SD4 with ballscrew for z-axis installed

With the previous z-screw the amount of backlash increased with wear, and I ended up having to preload nuts by adding weights to the bed close to the bushings. These are not needed anymore, and there does not seem to be any backlash at all. I would guess any backlash at this point would come from the metal plate where the motor is mounted would bend slightly before the ballscrew and nut would give.

A ballscrew should be the best solution for the z-axis, I cannot think of any reason why not. So the question is whether or not cheap china ones are up to the job, and it seems like they are

The one I bought was "CNC Linear SFU 1204 BallScrew Set 1pc RM1204 L-330mm + 1pc SFU1204 Ball Screw Anti Backlash BallNut with end machining" by golmart on aliexpress. I've attached the drawing I sent them if anyone is interested. Be careful with the ballnut, if it goes outside the threads the balls will fall out. I would recommend buying a 8mm collar for the top to prevent this, and a rigid 8 to 5 mm coupler in the bottom.

Great info, thanks.  Now to measure for the SD2.  I imagine it will take the better part of a month to arrive.

Here's a picture of the 0.05 mm layer height knob I printed for LCD enclosure. I tried taking some pictures with a macro lens on my DSLR, but the combination of white abs and very smooth surface makes it impossible/very difficult to see the layers (except for on the top). I've added a AA battery for scale. Uneveness is less than the specs of dust on the battery at least

Thx

I find bowden to be easy to work with. I use an airtripper with mk8 gear, with an SY42STH47-1684A stepper I had in a drawer. This is a fairly strong stepper, and the feeding works great. I've never had a stall due to the extruder slipping, the motor will stall before the mk8 slips (at least for PLA). I run 150mm/s retracts without problems. Also, I use a drv8825 driver with 32 microsteps. After putting this in fast decay mode, all problems with moire pattern in prints went away, even when running on max current (both with and without bowden).

I do not have problems with blobbing or stringing from the bowden setup, although sometimes it does underextrude slightly right after a long translation move. I need to play more with the settings, but I think I might be printing with to high temperature (210C for PLA). I normally print at about 60 mm/s for perimeters, 100 for infill and 150 for movement (0.2mm layer height).

I switched to bowden so I could increase speed, minimize oscilations when printing corners at high speed, and make it ready for someday upgrading to dual extrusion. I still need to do something with the top lid so I can use it with the bowden tube, and keep the printer sealed to prevent drafts for ABS prints. Haven't gotten that far yet.

Overall, I'm happy with the bowden setup. I made a simple mount for it as well (thingiverse# 612526)

Thread bump because I am finally getting around to doing this 10 months later, haha.  Anyway, how did you all get the pressed in nut removed from the bed holder?  I swear I remember seeing a thread here where someone had done it using a printed piece to gain leverage but I haven't had any luck finding it.  Did anyone have it saved?  Thanks.

Edit:  found it using google search site:soliforum.com nut removal
http://www.soliforum.com/topic/2990/bos … -consumer/

Hopefully I can get to it this weekend.

I just grabbed it with a pair of vice grips and started twisting. It came off in less than 30 seconds

How does the new z-axis ballscrew get attached to the motor shaft?