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Sunday, July 28, 2013

New 3D FDM FFF Printer - MendalMax 2.0

I've had my trusty MakerBot Thing-O-Matic for a few years now, and it's been my trusty workhorse. I've made various improvements to it such add a platform heat spread, LM8UU bearings on the X/Y/Z axis's, and changing to a custom accelerated firmware to print at 75mm/sec. However, there comes a time when upgrades are no longer possible or feasible.

My 'ole trusty Thing-O-Matic
I suppose the main limitation of the T.O.M. is the build tray size of 100mm cubed. That's roughly a 4" cube for all you Americans out there. Many of my designs and newer designs I've found on the web, require a larger build tray than 100mm cubed.

After paying off my crippling credit card debt and finding myself flush with some extra cash, I decided to splurge on a new Machine. Now, I've been looking at machines online for months, trying to decide what would be a good upgrade. 

I had a few requirements:
  • Large Build Tray
  • Heated Platform Bed
  • Reasonable cost
  • Good product support
The heated build tray was probably the deciding factor in my final choice. Machines like the Replicator 2 (http://store.makerbot.com/replicator2.html) have excellent customer support as well as multiple print heads, but in the end, the ability to print plastics other than PLA was more important.

My final choice came down to the MendelMax 2.0 http://store.makerstoolworks.com/printer-kits/mendelmax-2-0-standard-kit/ . It has excellent specifications, a heated build platform, and a large build volume.

I ordered one and it arrived far faster than I expected:

Mendel Max 2.0 in kit form.

After about 8 hours of assembly over the course of 2 days, the machine was assembled and calibrated.

The Assembled Mendel Max 2.0
Here's the machine sitting on my kitchen table, waiting to find a spot large enough somewhere else in my house.

My first 'Real' Print.
 After printing the end-stops and fan mount, I decided on a Buddha.

I'm sure over the next few years, this machine will help me build miracles. :-)

1 comment:

  1. Hi Steve,

    Congratulations on such a quick build! It looks great. If you have any advice for other builders on how to put it together as quickly as you did, be sure to drop by our forums and add it to our "Tricks and Tips" -- http://www.makerstoolworks.com/forums/forum/mendelmax-2/tricks-and-tips/

    As always, we're available if you have any questions or concerns via our website and IRC webchat.

    Keep on printing!
    -ryan_turner

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