title:Project Ghost author:Thomas Gile description:High Speed 3d Printer created_at:2024-05-22"

Current Total Time Worked On Project: 9.4 Hours

5/22/2025 Log 1: The Start

I set up my repo, the Fusion 360 docs, and the other documents I am using to track my project's development. Then I cobbled together some various parts from CAD of different projects and made a mockup of what it could look like:

Later today, I will disassemble two scrap printers and then take the parts and lay them out to see how I could optimize the frame and the metal parts that I have to work with, then I can get down to real CAD.

Time Spent: 40 Minutes

5/22/2025 Log 2: Extrusion Are Just Big Legos

I started by finishing disassembling my 3d printers and cleaning up my workshop, then laying out my extrusion and getting an idea of how the frame should look. I decided on a rough frame here:

Now that I have the frame, it is time to get to CAD!

Time Spent: 2 hours

5/22/2025 Log 3: Getting Basic Parts

I started getting the CAD file organised. I made a folder in Fusion 360 and then referenced other CAD files for ideas and inspiration. I then started to collect basic part CAD files from the internet for the printer frame, using the LH Stinger BOM as a basic list of parts. This technique of using the internet to find premade models for parts like aluminum extrusions, screws, and other things can speed up the CAD process.

Time Spent: 1.5 hours

5/24/2025 Log 4: Frame Designed!

I built the frame in Fusion 360 and found that you can get CAD files of parts you can order on: https://us.misumi-ec.com/. I then started getting the file organised so I can hopefully create a BOM natively in Fusion 360.

Time Spent: 2 Hours

5/27/2025 Log 5: Finally Some Progress!

After a little break (I had a four-day swim meet), I finally hopped back onto the project. I want to say that not everything in this project was fully created and done by yours truly alone; I am using some bits and bobs from the LH Stinger design. And the metal parts that you would buy are industrial CAD parts from the internet. So the Y axis and the X axis are currently not my design. I will likely modify them to my needs and aesthetic preferences, but why try to fix something that isn’t broken? I am also creating a really organised file for the Ship, and hopefully, I can create some videos and an animated build manual for future makers of this printer!

How the printer currently looks:

Time Spent: 3.5 Hours