New, three dimensional desktop printer control system based on STM32F4 microcontroller with extended interfaces

The article presents the design of a new three-dimensional desktop printer control system developed with use of experience in the operation of equipment for the mass market. Paper introduces in printing technology basis and outlines its historical context. Solutions to improve operational stability and functionality compared to the original design are proposed. New design bases on the achievements in the domain of open source software. Control over the printing process through the use of feedback signals to enable detection of movement errors is increased. With support for up to seven parallel stepper motor drives, it became possible to use multi-colored head with up to four colors. The new design and dedicated embedded program for control system based on a modern and efficient STM32F4 microprocessor family gives a substantial contribution to the development of a new branch of the three-dimensional printing. The article describes a first known attempt to use 32-bit STM32F4 unit with popular open-source project called Marlin and Teacup for 3D printer. Multiple communication interfaces support integration with industrial automation at IT and process-automation level. Descriptions of the functional implementation are verified by laboratory tests.