BoxR
BoxR 3D Printer by SMW3D aka Hobby-Fab (with Eric Lien)
The BoxR 3D Printer is a larger format (300mm x 300mm x 300mm) cartesian x/y gantry printer with a moving z-axis bed. The BoxR printer was a project that Brandon Satterfield and I worked on together. Originally it was intended as a possible product line he could sell under his SMW3D / Hobby-Fab business. I have had the pleasure of knowing Brandon Satterfield for many years through the now defunct Google+. Over those years I have been fortunate enough to work on several cool project with Brandon and the team at SMW3D. Alas the advent of the CR-10, Ender3, and similar low cost reasonable quality Chinese printers that put the skids on this project. There are only two of these printers currently in the wild. I have one, and Brandon Satterfield has the other. Perhaps you might be the next?
On a sad note: due to the Chinese market spurring the race to the bottom on maker parts, kits, and printers it drove Brandon and his team on to greener pastures with the closure of Hobbyfab in 2019. But I am delighted to announce that Brandon has given me the OK to release the designs and plans on many of the cool machines we developed together out here on Github. The files here are my best attempt to cleanup and document with detailed 3D models the BoxR 3D printer as we left off on the project. I still use my BoxR Printer regularly, and actually had it out at MRRF the last few years. It is a capable and reliable 3D printer. If you have interest in building one, all the details to get you started should be available in this Github.
I have the 3D model files saved in several formats. I work in Solidworks natively, but I have also exported the model into Fusion360, X_T, Step, 3D-PDF. In addition I have generated DXF files for the 2D Panels which could be formed at a local sheet metal fabrication house by a potential maker looking to replicate the design. The BoxR design was my first for endeavor into sheet metal modeling in Solidworks. I have since improved my skills in this area, but I feel it is not too bad for a first attempt :)
I would like to end this by saying Brandon and his group over the years did amazing work for the community. They sponsored projects to many makers via at cost or free components to develop cool projects. They were always available to answer questions to potential makers on the kits and projects they sold (day or night). The maker community lost something special with the closure of SMW3D/Hobby-Fab. But the impact they left on the maker community will live on.
Thank you Brandon and team. You are amazing. And I am glad to have been but a small part in your chapter of the Maker Revolution story.
-Eric Lien
