To push the performance of the next generation Ultimaker 3D printers further, a new positioning system is required to improve the printing speed, print accuracy and print repeatability. The expectation is that a linear motor positioning system will perform significantly better than a conventional belt driven system. For this reason, the aim of this MSc thesis is to demonstrate the feasibility of a low-cost linear motor positioning system for use in a 3D printer.
A single axis experimental set-up is realized to evaluate the performance of the positioning system using different linear motors, sensors, guides and controllers. Using a single sided ironless linear motor, Hall effect encoder, linear ball bearing and an open-source controller, a positioning system is realized that can reach a speed of 3.7 m/s, an accuracy of 14 µm and a repeatability of 3 µm. A 2DOF system using these components can be realized with an overall cost of € 854.