The Core R-Theta Printer
March 16, 2025 · View on GitHub
This is my 4 axis, polar, "core-RΘ" 3D printer – an entirely new type of multi axis 3D printer designed from the ground up.
Check out my youtube video to see it in action!
Slicer
A multi axis printer is pretty hopeless without a non-planar slicer, which is why I built this quick radial slicer for the printer. This leverages the printer's rotating nozzle to print simple parts without supports, but there are some limitations to it which I cover in the YouTube video. I'm also working on an optimization based slicer which will be able to print any object without support so stay tuned for that!
Assembly
There is a wealth of knowledge in the Discussions, Pull Requests and Issues tabs of this repo. The printer is by no means "plug and play", and there are no instructions as of yet, but the information in the discussions should help you get started. Feel free to post questions on the discussions tab.
You can view the 3d model online to see how to assemble the printer. Everything is 3D printable, however I got the extruder mount made out of metal by JLCPCB as there is quite a bit of torque on that part. I've also included the gerber files to make your own PCB buildplate, but a sheet of MDF wood would also work.
BOM
Some links are included so you know what to get, but they are by no means the best source to get the parts.
| Qty | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame | |||
| 2040 Extrusion 350mm | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 2040 Extrusion 100mm | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 2020 Extrusion 150mm | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 2020 Extrusion 250mm | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 2020 corner bracket | 10 | Aliexpress | |
| Hardware | |||
| 2020 T Nuts | 50 | Aliexpress | |
| MGN9 250mm Rail | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| MGN12 250mm Rail | 2 | Aliexpress | |
| MGN9C Block | 2 | Aliexpress | |
| MGN12H Block | 2 | Aliexpress | |
| M4 Screw Set | Aliexpress | ||
| M3 Screw Set | Need 40mm screw | ||
| M3 Square Nut | 50 | Aliexpress | |
| MR85ZZ (5x8x2.5) | 4 | Aliexpress | B axis |
| 6810ZZ | 2 | Aliexpress | C axis |
| 5mm Rod 50mm length | B axis | ||
| 5mm Flange coupling | |||
| 5x11x6 collet | 1 | Aliexpress | B axis |
| Drive | |||
| Nema 17 300mm Lead Screw | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| T8*8 Lead Screw Nut | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| Nema 17 34mm | 3 | ||
| GT2 Belt Loop 410mm | 1 | ||
| GT2 Belt Loop 760mm | 1 | ||
| GT2 Pully 16T | 2 | Aliexpress | |
| GT2 Idler 16T w/o Teeth | 4 | ||
| GT2 Pully 40T | 1 | ||
| GT2 Idler 16T w/ Teeth | 2 | Aliexpress | |
| Electronics | |||
| Control Board | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 24V 10A Power Brick | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| 5.5x2.5 plug | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| long nozzle | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| aquarium pump | 1 | Aliexpress | |
| BIQU H2 V2S extruder | 1 | Aliexpress |
Bibtex Citation:
@software{Bird_Core_R-Theta_Printer,
author = {Bird, Joshua},
license = {View repository for custom license.},
title = {{Core R-Theta Printer}},
url = {https://github.com/jyjblrd/Core-R-Theta-4-Axis-Printer}
}