<p><strong>To your three questions:</strong></p>

<ol>
<li>".. would it be possible to make a 500 * 500 * 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?" - YES</li>
<li>"Would such a setup be worth it?" - Only you could determine that.  It would quite a bit of work; but, if you enjoy making things it would likely be a fun accomplishment.</li>
<li>"Would the steppers have to handle more load?" - X and Y axis don't fight gravity so the the only force you fight is friction and accel/decel.  If you keep with a low friction design then you will just need to limit the accel and decel to what the motors can handle.  Regarding Z, this depends on your design, if you stick with the standard lead screw approach then the motor power required really isn't affected by the height.  </li>
</ol>

<p>Two thing to note about larger printers:</p>

<ol>
<li>It takes a LONG time to make a large object.  Make sure you consider this in the design as you probably won't be able to be there the whole time.  Design with fire prevention in mind.</li>
<li>Tall lead screws increase the risk of Z-axis wobble.  Make sure your consider this.  You will need VERY strait lead screws.  If you are going to capture both ends of the lead screw, use flex couplings.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-19T16:10:50.320Z
Thanks With that in mind I think that it wouldn't be sustainable to do that, I'll make an mpcnc with an extrusion head attachement instead
R3D34THR4Y
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-18T02:00:00.583Z
2017-06-18T02:00:00.583Z
markshancock
<p>I've been 3D printing for almost 4 years. Now that I have an M180, my RepRapPro Huxley is collecting dust as I only use it for flexible prints and ABS prints as it handles them better than the M180 does.</p>

<p>I was wondering, since everything is open source in it and hardware-wise most open style Y carriage bed 3D printers are the same, would it be possible to make a 500 * 500 * 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?</p>

<p>Since the carriage system isn't that good, I would replace it with solid machined aluminium rails and the heat bed would be made out of four Prusa I3 HB, which would only require me to add a PC PSU to power the whole thing and some MOSFETs to handle the load. I would be salvaging the board, the steppers, the endstops and extruder assembly basically. </p>

<p>Would such a setup be worth it?</p>

<p>Would the steppers have to handle more load?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-17T20:50:44.947Z
I am seeing two (or three) questions in one here. One that is clearly unsuitable for stackexchange (whether it is worth it is entirely up to you and your preferences, and is not objectively answerable), and one which might be reasonable (about whether the steppers can handle the load, but this should be asked as a separate question). I am therefore voting to close this question as too broad. Right now you're just asking us to brainstorm about a hypothetical printer build.
Tom van der Zanden
<reprap><diy-3d-printer>
Upscaling a reprap
R3D34THR4Y
# Upscaling a reprap

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-17)

I've been 3D printing for almost 4 years. Now that I have an M180, my RepRapPro Huxley is collecting dust as I only use it for flexible prints and ABS prints as it handles them better than the M180 does.

I was wondering, since everything is open source in it and hardware-wise most open style Y carriage bed 3D printers are the same, would it be possible to make a 500 \* 500 \* 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?

Since the carriage system isn't that good, I would replace it with solid machined aluminium rails and the heat bed would be made out of four Prusa I3 HB, which would only require me to add a PC PSU to power the whole thing and some MOSFETs to handle the load. I would be salvaging the board, the steppers, the endstops and extruder assembly basically.

Would such a setup be worth it?

Would the steppers have to handle more load?

**Tags:** reprap, diy-3d-printer
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I am seeing two (or three) questions in one here. One that is clearly unsuitable for stackexchange (whether it is worth it is entirely up to you and your preferences, and is not objectively answerable), and one which might be reasonable (about whether the steppers can handle the load, but this should be asked as a separate question). I am therefore voting to close this question as too broad. Right now you're just asking us to brainstorm about a hypothetical printer build.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-06-18. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

**To your three questions:**

1. ".. would it be possible to make a 500 \* 500 \* 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?" - YES
2. "Would such a setup be worth it?" - Only you could determine that. It would quite a bit of work; but, if you enjoy making things it would likely be a fun accomplishment.
3. "Would the steppers have to handle more load?" - X and Y axis don't fight gravity so the the only force you fight is friction and accel/decel. If you keep with a low friction design then you will just need to limit the accel and decel to what the motors can handle. Regarding Z, this depends on your design, if you stick with the standard lead screw approach then the motor power required really isn't affected by the height.

Two thing to note about larger printers:

1. It takes a LONG time to make a large object. Make sure you consider this in the design as you probably won't be able to be there the whole time. Design with fire prevention in mind.
2. Tall lead screws increase the risk of Z-axis wobble. Make sure your consider this. You will need VERY strait lead screws. If you are going to capture both ends of the lead screw, use flex couplings.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks With that in mind I think that it wouldn't be sustainable to do that, I'll make an mpcnc with an extrusion head attachement instead  

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