If you want to 3D print really large parts, you have two options – either build a really large 3D printer with its own rigid frame or use the frame you already have: Your house! And that’s exactly what the Hangprinter is doing: It’s a fully featured frameless 3D printer that uses the room it’s set up in as a frame and suspends itself from the walls and ceiling with high-strength line.
The Hangprinter Playlist
Hangprinter
Sounds crazy? It is! It’s one of the most unique 3D printer designs out there, so – obviously – we are going to build one.
Together with creator Torbjorn Ludvisen and sponsor Trinamic, we’re spending a week in Hamburg, converting the Trinamic lunch room into a Hangprinter workspace and of course, you can follow along as well!
This page is going to serve as documentation for the project and as future reference if you want to build your own. It’ll get updated as the build progresses!
If you want more info directly from the Hangprinter core team, you can always find the most recent files for the Hangprinter on GitHub and progress updates on the blog.
BOM
These are the parts we used for the build! Many parts are free for you to swap for your favorite choices as long as they will provide the same functionality.
Electronics and 3D-printery bits
| Part | Function | Qty needed | Seen at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-lead (or more) ribbon wire | Connection electronics - effector | 5m | E3D / Aliexpress |
| E3D Volcano 1.75mm / 12V | Hotend | 1 | E3D / Matterhackers |
| E3D Volcano copper nozzle 1.2mm | Hotend | 1 (optional) | E3D / Matterhackers (brass) |
| E3D Titan Aero 1.75mm | Extruder | 1 | E3D / Matterhackers |
| RAMPS | Mainboard | 1 | Aliexpress |
| Arduino Mega 2560 clone | Mainboard | 1 | Aliexpress |
| 12V 7.5A (or 10A) power supply | Power supply | 1 | Aliexpress |
| TMC2130 SilentStepStick | Stepper motor drivers | 5 | Watterott / Filastruder / Digikey |
| PTFE tube 4x2mm | 10cm | E3D / Aliexpress |
For the crucial components, we’re using high-quality, genuine parts such as a the E3D Volcano and Titan Aero. It is a bit longer, but you can also use a regular, non-Aero Titan. The Hangprinter needs to push out a lot of filament reliably, so if you decide to go with the budget option of a knocknoff Titan and Volcano, the entire extrusion system will top out at a lower volumetric flow rate and may overall not be as reliable as the real deal – and the last thing you want is a jam in the middle of a 5kg print! Other high-performance extrusion hardware like a Bondtech extruder is also going to work.
Mechanics
| Part | Function | Qty needed | Seen at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fused fishing line (30lb or more) | Effector suspension | 60m | Amazon |
| 13mm (1/2") square wood profile | Effector frame | 3x40cm, 1x20cm | local |
| M3x5 screws, length 5 mm | Fastener | 16 | |
| M3x10 screws, length 10 mm | Fastener | 2 | |
| M3x25 screws, length 25 mm | Fastener | 13 | |
| M8x50 (or longer) countersink screws | Fastener | 4 | |
| M3 nuts | Fastener | 25 | |
| M8 nuts | Fastener | 4 | |
| M3 washers | Fastener | 35 | |
| M8 washers | Fastener | 4 | |
| 608 bearings | Spool bearings | 8 | Aliexpress |
| 623VV bearings | Line bearing | 12 | Aliexpress |
| 4x10 ~ 4x20 wood screws | Fastener | >20 | local |
| MDF or plywood sheet | Assembly base | 47x47cm | local |
We went with 13mm beams for the effector instead of the standard 15mm ones. You can go with either one – the 15mm version can be built with 15mm wood, thin-walled aluminum tubing or carbon tubing available from Hobbyking. 13mm are close enough to 12.7mm, which is 1/2″, so you can go with locally available parts. We used 13mm beech hardwood beams, but again, thin-walled aluminum or carbon tubing in that size will work just as well!
Printed parts
