Defining the size of your HevORT
Big print area sounds better and something important you need. But lets figure out what size you actually need. Here are the pros and cons about big printers that are to be considered. When I a mean big print area i am talking about 450mm and + cubic printer.
GO Big? or not…?
PRO’s
- You can print big parts in one shot.
- You can print more small parts with all of that bed surface area
- And…. that’s about it!
CON’s
- Heavyier Y axis due to length of the X axis member requiring to be moved along the Y axis.
- Major increase in build price:
- 500 X 500 heated bed assembly will cost three times what it would for a 300 x 300 heated bed.
- there is a very big price difference between 500mm rails or ball screw VS 700mm ones.
- …
- More energy required. Even when printing small parts as the entire bed will need to be warmed up.
- Takes more space
- More belt ringing due to longer unsupported belt lengths
So what size do you need might turn into what size can you afford?
My personal answer to this is 2 printers:
- One smaller with heated chamber for quality prints, high speed and technical material
- And a bigger one for big batches or big parts
As a hobbyist, I would evaluate that a 315 X 315 X 315mm printer meets 90%+ of my print requirements. Only few times do I have to glue pieces or use other methodes for assembling smaller parts into a larger one.
Bottom Line, pick only 2 of these 3 criteria:
- Big
- Affordable
- High Speed Quality
The HevORT design was created for sizes from 315mm cubic to 615mm cubic. The sweet spot for a good printer that would be dipping in all three from the above criteria is probably sitting at 415mm cubic