Monoprice Select Mini V2
I purchased the MP Select Mini V2 for the production of small, detail-oriented prints. Due to the solid and compact nature of this printer, it experiences very little vibration and flex throughout the movement of the printhead, and can easily produce small prints with a high degree of detail and accuracy. After two years, this printer was sold to a colleague to make room for larger machines.
= Upgrades =
Body-Mounted Filament Stand
The original filament stand oriented the spool perpendicular to the extruder, forcing filament to bend at a sharp angle as it entered the extruder. An alternative mount was 3D-printed to allow the filament to unspool and traverse a less severe path into the extruder. This mount reduced the risk of brittle filament breaking during a print, thus reducing failure rates and filament waste.
All-Metal Extruder & Hardened Steel Gear
The plastic OEM extruder body and brass gear had poor durability and wore out quickly. The brass gear also had a very high tooth count, giving it a relatively weak grip on the driven filament. These shortcomings resulted in the printer losing the ability to extrude mid-print, resulting in failure and wasted filament. To remedy this, an aluminum extruder body and low-tooth hardened steel gear were installed, with their heightened durability and control ensuring that this failure would not be a reoccurence.
High-Flow Silent Cooling
The internal fan on the MP Mini was adequate, but produced significant noise pollution. For improved cooling and quieter performance, the internal fan was replaced with a silent 40mm Noctua fan. This fan provides significantly improved airflow and reliability while simultaneously being nearly inaudible during operation.
Long-Life Extruder Components
The OEM extruder system had poor durability and useability, and the degradation of parts would eventually lead to failure or hindered print quality. The original Bowden tube was replaced with Capricorn PTFE, which provides improved durability, temperature resistance, and lubricity for optimized filament extrusion. The standard brass nozzle has the benefit of high thermal conductivity, but as a soft alloy it wears out quickly, throwing the printer out of calibration. It was replaced with a stainless steel nozzle, sacrificing some thermal conductivity in favour of substantially improved durability.
Borosilicate Glass Bed
While the Buildtak provided on the printer's heated bed produced impressive adhesion, it could not compete with glass in terms of base surface finish. Additionally, it lasted mere days before it began to chip away, leaving poor print surface. For improved durability, a plate of borosilicate glass was installed, with its strength and resistance to thermal shock making it a solid choice of build surface.
Upgraded Firmware
The original firmware provided with the MPSMII was relatively glitchy and provided relatively little governance over the printer’s controls. The firmware was therefore updated to the latest stable version, with improved accessibility and a fresh updated UI.
Bed Rewire
The OEM bed wiring is notoriously unsafe, with the wires routed directly downward from the bed. Translation of the y-axis results in these wires being dragged continuously back and forth through a gap in the metal platform. The sharp angle of the wiring path and this constant friction against the metal platform causes excessive wear on the wires’ insulation and leads to premature (and potentially hazardous) failure of the bed’s electrical components. To circumvent this potential issue, the wires were redirected out the back of the printer, wrapped in protective loom, and routed to the control board through a drilled and grommet-protected hole in the barren side panel of the body. The result of this is a substantially increased lifespan for the heated bed, along with a mitigated risk of fire or other damage being inflicted upon the printer.