3D Printer Setup

Hello, my name is Diego. I am a 13 year old maker from Guatemala, I focus mainly in the are of robotics and hardware. Out of all of the tools I have in my little shop, the 3D printer is probably the one that I use the most. It's ability to create fast prototypes and intricate things that I wouldn't be able to create by hand is amazing. This tutorial will help you make your experience with a 3D printer even better.

Step 1: What You Need

This is a fairly cheap thing to do since we wont be using any expensive things to do this. The materials are very simple and can be found at your local hardware store.

Materials:

- 1/2 inch pvc pipe (a one foot length should get the job done)

- 1) Hanging clip (there is a picture on step 2 for you to know what I am talking about)

- 2) 1/2 pvc T's

- 2) 1/2 pvc elbows

- 3) Wall anchors (this can be any type of wall anchor you have around the house)

- 1) long 3 inch screw (make sure your screw fits the plug size that you have

- 2) 3/4 inch screws (again make sure this fits the plugs that you have)

- Double sided tape.

Tools:

- Drill

Step 2: Hanging the Spatula

The spatula is a very useful tool when it comes to 3D printing, It helps you remove the things you print from the print bed. Before I made this I always lost my spatula when I needed it but now I know it is always there.

This is the simplest step of all, the only thing you have to do is use some double sided tape to paste the hanging clip. You can see in the picture that this clips are usually used to hang belts and other things but we are using them for another purpose here. Once you have pasted it we can move on to the next step

Step 3: Blue Painters Tape

Unless you have a heated bed in your 3D printer (which I don't have) blue painters tape is a big one for you. After almost every print you have to change your tape, which can be a bit annoying especially if every time you want to print something you have to search for the tape. So it is very handy to have your tape at hand all the time.

For this step what you have to do is simple:

1) drill a hole that is the right size for your wall anchor.

2) insert the anchor

3) grab your long 3 inch screw and screw it in until the head is just on the edge of your blue tape roll (feel free to use the images to guide yourself).

Step 4: Filament Holder

If you have ever used a 3d printer you know how annoying it is to find that your print didn't finish because your filament didn't feed correctly. This can be fixed with adding a filament holder. This reduces the friction on your spool and therefore reduce the effort on your extruder motor. This is something that has helped me a lot since I added it and I think it is going to help you too.

This is the hardest of all three steps but it is no rocket science.

1) cut yourself 3 pieces of 1/2 inch pvc that are 3 1/4 inches long.

2) connect one of your pieces to a 1/2 inch T on one side and to a 1/2 inch elbow on the other, make another piece just like it and then use the remaining 3 1/4 inch pipe to connect both of your pieces.

3) put it on the wall at the exact height and place where you want to put it and make some marks

4) drill some holes that are the right size for your anchors and insert them

5) drill a hole in the both of your T's (use the picture to guide yourself)

6) use your 3/4 inch screws and drive them through the T's and into the plugs

7) assemble everything and insert your spool.

Comments

[killer5150]

hey just wondering what kind of 3d printer do you use I'm looking to get and would like ideas?

[andygreyrider]

Hi Diego, High Five from Manchester, England.
Great instructable and one of many to come.
You carry on what you are doing, providing solutions for problems and I think the critic's are only jealous of your youth.
Your parents must be proud of you and feel blessed.
Wishing you many more exciting projects to share.
I will be looking out for them.
Happy times ahead!

[Makersauce]

Keep it up diego! dude, i'll keep this in mind when i get my printer, i really liked your idea on the spool mounted on the wall hahaha

[kirk.taylor.9659]

Yes, thanks, but I think most of us on this sight know how to install a wall anchor (not a plug)!!

[diegoch2001]

thanks for the feedback kirk, I will fix it right away.

[tomatoskins]

I like the nice clean looking setup!

[APuckNut]

Nice work. Good job with the details. Great instructable