Re: Idea: A RepRap Hanging From the Ceiling

Wow, very interesting work indeed!

Using only springs/suspended counter-weight to control z-height and keep all lines tensioned seems to give really smooth motion. However, it seems expensible to lose up to one-fourth of our motor torque, just to keep them tight... I can think of two possible solutions to this

1. A setup with a dedicated z-motor, and no springs at all. This will require the four motors to work against each other to keep the lines tight.
2. Just avoiding the areas too close to the xy-anchor points.

Since I will have lots of print area anyways, alternative 2 is probably the pragmatic way to go. What I don't like about alternative 2 is that it risks trading simpler software for more complex looks and installation. A hanging counterweight or a tensioned spring, possibly with pulleys would take away all the overall slick looks. It would also make it hard to retract the printer all the way up to the ceiling.

This retract-to-ceiling-feature is something I at least want to try to implement, as I find space-saving important (uhm, well my wife agrees and encourages (ok, forces) me). I suspect that lack of space in peoples apartments are a major barrier to the further spreading of RepRaps.