Fabmaker relies on proven linear guide components for 3D printers

Profile

• What was needed: A 3D printer for the training company that is easy to use and works reliably
• Requirements: Durability, ability to cope with operating errors, cost-effective
• Industry: 3D printing
• Success for the customer: Reliable elements for the 3D printer in education and training.

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The fabmaker GmbH has developed a 3D printer for the school and training sector. When choosing the functional elements and components they use in their "educational printer", they rely on industry-proven products and services, however – as demonstrated by the collaboration between fabmaker and igus.  
 

Problem

This educational printer is designed to introduce school children, trainees and university students  to the technology. So the 3D printer should be easy to use and safe. Due to its use in the training sector, it must function reliably and be maintenance-free. As the target group is technically very differently educated, the printer must be able to cope with operating errors. In principle, the 3D printer is a teaching tool that must always be available and must function dependably for many years.
Two print heads are required to process filaments in two colours or two different materials.
One of the main criteria is precise, vibration-free positioning of the two printer heads holding the jets through which the filaments heated to 250°C flow in order to enable the creation of required contours using molten layers. The claim is "not as precise as possible", but "as precise as necessary", the prerequisite for which is, of course, an extremely precise linear guide along which the printer heads are moved in x, y and z directions. This guide should, however, not only be precise but also lubrication-free and, to the greatest extent, maintenance-free. Lubricants such as oil or grease must not escape at temperatures in above two hundred degrees and contaminate the object being printed or the working chamber. Despite all requirements, such a linear guide has to be reasonably priced.

Solution

A complete modular system for the most varied requirements: Liners made of various lubrication-free iglidur high-performance polymers ensure here that drylin W linear guides move and run smoothly and quietly as a whisper compared to recirculating ball bearing guided carriages. They can be easily clipped into the bearing housing that is available in aluminium, stainless steel or zinc-die casting options. As an option, the bearing clearance can be set to customer specifications. Available as single or double rail systems, the drylin W linear guides have a modular design. Its profile rails are made of hard anodised aluminium that stands for the best possible friction properties, low wear and light-weight design. High-performance plastics make a maintenance-free product possible. A fully harnessed linear guide from the drylin W modular system was the solution here with an achieved positioning accuracy of the nozzles of 0.0125 millimetres - "as precise as necessary".