Hi!
I’ve daydreamed about getting a cutter plotter without actually planning on really getting one. Too expensive and shelfspace-consuming for something that I’m not going to actually use that often.
Then I remembered that I could “just” mount a dragknife on my Ender-3 pro to do the job (maybe get one of these fancy quick-toolhead-changing systems as an excuse to tinker with CANbus, or something ;).
After a bit of online search, I found that I’m hardly not the first one with that idea. I’ve found a few videos, posts on reddit and files on thingiverse/printables, but nothing too in-depth. So I wanted to ask y’all if you know any resources to check out on this. Some github-pages style homepage of someone would be ideal, but I’m not too hopeful that there’s something out there if I haven’t found it yet.
Things I think I’ve found out:
- Roland Cutting Plotter Vinyl Cutters are apparently the way to go. With 45° for vinyl.
- I can use gcodetools to create gcode from svgs. The exact details aren’t clear to me, though. Probably gonna have to create a klipper macro for this.
- I can simply attach a cutter to my toolhead, or use something like the BTT hermit crab for a more fancy approach
Things I’m still not sure how to do:
- If I’m using a BL-Touch - how should I handle z-homing? Can Klipper use BL-Touch for z-homing with an endstop-failsafe? Should I just monitor the print by hand?
- Is there a comprehensive guide on the materials?
Do you have any experience on that topic?
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I have made something similar before for my Ender 5:
https://www.printables.com/model/1071387-ender-5-x-mgn12-detachable-toolhead-3d-print-laser
It’s definitely possible and the biggest challenge is making gcode that is compatible with Marlin. I’ve tried using gcode substitution commands in Prusaslicer as well as programs like FlatCAM and gotten good results out of it. You could indeed just tape it to the toolhead and set your home coordinates manually.
Try reading the gcode it produces. For cutting it should only have G1 X Y Z commands but it relies on a set home position.
You can set the home position in Marlin using G92 X0 Y0 Z0 and the run the gcode from there.
Sweet! Are you satisfied with the results?
I’m actually leaning towards just using a silhouette, after I found out that my makerspace has one. 😅
It’s not bad I would say. Right now I’m making a dedicated CNC for these kind of things and have the 3D printer just 3D print.
Here’s an example of a result from the laser cutter attachment.
And here’s a result of the plotter addon:
IME these multipurpose machines (especially the DIY ones) just end up causing frustration because they end up doing none of their tasks well.
I thought about it for a bit, looked up some parts, did some research, and ended up buying a Silhouette Cameo for about $200 instead.
Worth it!
I went down that road first building a plotter attachment then trying to attach a knife on an ender 3. Kinda got it to run by simply extruding svgs into a 1 layer body that i could then “print” with a standard slicer. In the end i build myself a laser, and let me tell you, everything before was a huge waste of time :) the laser cuts like a beast, much faster and cleaner. Would not recomment using a knife in a laserworld.
Can this laser attachment (safely) cut vynil, tho? (Serious question)
Standard Vinyl that contains PVC should never be heated with a Laser. It will create corrosive chlorine gas.
Any advanced Vinyl like PVB, PVA or any variant that does not contain chlorine can be cut with diode co2 and fiber without issues.
So… no to laser, right?
Well depends on the actual material you are using. Just google PVC free vinyl, you can buy the stuff in any form. If you find sth for your application a laser is perfectly fine.
I did it with my ender 3, using a printed bracket to hold the knife. It’s a hassle to use and I barely use it because it’s such a pita. I managed to make a few nice cutouts though so it’s definitely possible. I just wouldn’t recommend it.
Sheesh. Did you get a different plotter or just didn’t plot anything anymore?
I just didn’t plot anything anymore tbh. I originally wanted to make stencils for electro-etching but I realized that I don’t really have that much of use for it.
Yeah, it’s more of a tool for an artistic purpose.
However, my T-shirts are rapidly declining in structural integrity and I’m over all that nerd shit. I wanna make a crow Design and put it on a shirt.
I’ve never done a cutter but I mounted a pen to my printer to make into an plotter
You pretty much just have to make a carriage that can hold whatever the thing is and then dial in z depth. I would imagine the hard part for a cutter is getting enough force to cut but not so much that you mangle shit, but that’s probably just experimenting a bit. You’ll need some kind of cutting mat to put on the bed I would think
I knew someone that had a cricut and that was just a xy cutter that used a few different tool heads. It had one that looked like an exacto knife and one that looked like a pizza cutter but I don’t know what their functions were, I think vinyl vs fabric?
Since you mention the Ender 3, mine came bundled with a laser cutter attachment. I have never actually gotten around to using it, so I can’t offer much other than to say that such an official accessory does exist and might be less of a hassle than some of the DIY options you are considering.
Idk, a dragknife seems like less of a hazzle than a laser, but what do I know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Might not be worth sacrificing my only working 3D printer for a project I don’t know I will (be able to) follow, amiright?
True… but i mean lasers are cooler by virtue of being lasers. 😁
Personally, I’d be worried about subjecting the printer to the lateral forces and torques a knife would put on a printer that was never designed to contact the workpiece, if you ever wanted to use it for FDM printing again. But maybe that would be a good project for a printer that was already beat up a bit.
Alright. After I’ve built my Voron, then. ;)
Tap for spoiler
I’ll get back to you in 2036. /j