Visual Guide to 3D Printing

If you're building a printer you designed yourself, awesome.

If you're building a printer someone else designed, good luck ;)

If you're building a kit you purchased, don't be shy about bothering the manufacturer.

If your printer is already fully assembled and ready to go it's still a good idea to skim through here as an educational thing.

General construction

* Read the instructions all the way through before starting

* Keep good notes

* Measure twice, cut once

* Don't take risks with your eyes and hands

* Respect the danger of things that get hot, power tools, and fumes in confined spaces

General printers

* The linear motion elements must be rigid (no flex), consistent (same dimension everywhere), and tough (high wear resistance)

* all moving parts must be properly lubricated

* all fasteners must be properly tightened

* all wires must be secured so that they do not catch on moving parts, rub on edges, or bend too sharply

* anything that heats up must isolated (distance, active cooling or insulation)

* anything that heats up must be allowed to expand and contract

Thermoplastic printers

* anything that comes in contact with molten plastic will probably wear out sooner or later

Cartesian printers

* The X, Y and Z axis must be perfectly aligned

** If there are two linear controls for one axis they must be parallel

** Each axis must be perpendicular

references

* http://reprap.org/wiki/Build_instructions