounts like stock onto the X-axis rods (see steps X.8 - X.11 in manual) with zip-tie to linear bearings. Make sure upper left bearing (nearest X motor) is all the way to the outside against the lip of the X-carriage so it most clearance for filament gear.
Insert Nema-17 short body on left side of aero mount with wires toward back and route through wire channel. If your motor has a plug connector, you will need to orient to the front and run wires around to the back. There are zip-tie channels on bottom edge of aero mount to help.
Mount titan on right following instructions at https://wiki.e3d-online.com/wiki/Titan_Aero#Assembly_Steps. You will use no spacer and the short set of screws. Don’t mount heatsink fan yet.
Install cartridges in heater block opposite of what is shown on e3d, so wires exit other direction.
Make sure screws are snug and check clearance of filament gear in slot and between linear bearings on back of X-carriage.
Insert PINDA into pinda mount and add two screws and nuts loosely for now.
Screw pinda mount onto X-carriage, lining up arrows, using M3x25, nut optional. Rotate PINDA body so wire is toward back (it is not centered) to get best clearance to heatsink. Route wire through channel on X-carriage.
Mount heatsink fan onto heatsink according to e3d instructions and route wires next to PINDA wire in channel.
Mount blower fan into blower mount by tipping outlet into mount and rotate to snap in top. Screw with M3x25, head in recess, nut on left.
Attach blower mount using ends of the two M3x20 screws holding the aero mount, outside of the existing nuts. There should be room for second nut. See renderings for reference.
Route blower wires alongside the motor wires in channel.
Angle the heater block so the nozzle is nearest the blower outlet and clamp screw is nearest the PINDA. Both the heater and thermistor wires should point right back through the bottom wire channel. Optional: tape piece of aluminum foil to X carriage in recess behind heater and through bottom wire channel to deflect heat, especially if using PETG.
Add e3d silicone sock over heater block.
Slide X carriage to extreme left and right and make sure end-stop clicks and no other obstructions. NOTE: if you have MK2S, you may need to Dremel off a bit of the X motor end support if the corner of the motor hits. See photo, marked in green. The pancake motor above should not require this.
Bundle wires and run back to the RAMBO. You can follow the MK2S instruction manual or I recommend cable chain for the extruder, such as: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2311596NOTE: you must wire backwards or reverse plug into RAMBO to make extruder turn correct direction since you've added a gear in the path.
Reattach belt and screw in X motor to restore tension. Double check no binding on full range of X.
If you are building for a 25mm motor, print two extend and one bumper piece. Clip the bumper onto the x-carriage where it contacts the end stop. Add the extend pieces to the blower mount by inserting into blower mount holes and screwing down extender using an extra washer. If you have MK2s, you will need to grind a bit off the motor end support as described above.
Software:
Only change required is to change extruder steps to account for 3:1 gearing.
Simplest:
add this to your start g-code in slic3r
M92 E418.5
Note: if you are using a 0.9 step motor, you need to double the number above..
Better:
use the command above and then perform an extruder calibration to adjust value as necessary. Once satisfied, you can commit the change to eeprom using the command from Pronterface or Octoprint terminal. This will make the firmware load/unload function correctly.
M500
Note: if you are using the e3d slim motor you may need to add this to your start g-code to increase the motor current:
M907 E900
History:
V1-V5: beta test versions to get kinks sorted out. Many thanks to spid303 for testing.
12/13/17: I added the step files for your hacking pleasure.