r/Advanced_3DPrinting • u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 • Sep 05 '26

Turned my 3D printer into a 2D plotter , draws signatures, writes text, and etches PCB (just print + etch, no CNC)

75 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

4

u/scruffmucker Sep 05 '26

Fun fact… when Chuck Hull was testing the early SLA beta machines (there were only about 3 guys at early 3D)… it was built using a trough of resin with a HP plotter using a laser instead of of a pen.

Cool project!

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

thx for such a good info

3

u/camdoggs Sep 06 '26

I have made a swappable insert that screws on to the pen. It has an elastic band on the fixed mount that hold it in position.

This allows for some spring in the tip of the pen and also allows you to change colours getting you back in the correct position in seconds.

Printed the mount, as many inserts as you need, and a small adjustable gage that allows you to accurately set all the pen tips to the same height when screwing on to the inserts.

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

Bro thats a really good mod / mount , could you share your 3d model file? Or any link leading the way to that?

1

u/camdoggs Sep 06 '26

What cad software do you use?

1

u/camdoggs Sep 06 '26

I don’t have the plotter attached at the moment because I need to remove the hot end but it does work

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

Is that 3d printer plotted? It's too accurate

2

u/camdoggs Sep 06 '26

That’s an 8 year old ender 3 v2 that can’t get a clean first layer anymore

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

I use fusion 360

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 05 '26

Can I know about your idea which i could add or your project scope ?

1

u/GroteSwets Sep 05 '26

thats how I start 30 years ago... :-)

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

noice , would you mind if i ask where have you reached in your journey?

2

u/GroteSwets Sep 06 '26

I started out years ago with plotters ( CNC en 3D printers informatie pagina)

then start with CNC machines.

At first, I built a really poor, rickety machine, with diy electronics , but I learned a lot from it...

Later, I built a new machine—made entirely of steel.

Now I'm working on 5-axis milling...

5Axis

...but I'm also building a 3D printer at the moment.

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 07 '26

Brooo that's kinda insane, I can't imagine how much efforts it took , thx for sharing your story

1

u/GroteSwets Sep 07 '26

I started building a CNC machine because I wanted to build robots and hated sawing and filing. But then again, CNC has become a bit of a hobby in itself...

1

u/Embarrassed-Turn1277 Sep 05 '26

I have an urge to convert my 3d printer into a 2d printer anytime I have to deal with a HP machine.

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 06 '26

i think my project might helped you a bit

1

u/yanoa112 Sep 11 '26

HOW DO YOU THAT!!!😲😲

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 12 '26

Just some dedication for building something , use ai if you are weak and not a strong programmer

1

u/Popular-Bluejay-1790 Sep 12 '26

Pcb feature was out , I forgot to upload update , so sorry for the delay