Voron 0.2 CoreXY 3D Printer
A compact, high-speed 3D printer I sourced, assembled, wired, and tuned myself, from a bare bill of materials to a 22-minute Benchy.
Interactive 3D model: drag to rotate, scroll to zoom. On a phone, tap “View in your space” to see it in AR.
Overview
The Voron 0.2 is an open-source printer designed by the Voron community. It doesn't come as a kit: you get a bill of materials and a manual, then source every part yourself and assemble the frame, motion system, and electronics from scratch.
I took it on because I wanted to understand a 3D printer from the frame up, not just use one. A build like this touches mechanical design, electronics, Linux, and control tuning all at once.
How it works
CoreXY motion. Two stationary motors move the print head through a pair of crossed belts. The motors don't ride on the moving axis, so the moving mass stays small and the printer can accelerate hard without losing accuracy.
Klipper firmware. Instead of doing everything on the printer's small microcontroller, Klipper runs the heavy motion math on a Raspberry Pi and sends precisely timed step commands to the controller board. That split is a big part of why it can print fast and smoothly.
Build process
- 1
Frame & motion system
Planned, researched, and ordered every part, then assembled the frame square, installed the linear rails, and built the CoreXY gantry with belts tensioned evenly so the toolhead moves without binding. - 2
Electronics & wiring
Mounted the controller board, power supply, and Raspberry Pi, and wired motors, heaters, and the thermistor with clean routing through the moving axes. - 3
Firmware setup
Installed Klipper on a Raspberry Pi 4 clone, configured it for this printer, and set up remote control so I can start and watch prints from any browser. - 4
Sensorless homing
Configured the stepper drivers to detect when an axis hits its end by sensing motor stall, so the printer homes without separate endstop switches or their wiring. - 5
PID tuning
Ran PID calibration on the hotend and bed so the heaters reach temperature quickly and hold it steadily, which matters for consistent extrusion. - 6
Speed tuning
Calibrated input shaping, which measures the printer's resonances and cancels the ringing they cause, then tuned acceleration and extrusion to push speed without losing print quality. - 7
Validation
Printed a 30 mm calibration cube to check dimensional accuracy, bridging tests to check overhangs, and finally a full Benchy in 22 minutes.
Results
- Dimensionally accurate parts, verified with a 30 mm calibration cube.
- Clean overhangs and bridges in bridging tests.
- A complete 3DBenchy in 22 minutes.
- Fully remote operation through Klipper's web interface.
What I learned
Precision comes from the small things: a frame that's actually square, belts tensioned evenly, and heaters tuned properly. I also got a much deeper feel for integrating electronics with a mechanical system, and for how firmware and motion control turn a pile of parts into a reliable machine.
Next time
I'd plan cable management from the start rather than fixing it at the end, and look at quieter cooling to make the whole machine cleaner and more pleasant to run.