A (hopefully) up-to-date repository of best practices for FFF/FDM 3D printer design.
Much of the written knowledge on the internet is either outdated, or locked up in videoes and chatrooms, or worse, both.
I've absorbed a lot and I hope to convey as much of what I have learned as possible.
There is a limit to the depth I will go into. To some extent once you are armed with the knowledge from here you should be better prepared to do your own research and know what the right questions are. But if you're working on esoteric motion systems or extreme high temperatures for exotic materials, you will need to do more work on your own.
XY Motion Systems (CoreXY vs Bedslinger vs Delta vs Cross Gantry)
Drive Mechanisms (belts, leadscrews, ballscrews)
Filament extrusion overview
Extruders (single, dual gear, hob size, runout etc)
Direct drive vs Bowden
Part cooling
Beds (surfaces and surface treatments)
Frame design
Frame assembly (straightening)
Toolhead structure (particularly regarding balance)
Bed structure
MCUs
Motor Drivers
Toolhead Boards
Limit Switches
Bed Heaters
Chamber Heaters
Wires
Temperature Measurement (thermistors, thermocouples, RTDs)
Input Shaping overview
Temperature Control overview
Klipper, Marlin, RRF specifics
Primary materials
Reinforcement/Fill Materials (glass, CF, metal, inhomogeneous plastic "silk")
Support materials
Filament dryers
Material switchers (MMU/AMS vs IDEX vs toolchanger)
Creating this guide is a lot of work. If you'd like to show your support, feel free to leave me a tip at https://ko-fi.com/carvac
No AI has been used in the creation of this guide.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International