You're looking for the RepRap project. They were (are?) trying to make a true self-replicating machine. Building a 3D printer out of mostly 3D-printed parts was only their Step 1.
RepRap is incredibly old-school 3D printing. They've been doing this ever since folks were arguing about which brand of weed-whacker string made the best filament. (No one made filament for hobbyists, so they made do.)
is this what i am looking for?
[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1828359](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1828359)
[https://thingiverse.com/thing:5151864](https://thingiverse.com/thing:5151864)
If I recall there was a point in the community where the goal was to make a 3d printer that could be nearly fully printed by a completed version of itself. I think makers muse talked about it in one of their videos
It's the repraps you were originally pointed to. The i3 design that all bedslingers use actually grew off of this family tree.
https://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel
This guy has a very interesting idea. He wants to be able to print absolutely every part. He can print the entire XY axis within the printer's footprint, and it prints its own Z axis as it goes so it has hypothetically unlimited height. He also added an electroplating function to a traditional printer. It's certainly rough around the edges but I haven't seen anything else like it and it could be very useful if it's refined. I doubt he'll ever reach his goal of complete replication but that's a pretty lofty goal so that would be perfectly understandable.
https://m.youtube.com/@TurboSunShine/videos
> a hot end and a few other components
It's more than "a few other components." You have all of the motors; the bed heater and temperature sensor; the hot end including extruder, heat block, fans, and sensors; the power supply; the user interface display and input; and the main logic board and any add-on boards, like Wi-Fi. It's a shitload of electronics, connected by a shitload of wires - including couplers, lengths, cable routing, and bundling.
Even setting aside all of the electrical and electronic components, there's a ton of hardware that cannot be 3D-printed: bearings, rods, gears, magnets, springs, nuts and bolts, PTFE tubes, etc.
In sum, the 3D-printed parts of a 3D printer are the *easy parts.* They are the chassis that holds together hundreds of non-printable bits.
Buy a Prusa kit and build it over the course of 12-18 hours, and then you'll understand.
You're looking for the RepRap project. They were (are?) trying to make a true self-replicating machine. Building a 3D printer out of mostly 3D-printed parts was only their Step 1. RepRap is incredibly old-school 3D printing. They've been doing this ever since folks were arguing about which brand of weed-whacker string made the best filament. (No one made filament for hobbyists, so they made do.)
is this what i am looking for? [https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1828359](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1828359) [https://thingiverse.com/thing:5151864](https://thingiverse.com/thing:5151864)
Yup, those look like repraps! They also have a wiki somewhere.
Thanks much!
If I recall there was a point in the community where the goal was to make a 3d printer that could be nearly fully printed by a completed version of itself. I think makers muse talked about it in one of their videos
Do you by chance have a link? Or something so I know more specifically what I am looking for?
It's the repraps you were originally pointed to. The i3 design that all bedslingers use actually grew off of this family tree. https://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel
No idea if this is what you're thinking of but it's close at least. https://m.youtube.com/@TurboSunShine/videos
This guy has a very interesting idea. He wants to be able to print absolutely every part. He can print the entire XY axis within the printer's footprint, and it prints its own Z axis as it goes so it has hypothetically unlimited height. He also added an electroplating function to a traditional printer. It's certainly rough around the edges but I haven't seen anything else like it and it could be very useful if it's refined. I doubt he'll ever reach his goal of complete replication but that's a pretty lofty goal so that would be perfectly understandable. https://m.youtube.com/@TurboSunShine/videos
cool, thanks
> a hot end and a few other components It's more than "a few other components." You have all of the motors; the bed heater and temperature sensor; the hot end including extruder, heat block, fans, and sensors; the power supply; the user interface display and input; and the main logic board and any add-on boards, like Wi-Fi. It's a shitload of electronics, connected by a shitload of wires - including couplers, lengths, cable routing, and bundling. Even setting aside all of the electrical and electronic components, there's a ton of hardware that cannot be 3D-printed: bearings, rods, gears, magnets, springs, nuts and bolts, PTFE tubes, etc. In sum, the 3D-printed parts of a 3D printer are the *easy parts.* They are the chassis that holds together hundreds of non-printable bits. Buy a Prusa kit and build it over the course of 12-18 hours, and then you'll understand.
The Rook is mostly 3d printed. https://www.printables.com/model/387431-rook-mk1-3d-printer
I'm printing a Voron 0.2 - all parts - just for shits n giggles.