Mounting base for a 3D-printer

Guys,

I hate to mention the topic of wood, but I want to mount a 3D-printer on a flat stable base so I can move it around without disturbing the delicate (poor design) setup.

I cannot afford a 24" square piece of 1/2" aluminum and cannot lift a 24" square piece of 1/2" mild steel.

So, I am looking at 3/4" MDF, OSB and plywood, but open to other helpful suggestions, but low cost is the operative.

Which of those options is likely to be the most stable? The machine has many brackets for attaching to a base, so flexing and stability is at the pointy end.

Thanks

Reply to
Dave, I can't do that
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None is really stable if you have a big load on it, but thickness makes up for it, if you don't mind gluing together a couple of sheets.

If the situation will handle 1-1/2" of thickness, I'd use two sheets of 3/4"melamine-covered MDF, glued back-to-back. The melamine on BOTH sides of the sandwich will give you a lot of stability from humidity changes; the 1-1/2" thickness is stiff, and it looks nice.

Reply to
Ed Huntress

For flat and stable, I would try talking to the guys that sell granite counter tops. It seems to me that a sink cut out would come close to what you want.

Next stop would be a glass shop. A glass door would be pretty good if it were cut down.

Reply to
dcaster

Guys,

I hate to mention the topic of wood, but I want to mount a 3D-printer on a flat stable base so I can move it around without disturbing the delicate (poor design) setup.

I cannot afford a 24" square piece of 1/2" aluminum and cannot lift a 24" square piece of 1/2" mild steel.

So, I am looking at 3/4" MDF, OSB and plywood, but open to other helpful suggestions, but low cost is the operative.

Which of those options is likely to be the most stable? The machine has many brackets for attaching to a base, so flexing and stability is at the pointy end.

Thanks ==================================================

Well, a 2'x4' piece of 1/2" thick 6061 is only $34 from

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(put 9246K491 in the search box), plus shipping, of course. Cutting it in half is a bit of work and noise :-). For comparison, the 1/2" aluminum plate will be about as stiff as a 1-3/8" thick piece of MDF.

Reply to
Carl Ijames

I think that 2' x 4' piece price is actually for 2" X 4'. OnlineMetal.com has a 1/2" x 2' x 2' for $200

Reply to
randallchaas

What Ed said except that I would add that the stiffness can also be increased quite a bit without adding as much weight if strips of MDF that are 3/4" thick but 2" or 3" wide were glued edge on to the underside of a piece of 3/4" thick MDF. You could glue the strips to the underside around the perimeter and wherever the machine is fastened to the top side, which I imagine is probably a square or rectangular shape. This would leave much more area exposed to humidity though and the changes that can cause. If humidity changing is problem though you could seal the base with some sort of sealer made for the purpose. You could probably find a can of sealer for free on Freecycle, if it's available in your area. Maybe even find a base for free. Eric

Reply to
etpm

Why not actually go to McMaster Carr and see if Carl was mistaken?

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

Why not actually go to McMaster Carr and see if Carl was mistaken?

Dan ========================================

I was, sigh. My glasses needed cleaning, yeah, that's it, my glasses were dirty :-). Sorry. If you are in a decent sized city call the local metal suppliers and see what they have in their scrap bins. You should be able to beat the online metals price and also save shipping.

Reply to
Carl Ijames

I wanted a sturdy base for my miniCNC router. I got two pieces of 19mm MDF board and glued / screwed them together. The result is very sturdy.

Reply to
Trumble

The MDF might be the flattest and most stable, but it's extremely susceptible to moisture damage.

Neither the OSB nor ply would be perfectly flat, but you probably don't need perfect flatness.

Of the 3, I'd probably go with the ply. I love Waterlox Original (a fairly clear tung oil finish) in satin sheen, so I'd put several coats over the wood to keep any moisture from warping it.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

You might look for a used tooling plate.

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-jsw

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

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