Melting Knobs! – Photon Mono X


While the Photon Mono X is a great machine for printing with, the knobs tend to leave a tar like residue, so we’ll be addressing this issue in today’s mod.  As always, undertake this mod at your own risk, and I’m in no way responsible if any damages may occur.

So before we being, we first need to get our hands on a couple of supplies.  We’re first going to either order new components or re-use the ones which came with the machine.  Now in this case, I will be showing you how to use the original components, however I’ve verified the dimensions for the replacement parts.  Important to note is that the head of other bolts tends to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.  The DOWNLOADABLE file here is for the original ones which came with the machine, and I’ve included an instructional PDF guide to go along with the STL file.  For this project, you’re going to need to pick up (x2) M6 hex head bolts along with their corresponding nuts, as well as (x1) M8 hex bolt and nut.  These files can be printed with either an FDM printer or SLA one, however I do recommend using an FDM printer if you have one since I found that the resin doesn’t stick as much to those surfaces.

If you’re re-using the original components, you’re first going to need to salvage the bolts and nuts from the originals.  The best way to do this is to saw partway through them and pry them out carefully.  Since this isn’t easy to do, I recommend ordering the replacement parts if possible as a backup.

The way the original hardware was designed, it had one nut threaded part way, so for this reason we’re going to thread this through while making sure it’s flush with the printed opening.  This provides the bolt with additional support to prevent it from wobbling later on.  Making sure that the head and the nut are lined up, we’ll glue these into place and clamp this together before letting them rest overnight to set.  In my case, I’m using an expanding glue, which will fill in the gaps between the bolt and the printed handle.  While this isn’t necessary, I do recommend it.

Once glued in place, you can now install your build plate with the new tightening knobs, making sure to thread these only enough to hold them it into place.  The reason why you don’t want to over-tighten them, is that you want to prevent from stripping the bolt threads with unnecessary wear.  While installing the build plate knob, I do recommended that you place something above your build plate.  This will prevent any accidental damage that could occur from the knob falling onto the FEP sheet or screen.


Replacing a FEP sheet can be daunting for those who are new to 3d printing, so I’ve created a separate guide for that HERE. 



About

Yasmeen completed both the 2D and 3D animation course at Algonquin College and worked in the animation industry as a freelancer for a number of years before being hired to manage the 3D printing services at ItsYeBoi. While using the Alias of "Jenny" during her services, she was responsible for the testing, maintenance and upgrading of the machine while also filming and developing 3D printable assets for various projects.