Let's build a VORON Trident
Let's build a VORON: Wrap-up ★
It’s finally done™. I’ve built a VORON that prints reliably and I’ve modded it enough to be able to leave it alone for a while, so I think it’s time to wrap up this build series with a little retrospective.
Building the printer was really fun and rewarding
I’ve always seen myself as a software person instead of a hardware person. But I must admit, assembling the printer was a very fun and rewarding experience.
Seeing how you go from bags of bits and pieces to a fully functional printer, and knowing that I—someone clueless about hardware—put everything together, is an awesome feeling.
And to then mod the printer—to print out parts to modify and enhance the printer—was also very cool and one of the best parts of this project. I think I enjoyed the building experience so much that I was seeking out more mods just to extend that sensation.
There’s so much to learn
Even though I’ve tried to include as much details as possible in this blog series, there are still many things I left out that you need to learn if you’re new to 3D printing like I am. For example:
- Klipper & G-code configuration
- Slicer management and the thousands of settings
- Filament selection, stuck filament, wet filament, filament tuning…
You can absolutely start from zero with a VORON like I did, just realize that there’s a lot to learn, and building the printer is only the beginning of the journey.
Take it slow and ask for help, and I’m sure you could do it too.
Some modding is required
Okay, you can use the printer as-is. But in my mind some modding is required to get the most out of it:
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HEPA filter seems like a must.
Sure, there are crazy people who even print ABS in their bedroom without an enclosure—but come on. Your health is the most important thing, you should take better care of it.
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A smart filament sensor saves you so much grief.
There are a lot of other great mods too, but I concede they’re not required. If you’re building a Trident I’d at least consider these mods as well:
- Removable top panel.
- Some sort of camera (maybe not the Angry CAM).
- RockNRoll (or inverted electronics, but maybe plan for that from the start).
(Modding is also one of the most fun parts, feel free to go nuts!)
Issues with the kit
Overall, the printer and kit was good and I haven’t had many issues with it. I did however have two larger issues:
- The printer was loud.
- The POM nuts wore out.
This isn’t a knock on the printer design (I think). Maybe it was an issue with some of the parts I received in the LDO Trident kit, but I don’t know. It could also be plain old user error.
Future plans
One might think that the printer is complete and that I won’t touch it anymore, but nooo. Oh no, I’ve a bunch of large mods I want to do with the printer:
- Replace the camera with a better one (maybe also a nozzle camera?).
- Remove drag chains and go umbilical.
- Complete the purge bucket mod.
- Try the inverted electronics mod.
- Replace Stealthburner with the Xol toolhead for better PLA cooling.
- Multimaterial with the Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder.
But before that I’ve identified a fatal flaw: I only have a single printer.
What should I do if I find that I’m missing a printed part when I’ve disassembled the printer to mod it? What if I break something? And if I’m doing a long mod the printer will be down and I can’t print things for any other project.
This clearly isn’t a sustainable solution—I need a second printer.
And isn’t that the best compliment one can give? That you haven’t even finished it yet, but you’re already pining for another one?