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Salvaging parts from commercial copiers for 3d printer?

e14 Contributor

I am crazy inspired to attempt a 3d printer!!  I have a one time pass to access several commercial copiers that have been retired and are going to be recycled.  What specific parts should I salvage for use in building my own 3d printer?  I assume they have stepper motors in the scanner section and round track bars and belts and gears.  I would also guess they have stop sensors and possibly some circuit boards that would be of use?  Any suggestions on what I should grab while I have the opportunity would be appreciated!  I'd rather end up with unused parts than wish I would have grabbed something else.  Thanks in advance!

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    grab everything. seriously. even the wiring will have some nifty connectors worth holding on to especially if you intend to reuse the boards for anything.

     

    each copier is only going to have I think maybe 1 stepper motor that will be of any use in a 3d printer. the rest will be small, low power motors that are just strong enough to move the paper around. will also get a wealth of gears and clutches, and obviously some little switches here and there. Most of the nice ones from the last decade have touchscreen displays. They probably have an electromechanical counter in there too.

     

    then theres stuff like high voltage boards that run the fuser and the scan light.  The drum itself will probably be useless but may get you a few bucks from a metal recycler.

     

    scrap metal will be good to build a frame out of maybe. you can probably get a few stainless rods and bearings too. although im not sure if they will be bulky enough for a 3d printer.

     

    If you really want to make sure you get everything, expect to spend an hour or two tearing into each one. If you can, id just straight load em up and take em home. In any case, make sure you tarp the floor and probably get some rubber gloves, cause the insides of old copiers are lousy with toner.

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    grab everything. seriously. even the wiring will have some nifty connectors worth holding on to especially if you intend to reuse the boards for anything.

     

    each copier is only going to have I think maybe 1 stepper motor that will be of any use in a 3d printer. the rest will be small, low power motors that are just strong enough to move the paper around. will also get a wealth of gears and clutches, and obviously some little switches here and there. Most of the nice ones from the last decade have touchscreen displays. They probably have an electromechanical counter in there too.

     

    then theres stuff like high voltage boards that run the fuser and the scan light.  The drum itself will probably be useless but may get you a few bucks from a metal recycler.

     

    scrap metal will be good to build a frame out of maybe. you can probably get a few stainless rods and bearings too. although im not sure if they will be bulky enough for a 3d printer.

     

    If you really want to make sure you get everything, expect to spend an hour or two tearing into each one. If you can, id just straight load em up and take em home. In any case, make sure you tarp the floor and probably get some rubber gloves, cause the insides of old copiers are lousy with toner.

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