Potterbot Scara V4

The Scara V4 is the first viable large-scale ceramic 3D printer using real clay. The advanced design and substantial construction can take on board loads like the 3D Potter 4000ml clay extruder.

What's included:

1. Scara v4

2. Closed loop stepper on X, Y, Z, extruder

3. Extruder size of your choice.

4. 5 anodized aluminum nozzles (standard sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8mm when extruder is purchased)

5. Parts Box: Alan key set, grease, Acme driver tool, tie wraps, extra screws

6. Power Supply

Specifications

Printing Envelope:
X/Y- 72" Diameter Circle (1829mm)
Z- 45” (1143mm)

Minimum Printing Envelope:
X/Y- 22" Diameter Circle (558mm)

Printer size:
W-34” L-18” H-44”
Normal operational space needed: W-40” L-36” H-~70”
Maximum operational space needed: W-88” L-88” H-~84”
Height to the top of the extruder fully extended is H~84” (2134mm)
Weight with extruder: 90 lbs. (41kg)

Average speed: 1.2’’ to 3.9’’/s (30 to 100 mm/s)
Power Supply: Output - 24V ~15 amps, Input - 110-220V, 50-60 Hertz.
Power consumption: 24V ~8 amps, ~192 Watt
Main controller board running Duet3D with Atmel SAM4E8E: 120MHz ARM Cortex-M4

Full control through web interface, no apps or software installation. Non-WiFi versions are available, please contact us if you would like this type of connection (Ethernet connection).

User Interface (WiFi)

Duet Web Control is a fully developed UI for the Scara. Opened in a web browser, it can be used on your laptop, tablet, phone, or other WiFi capable device. 

Print Status

Once a print is started, it shows information about the model being printed. Layer times, estimated time remaining, file information, and more are available for view. It also allows for print and extrusion speed control to be adjusted in real time.

G-Code Files

The G-Code Files page allows g-code files for printing to be uploaded, edited, or downloaded. A summary of the file is given such as size, layer height, and what the file was generated by.

Software requirements

None! The only requirements is a web browser interface.

For object generation, the Scara V4 is similar to the rest of the 3D Potter line ceramic printers. It's is just like any other 3D printer which requires an STL file to be sliced by a third-party program. We recommend Simplify3D or Cura, and then loading the file to the SD card in the printer, which can be done over WiFi.

Build envelope

The build envelope diagrams represent the 45 in Z height. We can do custom Z heights up to 9 feet and diameters up to 8.5 feet. 

The Scara V4 build envelope is quite unique because it's capable of printing 360 degrees with continuous rotation. This means you can create a huge vessel with the printer initially residing inside the vessel or structure. This opens up a whole another opportunity to print small habitat structures (houses). Larger printers are available for this potential habitat project.

Another unique ability is printing multiple objects within the specified envelope in a sequential mode. For instance you could print a particular vessel starting on the far left side and continue to print these vessels until there is no more space left.

Speed and noise

The Scara V4 is capable of extreme speeds however speed is relative when it comes to ceramic 3D printing. Realistically you probably don't want to exceed 130 mm/s. There are many factors which determine the speed like nozzle size, layer height, and achieving a good adhesion on interlayer of the clay.

The Scara V4 is very quiet, so it can be operated in any area without disturbing the surrounding environment.

Construction and design

We were able to achieve high precision and accuracy with this large Scara arm robot only through diligent design and robust construction techniques. The majority of this structure is out of heavy aircraft grade 6061 aluminum utilizing CNC and welded components for maximum strength and rigidity. The main rail components are from IGUS* which is one of the leading German manufacturers of precision guide rails. The drive motors consist of very sophisticated hybrid closed-loop stepper motors. These have on-board computers with telemetry that continually update their position for zero error positioning. 

Drive mechanisms

This is no souped-up 3D printer, this is a dedicated heavy duty purpose-built robot. The main drives are sophisticated harmonic drive units**. These are the same drives used on large industrial robots similar to the ones that are now in most of the large manufacturing facilities. These drives are extremely heavy duty and capable of precision movement down into the fractions of a second of a degree. This means very precise prints with no backlash or jittery movements at realistic speeds. These drives are designed for maximum rigidity with extreme accuracy.

Space needed for setup

The real advantage is this machine can be positioned on a substantial table top and you can start printing right away within a limited envelope area. Or you can give it its own dedicated space for partial or full envelope.
The space needed is really determined by the end-user and how much of the print envelope they choose to use. Whether on the table top or on the floor, the Scara V4 will require direct mounting for maximum stability. This is achieved with multiple screws to secure the printer to the surface it is on. If you choose to use a tabletop it must be of substantial construction, the minimum is 1.5" thick heavy plywood or wood construction. If a inadequate table is used, the results from the printer will be diminished depending on the build envelope and speed at which the prints are created with.