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YOU CAN BUILD A FULL-SIZE 3D PRINTER OUT OF ELECTRONIC WASTE FOR ABOUT 65 DOLLARS

A full-size FDM printer built almost entirely from scrap monitors, dead office printers and PC power supplies — new parts cost about 65 dollars.

by sschm9 with Substation33

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopOpen-hardware

Built withArduino3D printing

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
license not specified
repo
repo 0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a project for someone who already has access to e-waste - ideally a lot of it. The design harvests 10 mm smooth rods and NEMA 17 steppers from office printers, 8 mm acrylic sheet from old PC LCD monitors, an ATX PSU from a dead PC, heatbed glass, wiring and even bearings, and uses 604zz roller bearings instead of linear bearings. The new parts (hotend, Arduino Mega-class board with RAMPS 1.4, DRV8825 drivers, LCD, belts, heat bed) came to about 64 dollars at 2016 prices. If you have to buy the salvaged parts new, the cost advantage disappears and you are better off with a kit. The build is documented as a YouTube build-sequence playlist rather than written steps, so expect to pause and rewind. The print volume is 200 x 200 x 180 mm. Substation33, the Brisbane social enterprise behind it, supplies these printer kits to high schools. The single thing most likely to go wrong is discovering halfway through that the smooth rods you pulled from a dead printer are bent, pitted, or the wrong diameter - check every salvaged part before you commit to the frame.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Printable files and a priced parts list (plus a price-info PDF) are on Thingiverse.
  • —The build is documented as a YouTube build-sequence playlist (parts 01 to 28), not written assembly instructions.
  • —There is no firmware in the thing files — you source and flash your own for whatever board you buy.
  • —The 65-dollar figure is the creator's 2016 price for the new parts only (hotend, controller, drivers, LCD, belts, endstops, heat bed, bearings, 0.5 kg ABS, delivery); the rest is salvaged e-waste.
  • —Licence is CC BY 4.0 — you can modify and sell derivatives as long as you credit the creator.
  • —This page covers version 2.07, the 200 x 200 x 180 mm build quoted at 65 dollars, with improved x-axis motor and idler mounts; make sure the videos you follow match that version.

Parts to buy

12 items

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

  • J-Head hotendFind
  • ATmega2560 board with RAMPS 1.4 shield and 2004 LCDFind
  • 4x DRV8825 driversFind
  • Optical endstop and two micro switchesFind
  • GT2 pulleys and beltFind
  • 100K thermistorFind
  • 30x 604zz bearingsFind
  • Heat bedFind
  • Threaded rod and screwsFind
  • RodsFind
  • NEMA 17 motorsFind
  • AcrylicFind

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Can I build this?

PrintPrinted parts for the extruder carriage, endstop mounts, and various brackets; STLs are on Thingiverse.
BuyJ-Head hotend, ATmega2560 board with RAMPS 1.4 shield and 2004 LCD, 4x DRV8825 drivers, optical endstop and two micro switches, GT2 pulleys and belt, 100K thermistor, 30x 604zz bearings, heat bed, threaded rod and screws. Rods, NEMA 17 motors, acrylic, ATX PSU and glass are salvaged.
ToolsA way to cut 8 mm acrylic accurately (laser, CNC or a service), a 3D printer for the printed parts, hand tools, soldering iron, and patience for e-waste disassembly
SkillsIntermediate to advanced — you need to confidently harvest and assess salvaged parts, cut acrylic to tolerance, and troubleshoot a self-sourced electronics stack.
TimeA weekend-plus if you already have the e-waste sorted and measured; double that if you are sourcing and testing parts as you go.
Cost65 dollars is the new-parts figure; total cost depends entirely on whether you have free access to e-waste and acrylic offcuts.
SafetyMains voltage in the ATX PSU — treat it with the same care you would any PC power supply, and do not run it open on the bench. Acrylic cutting generates fumes if laser-cut; work in ventilation.

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

Videos

65 dollars 3D printer made from recycled electronic waste - Build sequence 01 - Base assembly

Part 1 of the build-sequence playlist (parts 01 to 28); the full playlist is linked from the Thingiverse page.

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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.Download the thing files from Thingiverse (STLs, DXF acrylic templates, BOM, and links to the video series.)
  2. 2.Source your e-waste donor machines(You need scrapped office printers for smooth rods, steppers, and bearings, plus a dead PC for the ATX PSU. Measure and test everything before cutting the frame.)
  3. 3.Watch the first video in the assembly series (The build-sequence playlist is your primary documentation; there are no written step-by-step instructions.)

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

  • The 65-dollar figure is new parts only — if you have to buy smooth rods, steppers, and a PSU at retail, the cost advantage vanishes and a kit printer will be faster and less frustrating.
  • Salvaged smooth rods from office printers are often bent, corroded, or undersize — measure the diameter and roll them on a flat surface to check for wobble before you commit to the frame.
  • There is no firmware in the thing files — you choose and flash your own for whatever controller board you buy, which means you need to be comfortable editing configuration files.
  • The acrylic frame parts must be cut accurately or the axes will bind; plan how you will cut 8 mm acrylic (laser, CNC or a service) before you start.
  • The YouTube build-sequence playlist is the main build documentation - there are no written step-by-step instructions, and some parts shown come from what passes through Substation33.
  • Print volume is 200 × 200 × 180 mm, which is smaller than many current budget kits — this is a learning platform and a waste-diversion exercise, not a high-performance machine.

Can I build this without access to e-waste?

You can, but buying smooth rods, steppers, bearings, acrylic and a PSU new erases most of the saving, and at that point a kit printer will be faster and easier to troubleshoot.

What controller board should I use?

The parts list specifies an ATmega2560 (Arduino Mega-class) board with a RAMPS 1.4 shield, four DRV8825 stepper drivers and a RAMPS 2004 LCD. No firmware file is included, so you flash a standard RAMPS firmware such as Marlin yourself.

Do I need a laser cutter for the acrylic?

The creator does not specify a cutting method. The frame uses 8 mm acrylic salvaged from PC LCD monitors and the dimensions matter, so a laser cutter or CNC router (or a cutting service) will make life much easier than hand tools.

How do I know if my salvaged smooth rods are good enough?

The design uses 10 mm rods throughout, so measure each salvaged rod with calipers, then roll it on a flat surface — any wobble means it is bent. Check the chrome plating for pitting or rust.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The headline price in the design's title is new parts only — the rest is salvaged e-waste. If you had to buy smooth rods, steppers and a PSU at retail, would you still build this or just get a kit?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the Thingiverse design is by sschm9, working with the Brisbane e-waste social enterprise Substation33, and it is released under CC BY 4.0, so you can modify and even sell derivatives as long as you credit the designer. The thing page has the files and a parts list, and the YouTube assembly tutorial for V2.07 walks through the build — make sure the files and videos you follow are for the same version. The electronics are a standard ATmega2560 with a RAMPS 1.4 shield, DRV8825 stepper drivers and a RAMPS 2004 LCD. The headline price in the design's title covers only the new parts — the rest comes out of e-waste — and some of the salvaged parts shown come from what passes through Substation33. The single biggest trap is assuming your salvaged 10 mm smooth rods are good enough without measuring them and checking them for straightness first. 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.

sschm9 with Substation33

sschm9 designed the Sub33D with Substation33, a not-for-profit social enterprise in Brisbane, Australia, that recycles e-waste, helps disadvantaged people into work, and supplies these printer kits to high schools so students can build and use them.

Star the project on GitHub

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.
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