Andrew Panasyuk Mechatronics Engineer
daPrusa MK11
Side Project at Eleven LLC. - 2020
I re-engineered a disused XYZprinting da Vinci 1.0 printer into equivalence with a Prusa MK2.5S.
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We received a da Vinci printer from one of our clients when they upgraded to an Ultimaker. While technically functional (in the most literal way), it was very limited for workshop use because of proprietary filament cartridges, a small build volume, significant slop in all axes, a proprietary slicer/interface, and a remarkable number of plastic panels blocking most user access.
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I modified the printer with a new extruder assembly, heated bed, a RAMPS-equivalent controller running modified open-source Prusa firmware, and improved cable management, while reusing as many stock parts as possible. The printer functions as a Prusa MK2.5S (the other printer in the workshop). It can print from the same GCODE and uses the same printer profile in PrusaSlicer, and has served to double the FDM printing bandwidth of the Eleven office.
Look, it thinks it's a Prusa!
Highlight 1 - Video Flythrough
A flythrough of the machine. Note the following:
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Extruder: I redesigned a Prusa MK3S extruder to fit into the stock X carriage of the da Vinci printer.
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Heated Bed: A Prusa MK42 heated bed on a custom Z axis carriage, upgraded with a BuildTak Flexplate for simple print removal.
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Electronics: An MKS Base 1.5 RAMPS equivalent board with a 12V power supply, housed in the original electronics bay. Wires are sleeved and routed through existing holes in the frame. I used a C14 power inlet module with a rocker switch so the printer can be repositioned easily. Also, especially due to the metal chassis, the ground wire is firmly installed!
daPrusa MK11 Video Tour
Highlight 2 - Prints
Printed parts have good accuracy and layer uniformity. The Y axis, which remains mostly stock, has some backlash due to a compounding slop in the drivetrain. This causes a distortion noticeable in small circular features, making them slightly oval-shaped.
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This issue could be resolved by remounting the Y stepper motor outside the frame with a direct connection to the shaft driving the parallel belts upon which the X carriage rides, instead of the stock solution using an additional set of pulleys, idler, and belt.
A Benchy printed on daPrusa.
The original plastic-entombed da Vinci 1.0 printer.
Highlight 3 - Reused Parts
A goal of mine for this project was to reuse as many parts as possible from the stock da Vinci printer, as well as old parts left behind after we upgraded the Prusa MK2 shop printer into an MK2.5S.
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Reused from da Vinci 1.0: Frame (you could probably jump on it), motion axes, stepper motors, LED lighting
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Reused from Prusa MK2: e3D hotend, MK42 heated bed, PINDA probe