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MakerBot Stepstruder® MK6 Upgrade Kit
USD $92.00
In stock
SKU
MP1115
A Complete MakerBot Stepstruder® Upgrade Kit for the MakerBot® MK5 Plastruder.
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**This upgrade kit is for users who already own a Plastruder MK5. Disassembly of your MK5 Plastruder is required.**
It's what the MakerBot® Operators of the world have demanded, and now it's here!
The MakerBot Stepstruder® MK6 is the most progressive upgrade to the MakerBot® Personal Manufacturing system since the Plastruder MK5 and the heated build platform! It will substantially improve your print quality and bring your MakerBot® to the next level of detail. We have added a high-torque direct-drive NEMA17 stepper motor to the MK6. This stepper motor is strong enough to directly drive 3 mm and 1.75mm filament with no problems. It?�s a workhorse and the results have been amazing.
Using a stepper motor to drive your extruder brings a host of advantages. Fussy DC gear motors are history: stepper motors live much longer as they do not have internal brushes to wear out. Stepper motors are also much more precise as the rotational speed can be set exactly, increasing the uniformity between MakerBots, and providing a better out-of-the-box experience. Less calibration, more printing! Stepper motors also allow rapid reversal and microstepping control, correcting much of the oozing, stringing, and other build problems associated with DC motor driven extrusion. Complex detail in your prints will looks better than ever, with less post-processing. Check the video to see what you can do with the StepStruder.®
Makerbot Thing-O-Matic Printing with Ooze Control from Nick Starno on Vimeo.
That's what a StepStruder® looks like when it backs up the filament and changes location. No strings or drips, making for finer, cleaner prints, and less post-print clean-up. The use of stepper motor driven extrusion is widely regarded as a necessary advancement in 3D printing for the flow control and minute filament movement that it can provide while printing. **Bonus: Experimental Upgrade to 1.75mm Filament** The StepStruder® MK6 Kits also have another upgrade included: optional plates to switch to 1.75mm plastic filament! The DIY 3D printing world has a new format for its plastic stock, and the StepStruder® kit brings you up to speed. We include laser-cut Delrin plates so you can choose between 3mm and the new 1.75mm filament stock available in our plastics shop. 1.75mm plastic requires less torque to push through the hot end, and less pressure builds up in the heater barrel. You get less ooze and stringing, and the results look fantastic. Fully compatible with the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic® 3D Printer and MakerBot® Generation 4 Electronics, an existing Thing-O-Matic® owner can easily unbolt their MK5, assemble the upgrade, and swap in the MK6! Just combine the Stepstruder® components with your existing MK5 Plastruder components, wire it up, upgrade your software, and presto! You've got stepper driven extrusion and are now kicking out the jams. We at MakerBot® have been steadily working towards this release, and after much testing we are now extremely pleased to bring this advance to the public. Here's a video of Skimbal's famous Cathedral. Check it out!This kit does **not** contain MK5 hot end components, or MK5 drive gear. It requires the use of these items from your current Plastruder MK5. Upgrade time! Assembly required. If you need the hot end and other components, please check out our StepStruder® MK6 Complete Kit! Includes: - (1) NEMA 17 Stepper Motor - High Torque - (1) MK6 Fan and mounting bracket - (1) Molex Y Splitter - (1) MakerBot® Stepper Motor Driver v3.3 Electronics - 6 Pin IDC hookup wires and heads - Lasercut Acrylic MK6 Body parts to mount to your (not supplied) MK5 Plastruder legs - StepStruder® MK6 metric hardware upgrade kit Available separately - Type K ThermocoupleAssembly required. For full documentation, click here: http://wiki.makerbot.com/stepstruder-mk6 USD $92.00