Possible future hardware upgrades to the M200

Hi,

As I wait for my printer, I have lots of time to think about possibilities. I was wondering if Zortrax has any plans for hardware upgrades in 2014. Does anyone on the forum have something they would like to see come out to keep the M200 ahead of the competition and make it the best fused filament machine on the market? I know they’re pretty busy right now, but hopefully Zortrax will be able to share some of their plans with us.

Lewi

One hardware suggestion I have is an easier to remove bed connection. Currently it has 2 plugs and the bigger one is really tight to connect or remove. Many times I don’t even remove the bed because of that.

Besides that, the only things that may be nice for a future model are dual extruders and larger print area.

[quote name=The6uest]Currently it has 2 plugs and the bigger one is really tight to connect or remove. Many times I don’t even remove the bed because of that.

[/quote]

Always use two hands to remove this connector before removing bed and it will be easy to disconnect, using only one hand is a nightmare with it.

Best Regards

Yeah, I use one hand to pull the connector and one to hold the bed. I have wide hands though so that makes it hard to reach in there. :slight_smile:

Yep, I feel your pain, I try to not remove the platform more often than not, I really worry about the micro connector, and the large one is a bit tough to remove. A single hooded connector covering all the connections would be a great future upgrade. With perhaps a magnetic component or other mechanical retention/ejection mechanism.

An upgrade to a dual head system would be insane also, with perhaps a water soluable support structure filament or dual color/material types to simulate overmolds. :cool:

So why not use the RJ45 LAN type connector for the heat bed? This connector is cheap and reliable. Using special connector would be more expensive IMO.

[quote name=smile]So why not use the RJ45 LAN type connector for the heat bed? This connector is cheap and reliable. Using special connector would be more expensive IMO.
[/quote]

RJ45 is for communication protocol not for high amperage power lines that is all.

Best Regards

I’m sure the RJ-45 would not handle the amperage. What about a magnetic connector?

Any plans for a “tophat” and sidewalls for the system to trap heat inside the build chamber and to reduce warping? Can they be retrofits that attach and detach by way of magnets?

Dual extruders would be great… How much room would they eat up and how much build footprint would we lose?

I don’t have much hope for a larger print area in the Y and Z axes as the chassis and the nature of the rails and mechanicals limit the maximum travel…

But…

If there is room or accommodation for an additional control run, you could probably put in an extended bed on the X axis with a drive control that would allow extended X prints. The bed would need to rest on slides or rails which index or drive along the X axis, and it would need at least 4 control/power lines, but it could be done. The problem would be that there would be issues with warping if extended sidewalls (essentially 5 sided enclosed chambers on each side) are not available, and removing the print would require taking the platform out from the side as opposed to the front (which isn’t a big issue). The rear Z lift posts can handle at least 10Kgf each on the moment arm without deflection and the there is no load on the X and y gantry axes. I think using that method, you could probably double the X axis safely. Most of this would be software. The mechanicals should be pretty straightforward.

[quote name=Martin Olchanowski][quote=smile]So why not use the RJ45 LAN type connector for the heat bed? This connector is cheap and reliable. Using special connector would be more expensive IMO.
[/quote]

RJ45 is for communication protocol not for high amperage power lines that is all.

Best Regards
[/quote]

RJ45 can use wire as thick as gauge 22, so it can pass 7amps of current, if the zortrax uses 24V for heated bed that means 168W of power, so doubling the pins (I see 4 wires on small connector and RJ45 has 8) you should be safe.

There is also a connector known as SATA power connector, used on any hard drive etc. It’s very robust, and easy to disconnect.