What's new
VORON Design

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members!

Considering Making a Voron Trident - Questions

ImaginaryTango

New member
I'm currently using a Prusa Mk3.5s with an MMU3. Prusa worked for me until I added the MMU3 and even when it's disabled, it can still cause problems. (Last time I wasted over a day of productivity while troubleshooting an issue that even Prusa Tech support wasn't sure how to solve - in part, due to a bug.)

I don't hate Prusa and I'm not trying to trash them. I think they make good products (other than the MMU3 - which I hear is notorious). But I think it's time to move on to other options. I'm considering Bambu and Voron and see pros and cons for both of them. My general issue with Prusa is that my printer has changed from a productivity tool to a project.

I've looked over the Voron printers and would likely build a Trident (since the V2 is apparently more challenging and I want to start with something I can get working). From what I have been told, yes, it's a significant project to build a Voron, but once it's built and calibrated and working, that it can be a real workhorse and is quite reliable. I know any 3d printer has moving parts and needs periodic maintenance and recalibration, so I'm not asking if it's a miracle machine.

So I'm wondering, in general, how much experience and skill is needed to assemble a Trident correctly? I've looked over the West 3D website and called and they have kits, so I can print the printable parts on my Prusa and buy the kit with the other parts I'll need. I hear getting a parts kit helps, since it reduces the need to cut some parts to exact lengths. I did read, in one place, that most of the problems people have with a Voron being "out of square" was due to parts that weren't cut precisely.

Also, any guess or estimate about how many hours it takes to build a Trident? (I've seen cost estimates, I'm just wondering how long the build can take - I have other work, so I was planning on doing this in the background, which would also give me time for research and reading up on what I need to do and learn.

And do people here agree with the point that once a Voron is built and calibrated, that it's more a production machine than a project?

Also, overall, how helpful do you find the Voron community? I ask because I have learning disabilities, which can impact what I absorb when I read and sometimes when I post for help, I need to re-ask some questions to make sure I'm understanding things correctly. I do try to mimics that, but there are many times I see things differently and need that clarification. (I used to make a living with my own software business, so it's not like I can't handle technical concepts - I just sometimes need to find a different way to see something and to make sure I am clear what someone is saying.)

I'm also curious about the firmware for Voron. My understanding is it uses Klipper. Is there a stock version most people use and are there variations and options I can use in compiling Klipper for Voron use?

I feel like there would be a lot more questions at this point, but I just found out about Voron and I'm still not even sure what all my questions are, so I would like to hear more from people about what someone needs to know or what skills they need to build a Voron and just what the pitfalls are.
 
I'm currently using a Prusa Mk3.5s with an MMU3. Prusa worked for me until I added the MMU3 and even when it's disabled, it can still cause problems. (Last time I wasted over a day of productivity while troubleshooting an issue that even Prusa Tech support wasn't sure how to solve - in part, due to a bug.)

I don't hate Prusa and I'm not trying to trash them. I think they make good products (other than the MMU3 - which I hear is notorious). But I think it's time to move on to other options. I'm considering Bambu and Voron and see pros and cons for both of them. My general issue with Prusa is that my printer has changed from a productivity tool to a project.

I've looked over the Voron printers and would likely build a Trident (since the V2 is apparently more challenging and I want to start with something I can get working). From what I have been told, yes, it's a significant project to build a Voron, but once it's built and calibrated and working, that it can be a real workhorse and is quite reliable. I know any 3d printer has moving parts and needs periodic maintenance and recalibration, so I'm not asking if it's a miracle machine.

So I'm wondering, in general, how much experience and skill is needed to assemble a Trident correctly? I've looked over the West 3D website and called and they have kits, so I can print the printable parts on my Prusa and buy the kit with the other parts I'll need. I hear getting a parts kit helps, since it reduces the need to cut some parts to exact lengths. I did read, in one place, that most of the problems people have with a Voron being "out of square" was due to parts that weren't cut precisely.

Also, any guess or estimate about how many hours it takes to build a Trident? (I've seen cost estimates, I'm just wondering how long the build can take - I have other work, so I was planning on doing this in the background, which would also give me time for research and reading up on what I need to do and learn.

And do people here agree with the point that once a Voron is built and calibrated, that it's more a production machine than a project?

Also, overall, how helpful do you find the Voron community? I ask because I have learning disabilities, which can impact what I absorb when I read and sometimes when I post for help, I need to re-ask some questions to make sure I'm understanding things correctly. I do try to mimics that, but there are many times I see things differently and need that clarification. (I used to make a living with my own software business, so it's not like I can't handle technical concepts - I just sometimes need to find a different way to see something and to make sure I am clear what someone is saying.)

I'm also curious about the firmware for Voron. My understanding is it uses Klipper. Is there a stock version most people use and are there variations and options I can use in compiling Klipper for Voron use?

I feel like there would be a lot more questions at this point, but I just found out about Voron and I'm still not even sure what all my questions are, so I would like to hear more from people about what someone needs to know or what skills they need to build a Voron and just what the pitfalls are.
If you managed to build your Prusa you'll be fine building a Voron.

A Voron will take more calibration than a Prusa to get the best from it.

Very hard to give you an accurate time estimate on building; that could range from a couple of days, to a few weeks of part-time building.

For a first time builder I would recommend a kit over self-sourcing parts, West3d would be a good choice for that.

I may be biased in terms of "how helpful is the voron community" as an active helper- but the community as a whole is awesome at getting people the help they need. I would say the response times on our Discord server are a lot quicker than here on the forum.

In terms of firmware we do advise Klipper - our Docs site covers the process for most common hardware: https://docs.vorondesign.com/build/software/

Hope this answers some of your questions.
 
Top