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THIS ENDER 3 PRINTS ALUMINIUM WITHOUT MELTING IT

A saw blade spinning at about 30,000 RPM turns a Creality Ender 3 into an aluminium printer that bonds wire by friction, without melting, gas or a laser.

by Rotoforge team

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardwareWorkshop

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●●
time
not stated
license
AGPL-3.0
repo
repo ACTIVE70 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Rotoforge turns a Creality Ender 3 into an aluminium printer that works by friction welding: a high-speed steel saw blade spinning at about 30,000 RPM plasticizes aluminium wire and stirs it into the layer below, without melting, gas or a laser. The team says it costs under 500 dollars; the repo's own BOM totals 791.43 dollars including a new Ender 3 and custom machined parts. Per the README, Al1100 wire with about 25 MPa yield strength prints at about 90 MPa, a 3.6x improvement. The limits are clear: it only drives in straight lines in the -X direction, so it prints walls and strips, not finished parts; prints can then be machined. The README also warns that the wheel at full speed stores as much energy as a .357 magnum bullet and can throw debris. Licences: software AGPL-3.0, hardware CERN-OHL-S. For comparison, the commercial MELD L3 friction-stir metal printer starts at 150,000 dollars (Aniwaa). The README says there is very little information yet on which feeds and speeds work, so expect to experiment.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Full CAD for the mechanical parts, native to Fusion 360, with STEP files.
  • —BOM in CSV, ODS and PDF (15 Nov 2025): Amazon parts plus five custom machined parts.
  • —Code: a Python control center with a G-code generator, and ESP32 tachometer firmware. Motion runs on the Ender 3's normal firmware.
  • —Video assembly guide and a getting-started guide in the repo.
  • —Licences: software AGPL-3.0, hardware CERN-OHL-S.
  • —Currently prints straight lines in -X only.

Parts to buy

10 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Linear rail upgrades for XFind
  • Y and ZFind
  • Second Z screwFind
  • Y carriage plateFind
  • 1200 W flex shaft grinderFind
  • 110 to 240 V step-up transformerFind
  • VariacFind
  • HSS slitting saw bladesFind
  • Al1100 wireFind
  • Five custom machined partsFind

Can I build this?

Printa wire spool holder and a way to hang the grinder motor (per the BOM)
Buyper the BOM: an Ender 3 (reuse yours), linear rail upgrades for X, Y and Z, a second Z screw, a Y carriage plate, a 1200 W flex shaft grinder, a 110 to 240 V step-up transformer, a variac, HSS slitting saw blades, Al1100 wire, and five custom machined parts
Toolsmachining service or machine tools for the five custom parts, eye, face, body and ear protection
Skillsmechanical assembly on an Ender 3, mains-powered motor setup with a step-up transformer, G-code, and patience to test feeds and speeds
Timenot stated
Cost$$: the video says under 500 dollars; the BOM totals $791.43 including a new Ender 3 and $210.75 of machined parts
Safetythe wheel stores as much energy as a .357 magnum bullet and can throw debris; it is loud. Wear eye, face, body and ear protection or enclose the printer.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

Metal Printing On An Ender 3 In 2 Minutes

The Rotoforge team's two-minute summary: the extruder, the 30,000 RPM saw blade head, the step-up transformer, and printing aluminium.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the README safety section and the getting-started guide (The README warns about flying debris and noise.)
  2. 2.Source the parts from the BOM (Amazon parts plus five custom machined parts from the CAD files. Reuse your Ender 3 if you have one.)
  3. 3.Watch the video assembly guide (Linked from the README.)
  4. 4.Generate test prints (The Python control center generates G-code; or use your own slicer. Expect to test feeds and speeds.)

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

  • It only prints straight lines in -X and resets after each line, so you get walls and strips, not finished parts.
  • The wheel at full speed stores as much energy as a .357 magnum bullet and can throw debris. The README recommends eye, face, body and ear protection, or an enclosure.
  • There is very little published data on feeds and speeds; the README calls this the big open question.
  • Five parts are custom machined from the CAD (spindle holder, saw blade arbor and clamp, wire guide bracket and shoe). The BOM prices them at PCBWay rates, $210.75 in total.
  • In the US you need a 110 to 240 V step-up transformer for the grinder motor; the README asks for a flex shaft grinder over 800 W.
  • The video says under 500 dollars, but the BOM totals $791.43 with a new Ender 3; reusing your own printer saves $169.99.

Which materials does it print?

The README describes the process for aluminium, copper, steel, glass and engineering plastics. The published strength numbers and the demo video are for Al1100 aluminium wire.

How much stronger is the printed metal?

Per the README, Al1100 wire at about 25 MPa yield strength prints at about 90 MPa (3.6x) and its ultimate strength goes from about 90 to about 120 MPa (1.5x), while elongation drops from 100% to 33%.

Why does it only print in one direction?

Right now it drives in straight lines in the -X direction and resets after every line. The README says a 4th axis and closed-loop spindle and temperature control are planned.

How much does it cost?

The team says under 500 dollars in the video. The BOM in the repo (dated 15 Nov 2025) totals $791.43, which includes a new Ender 3 ($169.99, reuse yours if you have one) and $210.75 of custom machined parts at PCBWay prices.

How loud is it?

The README says "this printer mod is LOUD"; the BOM compares it to a table saw. It recommends eye, face, body and ear protection, or enclosing the printer.

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Printed aluminium about 3.6x stronger than the wire it came from, on an Ender 3. What would you print first?

CompareeTEAM9d ago

We checked the README, the BOM and the source folder. The BOM is the most useful file: it lists every Amazon part with a price and five custom machined parts, and its total ($791.43 with a new Ender 3) is higher than the under-500-dollars figure in the video. The README is honest about the limits: straight lines only, and very little data on feeds and speeds.

Rotoforge team

Rotoforge is an open source project from the Rotoforge team, published on GitHub under Sindry Manufacturing. Michael, one of the developers, writes a blog about the progress. Build and footage: the Rotoforge team.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

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