Hydra SLM arms and Metal Motor Mounts

[vital mountain]

The arms are designed to be SLM printed in aluminum, and will require holes to be tapped with a M3 tap. I have heard issues with In3dtech modeling the threads and printing them when you ask for them to tap the holes... So I would not advise asking for them to tap the holes.

The motor mounts are designed to be laser cut, and your deck panel will have a slight gap with these. The rear mount also needs to be bent, which requires using 5052 series aluminum.

Here is a link to the onshape mini tanks with the barrel made for tapping, these require shimming and seating in. I also greased mine. Your on your own with sizing, I ordered 12x5 and 11.7x4.5 and they both required a 0.5mm washer under the magnets, but fit well other than that.

STL files for the SLM parts, STL Files seem to work the best. If you need other mini tank sizes you will need to export them yourself from onshape.

Motor mounts, sendcutsend will take either DXF or Step files. Using the step file is easier to get the bend correct. I am not sure about other services. I might make another version that uses a printed bracket for the chain, this rear mount is also intended for Nebula, and deletes the wire entry cutout.

The SLM parts were under $100 usd shipped, the front motor mounts were around $5 each in 5052, and the rear was $16 for 1, or 2 for $20. Shipping from sendcutsend is free as long as you hit the $35 min fee.

[vital mountain]

I also have been running brass hex standoffs on my mini tanks, and find that I do not even need the tank barrel to use them.

They also worked well to seat the kossel ball to the SLM mini tanks. I found it worked best to first thread the brass hex standoff into the kossel ball, then install everything onto a MGN9C Carriage, shimming the magnet as needed. Then clamp down on the end of the hex standoff using a cordless drill, and spin it for a minute. It should move freely after that, but still feel tight.

[jade relic]

does it make sense to do 316?

inconel 718 seems to make sense price wise

[vital mountain]

I dont really know, I just went with their basic aluminum, which has better properties than 6061.

I would advise paying for tapping on harder materials....

I've seen others order ti parts, and quickly break taps

[jade relic]

on a serious note, 6061 vs 5052, normal 5052 is "stronger" [maybe] but 6061 can be anodized?

[vital mountain]

the normal SLM aluminum is not 5052 or 6061

but the 6061 can be anodized from in3dtec, if you are willing to pay and wait longer

[jade relic]

might add in their stone tumbling, and heat treatment maybe?

[vital mountain]

Also this link is cheaper for most parts if ordering low quanities
https://www.in3dtec.com/online3dprinting/

but the newer quoting is cheaper in bulk, and some parts

newer also offers more finishing options

you cannot mix quotes

[vital mountain]

if you add items to your cart with one, and switch to the other, it starts a new qoute

[jade relic]

yeah the old one is a bit annoying to use

so 5 total slm printed parts?

[vital mountain]

the online3dprinting one is the old one

I ordered 1 of each arm, and 6 mini tanks, 2 sizes

but the 11.7x4.5s fit the fabreeko magnets, I think thats what I used at least

I have so many magnets now, that I am not sure what is what anymore.

[jade relic]

for the price im ordering both

[vital mountain]

the mini tanks are pretty cheap

Actually I ordered 6 of each, 12 tanks

[jade relic]

https://tenor.com/view/anakin-liar-star-wars-lying-gif-8634649

[vital mountain]

3 printers, figured if they worked for that price, just order them for all the printers

[jade relic]

pricing from new store

[vital mountain]

why 5 tanks?

[jade relic]

maybe ill do 4

because if i mess one up ill be upset

i assume its the same machines between old store and new store

oh yeah wait nvm, its $15 cheaper on old store

how was the shipping

[vital mountain]

$23 for standard and like $45 for faster shipping

[jade relic]

was the timing legit?

[vital mountain]

which took a week to make, then was like 2 day shipping from china, fedex I think

[jade relic]

solid

awdered

[vital mountain]

the wait was a bit painful since I finished the cad just after they shut down for CNY

so I had to wait for them to return to even order... which gave me a little mroe time to polish up the cad

[jade relic]

oh, .125" for plates?

[vital mountain]

yeah

the step files force that

[jade relic]

nice

[vital mountain]

I would have done .250", but the bent rear mount, 0.125 was easier

use the step file

or did you

[jade relic]

nope dxf

reuploading step

[vital mountain]

step I know works perfect, dxf "should" work as well

[jade relic]

it doesnt like the rear step file

[vital mountain]

hmm

let me check

Not sure what I did wrong on the other export

that one works

[jade relic]

yup good

[vital mountain]

slightly cheaper too

not sure why

[jade relic]

the front ones get no bends right

[vital mountain]

correct

[jade relic]

for $1 more i can order two sets lol

with free shipping

[vital mountain]

yup

[jade relic]

wild

[vital mountain]

so 2 reasons for that

one, scs has a fixed min purchase of $35

the other is buying 2 of anything is always cheaper

[jade relic]

are u yelling at me

[vital mountain]

yes

[jade relic]

ty

[vital mountain]

your doxing yourself by the way

[jade relic]

dont know what u mean

[vital mountain]

[jade relic]

[spice minnow]

if you guys want to do a bulk order im down.

[jade relic]

Already did mine

[vital mountain]

Not really worth it on the slm stuff

[jade relic]

Prices dont scale well with the slm stuff like it doesn on sendcutsend?

[vital mountain]

Nope

They do a bit with the new store

Not at all with the old store which is cheaper

[spice minnow]

its 6 times as much for 6061 anodized

oof

[proud ice]

Turtle doesn’t want me to have any money

[latent hamlet]

out of curiosity
why hex standoff instead of spacer?

[vital mountain]

They thread into the ball

And you can put a wrench in them if they do spin on install or removal

[hazy rain]

My wallet hates me, who are you using for your print

[vital mountain]

Use in3dtec

It's around $100 USD shipped

[hazy rain]

That wouldn’t be international

[vital mountain]

Ummm yes it is

They are in China

And far cheaper than local options

[hazy rain]

Ok I’ll try them, thanks for the heads up

[vital mountain]

I just added the USD disclaimer to reduce price shock for others

[hazy rain]

Gotcha :). What was the lead time for you?

[vital mountain]

1 week to make them

2 days to ship with the faster shipping option

[hazy rain]

So how many mini tanks should I get printed? 6? That way I have a spare?

I’ve just done the quote for 2 kits, my mate and I

In 6061

[vital mountain]

Measure your magnets first

Only need the 12x5s if your magnets are true 12x5s

[hazy rain]

I will do once I get back home

Out on site

[vital mountain]

Spares are just if you're worried about tapping them

[hazy rain]

I bought the fysetc kit for the hydra

My mate and I are both going 410x410

[lyric forum]

Excuse me, what is "Hyra"?

[jade relic]

Turtle spells things wrong for fun.

[lyric forum]

Understandable for a reptile

[jade relic]

https://tenor.com/view/object-objection-mad-no-disagree-gif-25211231

[vital mountain]

It's a skill

[lyric forum]

"sill" then

[wet karma]

Hydra SLM arms and Metal Motor Mounts

[last escarp]

just saw this, my wallet is already screaming at me

[jade relic]

Its not that bad. Cost me $150 USD total. So within that price range

[proud ice]

Yea but I need to buy all the other hydra stuff other than the bed, that’s about $800aud lol

Would using 6061 be a little disadvantages as it might expand more than you want? I know it’s only small length wise but some parts are thicker than others. I’m just thinking the rail may constrict the arm and bow giving hard to narrow down bed issues like when the frame is twisted? Or am I overthinking this?

[jade relic]

It’s the same aluminum that takeoff toolhead is made from and i think that gets a bit hotter with chube being mounted to it

[vital mountain]

Their standard aluminum has better properties than 6061

[hazy rain]

@lost birch

[terse scarab]

FYI: they turn put Fine when Printer with ASA. Though I dont trust them with a heavy bed. Better Stick to Metal.

[tawdry summit]

No pictures of the arms actually printed in alu? 🥲

[twilit sierra]

why do you hate my Australian wallet

[vital mountain]

I like spending other people's money

[twilit sierra]

im ok with you spending my money but could you at least wait until the aus dollar is more than 60 us cents

[vital mountain]

Everything is upsidedown for you though, including your wallets

[terse scarab]

funnily enough, i´ve just learned about metal infused filament. Now i would like to give that a try. Did someone had luck with one particluar brand ? There are ranging from 30€/kg to 800€/kg it seems

[vital mountain]

Very different process and design requirements, I would not attempt that with these files

[jade relic]

Mine came in too. Just waiting for arms

[tawdry summit]

There apears to be a voron logo in the bottom right corner of your merc 😬

[raven dew]

Theres a lot of those

[jade relic]

@vital mountain

Smol

[vital mountain]

They are tiny in person

[raven dew]

Meanwhile, mines still in limbo

Nvm, they in japan

[jade relic]

I feel like mine got here pretty quick

[latent hamlet]

Big in Japan?

[raven dew]

Uhhhh, well, might be going slm tonight maybe XD

[latent hamlet]

I'm sad you didnt get the reference

[raven dew]

Bing chillin

[lyric forum]

I did, hope it will make your day easier

[latent hamlet]

it does

[lusty galleon]

I want to anodize my set now... but I'm afraid... 😅

[vital mountain]

You would want to order them in 6061 then

They offer anodizing on the 6061 parts, but it's not cheap

[lusty galleon]

I meant I would just do it myself.

[vital mountain]

I know

But mentioned their pricing for others

And the 6061 part for you

[muted pewter]

These make me scream without the s. I'm placing my order sooooooooooon

[jade relic]

@raven dew did u sand the flat faces?

[raven dew]

Glassbead

[jade relic]

so no

[raven dew]

Otherwise straight from box

[jade relic]

what i meant was smoothing out the natural bumps from the printing

[raven dew]

Layed the rails on top to check, mine have no hump gaps

Carriages run smooth after still so im assuming they pretty flat

[jade relic]

ill take it

[raven dew]

Only thing was screw nut clearances

Had to sand the POMs a little otherwise the screws would get too compressed

I might go back and verify those holes are perfectly circle

[twilit sierra]

did you pay for tapping or do your own

[jade relic]

im doing my own

[raven dew]

I did all 30+ on my own XD

2 hours of straight tapping

But all my parts survived

[jade relic]

did u need to run thru any holes with a drill bit?

[raven dew]

Nope, just tap and oil

I might do that to the nut holes tho

[vital mountain]

I checked mine with a 2.5mm bit, dropped into every hole

[raven dew]

Annndddd, survey says........

299mm Z

[vital mountain]

You need spacers like warpedscale did between the steppers and mounts

[raven dew]

Could get shorter spacers for the bed, gain a few mm

Now im curious

What are the front holes designed to be for?

Carriage stop or a under bed fan mount?

[vital mountain]

yes, stops

its in the cad

the rear arm has them on either end of the rail

front arms only have them on the one end

[raven dew]

Could be mounts for an under bed fan tho XD

[raven dew]

Ordered some more 3x10s. Only have 1 left

Used them all on the toolhead

[vital mountain]

that was a feature I added just before I shared the files

mine do not have that feature

I was to hung up on how to deal with it, and just wanted to order parts

[raven dew]

First test benchy just finished

Perfect layer lines

Zero Z artifacts

They do make some noise now tho, might be some alignment needed still

But only on fast bed drops

[vital mountain]

same or better than before?

[raven dew]

Same, maybe a little better.

Ill do a large Z print later and see

[vital mountain]

I'm to impatient for hand tapping, but also have a good feel for when to stop.

I've broken enough taps to learn the feel

[raven dew]

Thats the same exact tap handle I have XD

and bits.....

go figure

[jade relic]

its a pretty generic one haha

[jade relic]

would be weird if u had the same oil tin

[lyric forum]

...and desk... and hands... and life...

[jade relic]

Noise?

[static plume]

Hello everyone, sorry I arrive late to the party (been disconnected for some time). I just opened the community and found this

Are the supports for the motors printed or just cut?

[raven dew]

Supports?

[jade relic]

I think they meant the motor mounts

[vital mountain]

The motor mounts are designed for nebula and require some mods to work on the stock frame

Also I need to increase a few tolerances at some point. A little file work is needed right now

[jade relic]

Woop

[static plume]

Don't know what nebula is, and yes, I was referring to the motor mounts. I was wondering why you didn't make them more like the printed parts (reinforced), even if it's not really needed.

How is the rigidity of the bed with the metal parts? Saw a previous comment mentioning no z-banding issues, wondering if print quality is better in general

[jade relic]

The ones above are laser but not printed

[latent hamlet]

Z banding is caused by the leadscrews
Either they are bent or slightly misaligned
Has nothing to do with the arms in general

[static plume]

Ok... so, what are we trying to accomplish here with this mod (besides looking insanely cool)?

[static plume]

Any reason not to have them printed like the arms? Notice that I know nothing about metal printing

[latent hamlet]

rigidity and temp resistance

[static plume]

Temp is not going to affect me until I build an enclosure (not sure I will), and rigidity is also fine as long as I don't go crazy with the speed. Still for the price seems like a good option. I think I will let you guys test it a bit more and will revisit the idea in a few months.

[vital mountain]

It's just something I wanted to do, and I shared the files

[mellow compass]

where did you all made the motor mounts?

[vital mountain]

SendCutSend

Not sure if laserboost bends

[mellow compass]

is that in US?

[vital mountain]

Yeah

[mellow compass]

hmm

that makes it difficult for me 😦

[vital mountain]

I might make a flat cut option later with fdm and slm chain brackets

But for now it's just what I needed for my build

[raven dew]

SLM belt clips and cable chain ends....... now thats an idea

[mellow compass]

is it possible to slm print the motor mounts?

[vital mountain]

I wouldn't

[mellow compass]

hmm

[vital mountain]

Slm doesn't hold flatness very well over large surface areas

[warm drift]

Arms and Mini-tanks arrived today. These are the glass bead finishing - but a frosty texture vs the shiny texture @raven dew received. Cheap shipping option got them here inside a week and from tracking
Number to doorstep less than 36 hours.

[hazy rain]

I’ve got a set already cut

Theres 3 sets there

[vital mountain]

Wrong parts

Different project

[plush wren]

No SLM Wago mounts?!

Also that frosty texture looks beautiful

[warm drift]

Nope, and the finish is very nice. These will be painted flat black, and the texture will work well there.

[plush wren]

I was gonna see if the Rust-Oleum spray paint I have in the basement is flat black to so that too tbh.

[lusty galleon]

That's a nice fit! You could almost post that onto a well-known online adult video repository.

I had to say it like that because of the filters. 😅

[raven dew]

No no, I got one of those for you

[lusty galleon]

Soooooo tight! I'm dying.

[raven dew]

Ive been having fun dialing these arms in XD

Can you tell

[lusty galleon]

Just a little. I'm waiting for mine to get here too. Did you go 6061 or standard aluminum on the SLM parts?

[raven dew]

The standard aluminum had the best qualities to it

Better numbers

[lusty galleon]

That's what I went with. Decided since these are going on Thing 2, no need to color them or even bother with anodizing... maybe

[raven dew]

I do miss the black arms a little

But titanium and silver is gorgeous

The internal lights reflecting off them looks so good

I went with glassbead sanding

I also need to do spacers on these motors and actually hit 300+ Z

im at 299

[sinful veldt]

I thought you meant z velocity for a sec lol

[muted pewter]

Im going to use brass stand offs that have a male on one side and female on the other to drop mine. No printed spacer needed!

[mellow compass]

does anyone know a EU company thats also bent the motor mounts?

[vital mountain]

Noticed slight z wobble when looking at the prints with harsh overhead lighting

Just installed oldhams couplers, sending test print now

[lethal coyote]

Did it work? I'm really thinking you're right and my issue is the extruder.

[vital mountain]

just finished, looked the same 🤣

have also tried shiny uncoated leadscrews and the coated ones

no change

can only see it under this hard overhead lighting though

[lethal coyote]

maybe we're both having extruder issues because that sounds like what I'm dealing with. Under the lights in the printer it's glaringly obvious, but when I take it off the plate and under regular light it's not even noticeable

[jade relic]

i wonder if its the 2040s flexing

[vital mountain]

mine is lead screw related, lines match up

but its very subtle, will probably just accept it

yours looks like its more extruder though

[vital mountain]

using a pa tower isnt the best print to use for showing z banding

I am just using a stepper tower

[lethal coyote]

I'm printing a little model now, I guess we'll see when it's done 🤷🏻‍♂️

[spice minnow]

Do you have oldhams or wobbleX?

[lusty galleon]

I noticed that the rear Hydra arm doesn't have a lot of extra clearance around the lead screw on the top side vs the bottom. Is this the case for you? I thought it might be an inhibiting factor for an Oldham mounted on the rear arm.

Images are the lead screw hole on one of the side arms atop the hole on the rear arm for comparison.

That said, woohoo metal parts!

[hazy rain]

@lost birch

[vital mountain]

They just clear by 0.15mm, so they will not allow much wiggle room towards the rear with MGN12H rails. This isnt a problem with MGN12C, which is what I am currently using since that is what I had laying around.

[lusty galleon]

I was just concerned about the wiggle room if an Oldham coupler is involved because it seems like a place the lead screw could run against if it was crooked enough. Wasn't looking at the outer diameter. 👍

[vital mountain]

Yeah, I kept the same hole specs as stock

[plush wren]

Oufff nice calliper!

[proud ice]

lol don’t do that I already don’t like the money I need to spend for hydra with plastic printed parts, but I like your enthusiasm! 🤣

[hazy rain]

He's made good money on me ;). Ordered all the bits.

[mellow compass]

does anyone know if sendcutsend also delivers to the EU?

[raven dew]

Nope

Xometry for you

[mellow compass]

damnit they dont bend parts 😦

[lusty galleon]

I got a spare rear mount from SCS that they sent me by accident for free. You want it? I'll drop it in the mail for you.

[mellow compass]

Sure but isn't going to cost alot to send to the eu?

[lusty galleon]

Ask me if I care! 🤣 BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I mean I'm not going to express it for you but I can put it in a small box and it shouldn't be too bad. But if it is, I'll come here and cry on camera for you. 😁

[mellow compass]

XD

[lyric forum]

Now we all want that video and hope it is

[lusty galleon]

You don't, I ugly cry. 🤣

[lyric forum]

Stop teasing us

[lusty galleon]

I didn't go all polished but I got 2 out of 3 assembled since I snapped off a tap in the 3rd mini-tank and had to order another one. (Yes I know I could have just used the mini tank without the screw but the tap is sticking out just far enough to hit the kossel ball but not far enough for me to grab it or do anything to it to cut it down other than grinding the inside of the mini-tank. Not interested)

[raven dew]

ME TOO!!! Why they send us 2?

[lusty galleon]

No idea!!! I'm just as confused as you. But I double checked my order and yep just one but got two. I wish all the parts from them were like that. 😅

[raven dew]

Now I just got an extra Z bracket just sitting here

Like tf

Thanks? XD

[lusty galleon]

New printer seed... 🤣

[raven dew]

They dont need to tempt me, they have my business XD

They gonna hate me soon

or love me, can go both ways XD

[warm drift]

Stepper spacers for the metal motor mounts. This should get the coupler flush with the top. I won’t have my mounts until Tuesday.

[lusty galleon]

With the metal motor mounts couldn't use just use aluminum spacers between the mount and motor? Or is this printed part because you wanted to use the thrust bearings?

[warm drift]

Yes - standoffs/spacers would have been perfectly fine - I'm learning CAD, and had the thrust bearings from the printed parts I'm swapping out. More of an exercise for me, but it turned out quite well, and I was able to dial in the height to get the coupler exactly flush with the top of the plate (fingers crossed anyway).

[lusty galleon]

They look good. Completely understand about dropping the coupler, though. I did something similar, sans thrust bearings, to one of my other [builds](#1173779324457975869 message). On the build with the metal Hydra I have 500mm integrated lead screw steppers. 👍

[warm drift]

I haven't cut the lead screws just yet - when I bought my parts, integrated steppers were not available - that's what I have on my current build - I've got 700mm PTFE coated screws that should work out quite well once cut to length. I won't run out of travel at the top which was close on the curent build.

[mellow compass]

@vital mountain is it me or is the left arm the pom the clearence to small

[vital mountain]

Random tolerance issues with slm

Mine fit perfect, but others have had to open theirs up

I can only control so much

[mellow compass]

ok thx just wanted to know

I'm now gonna do a test print

[raven dew]

Youre gonna have to sand a little

We all have had this issue

Just look for the flat parts of the circles on the arms and curve them out a little

[hazy rain]

What tap did you use? using a bottom tap and it doesn't like the excess material, even cleaning the tap and using fluid.

[vital mountain]

Spiral flute for blind holes and spiral point for through holes

[hazy rain]

ok looks like I need to go find a spiral flute for the blind holes. the through holes are easy enough

[vital mountain]

Spiral flute pull the chips out the back like a drill bit

Spiral point push the chips forward

[hazy rain]

would this suffice?

[vital mountain]

I just order uxcell branded ones from Amazon for stuff like this

[raven dew]

I used the Amazon bits, worked great

I used a bit of tap oil too

[random granite]

In my trade the direction the chips go depends on upcut or downcut not that it’s spiral. You can buy spiral upcut or spiral downcut.

[vital mountain]

I didn't name them, tooling manufacturers did.

They are made for CNC machining.

[hazy rain]

So I had a stuff up, snapped a tap in the wago mount standoffs

So I'm going to have to helicoil it

[hazy rain]

Only two tapping stuff ups, but it’s ok, I can helicoil one of them, and then go buy a cobalt drill bit to drill out the tap

[vital mountain]

You need carbide to even have a chance

And a mill to hold it

[hazy rain]

shit

[mellow compass]

@vital mountain is this the material and thickness that I need for the motor mounts?

[vital mountain]

I used 1/8", I don't think it matters to much

[fleet quartz]

Do you happen to know where we can order the back plate (with bend) in the EU for a reasonable price?

[vital mountain]

No idea

[abstract python]

laserboost apparently also does bending

could try that

[fleet quartz]

i'll have a look at that thanks

Looks reasonable

indeed reasonable... wonder if they bend the back mount. cant really see it

that carbon steel color is kinda dope

[vital mountain]

Those are expensive

[fleet quartz]

33.74 Euro

for some reason price just changed.. order quick!

Total price

[vital mountain]

Aluminum 5000 series was about $40 for 2 from sets shipped

[fleet quartz]

This is correct right or am i missing something. this is too cheap

[vital mountain]

Qty price breaks

[fleet quartz]

Aluminum is more expensive. I am confused. thought the carbon steel would be way more expensive

[vital mountain]

.8mm is way too thin

At least for aluminum

[fleet quartz]

shit had to order this. price is back to more expensive lol haha

[vital mountain]

So your not hitting the min order price

[fleet quartz]

This should be it

ahhhhh now I see it

That 0.8 is more expensive. not that I had purposfully chosen that.

3mm

[vital mountain]

And that's under min order price

Order something else

That's why I ordered 2 sets lol

[fleet quartz]

what do yyou mean?

[fleet quartz]

Ah I see

[vital mountain]

Parts with laser boost also get cheaper with quantity

[fleet quartz]

Still 66.79 euro for 3 pieces sandblasted carbon steel 3mm is oke with me

[fleet quartz]

aha

[vital mountain]

Try 2 sets and see

[fleet quartz]

lemme check

wait whut 🤣 is just got cheaper

2 sets

[vital mountain]

That's what I was saying

[fleet quartz]

dannngggg

[vital mountain]

Quantity makes them cheap

[fleet quartz]

@mellow compass you want some

[vital mountain]

How did shipping get cheaper lol

[fleet quartz]

I'll order 3 sets

[fleet quartz]

i dunno 🤣

delivery also cut with 5 days lol

[mellow compass]

uh there is no logic

[fleet quartz]

dont care its cheap haha

[mellow compass]

true

[vital mountain]

Laser boost is far cheaper than SendCutSend from what I have seen as long as you order multiples

[fleet quartz]

ah didnt check the country.

[mellow compass]

lol

[fleet quartz]

i'm liking this site...

[fleet quartz]

you want a pair? order two sets. 66.68,- Euro so that 33.34 pp ex sending costs to you.

[mellow compass]

I already ordered yesterday

sorry

[fleet quartz]

oh dang really? where? and for how much

[vital mountain]

You just need to build 2

Ez

[fleet quartz]

seems like it.. I still have my old merc to covert to Nebula

[mellow compass]

30 euros with shipping at xometry

[fleet quartz]

30?! with the bend?

[vital mountain]

That's a good price

[fleet quartz]

indeed

[mellow compass]

@lusty galleon send me one with the bend

[fleet quartz]

but its bare aluminum not carbon steel though

[vital mountain]

More in line with SendCutSend pricing

Ohh you just got the fronts

[fleet quartz]

aaahhaa.. so you just ordered the two front ones at xometry

makes sense

i'll make the bend myself

[mellow compass]

yep

[fleet quartz]

clamp and a good hammer will do it

lol

[vital mountain]

It's not easy without a press break

[fleet quartz]

or i'll find someone to do it for me

[vital mountain]

I have the bending tools at home, still paid for it to be done lol

[fleet quartz]

I have added the bend option in the comments and a pic. lets see if they bend it

[fleet quartz]

naissss

[vital mountain]

Just order those laserboost parts

[fleet quartz]

40 a pop.

[vital mountain]

That's not a bad price

[fleet quartz]

on it right now

[vital mountain]

Stupid vat

[fleet quartz]

Indeed 🥺 ah well at least its 21% 🤣 if you know what i mean

think positive

Do i need countersinking?

no i dont lol

[mellow compass]

not needed

[fleet quartz]

indeed

just ads to the price

[mellow compass]

countersinking is easy to do

[fleet quartz]

that also

[vital mountain]

I didn't countersink mine

Just used button heads

[fleet quartz]

Precursor did, hence I thought of it

[vital mountain]

Could use countersink washers to add color

[fleet quartz]

whoop whoop!

[fleet quartz]

ohhh good idea... would look nice with the carbon steel look

[vital mountain]

I then used them on my camera mount

[fleet quartz]

That was fast😍💪

Didn't realize I'll gain some z height. That's nice.

Overall quality is very very good. From IN3DTEC.com

[mellow compass]

Ey guys I need an opinion shall I paint my motor mounts black or let is stay normal silver

[warm drift]

Both will look good, if the sheen of the natural metal is close to your frame color I would go that route.

[mellow compass]

Didn't know we be having this gap with the metal mounts

[vital mountain]

Yeah I haven't done anything to address that in mine yet either

[latent hamlet]

Just put some printed covers on top I'd say🤔

[lusty galleon]

Double thickness front mounts and an extra mount without the bent part for the back! 😅

[spice minnow]

or design a heatsink into the top of the mount, that way it can pull the stepper heat into the enclosure

[fleet quartz]

Go carbon steel😜 fits your frame

[muted pewter]

Iv been tempted to order some but thicker plate so.its closer/level to the acrylic panel. Modify the back mount to be flat with two holes to accept an slm block for the cable chain.

When I finally get to ordering the slm arms, I'll get a bunch of extra slm goodies like belt clips, etc.

[lethal coyote]

Not sure which mini tank size to get, any suggestions?

[raven dew]

Fabreekos kits use 12x5

[mellow compass]

@vital mountain maybe we can put some foamtape at those height difference?

[vital mountain]

Yeah that would work

[lethal coyote]

Has anyone made pillow blocks for the metal stepper mounts yet?

[vital mountain]

not that I have seen

[warm drift]

I did a spacer, with thrust bearing to lower the motors to maximize Z.

The couplers are flush with the plates

[lethal coyote]

That's a good idea too

[warm drift]

@lethal coyote I have the STL on my build log

[muted pewter]

@warm drift those look great. I have 48mm steppers on my z, if i used those, they would stick down further than the feet lol

[fleet quartz]

what would be the added benefit?

[lethal coyote]

Takes the load off the motor shaft and places it on the body and/or on the mount. The bearings aren't designed to be loaded downward like they are

@vital mountain quick question. Do you think I could order the front motor mounts in 6mm and do a stack in the rear to add up to 6mm? Something like this, with the piece without the bend underneath the one with the bend.

[vital mountain]

Probably, I just didn't care enough to overthink that part. I just did what worked for me

[lethal coyote]

Good deal. Just wanted to make sure before I ordered it that way in case you had specific geometry in mind when you designed them. Thanks.

I just want them to sit more or less flush with the printed parts

[vital mountain]

It was cheap to try, and worked fine for my build.

I didn't put much effort into the motor mounts though.

[fleet quartz]

Sounds logicall. But have never heard of a bearing failing because of this.

[vital mountain]

The arms had a fair bit of time into them

[lethal coyote]

It's likely not something that's super common, but taking the load off would still prolong the lifespan of the bearings for sure

[lethal coyote]

I believe that.

[vital mountain]

Went through a few major revisions

[lethal coyote]

Did you ever talk with the dude at Mandala about CNC parts?

[vital mountain]

But that was all in CAD before I ordered anything

A little

[lethal coyote]

He and I were talking about Mini Merc stuff and he said he wanted to do more with you and ZeroG, so I sent him your way.

[vital mountain]

Was months ago

[lethal coyote]

TBH he doesn't have a lot of bandwidth. This stuff clearly works well so yeah

[vital mountain]

I did visit his shop the other month and got a tour

[lethal coyote]

Nice equipment?

[vital mountain]

It's a cool little shop in a old church

He has a video on YouTube showing it

[lethal coyote]

I'll have to check it out. I know he puts out pretty good parts.

[rustic wraith]

What is the advantage of these arms over printed arms?

[raven dew]

High temp, rigidity, just because

[abstract python]

Gives you a tad more print height too, right?

[raven dew]

20 more mm of Z travel

[twilit sierra]

Its Shiny, what more do you need

[twilit sierra]

Last bloody hole

[vital mountain]

I wouldn't worry about that one

[raven dew]

Yall need to slow down and be patient XD

[vital mountain]

That also looks like a forming tap, not something I would use but hand... They also need a larger pilot hole

I strongly recommend spiral flute taps

[twilit sierra]

Wasn't by hand its (was) a sutton impact tap.
I had pre drilled the holes with the included drill bit before hand.

[lethal coyote]

So the double stack in the rear and 6mm front motor mounts is damn near perfect.

[lethal coyote]

I made some pillow blocks for the metal motor mounts. If there's interest let me know and I'll post the files in the community section.

[warm drift]

Do you have the DXF for the trimmed rear mount? I'd like to do the same.

Disregard - I've figured out how to change the DXF myself.

[lethal coyote]

I can still send it if you need me to.

[warm drift]

I appreciate it. I don't think I can do the DXF in the free version of Fusion, but I was able to do so in Corel. Without any objection from @vital mountain either of us could post the file here as others may want to do the same thing.

[vital mountain]

yes you can

create a sketch, click the face of the part and project it

right click sketch from the feature tree, save as dxf

I never even use the export dxf from the default save menu, as its not as good.

sendcutsend can also read step files

[warm drift]

Awesome - thanks for the insight. And the change in Corel Draw does not work - it creates a weird artifact. I'll do the above

[warm drift]

No bend, short doubler for those who want to add thickness to the metal motor mounts to flush up against the ebay cover. @lethal coyote did this already, and the results are awesome. The only thing I think is different with this version is a matching radius at the "cut" end where the bend was removed.

[lethal coyote]

Here are the pillow blocks for the metal motor mounts.

[lethal coyote]

Well shit...

[twilit sierra]

are those taps?

[fleet quartz]

that is thick!

[fleet quartz]

dang 3 out of 3..new record 😅

[twilit sierra]

atleast it was the "cheaper" parts
can most likely get away without those holes as long as the tips dont interfere with the ball

[lethal coyote]

3 out of 12 actually lol. I ordered 6 of each size because I didn't know which I'd need and I'm building 2 machines.

[fleet quartz]

smart choice😅

[lethal coyote]

Can you guess which one of these I need though? Here's a hint, 3 are already being used 😂

[fleet quartz]

whoops

[lethal coyote]

Yeah lol. I'll get it out

[fleet quartz]

the tap? thats gonna be difficult

[lyric forum]

Not anymore

[muted pewter]

That's brutal. Im nervous about ordering my slm parts, I know full well imma snap a tap.

My Grandpa and I were working on an old truck of mine I had 15 years ago.

I broke a tap inside the head when I was plugging some smog pump holes.

He told me about how they used to dissolve taps with acid if it was in the tap broke in the right material. Weird old stuff.

Probably won't work on those little tanks though.

[vital mountain]

I keep saying to use spiral flute taps, nothing else

You can use spiral point in through holes like the mini tanks have

But most people only want to buy one tap, not two

[raven dew]

They all impatient and send the tap at full drill speed

[mellow compass]

I used WD-40

[lethal coyote]

I did use spiral flute taps, but what I didn't do was manage my angle and got the taps in a bind. 100% operator error.

[fleet quartz]

these are the bomb. sharp as hell and work perfectly

Can highly recommend. Did not have any issues with tapping

[hazy rain]

what size bolt did you guys use to mount the plates?

the motor mount plates

[lethal coyote]

Pillow blocks work nicely. Should take some stress off the motors from that heavy bed.

[warm drift]

On the 1/4" thick ones or the double stack in the rear, I used M5x10 but a M5x12 may work out and almots bottom out on the frame - that may need a washer.

[vital mountain]

12 should work, that's how thick the rear stepper towers base are, and m12 is what I put in the bom.

6mm would require a washer, but 6.35mm has enough clearance

[hazy rain]

I’m running 3mm plates so I’d have to use 8mm

[vital mountain]

I ordered some other SLM parts I needed, no tariffs or import fees.

In3dtec, and 9 days from the date of ordering to my front door.

[fleet quartz]

@vital mountain Fusion question. How do I get the chamfered side smooth? When I covert it to STL you see that the mesh resolution is too low and it isnt as smooth as in Fusion. You also see it clearly on the print. estetic wise not very nice imo.

FYI, on the free license

[vital mountain]

There is a quality setting in the mesh export window, set it to high

[fleet quartz]

where can I find that? was looking for it but coudnt find that mesh option

[vital mountain]

Not on my PC, just click all the things in the export popup

Right click body or component and select export mesh

[fleet quartz]

not there. must be missing something

[vital mountain]

From the left tree

[fleet quartz]

ahhhh yes

Refinement is already at high it seems. interesting

[vital mountain]

Is there a very high

I can't recall my settings

[fleet quartz]

nope

[vital mountain]

I'll try to check my settings later

[fleet quartz]

aight, thanks my man.

wrong chat btw. thought I was in general. my bad

[quaint jacinth]

Should be able to import as STEP, that usually fixes anything funky for me

[fleet quartz]

I do the same. However when I have something rounded in the model the mesh resolution is still too low and results in having these ridges. Looks a bit like low poly

[wanton umbra]

Is there a GitHub or similar for the metal motor mounts? How thick are people going, would 6mm be recommended?

[vital mountain]

This mod only lives here and only works with nebula or a modified stock frame

[random granite]

seeing that question above about thickness has me hoping i ordered the right thickness i went with .125" hope that will work

[vital mountain]

1/8" is what I used, though it doesn't steal the top cover.

[random granite]

how do i get ahold of in3dtec. i ordered the slm arms and tanks and they cancled my order and the payment still went through, im not sure how to contact them

[vital mountain]

bottom right of their page is a message icon

or the contact us link on the bottom

[random granite]

when i try to sumbit a form on their page it says failed for security reasons i just emailed that info email they have listed

[vital mountain]

odd, not sure as I havent run into any issues myself

[random granite]

\

only took me almost 10 days to realize the order didnt actually go through

[vital mountain]

I only use paypal with them

[random granite]

mine was paypal

thats just a lil screenshot of the paypal transaction

i can probably just dispute it on their

just sucks cause i was like hmm these should have showed up by now and then i check and saw that from right after i ordered it...

[vital mountain]

yeah... thats frustrating

[random granite]

name of the game, ill get it sorted just thought maybe their was a good way to get ahold of them i messaged them on whatsapp i think itll be monday when they respond to me

[random granite]

just ordered it again this time it went though lmao.

went up 30$ since ordering on the 28th lol

[vital mountain]

paying extra for delivery doesnt change much

maybe 1 or 2 days faster

I paid extra for my first order, and normal on my recent order

time from order to arrival was pretty much the same

and from shipped to my door, not much different either from what I remember

[prisma temple]

Just got line from xometry Asia , arrived before my flute tap did so now I can admire them while I wait

[twilit sierra]

what was the cost from xometry?

[random granite]

Question about the Pom nuts once I push the Pom nut in place it becomes significantly harder to thread the z rod in. With it out of the SLM arm it’s easy to thread onto the z rod

[vital mountain]

might need to file/drill the opening a bit

SLM tolerances can vary a bit

[random granite]

Should I be shooting for the same feel as it is when I just screw the Pom nuts on by hand? Very little resistance? Sand until I achieve the same?

[vital mountain]

I would just sand until they slip in without having to press them in

light slip fit or even loose

[random granite]

Yep that worked tyty, sorry if I ask a lot of question, I’m nervous to damage the parts beyond usable so just trying to make sure I do things right!

[prisma temple]

around 100 usd

[wet stream]

I believe I must be doing something wrong… this is for one tank. A hydra arm is $470. LOL

[wet stream]

I got tired of messing with xometry and ordered from in3dtec.

[prisma temple]

i'd say it's cause you have DMLS selected but I could be wrong

[wet stream]

The default was nylon when I uploaded the files and DMLS was the only option I could select and get to aluminum. I couldn’t actually find SLM as an option and not sure what the difference is between SLM and DMLS.

[prisma temple]

ahh fe fe - the asia version of xometry is a bit different as well

[mellow compass]

@vital mountain can I also use 1mm washer

[vital mountain]

Use as many as you need

[wanton umbra]

Is there a recommended tool/bit to self tap the SLM arms? Ive never done this before, any recommendations for a YouTube video or other tips?

[vital mountain]

2.5mm drill bit to chase all the holes, aluminum tapping oil, and a spiral flute m3 tap

and tap handle

[wanton umbra]

Mega, thanks the the info

Will be pulling everything together in 5 or so weeks time, will start a build log in the builds channel.

[hazy rain]

is anyone else having clearance issues with the arms hitting the side of the MGN12H Carriage?

[raven dew]

It might be slightly warped from production

Just shove a screw in there and itll eventually bend into place

[hazy rain]

yeah got it to fit finally

Now to just get m4 standoffs to mount my build plate

[abstract python]

is there a recommended slm service for eu?

[abstract python]

also are the different mini tank sizes for different carriages? does anyone know which one i need for the fabreeko hydra kit?

[tranquil haven]

I used in3dtec

[abstract python]

i end up at 112$ with shipping there

craftcloud does it for 98€

[tranquil haven]

sounds about right

[abstract python]

oh right, i forgot how much the value differs now

[abstract python]

when do we need the 12x5 mini tank vs the 11-7x4-5 one?

[lusty galleon]

Depends on the size of your magnets for the Kossel ball. Some say they are 12mm x 5mm but are slightly smaller when measured with calipers.

[abstract python]

yay

[tranquil haven]

very nice

[abstract python]

No taps broken

[lyric forum]

You need to try harder then

[tranquil haven]

buy another set and a ryobi and use the ryobi to tap them. even if you already have a drill. you gotta.

[abstract python]

Gotta do it with titanium arms then
To increase the loss

[sinful veldt]

Xometry quoted me $300 for a small aluminum SLM part. It’s the main body of an extruder and In3dtec only wants like $8 for it lol

[quaint jacinth]

Xometry is a hit and miss regardless, I dont think anyone recommends them because yhey outsource their orders to 3rd parties anyways

[sinful veldt]

Alright I’m considering going SLM since I’m having trouble narrowing down some slight wobble in my motion system

But the Hydra arms do have some noticeable flex just bending by hand

I’m running 3-7k accel on a plus with 9mm FMG

And getting some slight z banding issues

Plus inconsistent corners

[vital mountain]

I would let others test the waters first

Those came into effect as of last Friday

[warm bobcat]

I struggle with the rear part. I got quotes for that part with bend from $80-300. All the other parts plus gantry is sub $90 in comparison

[vital mountain]

The rear motor mount could be modified to be a flat plate with a printed chain mount

It was cheap though through SendCutSend that I just made the way it is.

[warm bobcat]

Is a bit against my "smolzg all metal"

[vital mountain]

The chain is still plastic though

[warm bobcat]

Who needs a chain, full metal 🤣
True though. SendCutSend and Germany won't be a cheap way any time soon. How hard is it to bend with a 150mm wide heavy duty vice at hand? I could order 3 and use the best bend and still be cheaper

[vital mountain]

You could also modify it to use a flat plate and SLM chain mount

[warm bobcat]

Time to learn CAD 😊
Was anyone in Europe or Germany able to get a lower quote? Otherwise I'll get creative

[abstract python]

where did you get those prices?

[warm bobcat]

I'll look it up. The $90 was Xometry

[tame tulip]

Does laserboost not do bending?

[warm bobcat]

They do, will check

[abstract python]

xometry wants 72€ for 2 rear motor mounts from me

i actually still need to get the metal motor mounts too

they had lower priority for me that the other metal parts

[warm bobcat]

It's 77€ for one for me and like 65 for all other sheet parts plus Gantry. Not to understand...

[abstract python]

dont buy just one
with xometry you always gotta take 2 or more xD

[tame tulip]

yea i try to avoid xometry anyway, they just send it out to whoever can do it the cheapest anyway

[last escarp]

if you find a decent place for this in europe let me know having full metal gantry kinda makes me want full metal hydra

after the toolhead became most of it metal as well it's what I'm missing

[warm bobcat]

My crazy mind is after the same thing and full metal too, I even consider learning diy powder coating for extrusions and all metal parts. I would consider ordering the Hydra rear part in aluminum and steel and see how far persuasion and my heavy duty vice will get me. For sheet stuff, especially with numbers, I found lto to be cheapest. If you need a set of something, shoot me a DM. I'm about to order. Slm is something I still look into.

https://laserteileonline.de/

[last escarp]

sent you a DM

[wild kestrel]

Do we have a .step files of the parts i want to add threads and some details to them.

[lusty galleon]

Check the [1st post](#1348458459204423680 message).

[wild kestrel]

oooooh im blind 🤣 over 24 hr awake 😵‍💫

[weak sinew]

Anyone know the differences between the slm mini tank files Turtle posted? MT12 & MT11. I'm brain farting.

[vital mountain]

Magnet diameter

[weak sinew]

For the SLM hydra

[vital mountain]

11.7mm and 12mm diameters

Many 12mm magnets are undersized

[weak sinew]

Got it. I'll order both just to have spares.

[vital mountain]

That's what I did and most others have also done

[weak sinew]

Yeah better safe than sorry. Does IN3DTEC have a quick turn around? SLM Hydra is sweet looking.

[vital mountain]

2 weeks

[weak sinew]

Not bad at all.

It has begun.

[vital mountain]

Holidays might add shipping delays

[weak sinew]

I'm okay with the wait. Anyhow I still have things to do to my unserialized Merc pending.

[vital mountain]

I really should design a display stand for mine since I stopped running Hydra on my mercs. I really do like how the arms look

[weak sinew]

That's right you were working on a cantilevered bed right? I catch bits and pieces lurking. Lol.

[vital mountain]

Yup

Went all in on that crazy idea, running it on 3 of my mercs

[weak sinew]

I think people like us like love tinkering and modding

Just because

[vital mountain]

My cantilever z mod is not for everyone and a bit too crazy to be official

[weak sinew]

Yeah seems like a huge project.

Gotta run back to work for now.

[raven dew]

https://tenor.com/view/carry-a-heavy-amplifier-bradley-hall-attempt-to-transport-an-amplifier-it's-too-heavy-gif-1089681106518422990

Slightly

[warm bobcat]

Hydra is overkill for bed leveling, but might be nice as a 3.5/4-axis 3d printer option

[vital mountain]

It's terrible for that

[muted pewter]

3 point is the only option for a solid bed, unless you want to break things. Anything more or less will not work.

For a Hydra style system anyways.

[warm bobcat]

I'm not speaking mounting points for the bed, but actual axes of your printer (use the bed swivel as another axis)

[muted pewter]

Oh i see what you mean.

[abstract python]

what size thrust bearings do these use?

[abstract python]

installed these and waiting on thrust bearings for the cushion blocks

[median storm]

Looking to do the 6061 as I have been playing around anodizing a bit myself.

[whole violet]

Purely hypothetical - if one could CNC hydra arms, would it be worth it?

[raven dew]

If you dont like $2000+, go for it

[vital mountain]

Functionally no, cool factor yes

[whole violet]

I'm going to spend more in taking lessons to be allowed in that section of the makerspace

Thought it might be a cool thing to try and make when I can get in there

[spice minnow]

Got a tap stuck in one of the arms, attempting ALUM chemical tap extraction

Arm is turning a much darker color

If this fails it is time to get it remade

[vital mountain]

Don't need all the holes

Just don't break anymore taps

[spice minnow]

It was the last hole on it, and it was one of the 2 that hold the wago connection

[spice minnow]

It works! Just needs a little soak in a vinegar solution to clean it up

[median storm]

Playing around with the SLM arm files today. Is there any reason that the rear arm has some odd-spaced mgn9 rail mounting holes? Most of them are 20mm on centers, but the first and last are just under 12mm on center. Any specific reason for this? Wondering if this might be for a rail stopper mount?

[raven dew]

Because those are used as carriage endstop screws, arnt actually used for the rail itself

[median storm]

Thinking these are nearly ready to roll out for my first experience into slm

[whole violet]

Has anyone recently gotten their SLM arms from in3dtec, in the USA?

[spice minnow]

I did, they came out great, just don't cheap out and get AliExpress taps.

[whole violet]

How much did it end up running you? My quote page keeps breaking.

And yeah I plan on getting good taps xD

[lusty galleon]

Nice, you did the same thing I did and mounted the screws up from the bottom. 👍

[median storm]

$82.64USD

Getting my last bits together before I place my order. Doing tanks, some toolhead filament cutter arms, and possibly some carto waterblocks

[vital mountain]

With shipping and fees. And both sets of mini tanks out should be around $115

[median storm]

111.64

[whole violet]

best im getting, i think

(swapping over to glass-bead blasting)

[prisma galleon]

@whole violet measure your magnets to make sure the tank size you’re ordering will work

[vital mountain]

I just recommend ordering both sizes

[whole violet]

I measured before ordering

I got paranoid and measured twice before ordering

[muted pewter]

If you order two sets of tanks you can just get magnets to fit the other tanks and you have an excuse to make another merc.

[warm bobcat]

Bigger can be reduced with aluminum tape around the magnets, tanks too small is a pain

[median storm]

This is why I am not concerned with printing asa-cf for now, with aluminum on the way, gives me a reason to make a standard temp version later 🫡

[spice minnow]

I really didn't expect the slm printed arms to solve my bed leveling issues, but it did! (:

If only I did it sooner I would not have had to replace so many build sheets

[vital mountain]

That's an odd one

Must have had some assignment issues before

[spice minnow]

I think it was a combination of loose mini tank and the arm flexing

[earnest delta]

Anyone have a good US based one stop shop? Right now split between in3dtec and xeometry or sendcutsend. Not bad prices, just 1 source would be easier

[vital mountain]

No

Us does not have any affordable SLM options. Not even close

$600+ per Hydra arm in the us.

[earnest delta]

Ouch 🤣

Thank you!

[warm bobcat]

Prototi might be even more affordable, it depends on the project though

[lethal coyote]

@vital mountain have you thought about SLM gantry mounts at all?

[vital mountain]

It's not flat enough

To many tolerance issues

[high hearth]

Parts arrived. Be a minute until I can get to this project but I’m excited. Need to get my laser up and running. (Literally the crate I unboxed these on.)

[vital mountain]

Thats a cool rear SLM motor mount, always fun seeing how you remix the files

[sinful veldt]

i got mine laser cut and am now regretting not getting them pre-bent

I was going to just cut it since I don't use the cable chain, but I finally have normal LEDs and no tape on my printer anymore so I feel like I should do better and use the cable chain

maybe even install this thermal fuse

[sinful veldt]

@vital mountain , couple of questions about the hydra arms, what size bolts are supposed to be used for the rails, and just out of curiosity, why not make the rail bolt holes all into through holes since it would make it a lot harder to strip the threads while tapping

To save material or?

[proper maple]

Beautiful SLM parts arrived.
Tracking the tips on drilling and tapping. Wish me luck!

And PPS-CF motor mounts b/c I needed to use up the remainder of the spool

[tame tulip]

Love the look of PPS, did you anneal them?

[proper maple]

I did not. On the to-do list

[inner fossil]

Are there updated files for SLM Hydra arms/mounts? Not sure which ones I need to focus on. I have access to SLM and I'm trying to verify if there are different files for different builds. Sorry, not a big Discord guy and this is like a maze

[inner fossil]

Has anyone had experience tapping the lead screw in their hydra arms ? Anything that’s weird or does everyone get it machined

[whole violet]

I think most people just use the nuts that come with the lead screws

Like I bought uncoated ones and they came with nice POM nuts

you just screw those into the hydra arms

[raven dew]

Brass and POM need to be used.

Or you will slowly eat away your arms and need to replace them anyway

The nuts are the consumable part, dont turn it into the whole arm

[inner fossil]

I wondered how that worked, thanks. I’m just using grcop -42 for my arms because that’s what I have access to. Might wear out over time

Should be fine if just using the nut.

[vital mountain]

No idea what that material is

[inner fossil]

Some NASA shit. Copper chromium niobium alloy. Rockets.

more bad ass than aluminum so should be fine.

[sinful veldt]

General tip for these mod threads, check the pinned messages

[sinful veldt]

Space toilet

[storm heath]

How tf do you have access to this

[inner fossil]

Work.

[whole violet]

I misread this and thought you already tapped your SLM hydra arms lol. It'll be cool to see how they turn out in a neat material

[inner fossil]

Thanks! Looking forward to it. Need to convince my people to work it in on a build. Was looking at the CAD for hydra, is there a benefit to thicker lead screws/ ball screws? Looking at the front lead screws, they just look a little unsupported, I could be wrong tho

[tame tulip]

I doubt you'd see a benefit with ballscrews unless the design is actually centered around them, like the cantilever z i run, its specifically designed around ballscrews with thick steel plates as mounting surfaces, etc.

Hydra doesn't have that

The 8mm leadscrews printers use seem just fine for our uses at a 2 or 4mm pitch

[raven dew]

Balls crews require specific tolerances and retainers that can cause much much worse issues than standard leadscrews if not done perfectly

Leadscrews allow some wiggle, ball screws DO NOT bend at all

[tame tulip]

yea im currently chasing numbers on my ballscrews, with a 0.26mm misalignment over a 400mm span, which is causing inconsistent beacon measurements, extrusions CTE would probably make that even worse

[vital mountain]

Slm tolerances are not good enough to go with ballscrews in my experience

[inner fossil]

Copy. I can achieve the tolerances, just have to do a redesign to accommodate. Not sure I want to do that, I appreciate the craftsmanship already done

[inner fossil]

Is there a reason I should be worried about the weight of the arms? density is close to steel, and I see yall make yours out of Al

Also, has anyone tried to tap inconel? I might do mine out of 718…. Might be impossible for me to drill and tap tho.

[warm bobcat]

I'd say the linear rails can handle the additional weight, you just don't see benefits from it. Also the Z axis is in normal printing not as dynamic as xy.
As far as I can tell I came across inconel only in heater coils and those are not threaded. If it is soft enough, any hardened tap should work but it requires the correct speeds and maybe a cutting oil for best results

[inner fossil]

Is it worthwhile to buy the 100$ kit if I’m building two machines or should I self source

[tame tulip]

Which kit?

Oh the honey badger hydra kit?

[inner fossil]

Yes sir

[inner fossil]

Anyways, can the stock arms be metal printed? What's the benefit of using the the other design above? Just curious the differences.

[abstract python]

well the stock arms are modeled for heated inserts, bulkier than slm ones and have fdm tolerances around the linear rail carriage, so with slm it probably wont fit

[inner fossil]

@vital mountain Did you use fusion to design the SLM arms? If so, could I have access to the source files to edit?

[prisma galleon]

The step file is in the first post

[inner fossil]

Fusion

Just wanted a timeline to a super fun design.

[abstract python]

Just edit the step file

[vital mountain]

I'm too backed up with sharing other projects to add that to my list. It's also designed to not scale, so probably wouldn't help much if you're trying to make big changes.

[inner fossil]

All good man

[inner fossil]

what does the last bolt/hole do on the arms?

the one that is kinda on an overhang

[prisma galleon]

Run a screw up through the bottom for a carriage stop

[vital mountain]

Screw from the top, but yeah just a safety stop

[inner fossil]

can i incorporate that into the slm part, or is that a bad idea?

it's essentially jsut an endstop for the carriage right?