Projects/MendelMax
 | |
| A MendelMax V1.5 scaled up to 150% | |
| Equipment Information | |
|---|---|
| Status | Under Maintenance (Slightly dead) |
| Manufacturer | Reprap + Leeds Hackspace |
| Model | MendelMax V1.5x1.5 |
| Head | E3D V? clone |
| Usable Area | 350x375x260mm |
| Hackspace Information | |
| Induction Required | Yes |
| Induction Information | Here |
| Card RFID Enabled | No |
| Owner | Leeds Hackspace |
This is the hackspace mendelmax. It is the oldest of the printers in the space, and as such is very dead.
Maintainence
This printer needs a LOT of maintainence.
Z probing
The Z axis endstop is shot. Not because the switch is borkned, but because the original design uses a screw, which will then angle itself out of the way, causing un-reliable Z-Homing.
The printer is also from a time before bed leveling. So there are no leveling screws to even manually adjust.
The solution: Use Marlin's Unified bed leveling, with a bed probe.
Current candidates include:
- A BFP Touch, basicly a custom built BLTouch Files here
- A BLTouch
- A capacitive probe
Toolhead
There is currently a discusion about what to do with the tool cariage. The X axis terminations need to be reprinted, that is certain.
What is uncertain is if we should model our own cariage system, that is vertical instead of horisontal.
Current hotend
Check the hotend on the mendel max. Some say it takes 3mm filament. Others say it takes 1.75mm filament. Nobody knows, as it's been dead for a year.
Future
Try and make tool heads swappable. Why? A: Because we can do larger nozzels, and B:Because it is possible to get 3mm fillament for ~£8 shipped from ebay. Will it be the most reliable? Frack no. But given the volume of the printer, having an E3D volcano (Real, diy, or clone) with a 1.5mm nozzle would allow for the maximum usage of the print volume. It would also eat material like nobodys business. So having cheap material seems like a good plan.
Why try to print so much material? Because singlle print props (Helments, model weapons, etc.) sounds like an awesome thing. If it doesnt take 2997923...hours to actually print them.
Safety Testing
The printer has a 230V silicon mat based heated bed, that has been sandwiched between the metal. It could probably do with an insulation test at some point.
Shopping list
For general parts See main 3d printer shopping list in Team 3D