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Assembly Guide Introduction

This document is actively being refined and edited for mistaeks.

Assembly involves a large number of individual parts. We'll do our best to divide the process up into manageable chunks.

For the purposes of this guide, instructions are for an unmodified version of the Clock 3 prototype.

Warning

We will be working with electricity and carefully positioning parts. Patience and caution are needed.

Rushing any part of assembly now can cause issues later or even be hazardous. Take your time, take breaks, and double-check your work!

A Guided Tour

Below are the stages of the assembly process. Bear in mind that not all steps take the same amount of time.

Preparation

This stage is much like setting up a construction site.

  • We need to figure out where to put our tools and supplies.
  • Check that we have all of the supplies we need.
  • Do some early work and prepare for the rest of the assembly.

Framing Building Blocks

The first step is the frame. We'll assemble it in several pieces and check for a square, rigid assembly.

Kinematics

This is a four step process. Essentially, we start with the Z steppers and build up and in towards the X gantry. Lastly, we fasten the belts.

  1. Z Axis
  2. XY Axes
  3. X Gantry
  4. Belts

Electronics, Part 1

At this point, we'll have much of the topside of the printer done. Before we wire anything, everything that needs a connector should be in place. This is where we unbox the control board, hotend, and install the rest of the steppers.

Wiring

Here we'll start measuring out wires, cutting them to roughly the right length, and generally getting ready to make a lot of cabling.

Electronics, Part 2

At this point, it's time to make connectors and actually run our finished cabling. We start from the MCU and work our way up.

Finishing Up and Closing Up

The is the last of the hardware setup, where we install the door, side panels, and air filtration. We'll check for a solid seal in the chamber and resolve any issues.

Conventions

Like with the categorization of parts in the Bill of Materials, there are other conventions we use during the assembly process to identify parts and orient them quickly. We will introduce them as we go through the Preparation section of this Guide.

At various points during assembly and configuration, guides for certain tasks are already available from the manufacturer, developer, or maintainer (or simply a third party). We will often link to an external guide for more detailed explanations of some procedures.

An example of this is in the initial configuration of MainsailOS. The developers of Mainsail will always have more current documentation regarding installation and setup than ours, so we defer to them where needed.

Okay, let's check and make sure we have what we need.