Rat Rig V-Minion

Rat Rig V-Minion

The V-Minion is a premium DIY kit for a small form factor Cartesian 3D printer, with big features. Unbeatable speed and rigidity for such a small package.

V-Minion Project Page

What's in the package

This time around we have edged even closer to a real full kit. We have paid attention to every detail down to the last wire you will need to assemble the kit. We will still offer barebone sets for those wanting to use different configurations!

Mechanical Kit:

This bundle includes only the frame, mounting hardware, and all the motion hardware. You'll need to add all electronics including the bed heater, and all printed parts

Full Kit:

This bundle includes the Mechanical Kit, Electronics(motors, controller, RPi, hotend, extruder, probe, heater etc.), as well as the Electronics Case bundle and printed parts. No extra parts needed except your locally compatible IEC power cable and an SD Card for the Raspberry Pi. All printed parts included (machine and case).

V-Minion current electronics configuration(included with full kit):
- Extruder: Bondtech LGX Lite
- Hotend: Phaetus Dragonfly BMO ST Black
- Cooling: GDSTime fans (4010 axial and 5015 blower)
- Controller: BTT SKR2 + Raspberry Pi3
- Firmware: Klipper via RatOS preconfigured Pi image
- Motors: LDO Nema17
- Bed Heater: Custom Keenovo 180W
- Build Surface: Energetic textured PEI spring steel set

A summary of what's inside the electronics case bundle follows(included with full kit):
- Pre-drilled polycarbonate side panels, compatible with BTT SKR2, BTT SKR Mini and the BTT Octopus mainboards.
- IEC, Fuse, Spade connectors and pre-cut wires for your PSU and power connections
- Standoffs for your mainboard and Pi
- A 4010 fan for cooling
- All mounting hardware

You can get a detailed idea of exactly what is included, component by component by looking at the BOM section on the V-Minion Project Page!

Features

180x180x180mm Build Volume

Whilst many printers feature an ever-increasing build volume, the most common FDM prints are small. A smaller build volume means less moving mass, leading to faster and better looking prints.

3060 Extrusion Frame

Utilizing 3060 extrusion for its frame, the V-Minion is extremely sturdy. This allows for faster printing with lower vibration, all leading to better looking prints.

Linear Rail based Motion System

The V-Minion features linear rails (MGN15H and MGN12C) on all 3 axes, providing smooth and quiet motion.

EVA Modular carriage system

The V-Minion features EVA as its extruder and hotend carriage platform. This means you can use a huge list of extruder and hotend combinations, outside of the ones we supply. There are many options. The great thing about EVA is that it will keep your printer open to updating: every year new hotends and extruders are released by so many amazing manufacturers. How cool is it that you get to simply re-print your print head and add a new hotend or extruder?

Enclosed Electronics Case

All of the V-Minion electronics fit into the specially designed case. It has been designed to house the power supply, a Raspberry Pi3, as well as your printer mainboard, all whilst providing cooling via a built-in 40mm fan. The default design supports the BTT SKR2, BTT SKR Mini and the BTT Octopus mainboards. The side panels are CNC manufactured from 4mm Polycarbonate, making them incredibly strong, but can also be printed if you prefer.

Precision Milled Bed

The V-Minion features a custom made, precision milled, 5mm bed plate designed for exceptional flatness and heat stability. Going one step further, we have worked directly with Keenovo, industry leaders in silicone heaters, to develop a bed heater which is both high performance, and safe due to its built-in thermal protection.

Spool Holder

The on-frame spool holder is designed to complement the V-Minion. Based upon the same 30 series extrusion as the rest of the printer, it keeps your filament close-by and makes moving the printer a breeze because the filament comes with you.

RatOS / Klipper ready

RatOS is developed by and in cooperation with Mikkel Schmidt especially for our printers. It combines the power of the Klipper firmware, as well as several other open-source projects, to provide a stable and easy-to-use operating system for all your printing needs.

Comprehensive build guide

The V-Minion has a comprehensive step-by-step build guide in both static and animated forms. Each section is broken down into easy to follow steps, detailing the parts needed and how to assemble them. A fully animated build video is also provided, should you wish to see exactly how each part is designed to fit together.

Machine Dimensions

Sample Prints / Parts

These images showcase 3D prints produced by V-Minion machines belonging to members of our community.

Acknowledgments

The V-Minion is an open-source project which is a result of countless hours of collaboration between our design team, the 3D printing community, and our beta team, all of whom share their knowledge freely to help push the 3D printing space forward as a whole. Being developed by using such a vast array of knowledge means that it is difficult to trace back any one idea, thus making attributions difficult at best. Regardless, we would like to acknowledge the following people and projects for their contribution to the V-Minion. They are as follows (in no particular order):

• Paweł Kucmus
• João Barros
• Eduardo Oliveira
• Tomasz Paluszkiewicz
• Mikkel Schmidt
• Antonios Antzoulatos
• Detlev Meinhard Friedrich Rackow
• Lukas Sinitsch
• Márcio Pereira
• Dennis Jespersen
• Marc Marschall
• David Menzel
• Thomas Ret
• Mihai Stanimir
• Harald Wagener

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

You may share, remix and mod the design. By default, you may not use the design and its derivatives for commercial purposes, but if you request a commercial license from us, we may (and most likely will) grant you one, as long as we deem your goals are aligned with the best interests of the project and its users.

The spirit of the project is to remove barriers to innovation and focus on pushing the technology, working as a collective, inspiring each other and experimenting with new ideas. We are happy to foster a rich ecosystem of suppliers and services that empowers users by offering them more options and alternatives.

Reviews

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