A FAST 3D PRINTED PEN PLOTTER THAT FEEDS THE PAPER WITH SANDPAPER ROLLERS
Vintage plotters gripped the paper with grit rollers, and this 3D printed one brings that trick back.
by IV Projects
WorkshopAutomation
Built withArduino3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend
- license
- license not specified
- repo
- repo ACTIVE508 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend · license not specified · 508 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This plotter moves the pen left and right on a rod and moves the paper itself for the other axis, using grit rollers: 120 grit Dremel sanding bands on 3D printed adapters, pressed down by two 6:1 levers loaded with a half-inch steel bar. The grit keys into the paper edges so long drawings do not drift, and the light 5 mm roller shaft lets the Y axis accelerate hard. Three 1/16 microstepped NEMA-17 steppers drive X, Y and pen lift through an Arduino Uno with a CNC shield V3 and three A4988 drivers running stock GRBL; the creator turns vector images into G-code in Inkscape and streams them with Universal G-code Sender. What will actually be hard: there is no build guide or wiring diagram, so you work out the assembly from the SolidWorks and STEP files and tune GRBL settings yourself. BOM.txt is short and leaves gaps: it lists the printed parts, electronics, belt, rods and bearings but not the stepper motors, which only the video description mentions. The creator says the grit roller system was the hardest part to get working reliably, so expect to spend time there. As a first CNC project, it is not.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —SolidWorks assembly (zip), a STEP file and the STLs are in the repo (ProjectFiles/High-Speed Pen Plotter).
- —BOM.txt lists the printed parts, Arduino Uno, CNC shield V3, three A4988 drivers, 24V PSU (at least 45W), 40mm fan, GT2 belt and pulleys, rods, bearings and M3 hardware, but not the stepper motors.
- —The repository says 'free to use and modify' but has no formal open-source licence, so ask the creator before commercial use.
- —No assembly guide, wiring diagram or GRBL settings; runs stock GRBL, which is not in the repo.
Parts to buy
12 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
- Arduino UnoFind
- CNC shield V3Find
- 3x A4988 driversFind
- 3x NEMA-17 steppers (from the video, notFind
- 24V PSU (at least 45W)Find
- 40mm fanFind
- GT2 belt with one idler and one drive pulleyFind
- 5mm rodFind
- 280mm x 10mm rod for the X axisFind
- 2x 120 grit Dremel sanding bandsFind
- 240mm x 1/2-inch steel barFind
- 5x 605ZZ bearingsFind
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
High-Speed 3D Printed Arduino Pen Plotter5:25
The creator's video of the plotter drawing and its CAD model, published 9 Jun 2022.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Download the repo and open ProjectFiles/High-Speed Pen Plotter/SolidWorks Assem/PLOTTER_2_ASSEM.zip (or the STEP file in .STEP Assem) to see how the parts fit.
- 2.Print the STLs in the High-Speed Pen Plotter folder in the quantities BOM.txt gives, then order the other parts. Add three NEMA-17 steppers, which BOM.txt leaves out.
- 3.Flash GRBL to the Arduino Uno, wire the CNC shield and A4988 drivers, then tune the steps/mm and acceleration in GRBL settings.(Trial and error; the repo has no GRBL settings.)
- 4.Turn a vector drawing into G-code in Inkscape and stream it to the plotter with Universal G-code Sender.
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- No assembly guide or wiring diagram — you are reverse-engineering the CAD. If you have never built a CNC, expect a slow weekend.
- The grit rollers need a lot of pinch pressure. The design gets it from two 6:1 levers loaded with a 240 mm long, 1/2-inch steel bar, and the creator calls the roller system the hardest part to get working reliably.
- GRBL parameters (steps/mm, max speed, acceleration) are not in the repo. You will tune them by printing test squares.
- BOM.txt does not list the stepper motors at all. According to the video description it uses three 1/16 microstepped NEMA-17 steppers (X, Y and pen lift); motor size and torque are not specified.
- The repository says 'You are free to use and modify all content posted here' but has no formal licence. If you plan to sell kits or derivatives, ask the creator first.
Can I use a different pen?
The folder has one pen adapter, made for the ink insert of a 0.7 Tru Red gel pen, which is what the BOM lists. For another pen you would model your own adapter from the CAD files.
How big a drawing can it make?
The creator does not state a maximum paper size. The X axis runs on a 280 mm, 10 mm rod, and because the grit rollers move the paper itself, check the CAD for the usable width before you plan large drawings.
Why sandpaper rollers instead of a fixed bed?
Rollers mean the Y motor only has to turn a light 5 mm shaft instead of moving a whole bed, so less mass to accelerate and higher speed. The grit leaves tiny impressions in the paper edges that work like a rack and pinion, so the paper does not drift; the creator's earlier rubber-roller plotter did.
Can I run it from a Raspberry Pi?
GRBL runs on the Arduino, and the creator streams the G-code from Universal G-code Sender over USB serial. Any computer that can run a G-code sender should be able to drive it, but a Raspberry Pi setup is not covered by the creator.
Community builds
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
What would you tune first to make it faster?
IV Projects
IV Projects publishes CAD files for its builds on GitHub, including a SCARA robot, a 5-axis NEMA-17 robot arm, an earlier pen plotter (V2) and this high-speed plotter, and shows them on its YouTube channel.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM3d ago
There is no formal licence, only 'You are free to use and modify all content posted here' in the README, so ask the creator before selling kits or derivatives. The single biggest challenge is not the print or the parts; it is working out the assembly from the CAD, because there is no written guide. Note that BOM.txt leaves out the three NEMA-17 motors, and that the older Pen PlotterV2 folder in the same repo is a different machine; do not mix its parts with this one.