Prusa Mendel Visual Instructions

Providing a visual guide to the steps given on the reprap.org wiki page on how to construct a Prusa Mendel.

The document is available as a PDF in several resolutions.

Standard Resolution (19 MB) - Best compromise of image quality and file size.
Minimal Resolution (5 MB) - When bandwith is an issue.

The source files for this document are available on github, and any issues can be raised in the project issue tracker.

Comments

TianChang 22-03-2011 02:51

This looks beautiful!

Thank you for your work. Must have taken a lot of time.

TianChang
TianChang 22-03-2011 02:56

Gary, one more thing,

On page 60 of the High Res version, step number 4, the Z-smooth bar top clamps, the hex head should be on the side of motors, while the rest of the bolt sticks outwards. If one puts in the other way around, it will get in the way of the motors.
Gary Hodgson 22-03-2011 09:36

Thanks TianChang. It didn't take all that long really - I found that once I got into the flow I could produce the images pretty quickly because importing the STL files meant that all the hard work (creating the models) was done. What really took too much time was making the belts look acceptable!

Thanks for the suggestion for p60. I had blindly followed the steps and had forgotten that I had to do as you say whilst building mine. I will update the wiki and the document when I next get a chance.

Cheers.
Robert H. Morrison 22-03-2011 09:42

Great job!
Chris D 22-03-2011 19:44

I look forward to reading this
Christoph 23-03-2011 01:05

Amazingly and terrific excellent! I'm author of a german instruction. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12236028/BauanleitungPrusaMendel.pdf but this isn't as nearly as excellent then yours. Which software are you using for your superb pictures?
TianChang 23-03-2011 02:26

Gary,

Somemore tips since I just finish a prusa build and it is still fresh in my mind. =D

I may be wrong to, but I had to change out my z-motor coupler bolts too, perhaps down to M3 x 20. I find that with the current lengths, I cannot reach the maximum z-height that the machine is capable of.

And also you might want to include a note to say that "you might not want to secure the z-motors if you have wobbling issues with you x-axis" This is especially true if your threaded rods are not straight. I am at the moment, still trying to rectify that on my build.

Hope this helps too.
TianChang 23-03-2011 02:33

I mention about the z-motor coupler bolts because the spinning bolts, if too long, will start scraping against the z-axis smooth bar guides.

And also, you might want to include a warning against tightening the bar clamps too tight. I over-tightened mine and the plastic showed white marks on it. I had one which even cracked but is still doing well. hehe. Maybe we can include some sort of a guide (range of values of something) to the compression on the bar clamps?
Gary Hodgson 23-03-2011 07:36

Thanks TianChang, These are great tips. I found the same as I was building mine, and so I will incorporate your comments into the documentation when I next get a chance.

I think these notes and tips should definitely go into the wiki - the question is how to make the suggestions (e.g. modifying the Bill of Materials to use M3 x 20 bolts as per your suggestion above) so that it's clear and without confusing newcomers. Perhaps I will try and contact the original authors and get some ideas.

Cheers!
Gary Hodgson 23-03-2011 07:44

Danke! The software was simply Google SketchUp, and I added the STL Importer plugin so I could use the STL model files from Prusa's project. I simply moved the model into the correct position and used the "Export 2D Image" feature.

Feel free to use/modify the model - I uploaded it to a github project too.

Cheers.
rob 23-03-2011 08:48

Wow!

Where did you learn this great skill ?

Simply amazing results !!!

Well Done :)

This will make my life easy :0

thanks Rob
-o-o-
Maynard 23-03-2011 23:12

Hi and thanks for making the effort to explain the terminlogy for the novices!
Triffid Hunter 24-03-2011 03:07

Would love this in PDF format for easy off-line viewing
Triffid Hunter 24-03-2011 04:17

ah, just realised that the high res is a pdf, might want to make that a bit more clear :)
Gary Hodgson 24-03-2011 08:12

Ah yes, good idea - I have updated the page to say that the files are PDFs. Cheers.
epengr 26-03-2011 22:42

Hi,

Love the build instructions! I'm following them for my build.

Found one issue. You instruct to have the x-axis smooth rods flush on the idler side and protruding on the motor side. As a result you have an interference on pg 75: the smooth rod is occupying the same space as the motor. (I don't have my motors yet, but it appears that this will be a real problem, not just a modeling issue.

I think the rods need to be flush with the motor mount side and there should be no clearance issue on the idler side.

I second TianChang comment. Anyone reading should be careful not to over tighten. most of my clamps are showing stress marks. It's surprising how little you need to tighten it to make it secure. Go a little bit at a time and check it to see if it moves.
Gary Hodgson 26-03-2011 22:55

Hi epengr, Thanks for the comment - and now that you mention it I now remember that I had exactly this issue when mounting the x motor! and had to slide the smooth rod over to the idler side.

I will update the document next chance I get.

Cheers!
Jeff Moe 27-03-2011 06:03

Hey, I put your PDF into a Lulu project, so you can easily get a printed version:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/prusa-mendel-visual-instructions/15223532

If you want to do a project on there or somewhere similar, let me know and I'll take that one down.

Thanks!
Jpage 30-03-2011 05:14

Thanks so much!
This has helped me quite a bit as a newbie. There are a few differences between these instructions and the maker gear Mendel prusa kit. I'm not finished yet, but so far I have found that the J2 dimension is 250 for my kit and the pulleys use smaller bearings than the 608s in the instructions and also the fender washers are not required. I'll try to keep track of the other differences and post them.
Fabien 30-03-2011 11:05

Hey,

Thanks for this great work! I don't see any licence, on the .pub. Could i use it to translate it in another language ?

Thanks,
Gary Hodgson 30-03-2011 11:25

Hi there, The original instructions on the Wiki are GPL and the .pub is GFDL, and so you are free to use it as you see fit - and a translation would be a great addition!

And if you let me know the link to where the translation lives (once it's written of course) I will happily put a link to it on the blog page if you wish.

Cheers.
xjw 05-04-2011 11:25

great job!
Triffid Hunter 23-04-2011 03:21

A quick tip for getting the 3rd threaded rod into the vertexes that probably belongs in these instructions- run the inside nut on the first end you put in way up the bar so you can drop the bar through the vertex enough to line the top end up with the other vertexes hole. Otherwise, you might get people trying to force them in on an angle and breaking things.
Alan Lake 03-05-2011 17:00

I'm using these instructions to build my first RepRap. They are really great.

In Part 2, I didn't find the length of the threaded rod that I should use. Another source said it is 294mm.
Andres Vahter 23-05-2011 19:32

It is said on Bill Of Materials section that 2 frame vertex are needed.
This cannot be correct, if I followed instruction it seems like 6 frame-vertexes are needed.

The same issue seems to be on: http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa

I also received kit with 2 frame-vertexes from Ebay. I might be too tired to understand it - really, there should be only 2 of them?

Correct me if I am wrong.
Andres Vahter 23-05-2011 19:44

Ahaa, now I see my mistake: "These instructions were started with an earlier Mendel model, therefore all vertices are shown without feet."

Ofcourse, I have to use vertexes with feet.
Triffid Hunter 10-06-2011 18:05

Hi, in Part 7 Instruction 8 you say to tighten the screws in the idler but not the motor, yet later on in the document you say to shift the rods over as they (may) interfere with the x motor. Wouldn't it be better to tighten the motor at 7/8 with rods flush with the end of the holes, and let the idler be the adjustable end, since it doesn't matter if we have rod sticking out the end of the idler?
Spacexula 19-06-2011 23:05

BTW the instructions now have the Z axis support rod going under not over the bottom of the two triangles, this keeps the belt from dragging.
Seb 22-07-2011 23:05

Amazing work! Thank you so much, it will help a lot!
REPRAP PRUSA: Pictures of the assembly | BigBeardy.co.uk 02-08-2011 10:37

[...] monitor, you’ll see the visual assembly instructions I’m using that I got from here via the REPRAP wiki. It’s a pretty comprehensive guide. The Front and rear rails added A [...]
Rota 27-08-2011 12:16

Thank you so much!! That is amazing!
Prusa Mendel: building the frame | johnbiehler.com 27-08-2011 17:31

[...] followed Gary Hodgson’s excellent Visual Guide to Prusa on my iPad…made it really easy to see what order the parts needed to be attached and [...]
prusa mendel tutorial | 06-09-2011 11:12

[...] zabra? si? za sk?adanie. Wymiary oraz poszczególne kroki pokazane sa w znakomitym tutorialu http://garyhodgson.com/reprap/prusa-mendel-visual-instructions/(równie? jako [...]
Monocultured » Blog Archive » Doing the RepRap #10 16-09-2011 11:14

[...] putting the printer together I ran into some issues with the otherwise excellent documentation put together by Gary Hodgeson, namely the parts using the LM8UU linear bearings instead of printed bushings. Because I [...]
Jay Roth 22-10-2011 20:09

Hi, I haven't started building a machine yet, just in research mode now. I must say, these instructions rise to Lego level -- if you have ever put together a Lego set, you know what a compliment that is. Bravo!
Rich D 05-11-2011 05:49

Such a great help for new prusa builders!!!
Assembly Begins on my MakerGear Mendel Prusa 3D printer kit | Brazen Artifice 14-11-2011 23:09

[...] had a couple of moments of confusion so far in the gap between the Prusa Mendel Visual Instructions (which has excellent line illustrations,in the manner of the best car mechanics books), and the [...]
Project Leonard – Frame Build « a drop in the digital ocean 16-11-2011 23:25

[...] Just for ref: there is a great printable Prusa Mendel build guide put together by Gary Hodgson avaliable here. [...]
My Mendel Prusa 3D printer is brazenly extruding plastic | Brazen Artifice 25-11-2011 09:21

[...] I’ll describe step by step the notes I wrote on using the two essential references (the ’Prusa Mendel Visual Instructions’ and the ’MakerGear Prusa Mendel differences from stock Prusa’) to assemble my MakerGear Mendel [...]
RobotRanch » Prusa Mendel build – Lil’ Brudda 13-12-2011 01:27

[...] on to assembly. The Prusa has a great visual construction manual. It starts with a threaded [...]
wes thomas online design journal 03-01-2012 19:56

[...] my first RepRap build soon, and if anyone else is interested you should check out this awesome visual guide to the Prusa Mendel build. Very informative and detailed, I’ll definitely be referencing this as I [...]
Falls jemand einen Protos selberbauen will « 3D Drucker 06-01-2012 20:52

[...] Pdf-Anleitung gibt es hier: http://garyhodgson.com/reprap/prusa-mendel-visual-instructions/ Share this:TwitterFacebookGefällt mir:LikeSei der Erste, dem dieser post gefällt. Hinterlasse [...]
tgiphil 11-01-2012 07:46

Great work!

Will you be updating the instructions for Prusa Iteration 2?
Gary Hodgson 11-01-2012 10:09

Hi, Josef asked me a while ago whether I would and I agreed, but so far he hasn't gotten back to me. I'm not sure whether he wants the instructions to be a part of his Thingidoc, a PDF, or website, etc. Also, I created the first revision as I was building my own Prusa and so it was easy to create the images for each step as they were already written on the wiki.

In the mean time I put up a web page that uses Thingidiff to compare the parts between the two versions, and I converted,and cleaned, the STL files to Google Sketchup format ready to build the images - they are in the 3D warehouse.
Il Sabato di Automazione OS | Automazione Open Source 21-01-2012 00:05

[...] è presente sia un videotutorial per poterla costruire (qui) sia una guida in pdf molto dettagliata(qui). Mentre la pagina di questo progetto con tutti gli altri modelli disponibili si può trovare [...]
Zestawienie domowych drukarek 3d – przewodnik kupuj?cego | Designfutures.pl 27-01-2012 14:25

[...] wi?kszych problemów. W budowie pomog? liczne na sieci poradniki (my polecamy wizualne instrukcje Garego Hodgsona oraz opis krok-po-kroku). Wymagane przy budowie umiej?tno?ci mo?na okre?li? jako oczko wy?sze [...]
jin 08-02-2012 02:01

I have a few general questions to anyone that has built this. I am considering building the Prusa Mendal but I am unsure if my small apartment would work.....or my girlfriend would appreciate a 3D printer in the living room.... How loud is this? same as a regular paper printer or louder? Does it give off fumes? Could this be a fire hazard? or at least smoke detector hazard?

I am trying to weight the pros and cons before I go down this rocky road of 3D printing. If there is anything else I should know that would help.
jin 08-02-2012 02:13

and how long does the prints take. Final question. How much plastic is used and how much would typically cost?
Gary Hodgson 08-02-2012 09:17

Hi Jin, If you go the the forums (http://forums.reprap.org) you will see that may people have already asked these questions. I will however say that the printer should be considered a workshop tool not like a paper laser printer for example. That means it is louder than a regular printer and could potentially be a fire hazard (the hot end can get to ~200°C) so care has to be taken. If space is a problem then perhaps consider a huxley or wallace as these are smaller.
trojwymiarowo, wszystko o druku 3d 24-03-2012 00:05

[...] Nie ma co rozpisywa? si? na temat budowy ramy, gdy? wi?kszo?? informacji dotycz?cych jej budowy jest dost?pna w sieci. Np. tutaj jest b. fajny przewodnik budowy drukarki w wersji PDF [...]
Montagem, dificuldades, e mais dificuldades 25-03-2012 22:04

[...] não deixem de falar!!! A primeira etapa da montagem da minha RepRap foi tranquila, baixei um tutorial muito bom, uma receitinha de bolo muito tranquila. A maior dificuldade foi na hora de fechar o [...]
Começou a montagem da estrutura! | Projetos, construções e repraps 25-03-2012 23:49

[...] paciência, não aperte os parafusos Eu já tinha estudado o manual do Gary Hodgson mas mesmo assim dei mole e tive que refazer alguns passos. Nem tudo é igual, lembre-se que é [...]
Montagem, dificuldades, e mais dificuldades | RepRapBR by Muringa 27-03-2012 20:32

[...] não deixem de falar!!! A primeira etapa da montagem da minha RepRap foi tranquila, baixei um tutorial muito bom, uma receitinha de bolo muito tranquila. A maior dificuldade foi na hora de fechar o [...]
Steven Reid 18-04-2012 19:40

These look like awesome instructions on how to build a Prusa Mendal. If you are interested in the technical specs and feedback on the actual 3D printer check out 3D Printing Pad. It also compares the Mendel to all the other 3d printers on the market for household right now.
Ralph Hendriks 20-04-2012 17:05

Hi Gary,
Thanks for the guide! I have a comment.. In part 2, step 1 you refer to the bottom rod (which is a 12" rod, one out of six of the FRONT-REAR rods..) I mistook that and used the BOTTOM-TOP rods (3 18" rods) and had to unscrew nuts and bolts for 20 minutes.. :) Could you update that line to 'the bottom of two front/rear rods' in your next revision? Thanks again!
Peças « guilima10 05-05-2012 04:09

[...] - Esse manual vem com imagens e é muito fácil de entender : http://garyhodgson.com/reprap/prusa-mendel-visual-instructions/ [...]
Clint Carlson 05-06-2012 21:16

Thanks for the visual guide, it helped a lot being able to look through it before I began ordering all my parts for my reprap prusa mendel build. People like you is what make the reprap 3D community so Incredible.

Thanks for spending the time to make such a great document!
Gary Hodgson 05-06-2012 21:37

Thanks Clint! Glad the guide is proving useful. Best of luck with the build!
Prusa Mendel 2: Primeros pasos » Reclone3d 06-07-2012 01:02

[...] Estos son algunos apuntes o “modificaciones” que he ido encontrando y que hay que tener en cuenta al montar la Prusa 2, con respecto a las instrucciones visuales. [...]
jhd 21-09-2012 10:12

Hello, is this manual for prusa v2 ?
Gary Hodgson 21-09-2012 11:06

Hi. No, this is for the v1. But I believe they are quite similar, so it might help a little.

Good luck on your build.
Paul 06-10-2012 21:59

Simply amazing!!
I'll look forward to build mine!!
I'm off-the-hookly thankful to you!
Jussi 07-10-2012 07:12

For the girlfriend problem, my wife actually thinks reprap looks cool (i got black plastic parts and very shiny smoothrods/threaded rods) so she let me build it in the living room :D and now its in our bedroom :)
Further progress on extruder and axes | — DX — 30-10-2012 02:37

[...] notice that the motor is mounted on the side of the y-bracket opposite than that shown in the instructions. This is actually because, due to a small hiccup, my y-bracket was printed as a mirror-image of [...]
Jose Amendoeira 08-11-2012 15:48

Wow! Spectacular job!

The RepRap community is amazing me since i discovered it, with it's level of commitment and selflessness! I can't wait to build my own Prusa and start contributing myself!

Thank you very, very much!!!
tomas 18-11-2012 03:48

hi i am from argentina y buy a prusa mendel , but y need mode informacion about programing the printable object , y used the program slicer to configure all that stufs ,
other question sometimes when im printing at half of the printed the object takes of from thje bed , what could it be ?
any informacion you have , manuals etc can send it to my email tomasandresbasile@hotmail.com
thanks
Gary Hodgson 18-11-2012 14:25

Hi Tomas, I recommend asking your questions to the reprap forums as more people would be able to help you: http://forums.reprap.org There is also an Argentinian forum, but the post count is quite low: http://forums.reprap.org/list.php?276

best of luck, Gary
Ma première reprap : Le début du montage | bricoblog 11-05-2013 17:45

[...] Les instructions visuelle de Gary Hodgson [...]
3D Printer Build Started! | MakeICT 18-06-2013 18:00

[...] the build of our very own MakeICT 3D printer! We are building a RepRap Prusa Mendel using this guide. [...]
Peterthinks 07-07-2013 02:43

This is beautiful work!
HE3r0 08-07-2013 08:32

Hello,
is there a newer version of the guide?
I've found error on page 55/56/57
X-idler or X-motor mount, are mirrored, and as pictured on said pages will not work.
Gary Hodgson 08-07-2013 08:51

Hi there, Which version of the Prusa are you building? because these instructions are for the i1, and perhaps the i2 is different?
HE3r0 08-07-2013 09:02

i2 but if you look at pg 57 step 5,
parts look different than pg 58 step 8,
on pg58 motor mount is inline with x-idler,
while on pg57 is on the opposite side of the Z axis.

newertheless, guide is outstanding!
Gary Hodgson 08-07-2013 13:06

Hi again, Now I see it, although it took me a couple of seconds to see it! Wow, never noticed that before - well spotted!
POSITIVELY 3D | Building My First 3D Printer 16-07-2013 19:41

[...] different models and decided to go with the most common model, the Prusa Mendel. I read through the visual assembly manual, which was straightforward and gave me the confidence I needed to build the printer. At a fraction [...]
k hornig 10-08-2013 21:30

Hallo
First i want to thank you for sharing this.
I would like to place a link to your instructions on my website,if you dont mind.
http://khornig.weebly.com/index.html

k.hornig
Gary Hodgson 10-08-2013 22:46

Hi there, Feel free to link as you wish.
a drop in the digital ocean 18-08-2013 21:44

[...] Just for ref: there is a great printable Prusa Mendel build guide put together by Gary Hodgson avaliable here. [...]
Networking Things and Creators in Open Source Hardware | Open Electronics 23-08-2013 13:40

[...] mistakes due to my misreading the instructions on the wiki, and so I decided to put together the Prusa Mendel Visual Instructions at the same time a guide for the Wade’s Geared Extruder. There’s a lot of good [...]
Miljan 25-08-2013 21:00

Hello all, I have no 3D printer cause i cant afford it but i have an idea to make this from
other materials, i am looking for a classical technical drawing so i can reproduce all the printable parts of this printer. Does someone knows where i can find that kind of drawings for Prusa ?

Thank you
Miljan
stojanovicmiljan@gmail.com
Gary Hodgson 25-08-2013 21:43

Hi Miljan, as far as I know there aren't any technical drawings, only CAD files. Have a look at Prusa's github repos for i2 (https://github.com/josefprusa/PrusaMendel) and i3 (https://github.com/josefprusa/Prusa3).
Wen 13-09-2013 14:32

Thank you so much. Its a brilliant guide. I am going to try it tomorrow.
Gary Hodgson 13-09-2013 14:58

Thanks. Please be aware that this guide is for version 1 of the Prusa, and since then there are two further iterations which you might want to consider.

Best of luck.
faisal hussain 05-11-2013 04:00

Maybe I'm missing something but do your instructions go over the electronics and the actual hot end of the printer? I don't see a heat bed or resistor or thermister or hot ends included in ur bom.
Please explain
Thank you
Gary Hodgson 05-11-2013 09:10

Hi, yes, the instructions are only for the mechanical build - not the electronics or hotends, because there is simply so many variations to choose from.
faisal hussain 05-11-2013 12:11

Hi
Oh okay, well thank you for that. Its a great guide indeed.
I'm a complete beginner with this stuff and I know nothing about electronics and hotends and etc. Would you kindly suggest any links which can aid me along the way?
Thanks
Gary Hodgson 05-11-2013 12:42

I would loko at the following websites:

http://reprapmagazine.com/
http://richrap.blogspot.de/
http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap

Best of luck.
pinky 22-11-2013 07:23

Hi Gary,

I wanted to make Prusa i2,
I founded your manual very useful but is there any way you can suggest me which hotend to use and what are the connections if I use Ramps 1.4 electronics

Thanks
Pinky
Gary Hodgson 23-11-2013 21:48

Hi, There's a lot of options for hot-ends nowadays so you really have to make your own research, but for what it's worth I have heard the J-Head is supposed to be quite good (http://hotends.com), and I recently bought a 3mm direct-drive hotend from http://e3d-online.com which appears to be well constructed. I have only just started using it so it's too early for me to comment on how it prints - though many people are praising them.

In terms of the connections to the Ramps, the wiki should be able to help you: http://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.4

Best of luck!
Redez 26-01-2014 15:31

This is exactly what I have been looking for to help me get started with this project!! Thanks for putting This togeather.
One question though as I will be ordering the printed parts since this is my first 3D printer... What iteration version is this manual for (or doesnt it matter) Prusa i2 or Prusa i3

Thanks

Eric
Redez 26-01-2014 23:48

Please ignore my previous question, after additional research I have determined that this guide is for i2 series

Regards

Eric
Gary Hodgson 27-01-2014 10:26

Hi Eric,

Actually the guide is for the even older i1, though it is still quite relevant for i2. i3 is, as you have already determined, a very different design.

Best of luck on your build.
Gary
Kyle 16-03-2014 05:40

Gary,

I apologize if my question is redundant to this forum, but are you willing/able to print the pieces this manual requires for purchase? I have a great interest in making a 3D printer. These instructions are light years ahead of anything I have found!

Appreciation and admiration,
DK
Gary Hodgson 18-03-2014 09:18

Hi, These instructions are for a printer that is now quiet old, I would recommend looking at more recent versions, such as the Prusa i3, or the Mendel90.

Have a look on the reprap forums and ebay for people selling, or willing to print, parts.
Best of luck!
David 15-11-2016 18:37

Where would you buy the plastic feet and other components please