A quality printer is easy to build.
I have to build many printers and the challenge of a top-quality printer starts with the build. Good manufacturers have easy to follow the documentation that starts with written instruction and expands to videos as makers build their own kits. I encourage anyone who plans to buy this or any other kit to review the online documentation. The good news with FYSETC is that their kits appear to have decent documentation. This is not different from the FYSETC Prusa Mini Clone Kit. This post is a continuation of my prior post: part 1: Prusa Mini Clone From China.
Documentation:
The Build
I started by printing the parts. I chose to use Prusament Urban Gray PC Blend. This was partially a mistake because it the PC Blend trends to warp some. The warping caused some more mechanical parts such as the extruder to grind. The grinding made it impossible to print so I had to reprint them. To maintain color, I used Urban Gray PETG. The extruder parts were a success out of PETG.
The only other major issue I had with the build was my own inability to follow directions. All of the parts were clearly labeled and ready to install. I did accidentally put some pants on backward. That was on me and not the directions. I tend to have a little directional dyslexia.
Because this kit was cheaply made, you would expect the holder to be misaligned. That was not the case. It when together like a perfectly sized foot on your foot. Some warping of the PC Blend did require some adjusting, but the aluminum parts were perfect. I didn’t have to spend much time adjusting the frame and it seems perfectly square, because, you know, I couldn’t. The precision wound up being square enough, so I’m happy with the frame.
Mechanically, the motors, rods, and gears were in good condition. The study works well. I did have one glitch and that would be the GT2 belts. One of the two belts was too short to be used. I had spares so it was no huge deal. The linear motion was smooth in the X. Y. and Z direction. I read stories about the poor bearings. The bottom line is that the printer parts worked very smoothly.
The wiring was perfectly marked and the wires were the right length. Electrical is another story. Everything is near perfect. The kit came with the newer magnetic and steel ball filament sensor design that was similar to the new ones with the MK3S. I have never disassembled my Prusa Mini filament sensor but it is probably similar.
I did have one problem during the assembly. I cracked two parts because the PC Blend is much less flexible. You can see an example below. Then again, this one is on me for using PC Blend.
The X-axis was the most difficult part to assemble. Between the X-axis and the Z-axis, I had to assemble to disassemble a couple times. Each disassembly was accompanied by reassembling. To be honest, I had the same experience with my Prusa Mk3S.
It probably took me about 3 to 4 hours to assemble the printer. I had to remove and adjust several parts because I cannot read or follow directions. The wonderful thing about having an existing 3D printer is the ability to print spare parts when needed and if you break one or two during the assembly. Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with many broken parts during my build.
After the printer was built, it was the moment of truth. I plugged it in and flipped the power switch: Success! The screen glowed in its multicolors and greeted me. I ran through the wizard and it passed, I then went through the calibration and it worked this first time. I did have to update the firmware on the buddy board. Once the new firmware was flashed the calibration was run again and passed, the first layer calibration also finished without any issues. Onward to test prints!
The bottom line: I was quite honestly surprised at how well everything went together. It was one of the easiest builds I have had in 3 years of build various 3D printers. This kit was packed with high-quality parts. On to the test printing. If you want a kit and know how to assemble it, I would not be concerned about recommending the FYSETC Prusa Mini Clone.
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Prusa Mini Clone, Part 2: The Parts
A printer is a sum of its part…Quality is the key to success. Shortly before I made the purchase, I reviewed several online communities such
Prusa Mini Clone From China
The background or The Why Ok, I have gone and done it. I purchased a Prusa Mini and now I have committed sacrilege and purchased
