YOU CAN BUILD THE PRINTER THAT MELTS PEEK FOR 2,665 DOLLARS
A 2,665-dollar build that prints the plastics aerospace uses instead of metal - 500 C nozzle, heated chamber, and a fully itemised parts list.
by Thompson et al., Mississippi State University
WorkshopOpen-hardware
Built with3D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●●●
- time
- several weekends
- license
- CERN-OHL-P-2.0
- repo
- repo FINISHED0 stars
●●●●● · several weekends · CERN-OHL-P-2.0 · 0 stars · repo FINISHED
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This is an open-source high-temperature 3D printer from Mississippi State University, published in HardwareX, built to print PEEK and ULTEM - the engineering plastics used in aerospace and medical parts. It is rated for a 500 C nozzle, 200 C bed and 120 C chamber, uses a CoreXY motion system on a T-slot aluminium frame, a Duet 2 Ethernet board running RepRapFirmware, and a plywood enclosure lined with mineral wool. The paper gives an itemised parts list totalling about 2,665 dollars, numbered build instructions, the firmware configuration and test results, and the CAD files are on OSF under the permissive CERN-OHL-P v2. It is not a weekend kit: parts need a CNC mill, water jet, drill press and bandsaw, the bed and chamber heaters run on mains power, and the authors themselves say further calibration is needed before it reliably makes end-use parts. If you have printer-building experience and machine-shop access, it is a well-documented starting point for high-performance polymer printing.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Full CAD models and a complete itemized BOM totaling 2,664.80 dollars are published under CERN-OHL-P v2.
- —The paper includes assembly photos, dimensional drawings, and validation test results on ULTEM 1010, ULTEM 9085, and PEEK.
- —The custom RepRapFirmware v3.3 configuration for the Duet2 Ethernet board is included with the design files; you still tune PID and process settings for your own machine.
- —The paper includes numbered build instructions alongside the CAD files and BOM.
- —CERN-OHL-P v2 is permissive: commercial use and modification are allowed with attribution, with no obligation to share improvements.
- —The build cost does not include PEEK or ULTEM filament, a filament dryer, or room ventilation.
Parts to buy
11 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
- Duet 2 Ethernet board with thermocouple daughterboardFind
- Slice Engineering Mosquito Magnum+ hotend and Bondtech extruderFind
- 120 V silicone bed heaterFind
- PTC ceramic chamber heaterFind
- Solid state relaysFind
- 40 mm T-slot aluminium extrusionFind
- Linear rods and bearingsFind
- Lead screwsFind
- Stepper motorsFind
- Borosilicate glassFind
- Plywood panels and mineral wool insulationFind
Can I build this?
This build involves mains voltage — for adults comfortable with electrical work only.
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
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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.Read the full HardwareX paper (The paper contains the validated BOM, CAD files link, assembly photos, and test results. Start there, not with the parts order.)
- 2.Download the CAD models and BOM from OSF (The files are linked in the paper. Check every BOM line against current supplier stock before ordering—high-temperature components go out of production.)
- 3.Join the RepRap and Duet3D forums(The repository includes starting print configurations for ULTEM and PEEK, but you will still tune temperatures and process settings for your own build; the Duet3D documentation and forum help with RepRapFirmware.)
- 4.Source PEEK or ULTEM filament and plan your ventilation(The machine is useless without the filament it was designed for, and printing it indoors without ventilation is a health hazard. Solve both before the first power-on.)
KNOWN ISSUES
- The BOM covers the insulated enclosure but not PEEK filament or any fume extraction. Budget for filament and plan how you will ventilate the room before your first print.
- High-temperature hotends and heater cartridges are not interchangeable with standard 3D printer parts. Verify the exact models in the BOM are still available or find validated substitutes before ordering the rest.
- The provided print configurations for ULTEM 1010, ULTEM 9085 and PEEK are only a starting point - the authors say you will need to optimise extrusion width, layer height and speed for your own printer, and that further calibration is needed before it reliably produces end-use parts.
- The authors' RepRapFirmware configuration is included, but a 500 C hotend and 120 C chamber still need PID tuning on your own build — expect some evenings chasing temperature overshoot.
- PEEK is hygroscopic. If you do not dry the filament properly before printing, it will bubble, string, and ruin the part. A filament dryer is not optional.
- The chamber heater self-regulates and the chamber temperature depends on the heater fan speed - the paper says you must tune it to reach about 100 C before printing. Insulation gaps and air leaks will fight you.
Can I print PLA or PETG on this while I learn?
Yes, and you should. Commission the machine on cheap filament, verify the motion system and bed leveling, then move to PEEK once the basics work.
Why not just buy the 2,600-dollar budget PEEK printer instead of building this?
According to the paper's comparison table, the cheapest commercial PEEK printer listed (Creatbot F160, about 2,600 dollars) reaches only a 70 C chamber, while this design targets a 120 C chamber and 200 C bed and is fully modular for experimenting with process settings. The authors note that very few commercial options exist below 5,000 dollars and that those are not modular. If you only need occasional PEEK parts and do not want to build and calibrate a machine, a commercial printer may still be the easier route.
Is the CERN-OHL-P v2 licence compatible with selling prints or modified machines?
Yes. CERN-OHL-P v2 is the permissive variant: you can sell prints or modified machines, keep the licence and attribution notices, and you are not required to release your modifications.
What is the actual build volume?
152 × 152 × 210 mm (L × W × H), as stated in the paper.
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The parts list comes to roughly 2,665 dollars, and the team validated it by printing ULTEM 1010, ULTEM 9085 and PEEK. If you were building this, would you start with the exact parts list or substitute newer boards and hotends?
Thompson et al., Mississippi State University
Built by Charlotte Thompson, Luke Salisbury, Evan Garrison, Lillian DeJean, Santanu Kundu and Matthew Priddy at Mississippi State University (with East Mississippi Community College) as an easily constructed, modular printer for high-performance polymers. They validated it by printing ULTEM 1010, ULTEM 9085 and PEEK and measuring ULTEM 1010 calibration cubes, and published it in HardwareX in 2026 under CERN-OHL-P v2.
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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.
CompareeTEAM27d agoedited
We verified the paper and the files. The parts list is itemised in the paper, from the Duet 2 Ethernet board to the Slice Engineering nozzle, heaters, thermocouples and the mineral wool that insulates the enclosure, and the design files are on OSF (doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/S9NVU) under the permissive CERN-OHL-P v2 licence. The custom RepRapFirmware 3.3 configuration is included, along with a short video walkthrough of the network setup, and section 5 gives numbered build instructions. The machine is rated for a 500 °C nozzle, 200 °C bed and 120 °C chamber, with a 152 × 152 × 210 mm build volume, and was validated with ULTEM 1010, ULTEM 9085 and PEEK. It is still a research build, not a weekend kit: expect to dial in process settings for your own filament, and the authors ask for a well-ventilated room when cutting the insulation. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.