Hi, I recently saw a post from makertech 3d that they are working on an upgrade package and I was wondering what's everybody's opinion about it:
My thoughts so far: It sounds very expensive and I don't want to throw a lot of money on this printer anymore. Certainly because I don't see it as an upgrade but as a fix for what should have worked in the first place. Add-in the huge custom fees (thank you Brexit) and delays and you're probably better of saving for a different printer.
I think the quad bed levelling would be more worthwhile than 9mm belts. As you say the X axis can be levelled but not the Y, which is a problem. Thinking about other upgrades I would like to see the gantry upgraded so that another mounting and ducting system could be used ie the EVA system which uses an MGN12 rail on the X axis.
A £250 price point is doable for me. Over that it would be a harder to balance the cost/ performance benefits.
Would quad bed levelling ( bed automatically gets levelled mechanically at four points) be preferred over 9mm belts and toothed idlers? There would also be some loss of Z-height - maybe 40mm? It's a more expensive upgrade, that's why we may have to drop the 9mm belt and idlers to make a £250-£300 price point. (9mm belts also means a re-do of the tool carriage and gantry too).
The current belt/bearing set-up works well, and after some testing we think that 9mm belts with toothed idlers may just be a bit of gimmick?
Sticking with the current belts means the same gantry, tool carriage and even belts could be used (we'd still include a fresh set). Upgrading would also be A LOT easier.
We're leaning more towards this option of quad levelling, as the two independent Z motors currently tram the bed in X to less than 0.1mm, which is great, however the Y-Axis can be off by up to an entire millimetre, which is not so great.
I would be interested in some of the upgrades, as some have already been done I would like the option of only choosing those that I would like. There is really two machines - single or double hotends and some upgrades would not be suitable for both ie independent Z axis control for the single hotend just need an additional stepper motor and a change of marlin.
I would be interested in upgrading the motion system and improving the frame so that the bed can be levelled (not just independent Zaxis).
The Klipper option should be separate from other options.
We should be announcing it in the following weeks, a few things have changed since this was written. We're sticking with the SKR board and adding an expansion board to it to control the z-axes independently. IDEX is now off the table, there was just not enough space on the gantry to implement it effectively, without chopping off half the build volume.
What we are adding (subject to change):
- Extrusions and CNC'd aluminium parts to replace the top panel
- Wider 9mm belts and toothed idlers.
- 33% faster x/y motors
- Copper/titanium heatbreaks for switching hotend.
- Improved thermistors
- Improved reliability of servo by using a relay to power down
- Extra extrusions for supporting the platform
- Brackets and thrust bearings to take the weight off the z-motors.
- Independent Z-motor control for auto bed tramming
- Plum couplings to replace the spring couplings - to remove backlash/improve repeatability
- 7-inch capacitive touch screen
- Klipper firmware
Optionals:
- Improved Enclosure with larger fume filter - 4x larger (NOTE: old enclosure will not fit)
- CHT Nozzle for higher flow rates
Out of interest, what price would you expect to pay for an upgrade like this (excluding shipping/taxes)?
From top to bottom:
-top part of the frame and belt Lay-out could be improved but it’s not really necessary as the existing hardware is strong enough for good and fast printing.
-CoreXY IDEX is not really doable since the motion of both heads would pretty much fuck each other over. A standard motion system is most likely better for IdEx.
-The temperature sensor is perfectly fine but the hotend really needs an upgrade. Do that regardless of what Makertechs upgrade kit will look like.
-If you have a raspi already, install Klipper on the SKR. No need for an octopus board (unless you want to control both Z leadscrews independently)
-You can remove the screen yourself when using Klipper. You can also keep the screen and run it in Marlin mode (works, I do that on mine) or get a generic screen for a raspi (google for tutorials).
-Not really worth it unless you’re getting a new board anyways. A Z-synchronisation (like the one I made and posted links for) works just as well and adds the needed resistance to the leadscrews so the bed doesn’t fall on its own.
Summary:
-If you want IDEX, get another printer.
-If you want to keep the printer, get a raspi and another hotend (like the Dragon). Then install Klipper and you’re good to go.
-If you want to go all out with upgrades, get another printer
To me it sounds good, but as you said it would be expensive. But compared to say a voron it would be a great machine. Hopefully you could pick some of the upgrades and not have to buy the whole set as I've already done some of these.