Is it possible to repurpose the electronics from a ~5 yr old 3d printer to use in an MPCNC or Low Rider? I have an old printrbot with a rev B printrboard. I think the electronics are fine, but mechanically, it just isn’t working well. It has dual motors for the 3d printer z-axis. I would think these could be used as a cnc x or y axis. I could then use the 3d printer x and y motors as the other cnc x/y axis. I could use the extruder motor as the z.
Is this doable or is it likely to be alot of work with uncertain payoff? Thanks for your advice.
Yes sure, this is totally doable. You can reuse the electronic board, the switches and all the stuff. For the motors, there is a good chance you can reuse them, just make sure they are powerful enough, especially the one for the Z axis.
Yes, this is exactly how I built my MPCNC. I used the RAMPS and steppers from my ~2013 MendelMax, which I had used to print the MPCNC! If it doesn’t end up working well, you can always buy upgrades from Ryan for the parts that don’t work.
Thanks, I appreciate the advice. I’ll give it a shot. The truth is, I’ve been enjoying my MPCNC but now I want a bigger/faster machine for larger sheet stock.
The X/Y/E motors are NEMA 17, and the Zs are NEMA 14. Would the NEMA14 be too small for a particular axis?
The smaller ones probably won’t fit the printed parts without modification. For whatever steppers you have, the torque really matters. You might be able to find out what your NEMA 17’s specs are by googling any numbers you find printed on them.
I wouldn’t have re-used mine if I couldn’t make a matched set for my machine. Ryan’s steppers still kind of tempt me, to be honest.