3D Printed Arduino Pen Plotter
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2022
- I designed this plotter in SolidWorks and 3D printed the parts. The NEMA-17 motors are controlled by an Arduino running a forked version of the GRBL software that supports the use of servos. In short, it modifies the stock GRBL spindle PWM to control the position of a standard hobby servo. Here is a link to it if you would like to learn more:
github.com/bdring/Grbl_Pen_Servo
EDIT: .STL files for this plotter are now posted on my GitHub page (linked in the channel's "About" section)
The design for the pen lifting mechanism moves all electronics off of the print head, which decreases moving mass and simplifies cable management.
The paper roller assembly uses a small idler roller on a spring shaft, which keeps constant preload on the paper. I originally thought of this design after seeing a similar system used in a consumer inkjet printer. The rubber paper rollers were sourced from an inkjet printer.
I used Inkscape's GCodeTools extension to generate G-Code. This works with any vector image. For non-vector images, I used a bitmap trace.
The G-Code is then sent over serial communication to the Arduino. I used Universal G-Code Sender for this.
As a note for anyone else building a project involving GRBL, I highly advise you to avoid using a cheap Arduino clone like the ones sold under the Kuman brand. These use a CH340G serial communication chip in place of the Atmel 16U2 chips used on genuine Arduino boards.
When running a heavy load like GRBL, these clones are very unreliable in my experience. The plotter would randomly stop during prints. The errors given by Universal G-Code Sender were rather cryptic, leading me to believe the issue was somewhere in the software. Eventually I switched to an Elegoo Arduino board from a different project. Switching to this Arduino fixed the problem immediately.
30 years ago we used to spend a fortune on HP plotters that could plot the space shuttle. Brings back memories seeing that old file! Remember the HPGL plotting commands?
Sure! I still have memories of the coding for the HPGL plotting commands. When I was still in the college 35 years ago, I needed to do a project of fluid flow simulations by using a HP Workstation and Plotter. I'm going to build this amazing plotter for fun！
@@cfkwan1834 Good luck! Let me know if you run into any issues.
Now you can do that stuff on $30 worth of materials. Insane honestly.
This looks so incredibly simple yet effective
Thanks!
Pen plotters kinda are really simple, along with most hobby level cnc tech, shoot even industrial level stuff is basically just big hobby stuff, then you get into the really crazy cnc machines that arent your traditional designs, been training on a swiss, they are something else...
It's a good thing that it's not overengineered. Only what's needed for the job.
"This looks so incredibly simple"
You what mate?
this thing can be printed using printer
My high school paid a ton of money for a plotter for our auto-CAD class. That and color monitors so we could see magenta and cyan. 😂
Now the plotter can be "printed" by anyone. So cool.
Thank you!
Fantastic memories of plotters and the Shuttle (Orbiter). I realized that I still have a box of plotter pens.
I miss watching plotters work...
I've been on youtube all day (I'm at work) and this is the coolest thing I've seen today. I love the pen plotter look. I may have to attempt this. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you!
The results are amazing. It looks like a really great project.
Thanks!
Very nice and clean build. Thanks for the link to the fork of GRBL as well, I've been trying to find a good way to do a stepper driven pen lift, but couldn't find a solution that works as well as I'd have liked. I really like your pen lift mechanism, makes the wiring so clean!
Thanks, and I'm glad the link helped!
In the '80 and '90 pen plotters were pretty common... I remember one at school with a sort of "revolver magazine" and multicolor pens
That pen lifting mechanism is brilliant! Nice work
Thank you very much!
Great job! Super clean design. Its amazing pen plotters were thousands of dollars in the 80's.
Thanks! It's great how inexpensive components like these have become.
A well thought out product is something that is both part and space efficient. And you got both done right. I love this.
Thank you for the kind words!
Not really. He used oversized NEMA motors for this application.
@@alejandroperez5368 Smaller steppers such as NEMA 14 or even NEMA 8 motors are considerably more expensive than NEMA 17 motors due to their production volumes. Therefor, I would consider using those smaller motors a poor design unless space and weight were a specific concern.
Having some torque headroom is generally a good thing when using open-loop steppers to avoid losing steps. Higher torque also allows faster accelerations.
@@ivprojects8143 that's thoughtful. The only flaw i see here is that during the operation of pushing paper the paper can get curled up this limiting your max printing speed
@@elninorosario Yes, I hope to fix this on the next version. More than limiting the print speed, relying on the buckling strength of the paper limits types of pens that will work.
very neat! I had a printer plotter (Commodoer 1520) for my Commodore 64 when I was a kid. I thought i was top of the world with that thing. It had little colored pens you could swap out. Thanks for sharing this, Awesome job!
Thank you! I've always found those old plotters really interesting.
Back in the day of plotting, that spaceshuttle was what the benchy is for 3D printers today
I have to say, one of the cleanest and most beautiful work. Congratulations!!!!! A++
Thank you very much!
Thanks for sharing. Great movement. It's simplicity sparks!
Thank you!
Lots of these sorts of videos on the net. I appreciate new takes on doing them, and your use of the roller fits that. Further, good work on noting your experience with arduino clone issues.
Thank you! I'm working on a new plotter design since this one was well-received. My goal is to make it draw as fast as possible.
@@ivprojects8143 I appreciate speed, but value accuracy and repeatability. Finding that right balance I feel to be the mark of a true tradesman.
Many thanks for the quick reply - have all the files now and it's off to play for a while!
Glad I could help! Let me know if you run into any issues along the way.
WOW ! Inegenius ! Beautifully constructed, im in awe !
Keep up this awesome ingenuity & keeping things as open source as you can :)
Nothing short of just Amazing - Well Done & Thank you so very much !!
Thank you very much!
@@ivprojects8143 You are most-welcome ! This kinda stuff is EXTREMELY inspiring, talking for myself, im incredibly inspired with these projects that at the same time gives me the drive & motivation to not totally give up, so i really am thankful and hope you keep insipring us mere mortals in this world lol !
Wonderful! Back in the day I had a huge Roland pen plotter to output architectural plans. It seemed like the pinnacle of electro-mechanical precision and complexity at the time, so seeing it reduced to its essence here is amazing. Something that annoyed me about plotting large format drawings was that there was no toolpath optimization, it drew the lines/text in the order that they had been drawn, resulting in a LOT of unnecessary back and forth movement of the paper as it constantly drew things at opposite ends of the sheet. Sometimes paper creep during a long plot resulted in a line drawn early in the plot not connecting with a line drawn near the end.
I put a clutch pencil in mine so I could set up architectural wireframe perspectives in CAD and plot them on watercolor paper for hand inking and watercolor washes - much easier than the conventional method of tracing in pencil on a light box.
Thank you! I am always incredibly impressed by the engineering of those old plotters.
Simply amazing work you've done here! 👍👍👍
Thank you!
This is amazing! Nice job!
Thank you very much!
Good work. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎
Thanks for sharing!
This is so cool, well done
Thank you!
Very informative video and well-explained! Great work.
Thank you
@@ivprojects8143 You're welcome coz you earned it!
Software is straight forward, but I would love to see a walkthrough of the mechanical design. Which approaches did you try and what worked / didn't work? Did you pick rollers first and then adjusted the printed parts to match the diameter or the other way around.. that kind of stuff.
Congratulations for your work.
Thank you!
Recommendation: I used an old Creality 3D printer mainboard. Arduino based + Marlin. So many 3D printers have been upgraded to 32 bit silent drivers, you may have some 8 bit boards or I bet you know someone with one gathering dust. The benefit, besides recycling. You have 4 stepper drivers. a couple Mosfets, you can drive the servo from Servo0 (for BLtouch). You can add an LCD controller. Built in SD card slot for your gcode. Most likely the USB will work fine since 3D prints can take many hours. And there are usually some voltage regulators if you need 5v. And there are some Marlin branches for plotters. And if you didn't want to use Marlin. it is just an 8 bit arduino.
Great recommendation! I do have a spare 8 bit board and considered using it, but I ended up just using the Arduino for the first prototype. Next time there's a good chance I will use it.
Vary Cool,
I miss going down to the drawing office and asking the draftsmen to print out a drawing on the plotter,
their reply was always 'come back in an hour' lol..
Thanks!
really nice and clever design
Thank you!
I love it. It seems like it could be widened to print on foam board used in Flite Test R/C Planes.
Thanks! I build foam planes too, so I actually thought about doing that! I don't think scaling it up to work with the 20"x30" sheets would be too difficult.
Why am I more impressed by this, then a hp printer?
Wow, very, very nice!
Very cool project :)
Thank you!
I’ve made an attachment to my cnc router for pen plotting but using a sharpie to mark on a lot more materials.
Sounds useful. I used a gel tip pen so it could draw finer lines and more detail.
очень круто! в следующий раз надеюсь увидеть 3d печать!
Thank you!
For the paper pinch roller, put a grinding wheel (made of stone) on the driving side of the paper, and a rubber roller on the other side, at the outer edges. The grit on the grinding wheel will make a slight pattern of indentations on the paper, so when the paper rolls back to the same position, the grit will find the same indentations, and the paper will be accurately positioned. This is how commercial plotters deal with the problem of the paper slipping slightly over time. I thought this was really clever when I first saw it.
That is an extremely clever solution, thank you! One other person mentioned this, but I was unable to find any information about the specifics of how the wheels were arranged. Do you know where I could learn more about this?
I assume the stone wheels specifically for plotters are no longer available to purchase, but I wonder if small aluminum oxide grinding wheels used on rotary tools could be used. Or perhaps a wheel wrapped in adhesive-backed sandpaper.
@@ivprojects8143 My guess would be that the wheels were made for the purpose, but they just look like typical small grinding wheels like for a Dremel. I think a knurled wheel or knob might work also.
@@ivprojects8143 You can also used a lightly and finely knurled metal rod instead of grinding wheels. If you do not have access to a lathe, I expect you could find a machine shop that would knurl an aluminium or steel shaft at a reasonable price. The large format pen plotter I used at work many years ago used that method.
Another possibility is to coat a metal rod in strong glue (e.g. epoxy) and then cover with fine sand.
@@davemould4638 Good ideas, thanks
looks and sounds fantastic! instant sub!
Thank you!
I think the holy grail is someone who eventually re-invents the 2D paper printer in such a fashion that everyday people can use it, and not buy ink cartridges where the ink is more expensive than gold...
i buy 3x colors +1black for literally 15 usd and lasts a year what you talking about lol
@@orhanyor not name brand I assume. Most printers are now coming with DRM features that literally make the printer stop working unless you replace the cartage itself with an 'official' one. Some combo printer/scanners won't even simply scan if there is no ink.
The printer industry is garbage.
@@kal9001 not sure where you’ve been lately but the industry has gone in the opposite direction with refillable tanks
@@rcpmac You can get some models like that, but the vast majority of consumer and office grade units still use cartages.
I've seen refillable types, but they are usually hella expensive.
Very nice mate!
Thanks!
Make a cutting plotteer on the same system.. And sell commercial... Its very solid build as compare to market models..very nice. Excellent👍👍👍
Thank you!
Very nice project! Thank you for sharing! Have you thought about adapting to work as a vinyl cutting plotter as well?
Thanks! I have thought about it, but I would need to make some changes to the design to handle the higher forces involved when cutting.
Muito bom, excelente projeto, prático e eficiente.
Thanks!
I know this is your previous version but I like the simplicity after having built 3 of my own design. It looks from the step calculations like the diameter of the top roller is 24mm based on the r=12mm. Is that correct? I think you mentioned in a comment that the lower roller was 3D printed. Is it about 9mm? I'll probably print both from TPU and cover the bottom one with 400 grit sandpaper.
Nice work. But GRBL only knows XY. How does the software know how far it has to rotate the axis, for example to move the paper 10mm? Or does GRBL support Y rotation to be defined in software?
Where did you find the springs with rollers? Tried to source similar items but couldnt find a supplier (took some from a printer but meed to source a large amount and with different sizes)
I took the large rubber rollers and springs from a printer as well. I'm not sure where you can purchase them new. The smaller idler rollers that ride on the spring axle are 3D printed.
Great Project many thanks. I must be getting a little old for this but I can not find the STLs in Github. or "Other". Would you please advise. I would like to attempt this Plotter as opposed to the new fast one
Thanks! Here's a direct link to the STL files:
github.com/IVProjects/Engineering_Projects/tree/main/ProjectFiles/Pen%20PlotterV2
This is awesome!
Thank you!
This is sick
Thanks!
How do you determine the starting position while drawing? What if I want it to draw on a small paper?
Amazing job brahh, im gonna try to do the machine
Thanks, and good luck!
genius! love it!
Thank you!
Nice work! I wonder, would this be rigid enough to use a cutter tip like the ones used in Cricut machines?
Thanks! I would need to make some changes to the design to deal with the higher forces involved.
I really like the idea of the pen movement axis. Very simple and seems to work just fine. I've always kinda disliked the many similar that have servo mounted somewhere near the pen itself. They don't seem very durable solutions, unless hacked with ie. inkjet ribbon cables, but those kinda solutions requires quite a bit of skills in electronics and pcb making, which I definitely don't have :)
Thank you!
Durability doesn't matter that much. These things will be collecting dust before doing their 100th drawing. Which is fine because it's a great learning project to build something like this.
@@bobdebouwer7835 That's quite probable indeed.
So frickin' cool!
Thank you!
looks so fun
😅
Been planning to create one from an old printer 😊
You might have to change the motor, unless you plan to read positional information from the encoders.
Love your videos, can’t wait to see more.
Thanks!
nice 👌👌👌👌👌 At bottom put fan ( to hold papper like vacuum) so that it can cut sticker sheet
Are there any suppliers for the precut blocks? For the other hardware? Subscribed.
Thanks! I'm not sure what you mean by precut blocks. The plastic parts are 3D printed. The motors and electronics are pretty common parts carried by sites like Amazon.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Can't seem to find the stl files on your github page - nothing seen on the 'About' section that refers to these files. Can you please help me as I really want to make one of these?
Here is a link: github.com/IVProjects/Engineering_Projects/tree/main/ProjectFiles/Pen%20PlotterV2
I imagine this would be great for making prototype circuit boards
With some changes to the design, yes.
@@ivprojects8143 Shouldn't need it. Use clear sheets instead of paper to create a mask for photosensitized boards.
Best poltter tank you for sharing
Thank you!
Hii
I've an ender 3 motherboard its only problem is that it Doesn't provide voltage for heat bed and nozzle but all other movement are working so is it possible to use the motherboard instead of arduino
And the real question is that is it possible to controll the servo
Can you make a video, how to built this cnc writing plotter.
Cleanest build of its kind, well done! Are any limit switches used?
Thank you! I did not use any limit switches.
Cool product
Thank you!
@@ivprojects8143 you're welcome
Impressive
Thanks!
Really nice projet, I have planned to make one too. Where did you get the pictures you have printed ?
Thanks! Most the space-related ones came from some NASA websites.
Very nice! How well do you think it would work wall mounted (near vertical)?
Thanks! You would need to change the position of the pen weight, but other than that I think it would work.
I'm curious why your using the branched version when your plotter is using two stepper motors and what looks like a single hobby servo for the pen lift?
Did you plan on using servos with encoders for paper movement at some point?
I guess I'm not sure if that branch is conventional CNC world servo based or RC models servo based.
I had to use the forked version to control the pen lifting servo with the G-Code.
@@ivprojects8143 You could have triggered it with coolant commands. M8 for pen up and M9 for pen down. A surplus solenoid like those out of a broken washing machine or surplus pinball machine flipper could have been used instead of a servo. Solenoid activation for up movement and a spring for return motion after deactivating the solenoid.
Since even the cheap UNO form factor CNC driver boards support 3 axis CNC you could have just used another stepper motor for pen control. I think some of those boards even come with a jack to plug in a hobby servo.
This would be cool to add a Cricut tool to the end to cut decals!
That sounds like an interesting project. I would definitely have to change the design a little to handle the higher forces involved.
Awesome build, I was planning to make this one but I cant seem to find the stl files in your github account. Is it available on thingiverse?
Here is a link: github.com/IVProjects/Engineering_Projects/tree/main/ProjectFiles/Pen%20PlotterV2
Perfect
Thanks!
Very neat.
If you removed the servo and have it turn on a relay when it would be in the "down" position and swap the pen for a laser diode, you've got a laser cutter/engraver. Probably would want to add an enclosure with colored acrylic to protect eyes and contain char, and some form of ventilation/dust collection. Might also be wise switch it form a roller to gantry... I've already got more projects than time though.
Thanks! And yes, this could be converted to a laser cutter. I agree that a gantry style setup would work better though.
It would be quite limited as a laser cutter, because you could only cut (or engrave) material that can be moved by the roller, such as paper and thin plastic sheets. I doubt that it would cope with thick or heavy materials such as plywood.
@@davemould4638 Yes it really would need to be converted to a gantry style machine with the material stationary. I was just agreeing that it's similar in principle.
hello, and i want to make this pen plotter, what kind of electronics do you use, arduino uno, nano, maybe you can share the information, maybe the diagram can show what programs you use for G code
I also like creating Arduino projects. This looks good . Can this do my homework
Nice project.
Is there a special reason for using A4988? While the sound being retro might be nice for a short time, I think if you use it more often TMCs would be a nice improvement...
Thanks! I just used them because they are very inexpensive. I would switch to quieter drivers if I were going to use it a lot.
...you deserve a LIKE!
Thanks!
*NICE video* ...and your _penplotter_ is about the most "rounded" I've seen. 👍 Are you going to publish it somewhere?
Thanks! The .STL files are posted on my GitHub page.
@@ivprojects8143 Found them already (after I _bingewatched_ your YT). Maybe check _RollerShim+ Roller(Material and .STL)_ - THANKS
@@ivprojects8143 Printed your Penplotter already.👍 2 Plates. Mostly no support needed. Have roller/slipping problem. Needs WHICH? material? (TPU?) 👍
@@reinholdu9909 Hi, the rollers I used are salvaged from an old inkjet printer. I don't have experience with printing TPU so I don't know whether that would work. It needs to be quite a grippy material to reliably feed the paper.
About the "RollerShim" part: You only need that if the roller doesn't exactly fit the shaft you use.
Hi...Thanks for the video. I've made a plotter. X and Y are using Nema 17 but I use a hobby type 5v stepper on the Z axis which of course gets pretty hot. I'd really like to use a servo instead.
Could you tell me: If I understand it correctly, Standard Grbl gets uploaded to Arduino then Modified Grbl ?
Also could you tell me what version of Inkskape you use to generate the Gcode and the pluggin required. Would appreciate any information you can supply. Thanks
Install Grbl normally and then copy the files in the modified Grbl repo over the original Grbl files. Then you upload Grbl to the Arduino. I believe you will also need to modify the z-travel parameters in the .config file to move the servo the correct amount.
I think I have the most recent version of Inkscape, and the plug-in is called GcodeTools.
@@ivprojects8143 Much appreciated... Thank you
Cool! Does it print SVGs? I've made a lot of line drawings in case this these vector displays/printers made a comeback
You know what would also be cool? Printing vector animations onto unpixelated movie film
Yes, it does print SVGs (after converting to G-Code)
That's amazing
Thanks!
AWESOME!!!
Thank you!
@IV Projects Would you give a table of parts from a 3d printer?
There is a link to my GitHub on the channel homepage where you can find the .STL files.
Really Really nice. Question, did you base this on the chepo plotters from ali express and ebay? Im talking about the A4 vinyl cutters. Seams pretty similar.
Thanks! I didn't base this on any specific plotter, but the paper roller design is fairly common. I chose to go with the roller system since it's more compact than a Cartesian gantry plotter, but it does have some drawbacks as well.
@@ivprojects8143 I sure hope you put up the STLs somewhere. Im definatly going to make this thing. Really nice and simple project.
@@carlstadt666 The .STL files are now posted on my GitHub page (linked in the channel's "About" section). If you are going to build this you will need to find rollers for the Y-axis paper feed. Mine came from an old inkjet printer, but since there seem to be quite a few people interested in building this, I may try to find a solution that doesn't require any salvaged parts.
Please let me know if you run into any issues along the way.
@@ivprojects8143 i might modifiy it to fit any parts i have
could this be used as a vinyl cutter?
That looks like the space shuttle CAD file demo that shipped with AutoCad 1.0!
It is very similar! I think I found this image on Wikipedia.
would like to build this plotter, cannot find the STL files.
parabens pelo projeto
Thanks!
Do you have a BOM for this? it looks really interesting; would love to build one.
Thanks! I don't have a BOM for this plotter, but I recently finished an improved pen plotter. Once I have a chance to make a video about it, I will create a BOM.
@@ivprojects8143 thanks 🙏 that would be awesome 😎
How fast can it print an average A4 LibreOffice Document of Lorem Ipsum? Does it deal with PDFs?
I have not tried printing a full page of text, but it would take quite a while. This is not meant to replace a normal printer. The file needs to be a vector image to generate the G-Code, but other types of files can be converted to vectors in Inkscape.
Hi, i love your work and i would like to make something similar. Could you please give me the list of all the parts that are not 3d printed?
Thanks! I don't have a BOM for this plotter, but I did make one for my more recent and improved design. It's on the GitHub page.
Can you do complete tutorial bro for this?
could it be also used to cut vinyl for example?
It would need some changes to the design, but yes the principle is very similar.
Could you use an embossing tool to turn this into an oragami precreasing machine??
I think you would have to make some design changes to handle the higher frictional forces involved, but it should be possible.
wow amazing
Thank you!
@@ivprojects8143 tell me there are courses on how to make your own cutting plotter?
i like to build this, the larger one, about 1.5 wide for fabrics drawing patterns.
im already have the hardwares (skr 1.3 kit, stepper motor, timming belt, servo, metal rod, bearings etc) but i dont know how to mechanism work like yours.
could you share your design? 3d printed part?
The .STL files are posted on my GitHub page.
@@ivprojects8143 thanks, quit amusing to find them, first i look at this description videos, spend some time there.
finally found on your "about" youtube channel.
needs some mod for rod replacements. its quite bendy for range 1.5 metres
Hello. Can you share link for 3d printed parts and other parts (servo motors, timing belt, etc) used in the video? Thanks
Hi, the .STL files are linked on my channel homepage. The motors are NEMA-17, the belt is 6mm GT2, and the servo is an SG90. The bearings are 608 size.
@@ivprojects8143 Thank you very much
I wonder how hard it would be to modify it to draw on copper clad boards so they could be etched into circuit boards.
It would certainly be possible. I think I would need to switch to either a gantry or moving-bed style plotter though, since the roller wheels wouldn't work very well.
прикольная конструкция !
Thanks!
Do you have stl files for this in thingiverse? Would love to download it.
I don't have them on Thingiverse yet, but you should be able to find them on GitHub. Let me know if you have any more issues finding them.