Can We Build a 1-Metre High-Temperature Toolchanger 3D Printer?

I’m building a custom large-format 3D printer with a planned build volume of roughly 1020 × 510 × 800 mm, a heated chamber, multiple interchangeable toolheads and potentially closed-loop linear motor motion.

The reason is simple: there is a huge gap between affordable consumer 3D printers and genuinely capable large-format machines.

Consumer machines are getting faster and smarter, but once you want a large build volume, high-temperature materials, multiple independent tools and a properly heated chamber, prices rise dramatically. For demanding hobbyists, makers and small businesses, there are surprisingly few affordable options.

I want to see if that gap can be closed.

A large part of the donor hardware is already here: aluminium profiles, build plates, heaters, motors, electronics and mechanical parts. The machine is therefore not starting as an idea on paper — the physical build is already being prepared.

The current goals are:

* around 1020 × 510 × 800 mm build volume

* approximately 90 °C heated chamber

* up to 120 °C bed temperature

* initially 2 interchangeable toolheads

* expandable to more tools later

* support for ABS, ASA, Nylon and other engineering materials

* minimal purge waste

* Klipper-based control

* a modular, repairable and upgradeable design

The fundraising target is €5,000.

That budget would allow me to go beyond a basic belt-driven prototype and seriously investigate technologies such as closed-loop ironless linear motors, dual-gantry motion, high-temperature toolheads and professional motion components.

Most importantly, this project is intended to become more than a one-off printer.

If the concept proves successful, my goal is to develop this further into a core part of my business: offering custom large-format and high-performance 3D-printing solutions for demanding consumers and small professional users who need more than standard consumer printers can provide, without immediately moving into industrial-machine pricing.

The entire development will be documented openly through a build blog: component choices, costs, prototypes, mistakes, testing and eventually the completed machine.

So the goal is not simply to fund one expensive printer.

It is to build and prove a concept that could lead to a new class of affordable, configurable machines for people who currently have very few realistic options.

Any contribution helps move the project from collected hardware to a working machine.

And if you cannot contribute financially, sharing the project with the 3D-printing, Klipper, Voron, VZBot, RepRap or maker communities is just as valuable.

Ja. Voor GoFundMe zou ik hem vooral transparant en geloofwaardig maken, zonder te doen alsof ieder onderdeel al definitief gekozen is.

How the money will be used

The project already has a substantial amount of donor hardware available, including aluminium profiles, build plates, heaters, PEI sheets, motors, electronics and a Creality K2 Plus for producing prototype parts. The €5,000 target is therefore intended mainly for the components that cannot realistically be sourced from the existing inventory.

Category Estimated budget

XY motion system — linear rails, motors/drives, encoders, gantry hardware €1,500

Toolchanger + first two complete toolheads €850

Main electronics, power supplies, CAN, switching and safety hardware €650

Heated enclosure, chamber heater, door/panels, seals and insulation €650

Z system, bed carrier and additional mechanical hardware €450

Wiring, connectors, sensors, fans and thermal monitoring €300

Shipping, import costs and transaction fees €300

Prototyping, failed parts and design revisions €300

Total €5,000

These are target allocations rather than fixed purchase orders. The final component choice will depend on supplier quotations, temperature ratings and what proves technically suitable during development.

If a component can be sourced for less, the difference will remain within the project budget and be used for another part of the machine rather than increasing unnecessary specification.

The most expensive single decision is likely to be the XY motion system. I am currently comparing conventional belt-driven motion with closed-loop linear motor systems. If a suitable linear motor solution can be obtained within budget, that would substantially increase the capability of the machine.

Existing hardware and my own labour are not included in the €5,000 target.

— Raymond

The Netherlands