[3D Printing Daily] Issue 294

A4 Pen Plotter

[ID:2504587] This is a pen plotter that can print on A4 paper. It is designed to be compact, sturdy, and reliable, similar to the Aritma Amagraph pen plotter.

It is controlled by an Arduino with grbl shielding, driving the x and y motors, and using a solenoid to lift and lower the pen in response to g-code generated in Inkscape and sent via the grbl controller. Scroll down to see its working animation, material list, instructions…

Polar Coaster Plotter

[ID:2600555] This is the Polar Coaster plotter. It is designed as a demonstration of polar kinematics. This version draws on circular coasters. There are small “fingers” on the bed that securely hold the coaster without clamping.

Vertical Plotter Gondola v3 (also known as the Polargraph)

[ID:472573] My gondola (pen holder) version is for a simple vertical plotter.

These models (and some electronics) are everything you need to build your own vertical plotter.

This is the third iteration of the gondola. Far from perfect, still a work in progress.

Arduino Mini CNC Plotter

[ID:4579436] ARDUINO Mini CNC Plotter.

Expandable Pen Plotter – Make it as big as you need!

[ID:3789969] (Deep Ink Diver) is a 3D printed, open-source, expandable pen plotter. The goal of the project is to create a cheap and easy-to-build printer specifically designed for vector graphics.

From precision pens for technical drawings to large markers for doodling; the way printing is done on paper is no longer limited by cartridges. The roughness of the paper is not masked by inkjet but is emphasized by the pen physically contacting the paper and moving across it.

The main difference between printing with a regular printer and d.i.d. printing is that the machine can follow vectors as paths just like a CNC router. This allows for smoother graphics and clearer, more vivid modifications on the paper.

The materials and electronics used for the plotter are all standard and easy to procure. The main frame is made of aluminum extrusions and 3D printed connectors. All motors are standard NEMA 17 stepper motors and a single SG-90 servo motor. Everything is driven by a cheap Arduino Uno control board that handles the conversion from G-code to motion. Additionally, the software used to create g-code, Inkscape, is also open-source.

Simple CNC Plotter (Drawing Machine)

[ID:4796222] This is an improved version of the project with ID:4579436.

The drawing area has been increased,

the weight of the parts has been reduced,

and the model can be printed without supports (except for the pen holder).

Asmograf Pen Plotter

[ID:3340918] Some time ago, I reminisced about the pen plotters of the 80s, like the Alfigraf. It was produced in Czechoslovakia and was mainly based on parts from a construction kit called Merkur (fun fact – the first contact lens was made using a machine manufactured by [Merkur]). Long story short, I first built the plotter using Merkur parts, then decided to do a 3D printed design so I could put the Merkur parts back in the box.

It turned out to be a very simple and compact design that only uses printable parts, or they can be easily purchased along with all metal parts at your local DIY store on ebay/aliexpress.

The stepper is NEMA17 (17HS2408), driven by TI DRV8825, controlled by grbl running on ARM Cortex M3. The pen mechanism uses a 5V solenoid driver with a solenoid that only applies full voltage when the pen hits the surface and then drops to 0.5V to keep the pen up to reduce power consumption. I tried using a servo, but for some reason I had a better experience with the solenoid. Both solutions have their pros and cons…

As the Gcode controller, I used a STM32F3 based board that can be purchased online for a low price and is very suitable for the plotter design.

I used SolveSpace for design, as I don’t know any other 3D modeling tools. I know it may seem a bit cumbersome to some, but I like its simplicity. I used a version built from the latest git repository, and I can’t guarantee that it is fully compatible with the pre-built version provided in the download section. Therefore, if anyone wants to play with my design or reuse it, they may need the latest version of SolveSpace.

Mug-O-Matic Mini CNC Drawing Robot

[ID:3137325]Mug-O-Matic is a toy 3-axis mini CNC drawing robot that can customize coffee mugs!

This capable little robot can draw anything you want through manual control, Bluetooth, computational algorithms, or even g-code. So you can enjoy your custom mug creations, then wipe it clean and draw something completely different every day without ever repeating the same thing!

The goal of this project is to create a fun and easy-to-use educational tool. We hope to encourage and inspire people to get involved in repairing and making things, as the creative process is a powerful way to learn.

To best achieve this goal, these robots are designed with hackable open-source hardware and controlled by free open-source software. Building this robot provides an opportunity to experiment with 3D printing and useful software such as Processing, Repetier Host, Slic3r, and of course Arduino – the most common and widely applicable physical computing microcontroller. So the knowledge gained from playing with this toy can transfer to real life!

CylinDraw Cup Dedicated Plotter and Engraver

[ID:5182712]

-CylinDraw is a cup-dedicated plotter and engraver that allows you to create incredible artwork on any type of cup with ease!

-CylinDraw mainly does two things: it can engrave and paint, and it is highly adjustable, so it can work on any type of cup (glass cups, wine glasses, glass bottles, small wine cups, or any cylindrical object with a diameter of at least 3 inches and a height of at least 10 inches).

Our fully packaged free software allows anyone to convert any photo image into a drawable format in minutes. The program is compliant and readily available on the CylinDraw website. The tool is professionally designed, thoroughly tested, and well-documented! Please refer to the attachment for printing details of each part and the parts list. There are many parts, and if you buy them all yourself, the cost can be daunting, but we do provide a kit that includes everything you need!

Mini CNC Plotter with CNC SHIELD, Arduino, and Stepper Motors in English and Spanish 28BYJ-28

[ID:2985627] Welcome to the high-tech electronics and robotics tutorial, assembling our own mini CNC machine for drawing or milling PCB boards.

A3+ Plotter (EBB Driver Board)

[ID:4885703] AxiDraw from Evil Mad Scientist and using their EBB Driver Board to control the stepper motors and servos to simplify operations. It is very user-friendly for first-time plotter users like me, and I found it works very well with Inkscape.

Arduino Mini Plotter – Mini CNC Plotter

[ID:1372864] Made the structural elements of the mini plotter (CNC plotter) by recycling 2 old CD/DVD players.

Structurally based on Arduino and 2 old CDs/DVDs, building a mini CNC plotter.

Easy 3D Printing CNC Drawing Machine – Drawing on Cakes, Phones, Paper, Shirts |

Arduino GRBL Plotter

[ID:4537916] How to make a simple yet high-quality CNC drawing machine that can draw on almost anything. I will guide you step by step on how to build your own file, including all the files you need.

This project is low-cost and can produce very detailed drawings. I used it to make T-shirts, cake decorations, drawings for myself to color (and some for me to color!). You can also use it to draw scale drawings, wedding invitations, birthday and Christmas cards, and anything else you can think of! 🙂

Foldable Fully Printed Penplotter/drawbot

[ID:4645955] I designed a small pen plotter with the goal of creating a plotter mainly made of 3D printed parts, low manufacturing cost, and foldable for storage. The plot size is about 12 cm x 12 cm.

Mid-range Robot

[ID:2587684] This is a simple pen drawing robot. It is like a T-Bot (AxiDraw), but I moved the motors to the center. In my opinion, this has the advantage of making the machine smaller and cooler.

I made mine small enough to fit in my backpack, but it can easily be enlarged by using longer rods and belts. That said, a longer X-axis rod over 200 mm will start to become elastic.

The firmware is a special version of Grbl. The only change is that the spindle PWM is used for lifting and lowering the pen. It also enables Grbl’s CoreXY functionality.

You can use almost any CNC controller that can run 2 stepper motors and a servo, but I made a custom controller located in the center and made the wiring super clean.

Eggbot Wifi ESP32 Arduino

[ID:4972516] Eggbot ESP32/Arduino controller framework 3D printed parts.

Open-source GBRL_ESP32 is here https://github.com/bdring/Grbl_Esp32

X-Y Unit Almost Free

[ID:3127421] No linear bearings and steel shafts. Instead, a printed rail. No expensive nema14 stepper motors, but incredibly cheap mini gear stepper motors. Each pulley costs less than $1, and the aperture should be 5 mm. All parts (except for the rollers) print at once.

The loft is great for controlling one axis. However, if you want to combine two linear systems into one X-Y plotter, you might as well use one Arduino board with two ULN2003 ic combinations. The motors and Arduino board run well at 4.5 volts (three AA or AAA batteries). Don’t expect the highest level of precision; it largely depends on the gap between the rollers and the rail. Clean the rollers by sanding. If necessary, increase the diameter with tape.

If you use a cross to couple the two systems, it is easy to combine them.

Before combining the two units with a cross, remove the roller for ease of use and reinstall it after completion.

Use some PTFE spray or grease to reduce friction.

The speed is very suitable for laser engraving.

SeXYDraw (Another Plotter)

[ID:1463742] Well, this is my intention to create a very cool plotter (Axidraw) derivative. Coincidentally, it was developed simultaneously with ID:1444216, but I didn’t manage to spend enough time to finish it (not competition, just healthy pride).

Whiteboard Plotter

[ID:258646] This is the whiteboard string plotter I implemented.

The mechanical parts are designed to use cheap 28BYJ-48 5V stepper motors (search for them on Amazon – they cost about $6 including the driver).

Arduino Drawing Robot Chassis

[ID:1091401] Note: I have a new version of this robot that uses printed circuit boards, is easier to build, and has infrared obstacle detection! Check it out on ID:2881396.

Cartesian Plotter

[ID:4037180] This version is based on what I learned from my previous plotter ID:3986756. The most obvious difference is that it uses a traditional “Cartesian” design where the y-axis movement is provided by a motorized arm while the drawing surface remains stationary. This has the benefit of higher accuracy.

ExtruDraw Extrusion-based Plotter

[ID:2994920] A plotter/drawing machine using 20x40mm and 20x20mm aluminum extrusion structures and linear rails.

I have tested the design up to A1 size, but it may be best at A3 or A2 sizes – after testing at A1 size, I am now scaling it down to slightly larger than A3 size (old IKEA kitchen cabinet shelf). Also: you can learn from my experience and not use plywood backing; it is too uneven and caused me problems – use MDF instead.

I use EiBotBoard to drive the electronics because I have an EggBot, and you can use this or any other system to drive 2 NEMA 17 stepper motors and a 9g servo. If you want to use that system, there is an EiBotBoard alternative link below, along with other Arduino-based options, but I haven’t used them. I prefer the EiBotBoard driver because Evil Mad Scientist’s Inkscape driver plugin for their AxiDraw can be used with just a little reconfiguration, and I find it very intuitive and flexible.

Now I have added OpenScad files, most of which are working; it should be parameterized, but I really don’t believe this. Near the top of the file, there are two parts for assembly and printing;

These files are not exactly the same as the files I printed for the A1 machine; many have slight modifications (and hopefully improvements, such as the holes on the bracket top allowing the feed belt to pass through with less hassle than I had to endure).

Polargraph – Plotter

[ID:4028480] This drawing robot is powered by 2 stepper motors, an Arduino Uno, and a G-Shield. The modular design of the machine allows it to be scaled up to generate large drawings simply by extending the length of the timing belt. To maintain good stretching accuracy, the timing belt needs to be tensioned: some long m16 hex nuts and bolts connect to the weight rack. Finally, all pulleys are embedded with bearings to minimize friction.

Endless Plotter

[ID:3986756] There are several advantages:

It has a more compact footprint (when not in use) – it is only as large as its x-axis.

Theoretically, it can draw infinitely large (on the y-axis) artworks.

I made a version of this plotter that adapted the original 3D files and had some success in practice, but I ultimately found this format too compromised for me – I couldn’t reliably send paper back and forth. So I switched to a more traditional “Cartesian” format for version 2 (files coming soon), where the y-axis is above the x-axis, and the plotter is above the paper.

2D Delta Drawing Robot

[ID:1478624] This is a set of files for making 2D “delta” motion drawing robot’s 3D printed parts.

The pulleys on the stepper motors are directly taken from droftarts’ excellent pulley library, and the arm pulleys are modified from the library, so I mark this whole thing as a remix.

Simple X-Y Plotter

[ID:2395604]

No timing belts, no tensioners, just a threaded M8 rod. Much slower than a timing belt, but for most plotting applications, this shouldn’t be an issue. The X-axis and Y-axis of this plotter are the same. The brackets connect together, with each bracket activating the end stop of the other axis. The length of the axes can be freely chosen. The pen lift is operated by a micro servo. Only six different printed parts were used, some of which were printed two to four times.

BeamBot Pen Plotter

[ID:3065710] After seeing Axidraw, I knew I wanted one. However, at $475, it was hardly worth it. I looked around Thingiverse for similar projects, but I was disappointed with the appearance and sturdiness of most machines. So I decided to design it myself. I used two aluminum profiles on the base to keep the machine rigid and sturdy. The machine runs on Arduino UNO and CNC shields, which are housed between the two aluminum extrusions. This eliminates the need for messy wires and an electronics box separate from the machine. The machine works with Inkscape and almost any g-code sender.

Cartesian Plotter v3

[ID:4200863] This is the latest version of my pen plotter project, updated to use aluminum V-slot extrusions for a more stable x-axis.

PolarDraw, the simplest drawing robot you can build

[ID:4907608] I previously made a small CNC plotter, but it wasn’t very accurate and couldn’t draw on large surfaces, so I designed this new improved machine with the goal of making it as simple as possible and very precise. This plotter is also cheap because it is made with just some wires, a rubber band, some bearings, some cheap electronics, and some 3D printed parts. Watch my video below for more information about the building process, and I hope you enjoy this design and have fun building it!!

Whiteboard Robot

[ID:4192091] A whiteboard drawing robot with three pens and an eraser! Thanks to the Spherical Geneva Drive, a single motor controls the pen and eraser. It uses Expo Click retractable markers that retract when not in use to prevent the ink from drying out.

Previous issues:

“Writing Drawing Robot” 3D printing writing machine, handwritten fonts, cursive, drawing, kids doing homework, young people writing “I love you” ten thousand times, middle-aged people copying “repentance book”, it can do it all.

“Art Drawing Robot” Simple structure, low cost (3D printed), a drawing robot that can accurately depict favorite art images on the walls of home.

“Spherical Drawing Robot” Drawing and engraving on ping pong balls, eggs, any spherical objects, low cost, fun, a great DIY project.

If you can't download the model due to network issues, you can join the group, and group members share the packaged model source files for each issue.

I have created a 3D printing technology exchange group. If you are interested, you can join the group by clicking the “Join Group” menu below the public account or replying “Join Group” to get the group QR code, as the group QR code is only valid for 7 days. If the group QR code expires, you can also add daniel_cats, and he will pull you into the group.

If anyone has any types they need, please leave a message, and I will select the types with the most comments to produce more issues.

All model copyrights belong to the original authors; this is only for introduction and explanation, for learning purposes, without any profit motive. For specific model original copyrights, please check the original address.

Note: For more information on specific models, check the T station ID on thingiverse.