ORION - Carriage for QIDI X-Plus / X-Max

What is ORION?

ORION is a carriage for QIDI printers, such as the X-Plus and X-Max. It is based on Icarus concept by Humebeam, but it is modeled from scratch. It is mainly aimed to advanced users using Klipper. ORION is a perfect match with SIRIUS gantry.

The main carriage is available in two versions: STANDARD (for QIDI stock board) and CANBUS (for Makerbase THR42).

STANDARD

CANBUS

Version history

Orion 1.2 is the current platform version, updates to single parts are marked with a revision increment, i.e. REV1, REV2, REV3 and so on. You will find only the latest revision for each component.

• 2023/03/03 - Orion v1.2 First public release
• 2023/04/10 - UPDATED Standard Fan Duct with flow acceleration channels
• 2023/04/10 - ADDED Low Profile Fan Duct  (approx 2mm thinner than the Standard)
• 2023/04/10 - ADDED BLTouch Shield for protection from heat and unwanted touches
• 2023/04/10 - ADDED Orion Carriage CANBUS for MKS THR42 CANBUS board
• 2023/04/14 - UPDATED Orion Carriage CANBUS (REV4) - THR42 moved by 5mm
• 2023/04/14 - ADDED Alternative Cable Lock curved for CANBUS carriage
• 2023/05/02 - REMOVED Alternative Cable Lock curved for CANBUS carriage
• 2023/05/02 - ADEDD Cable locks for 4x2mm cable for CANBUS carriage
• 2023/05/02 - UPDATED Fan ducts (normal and low profile) with larger out aperture
• 2023/05/07 - UPDATED Fan ducts, fixed a design error of previous Standard version and removed fins
• 2023/05/10 - REMOVED previous fan ducts
• 2023/05/10 - ADDED New generation (NG) Fan Ducts: Standard, LowProfile, Pro
• 2023/07/22 - ADDED new mount: Rapido HF + BondTech LGX Lite + BLTouch
• 2023/07/22 - ADDED Locking Bracket: it replaces seigers and gives more stability
• 2023/07/27 - UPDATED Orion Carriage CANBUS (REV5) - minor changes to radial fan support and cable slot

Available mounts

• Dragonfly BMO + BondTech LGX Lite + BLTouch
• Rapido HF + BondTech LGX Lite + BLTouch
• Rapido HF + Orbiter 2.0 + BLTouch
• Dragon v2 + Orbiter 2.0 + BLTouch

BLTouch offset for all available mounts:

[bltouch]
x_offset: 29.0
y_offset: -3.7

adxl345 configuration example for Orion CANBUS:

[adxl345]
cs_pin: MKS_THR:gpio13
spi_software_sclk_pin: MKS_THR:gpio14
spi_software_mosi_pin: MKS_THR:gpio15
spi_software_miso_pin: MKS_THR:gpio12
axes_map: z, x, y

Differences with Icarus

Bearings

1. Bearings don't snap in, instead they slide inside their own housings which are printed apart
2. There is more material that wraps around the bearings, so they are more firm
3. It is easier to print the parts with the right fits
4. Thanks to the previous points, it is now possible to use Igus Drylin RJ4JP-01-10 without the risk of compromising smoothness or stability
5. If you want to try or print other bearings you don't need to re-print the entire carriage

Klipper friendly

1. The whole carriage is slightly longer, this allows for more space to install the BLTouch directly on the extruder mount
2. CRTouch should be compatible with an additional spacer (to be tested)
3. The Icarus “standard” dovetail has been replaced with two holes for direct attachment of ADXL345 accelerometer

Extruder mounts

1. The original Icarus mounts should be compatible, but this needs to be tested. Please give me some feedback if you are going to use this carriage
2. If you want to install BLTouch on the mount, it must be modified starting from Humebeam's STL or designed from scratch

Bigger fan conduit

1. The side fan conduit has a bigger section and a double-sized opening on the bottom
2. The fan duct opening on the bottom is now centered with the nozzle
3. Icarus fan ducts are NOT compatible

Belt attachment

1. The new belt attachment allows for a stronger right side of the carriage and eliminates the Icarus's structural weak point.
2. Previous point has a cost, since the new design is unhandy compared to the original and it may needs some rework. I strongly suggest you to lock the belt before installing the extruder/hotend mount. Since the tensioner has a limited travel, you should try to lock the belts while keeping them in tension. Once they are locked, you can increase tension using the screw. If you want, you can break the belt lock in two parts.

Printing suggestions

I suggest you to use 0.4 nozzle and 0.2 layer height, STLs are alredy aligned to the bed plate. Supports are not needed, but you should enable bridge detection and check your bridge settings. Use a large brim.

Parts are already designed with clearance. I strongly suggest you to calibrate the flow using the visual method by Ellis instead of the classic wall method. If you use Igus bearings, they must slide very easily inside their housing to avoid too much compression. If you need, you can adjust internal/external diameter since I included STEP files for the housings.

The suggested materials are PC-CF and PA12-CF. Use good quality filament, avoid cheap PA-CF since they absorb too much moisture.

The only exception are the seigers because they need to be a bit flexible, I had great success with PETG.

To-Do

• Design mounts for different extruders/hotend
• Check fan duct efficiency and evaluate possible alternatives
• Improve belt attachment and tensioning system

Disclaimer N.1

Use these informations and 3d model at your own risk, I am not responsible for any damage

Disclaimer N.2

This is a new project and I've tested only on my X-Plus, so it may require some modifications, be prepared for it. My configuration includes Dragonfly BMO, LGX Lite, classic BLTouch. Please note also that I am using my custom gantry and T20 pulleys. If you have any idea for improvements, or want to design mounts and accessories, I can provide STEP files privately.

Thanks to Humebeam for the Icarus idea and to the Italian Telegram QIDI group for the great suggestions.