Messing With Aesthetics!

Today, I have been experimenting with making my 3D printer look better. Currently, it lacks something, and that something is hexagons! As we all know, hexagons are the best-agons, and it is quite common to put them somewhere on your 3d printer for the pretty factor, and in my case, I have a rugged-looking 3d printed cover to go over all the chonky aluminum extrusions. It really doesn't do anything because the electronics are in a separate ebox, but looking cool is really important. I haven't finished adding all of them, but my computer is getting really mad at me lol.

Here are some screenshots of what it looks like, and a bonus wireframe image for the versions 1 and 2 for project covers.

Some Context.

So here is the log of version one of this machine. I am also going to add as much of the development of v2 as well, and put the number of hours I can say definitely since grounded, because I asked and they said I could count all the hours since grounded started.

"title: "Project Ghost/ Now G1 Mini"
author: "Thomas Gile"
description: "High Speed 3d Printer"
created_at: "2024-05-22"

Current Total Time Worked On Project: 105.9 Hours

5/22/2025 Log 1: The Start

I set up my repo, the Fusion 360 docs, and the other documents I am using to track my project's development. Then I cobbled together some various parts from CAD of different projects and made a mockup of what it could look like:

Later today, I will disassemble two scrap printers and then take the parts and lay them out to see how I could optimize the frame and the metal parts that I have to work with, then I can get down to real CAD.

Time Spent: 40 Minutes

5/22/2025 Log 2: Extrusion Are Just Big Legos

I started by finishing disassembling my 3d printers and cleaning up my workshop, then laying out my extrusion and getting an idea of how the frame should look. I decided on a rough frame here:

Now that I have the frame, it is time to get to CAD!

Time Spent: 2 hours

5/22/2025 Log 3: Getting Basic Parts

I started getting the CAD file organised. I made a folder in Fusion 360 and then referenced other CAD files for ideas and inspiration. I then started to collect basic part CAD files from the internet for the printer frame, using the LH Stinger BOM as a basic list of parts. This technique of using the internet to find premade models for parts like aluminum extrusions, screws, and other things can speed up the CAD process.

Time Spent: 1.5 hours

5/24/2025 Log 4: Frame Designed!

I built the frame in Fusion 360 and found that you can get CAD files of parts you can order on: https://us.misumi-ec.com/. I then started getting the file organised so I can hopefully create a BOM natively in Fusion 360.

Time Spent: 2 Hours

5/27/2025 Log 5: Finally Some Progress!

After a little break (I had a four-day swim meet), I finally hopped back onto the project. I want to say that not everything in this project was fully created and done by yours truly alone; I am using some bits and bobs from the LH Stinger design. And the metal parts that you would buy are industrial CAD parts from the internet. So the Y axis and the X axis are currently not my design. I will likely modify them to my needs and aesthetic preferences, but why try to fix something that isn’t broken? I am also creating a really organised file for the Ship, and hopefully, I can create some videos and an animated build manual for future makers of this printer!

How the printer currently looks:

Time Spent: 3.5 Hours

5/28/2025 Log 6: Adding More Parts

Today, I added more parts to the 3d printer, most notably the dual Z-belted system from the LH Stinger. I am also preparing for the part where I shine: toolhead design! I sent an email to Dimitri, the Picolino extruder guy, and hopefully, he will send me the CAD files I requested. I also created a sketch of some ideas for the toolhead and the project’s logo on some graph paper:

I really want to go all out on this toolhead, I am aiming for under 500 grams, but with insane cooling, integrated PCB, one cable back to the mainboard, support for 4 color printing, a watercooled metal extruder block, and maybe even have the heatsink combined with the extruder itself! I would like to add RGB accents to the logo on the toolhead and some recessed details as well.

This is how the printer currently looks:

Time Spent: 3.5 Hours

5/28/2025 Log 7: Finally Starting to Look Like A Printer!

Today I added more parts, I also modified some parts. I am quickly approaching the point where now on, the CAD will be made solely by me. I added a basic placeholder toolhead and am getting the MISC parts located and positioned.
Also I my Bambu Labs order arrived, I got a roll of CF-PLA, A roll of CF-PETG, and four rolls of basic PLA, along with an engineering plate and a 0.6 hardened steel nozzle. The CF filament is for printing the parts for the machine! And the accessories for being able to print the plastic. I also organised a vast amount of parts in my workshop and cleaned up quite a bit! Here is a photo dump of the day's activities:

Time Spent 2 Hours

5/29/2025 and 6/2/2025 Log 8: Toolhead Shtuff!

These past days, I have been hard at work CAD'ing and physically building things. To start off, I scoured the internet for the toolhead files I required for a ultra combined version that will blow you away (I hope, since I have not made it yet). I part sorted loads of screws, organised my workshop fully, geared up my printer to print Carbon Fiber infused filimants, and printed and built (mostly) my plan B toolhead.
You may ask: "What is a Plan B toolhead?" Well, my projects are often ambitious, and so I have purposely integrated failsafes into my plan for this project. So I have my Plan A toolhead, a wild but super cool toolhead design, but if I am not able to finish the toolhead design in time, I have a still cool Plan B toolhead. THAT is the one I built today. I also experimented with getting cleaner toop surfaces on my 3d prints and my logo (Sanding, and Slicer optimization).

Here is the photo dump:

Time Spent: 5 Hours

6/4/25 and 6/3/25 and 6/4/25 Log 9 Toolhead Starting To Look Toolhead-y?

These last few days have been spent grinding CAD, trying to combine Kevin's current world record toolhead with the Lh Stinger toolhead and creating my original BEAST! It currently doesn't look like much, but it has been a LOT of work:

Note

Unfortunately, I went on a long hiatus from journaling my project every day. My only explanation is that I have been limited by my parents to only three hours of screen time per day (whether it is for projects or not), so I have found it difficult to make progress on the project and also log. I am filling these next days from memory, notes in my project notebook, and screenshots as well as Hackclub Slack Logs.

6/5/25 Log 10

More Work on the toolhead.
Today I worked more on the toolhead. I spent an unnatural amount of time deleting fillets and chamfers. I also have come to the conclusion that the simpler the better, so this toolhead is essentially a plate plus some.
Here is a photo:

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/6/25 and 6/7/25 Log 11 Toolhead Almost done.

I ground a bit and made a toolhead that I am proud of. This involved me learning the remove feature in Fusion, creating a ton of imported components (It's a whole process), but finally I think I got something worth talking about:

Time Spent: 6 Hours

6/8/25 Log 12 Toolhead Needs More Work

I did a little more optimizing I worked on aesthetics, lighweighting, and near the end found a superior extruder. I will adapt my design for tomorrow.

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/9/25 Log 13: Adding Protoextruder And Changing Air Path

I found an excellent and cheap extruder yesterday, the Protoextruder 2.0. I changed my toolhead to be compatible and also modified the air paths to make for a slimmer and more streamlined toolhead:

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/7/25 Log 12 More work on the printer.

Now I am excited today, I finished the finishing touches on the printer today, importing the toolhead, simplifying the printer file system, changing holes, adding logo's etc. And it looks soooo nice!

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/9/25 Log 13: Working on the BOM for G1

Today I worked on the Bill Of Materials on the Ghost 1, I am lowkey struggling, have I meation I hate/suck at sourcing things?
Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/10/25 Log 14: Working on the BOM for G1 (Again)

We have some bad news: the project is a bust. The INCOMPLETE BOM is over $700, and even if I optimize, there is no way I'll be able to make it with the allotted $350. Ugh, I don't know what to do.
Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/10/25 Log 14: A HUGE plot twist

I figured out WHAT TO DO!!! I am going to design a "mini" version of the 3d printer with the same toolhead. It'll double the project time, but I think I can do it. I am using Evan Lee's awesome PandA as an inspiration and a form factor inspiration.

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/11/25, 6/12/25, 6/13/25 Log 15: Back to the Drawing Board

Ok, so I have imported his CAD and worked on replacing his Y axis with a better one of my design, based on an Ender 3 speed mod. I also had the genius idea of using an aluminum plate as a structure for the bottom of the printer because of clearance issues.

Time Spent: 9 Hours

6/14/25 Log 16 Basic concepts and CAD on the G1 Mini

I worked on tons of things, belt path, changing things "ship of thesus style", adding in parts I have at home:

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/16/25 Mix and Match

I added some Z mounts I thought would work (from the Voron Switchwire Project) and tried to see what It would look like white.

Time Spent: 3 Hours

Dates were lost here.

Log 17: Changes Need to be Made

I worked on the motor mounts and on making a hyper-optimized idler block thingy.

Time Spent: 3 Hours

Log 18 Big Brain Activity

I added my logo, created body pieces, locked in on the motor blocks, and blacked it out.

Time Spent: 3 Hours

Log 19 Modifications

I added a non-tensioning belt holder to the toolhead, and worked on the Z axis (finally)

Note

There is an unaccounted break of time, I apologise, I had just started lifegaurding and forgot to journal

Time Spent: 3 Hours

Log 20: Blacked out Vibes?

I made good progress on the printer. I finished the Z Axis, worked on the aesthetics, and it is starting to look official

Time Spent: 3 Hours

Log 21 Speed Demon

I made the decision to go with 48 volts and changed some belt widths and more miscellaneous things
Time Spent: 3 Hours

Log 22 Ebox Life

I found a nice ebox model then modified the crap out of it. I added a 210mm server fan I had at homr, made the lid pivot, and added aesthetics

Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/26/25 Log 23 Working On Repo

I worked on setting up the repo, kinda copying the format of the LH Stinger Project
Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/27/25 24 Working On Bom for G1 Mini

I worked on the BOM with Evan Lee and got it close, only $5 over ( I hope that is forgivable)
Time Spent: 3 Hours

6/28/25 Final Touches

I added things to the repo, exported the BOM to the repo, finished the log, and did last-minute CAD work
Time Spent: 3 hours

Note

I did use a lot of reference material in this project, please do understand, though, in the end, all the CAD ended up being mine, either by replacing the part with something better that I made or by something else like that "ship of thesus style" it ended up being unrecognisable as the original inspo.

Now here is where work on the v2 started:

Jul 30th at 3:33 PM

Here is a little update on stiffening measures I am working on: I thickened the metal plate and increased its width. I added a key-like feature so the linear rail tucks in there so I can be sure that the axis is parallel to the build plate, the plate in turn nests inside a petcf17 part that mounts on top of the mgw 12 rails on the 4040 aluminum extrusion, that aluminum extrusion is then bolted directly to a large steel plate that is the base of the printer, it will have a small cut out for the extrusion too. For auestics, I will add holes on the plate (other than the ones to bolt the linear rail on) to mount a 3d printed part that holds a linear rail, and maybe a camera. The x-axis plate will also be sandwiched with a 3d printed part that holds the idlers, and a cover on top of that. Bolt will then go through the cover>idler block holder> metal plate>and then the main gantry block. Nothing should be able to even shift slightly this way. And everything slots inside of each other. I will add more idlers at the end of the plate; they will be held on one side by the plate and the other by a printed part, double shear style. The belt tensioner system is on the toolhead

Jul 31st at 5:26 PM

Here is the work I have made based on the feedback from the last post, I have worked with belt routing, going to have to shift the motor holders over and everything because I forgot to acually see how far the toolhead could move, added a belt tensioner that slots onto the now lasercut z axis steel plate, and I changed the belt holder to be non tensioning

Jul 31st at 6:21 PM

Chat, I think I made the stiffest (no diddy) x axis I can, it's pretty neat

Aug 1st at 11:06 AM

I made my x-axis even better!! Now with one double-sheared motor, offering both simpler motion but also better tensioning capabilities! Also, the motor might act as a counterweight, idk. Pardon the Brazilian Phonk. In the background, I did not know that was included in screen recordings (Phonk is my 3d modeling music lol)
Screen Recording 2025-08-01 110149.mp4

Aug 2nd at 10:22 AM

@Parker Rupe @Evan Le @Raygen Rupe I am doing a toolhead redesign and was thinking about how I am going to mount the lancer, and I remembered this thing I came across on Printables: https://www.printables.com/model/1302838-daft-mount-standard-heat-sinks-for-popular-hot-end I was wondering if you think this is a good idea to replace the stock lancer heatsink with, as well as my meltzone exender would be a good base to model around for a fery stiff hotend. I will also combine Parker's idea of the titanum piece, bracing the bottom of the hotend as well.

Aug 5th at 4:18 PM

@Evan Le @Parker Rupe @Raygen Rupe, hey, I have this empty space on the G1 mini redesign. What should I put there? My thoughts are a concrete block in a case of a TPU bolted to the frame. Some space will be taken up by large 90-degree brackets, but what do you think?

Aug 5th at 7:20 PM

I have done some work on the redesign of the G1 mini, and I have made some progress. I added a modded Kevinakasam belt. I am probably going to convert it to 12mm belts soon, too. I have made it super stiff with a bilayer of laser-cut 5mm steel on the x-axis, and 8mm steel for the base. I am still working on a new toolhead with a custom SLM printed DAFT mount for the Lancer long, and CPAP, as well as no longer being direct drive and using the boombox extruder with a Kevlar sheathed PTFE tube. I might have it raised on damping legs like the 247.0, kinda like a digger braces itself. I have to work on making it more beautiful, and the laser-cut carbon fiber bed and carriage. Feel free to drop suggestions, and also how to make it easier on the eyes

Aug 6th at 11:48 AM

I found this really nice vcoreminion belted z mod, and I am going to integrate it

Aug 7th at 12:00 PM

Alright, a little bit of an announcement after some tinkering around: I will not be doing a belted Z, but I will be copying, in some shape or form, the Eva toolhead cooling duct on my toolhead, but with CPAP. And I am considering moving the motor to the back, like on this viminion, with a belt tensioner and double shear ofc, of course. This would get rid of four idlers and would result in a smaller footprint and effective belt length. What do you think?

Aug 8th at 1:59 PM

Another day, another supergenius x-axis redesign!
Today, I developed another super rigid X-axis motor mount and integrated axis. This time, I mounted the motor on the back. I did this because it was unnecessarily increasing the 3d printer's footprint, and I had a crazy idea before I went to bed and just HAD to find out if it worked. And work it does! Lemme explain. In inspiration by the Stormwalker project, the idea of rebar, and images of CNCed motor mounts for Vorons, I developed a technique for making rigid motor mounts. In my case, there are 6 metal standoffs that will be custom turned by PCBWAY. These standoffs will be press-fit into three plastic spacers, which are for aesthetic purposes, and they also mount everything to the chonky linear rails I have on the 4040 extrusion. The standoff prevents compression of the 3d printed parts and is also simply stronger. These space out three metal plates, and everything is tied together by 6 5mm bolts. In addition, the motor has triple-shear; conveniently, the two bearings are seated in the two metal plates that form the x-axis "extrusion." The bearings are on either side of the pulley. The dimensions of the rectangle that the long parts of the metal plates form are 25 mm* 30 mm. So quite similar to 2020. Thus, toolheads similar to the Eva toolhead and stuff will be viable with minimum modification. Also, this time the belt is between the plates, so it will not make a "bow" effect. There will be a belt tensioner at the end of the axis, but I haven't modeled it yet. This new design is 25% more compact, 50% stiffer, and 100% prettier than the last revision. It also gets rid of six idlers. I will enclose a bunch of screenshots that show how I did this design.

Aug 18th at 10:19 AM

By some INSANE stroke of luck, the holes for the linear rail mounting, the heatsink, and a 2510 fan all line up perfectly to all be bolted together with the same screws! Riditity ftw!

Aug 18th at 9:25 AM
Lookie, custom SLM printed lancer long heatsink

Aug 19th at 12:34 PM

ts so ugly :cryin:
This is the first half of an experimental SLM printed duct system that gets rid of the heatsink fan and instead gets rid of the heat by the CPAP fan duct airflow. It also mounts the Lancer at the top and bottom for rigidity. I just need to find a way to make it prettier! And finish the upper part of the duct

Aug 20th at 11:57 AM

Skibidi or nah?

Aug 25th at 12:28 PM

The most rigid and speedy a cantilever can be! I finished the x-axis after a month of work

Aug 26th at 2:08 PM

new y axis drooooooop! And some ridity stuff completed. This system sandwiches the main 4040 profile and bolts right through. It is further stabilised at the ends with standoffs. Also triple shear. This is gonna beat PANDA now @Evan Le

Aug 27th at 10:38 AM

Checkmate @Evan Le ts can not get stiffer bro

Aug 27th at 3:23 PM

Finally did all the screws :skull:

Sep 24th at 3:51 PM

Most recent screenshots!!

And that is the furthest I have logged!

First Day!

I've ticked the boxes on my blueprint dashboard, and I am now going to review my Slack logs and other repositories for the backstory of this project. Here is a screenshot of the very first version of the printer and a screenshot of how it looks right now: