Monday, February 4, 2013

(Up-cycling) The printer tear down

Printers can yield a bunch of great parts, especially for the budget minded builder. They contain polished hardened steel rods which are used in almost every Reprap, strap or even CnC build. If you had to buy them you will find out real quick how spend they can be. Another treasure found in discarded printers are stepper, servo and DC motors. The older the machine the better gods it has a usable stepper motor. Scanners and photo copiers also have a bunch of great parts. Another part you can snag for your 3d printer is optical end stops, they are very common in printers. A list of other useful parts are: Wiring, solenoids, a power supply, power capacitors, wall plugs, rollers, springs, gears and a treasure trove of other parts. It comes in handy to organize your parts as you dismantle your printer or scanner. Also another tip is to put down plastic or an old sheet under your printer or work space. Ink and tonar can be a nightmare so wear gloves also. So enjoy your parts, you earned it. Just sit back and let them inspire you into a new project.

No comments:

Post a Comment