This Huge DIY CoreXY 3D Printer Cost Less Than $500 to Build

It is my firm belief that all makers should own or have access to a 3D printer — there is just no better way to quickly and easily fabricate custom enclosures and mechanical parts for your projects. There are many different kinds of 3D printing processes out there, but fused-filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing is the most common, affordable, and versatile. Most FFF 3D printer models have a build volume of something like 200 mm (7.87 inches) cubed. If you want something bigger, you should check out Joshendy’s huge DIY CoreXY 3D printer that has a 300 mm (11.8 inches) cubed build volume and that cost less than $500 to create.

CoreXY is a 3D printer layout that originated with the RepRap Project. It’s a Cartesian layout, as opposed to something like a delta arrangement, but with a complicated belt drive system that differentiates it from more common designs like the Prusa i3. This belt drive system increases the cost of the 3D printer, but it has the advantage of reducing the moving weight as the stepper motors — with the exception of the extruder motor — remain stationary and the bed only moves in the Z axis. These qualities make the CoreXY design particularly suitable for large 3D printers, as you can increase the build volume dramatically while only increasing the moving weight by a small amount. In this case, Joshendy was able to keep the cost down by fabricating many of the parts himself.

The frame of Joshendy’s 3D printer was largely constructed from aluminum extrusion, but it did require some aluminum sheet metal parts. Fortunately, he had a CNC router available and was able to machine those himself. He still had to purchase many parts, including the BigTreeTech SKR Pro controller board and the E3D Hemera hot end and extruder. The mechanical drive components were all beefy, with 12 mm ballscrews for the Z axis and 12 mm linear rails for the X and Y axes. To keep the heat contained in order to avoid warping, Joshendy constructed an acrylic enclosure to fully encase the 3D printer. Nothing here is particularly groundbreaking, but it is very impressive that Joshendy was able to assemble such a large, robust 3D printer for so little money.