¶ Step 1 - Tools for this guide
- The following tools are required for this guide:
- Allen key / hex wrenches in the following sizes: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm & 4mm
- A pair of scissors
¶ Step 2 - Prepare the X-axis gantry fasteners
- 8x M3x8 Cap Head Screw with Blue Threadlock (Set aside during disassembly)
- 8x Washer Simple M3 - Black 12.9 Steel (Set aside during disassembly)
¶ Step 3 - Prepare the X-axis gantry & toolhead assembly
- The gantry assembly will be different depending on which variant of the V-Core 4.0 you are upgrading:
- V-Core 4.0 CoreXY or Hybrid:
- CoreXY / Hybrid X-axis gantry assembly & toolhead from the Toolhead - CoreXY or Hybrid guide
- V-Core 4.0 IDEX:
- IDEX X-axis gantry assembly and dual toolheads from the Toolheads - IDEX guide
¶ Step 4 - Install the X-axis gantry - Part 1
- X-axis gantry assembly
- Insert the X-axis gantry assembly through the upper section on the right side of the V-Core 4.0 frame as shown
- Set the ends of the X-axis gantry assembly down on to the Y-axis linear rail carriages
- Continue to support it until it has been fastened on both sides, do not allow the assembly to fall
¶ Step 5 - Install the X-axis gantry - Part 2
- X-axis gantry and toolhead assembly - Left-hand side
- 4x M3x8 Cap Head Screw with Blue Threadlock
- 4x Washer Simple M3 - Black 12.9 Steel
- Insert an M3x8 Cap Head Screw through each washer, the XY joiner plate, and then thread them into them into the Y-axis linear rail carriage
- Do not fully tighten the M3x8 Cap Head Screws at this point, leave them slightly loose
¶ Step 6 - Install the X-axis gantry - Part 3
- X-axis gantry and toolhead assembly - Right-hand side
- 4x M3x8 Cap Head Screw with Blue Threadlock
- 4x Washer Simple M3 - Black 12.9 Steel
- Insert an M3x8 Cap Head Screw through each washer, the XY joiner plate, and then thread them into them into the Y-axis linear rail carriage
- Do not fully tighten the M3x8 Cap Head Screws at this point, leave them slightly loose
¶ Step 7 - Loosen the steel gantry mounting screws
- X-axis gantry assembly - Left-hand underside
- 2x M5x12 Cap Head Screws
- Slightly loosen, but do not remove, both M5x12 Cap Head Screws
- X-axis gantry assembly - Right-hand underside
- 2x M5x12 Cap Head Screws
- Slightly loosen, but do not remove, both M5x12 Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 8 - Align and fasten the X-axis gantry - Part 1
- Slowly and carefully move the X-axis gantry towards the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly
¶ Step 9 - Align and fasten the X-axis gantry - Part 2
- X-axis gantry - Left-hand side
- Apply slight pressure to press the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper
- M3x8 Cap Head Screw
- Whilst pressing the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper, tighten the four M3x8 Cap Head Screws half a turn at a time
- Continue tightening each M3x8 Cap Head Screw until all four screws are tightened
¶ Step 10 - Align and fasten the X-axis gantry - Part 3
- X-axis gantry - Right-hand side
- Apply slight pressure to press the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper
- M3x8 Cap Head Screw
- Whilst pressing the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper, tighten the four M3x8 Cap Head Screws half a turn at a time
- Continue tightening each M3x8 Cap Head Screw until all four screws are tightened
¶ Step 11 - Test the Y-axis movement
- Move the X-axis gantry forwards and backwards over the full travel distance of the Y-axis
- Check that the movement is smooth and that it does not bind at any point
- Small changes in resistance are normal, but becoming much harder to push or binding completely are not
- If the X-axis gantry becomes hard to push, or binds completely, loosen each of the four M3x8 Cap Head Screws on one of the XY joiners by a quarter of a turn and then test the movement again
- If there is no improvement, retighten the four M3x8 Cap Head Screws and try the same procedure on the other XY joiner
- Move the X-axis gantry back to the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly
¶ Step 12 - Align and fasten the X-axis gantry - Part 4
- X-axis gantry - Left-hand side
- Apply slight pressure to press the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper
- X-axis gantry assembly - Left-hand underside
- 2x M5x12 Cap Head Screws
- Whilst pressing the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper, fully tighten both of the M5x12 Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 13 - Align and fasten the X-axis gantry - Part 5
- X-axis gantry - Right-hand side
- Apply slight pressure to press the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper
- X-axis gantry assembly - Right-hand underside
- 2x M5x12 Cap Head Screws
- Whilst pressing the XY joiner plate against the Y-axis bumper, fully tighten both of the M5x12 Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 14 - Test the Y-axis movement again
- Move the X-axis gantry forwards and backwards over the full travel distance of the Y-axis
- Check that the movement is smooth and that it does not bind at any point
- Small changes in resistance are normal, but becoming much harder to push or binding completely are not
- If the X-axis gantry becomes hard to push, or binds completely, loosen the two M5x12 Cap Head Screws on the underside of one of the XY joiners by a quarter of a turn and then test the movement again
- If there is no improvement, loosen the two M5x12 Cap Head Screws on the underside of the other XY joiner by a quarter of a turn
- Move the X-axis gantry back to the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly
¶ Step 15 - Check the X-axis gantry alignment
- With the X-axis gantry at the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly, check that both XY joiners touch the Y-axis bumpers at the same time
- A correctly aligned X-axis gantry
- An exaggerated incorrectly aligned X-axis gantry
- If your gantry is incorrectly aligned:
- Loosen both M5x12 Cap Head Screws on the underside of each XY joiner
- Repeat step 12, step 13 and step 14
- Re-check the X-axis gantry alignment and repeat if necessary until the X-axis gantry is aligned
¶ Step 16 - Prepare the Toolhead belt clamp parts
- 4x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp (SKU: HW4319PC)
- 8x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw (SKU: HW3917SC)
¶ Step 17 - Belt routing tip: Using a zip-tie to aid belt routing
- Routing the belts around the idlers can be challenging, but these tips can help ease installation
- Zip-tie
- The larger the zip-tie, the more help it will provide with routing the belt around the idler
- Bend the tip of the zip-tie slightly and feed it behind the idler
- Insert the end of the belt between the zip-tie and the idler
- Slowly feed the belt, and pull the zip-tie at the same time. The zip-tie will help guide the belt around the idler
¶ Step 18 - Next steps
- Please note that several components have been hidden in the imagery on the following steps to allow an easier view of the required belt routing. No disassembly should be performed
- If you are upgrading a CoreXY or Hybrid variant of the V-Core 4.0, then please continue following the next steps
- If you are upgrading an IDEX variant of the V-Core 4.0, then please skip to step 29
¶ Step 19 - Route the lower CoreXY belt - Part 1
- V-Core 4.0 left-hand CoreXY stepper motor assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Rear left-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the lower idler on the rear left-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the smooth side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 20 - Route the lower CoreXY belt - Part 2
- V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end from the previous step
- Making sure that the teeth on the belt face towards the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly, feed the end of the CoreXY belt through the gap at the back of the toolhead assembly as shown
- Fit the end of the belt into the cutout on the toolhead
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Align the steel belt clamp with the belt and toolhead as shown. Make sure that the teeth on the belt are facing towards the steel belt clamp
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 21 - Route the lower CoreXY belt - Part 3
- V-Core 4.0 right-hand tensioner assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Front right-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the lower idler on the front right-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the toothed side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 22 - Route the lower CoreXY belt - Part 4
- V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Feed the end of the belt through the rear lower slot in the right-hand side of the toolhead, as shown
- The printed part in the toolhead should guide the belt end out of the front lower slot
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Fit the belt into the cutout on the toolhead and then pull the end of the belt gently to remove any slack from the entire length
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
- Do not cut off any excess belt at this point
¶ Step 23 - Route the upper CoreXY belt - Part 1
- V-Core 4.0 right-hand CoreXY stepper motor assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Rear right-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the upper idler on the rear right-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the smooth side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 24 - Route the upper CoreXY belt - Part 2
- V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end from the previous step
- Making sure that the teeth on the belt face towards the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly, feed the end of the CoreXY belt through the gap at the back of the toolhead assembly as shown
- Fit the end of the belt into the cutout on the toolhead
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Align the steel belt clamp with the belt and toolhead as shown. Make sure that the teeth on the belt are facing towards the steel belt clamp
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 25 - Route the upper CoreXY belt - Part 3
- V-Core 4.0 left-hand tensioner assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Front left-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the upper idler on the front left-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the toothed side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 26 - Route the upper CoreXY belt - Part 4
- V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Feed the end of the belt through the rear upper slot in the left-hand side of the toolhead, as shown
- The printed part in the toolhead should guide the belt end out of the front upper slot
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Fit the belt into the cutout on the toolhead and then pull the end of the belt gently to remove any slack from the entire length
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
- Do not cut off any excess belt at this point
¶ Step 27 - Trim the excess CoreXY belt
- Due to the variance of individual customer builds, it is impossible to know for sure how much excess belt will remain after this part of the upgrade has been completed. If your upgrade has more than 10-15mm of excess belt at the toolhead front, then follow the below instructions to trim it. Otherwise, move on to the next step
- It is strongly recommended to leave 10-15mm of excess belt until the machine is fully commissioned and working. Cutting the belt flush at this point could lead to a situation where insufficient belt is available to make adjustments later on
- V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Using a pair of scissors, or some cutters, cut the excess from the left belt leaving 10-15mm past the belt grabber
- Using a pair of scissors, or some cutters, cut the excess from the right belt leaving 10-15mm past the belt grabber
¶ Step 28 - Next steps
- If you are upgrading a CoreXY variant of the V-Core 4.0, then please skip the remainder of this guide and move on to the electronics upgrades and wiring
- If you are upgrading a Hybrid variant of the V-Core 4.0, then please skip to step 40
- If you are upgrading an IDEX variant of the V-Core 4.0, then please continue following the next steps
¶ Step 29 - Route the right toolhead belt - Part 1
- V-Core 4.0 left-hand CoreXY and Hybrid stepper motor assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Rear left-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the lower idler on the rear left-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the smooth side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 30 - Route the right toolhead belt - Part 2
- Left (T0) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Right (T1) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt from the previous step and feed it through the gap at the back of the left (T0) toolhead assembly so that it emerges on the other side as shown
- Continue to feed the belt through the gap at the back of the right (T1) toolhead assembly so that it emerges on the other side as shown
¶ Step 31 - Route the right toolhead belt - Part 3
- Right (T1) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end from the previous step
- Make sure that the teeth on the belt face towards the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly
- Fit the end of the belt into the cutout on the toolhead
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Align the steel belt clamp with the belt and toolhead as shown. Make sure that the teeth on the belt are facing towards the steel belt clamp
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 32 - Route the right toolhead belt - Part 4
- V-Core 4.0 right-hand tensioner assembly
- Lower CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Front right-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the lower idler on the front right-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the toothed side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 33 - Route the right toolhead belt - Part 5
- Right (T1) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Feed the end of the belt through the rear lower slot in the right-hand side of the toolhead, as shown
- The printed part in the toolhead should guide the belt end out of the front lower slot
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Fit the belt into the cutout on the toolhead and then pull the end of the belt gently to remove any slack from the entire length
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
- Do not cut off any excess belt at this point
¶ Step 34 - Route the left toolhead belt - Part 1
- V-Core 4.0 right-hand CoreXY stepper motor assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Rear right-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the upper idler on the rear right-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the smooth side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 35 - Route the left toolhead belt - Part 2
- Left (T0) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Right (T1) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Take the loose end of the upper CoreXY belt from the previous step and feed it through the gap at the back of the right (T1) toolhead assembly so that it emerges on the other side as shown
- Continue to feed the belt through the gap at the back of the left (T0) toolhead assembly so that it emerges on the other side as shown
¶ Step 36 - Route the left toolhead belt - Part 3
- Left (T0) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end from the previous step
- Make sure that the teeth on the belt face towards the front of the V-Core 4.0 assembly
- Fit the end of the belt into the cutout on the toolhead
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Align the steel belt clamp with the belt and toolhead as shown. Make sure that the teeth on the belt are facing towards the steel belt clamp
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
¶ Step 37 - Route the left toolhead belt - Part 4
- V-Core 4.0 left-hand tensioner assembly
- Upper CoreXY belt end
- X-axis gantry assembly - Front left-hand side
- Take the loose end of the lower CoreXY belt and route it around the upper idler on the front left-hand side of the X-axis gantry assembly as shown
- Make sure that the toothed side of the belt is against the idler pulley and that there are no twists in the belt
¶ Step 38 - Route the left toolhead belt - Part 5
- Left (T0) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Feed the end of the belt through the rear upper slot in the left-hand side of the toolhead, as shown
- The printed part in the toolhead should guide the belt end out of the front upper slot
- 1x Rat Rig V-Core 4 - Toolhead - Steel Belt Clamp
- 2x M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screw
- Fit the belt into the cutout on the toolhead and then pull the end of the belt gently to remove any slack from the entire length
- Fasten the steel belt clamp to the toolhead by fully tightening both M3x6 Low Profile Cap Head Screws
- Do not cut off any excess belt at this point
¶ Step 39 - Trim the excess belts
- Due to the variance of individual customer builds, it is impossible to know for sure how much excess belt will remain after this part of the upgrade has been completed. If your upgrade has more than 10-15mm of excess belt at the toolhead front, then follow the below instructions to trim it. Otherwise, move on to the next step
- It is strongly recommended to leave 10-15mm of excess belt until the machine is fully commissioned and working. Cutting the belt flush at this point could lead to a situation where insufficient belt is available to make adjustments later on
- Left (T0) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Using a pair of scissors, or some cutters, cut the excess from the belt leaving 10-15mm past the belt grabber
- Right (T1) V-Core 4.1 Toolhead Assembly
- Using a pair of scissors, or some cutters, cut the excess from the belt leaving 10-15mm past the belt grabber
¶ Step 40 - Reinstall the left-hand hybrid belt mount - Part 1
- Left-hand hybrid belt mount assembly
- Align and reinstall the hybrid belt mount back on to the X-axis gantry as shown. The four Cap Head Screw heads should seat fully into the underside of the hybrid belt mount
- Make sure that the printed part is seated fully on the top of the X-axis. Failure to do so will lead to issues with the hybrid belt
- 2x M3x12 Cap Head Screw
- Insert an M3x12 Cap Head Screw into each of the two central holes in the hybrid belt mount and then fasten them into the threads below
- Be careful not to overtighten the screws as you can damage the printed parts
¶ Step 41 - Reinstall the left-hand hybrid belt mount - Part 2
- X-axis gantry left-hand side
- vc4_y_belt_clamp_cap printed part
- Align the vc4_y_belt_clamp_cap with the left-hand hybrid belt mount assembly
- 3x M3x8 Cap Head Screw
- Insert an M3x8 Cap Head Screw into each of the three holes in cap and then fasten them into the heated inserts below
- Be careful not to overtighten the screws as you can damage the printed parts
¶ Step 42 - Reinstall the right-hand hybrid belt mount - Part 1
- Right-hand hybrid belt mount assembly
- Align and reinstall the hybrid belt mount back on to the X-axis gantry as shown. The four Cap Head Screw heads should seat fully into the underside of the hybrid belt mount
- Make sure that the printed part is seated fully on the top of the X-axis. Failure to do so will lead to issues with the hybrid belt
- 2x M3x12 Cap Head Screw
- Insert an M3x12 Cap Head Screw into each of the two central holes in the hybrid belt mount and then fasten them into the threads below
- Be careful not to overtighten the screws as you can damage the printed parts
¶ Step 43 - Reinstall the right-hand hybrid belt mount - Part 2
- X-axis gantry right-hand side
- vc4_y_belt_clamp_cap printed part
- Align the vc4_y_belt_clamp_cap with the right-hand hybrid belt mount assembly
- 3x M3x8 Cap Head Screw
- Insert an M3x8 Cap Head Screw into each of the three holes in cap and then fasten them into the heated inserts below
- Be careful not to overtighten the screws as you can damage the printed parts
¶ Step 44 - Reinstall the left-hand hybrid tensioner arm
- Left-hand belt tensioner assembly
- Move the left-hand hybrid tensioner arm back within the V-Core 4.0 frame
- Align the tensioner arm with the upper slot in the tensioner body
- Slightly fasten the upper M4x20 Cap Head Screw until the upper tensioner arm is secured in place. Do not tension the belt at this point
¶ Step 45 - Reinstall the right-hand hybrid tensioner arm
- Right-hand belt tensioner assembly
- Move the right-hand hybrid tensioner arm back within the V-Core 4.0 frame
- Align the tensioner arm with the upper slot in the tensioner body
- Slightly fasten the upper M4x20 Cap Head Screw until the upper tensioner arm is secured in place. Do not tension the belt at this point
¶ Step 46 - Next steps
- Continue with the next guide: Electronics Upgrades and Wiring