Unboxing
Upon opening the box, it is apparent that the Vivedino Formbot Raptor looks similar to the T-rex. The main difference between the T-rex and the Raptor is that the Raptor is a single extrude and more affordable.
Inside the packaging is two smaller boxes, the gantry (pre-assembled), the bed component (also pre-assembled), and some filament.
The upper gantry of the Raptor is almost identical to that of the Vivedino T-rex.
In box number one Is the power cable; the SD card with profiles, test model, and the user manual; a USB cable; and the entire extruder assembly, already built. In Box number 2 we have a Single filament spool holder, Data cable, IDL CD, and the control Box where the magic happens.
The Build
The first thing to do is put the top gantry onto the base.
You're going to need the ginormous driver they include and two big bolts. Don't forget to use the washer's, it's important.
Turn the base to the side and position it so the hole is right off the edge of the table so it's easy to screw on the gantry. You need to push the bed all the way forward or you won't be able to fit the screw in properly. Lift the upper gantry and put it in place on the bed.
Hold the gantry and place and insert one of the washers into the hole underneath, followed by the large bolt, just finger tighten the bolt at first. Now go in with the driver and make sure it's secure. Do the same with the other side.
Carefully remove the plastic from the gantry and the build is almost complete.
The Easy Stuff (Cables)
Now we get to do the easy stuff.
There are two cables the end-stop and the motor which plug right in to the side. The tiny red cable is the power to the LED, at the top of the gantry, plug that right into the board as well.
The control box attaches to the side of the upright near where the other chords are plugged in. Once it is in place, use the T-nuts to secure it. Make sure these are nice and tight.
Plug the data cable of the control Box into the board, it can be a little finicky. What I tend to do is use the Allen wrench to pop it down. You should here at click when it's all the way in in the little ears will lock.
From that control Box you will see two cord still sticking out, the black cord plugs into the EXP two spot of the LCD, the Gray goes into EXP one.
Take the LCD under the cables and use the T-nuts to secure it to the bed near the front.
Take the cable with a green plug and insert it into the bottom of the control box.
The Z-stepper motor cables plug into the bottom of the bed on separate sides. These can be a bit difficult to see, so take care to find both and plug them in to the correct spots.
Spool Holder
The spool holder for this printer is very particular.
The V-angles need to be in the back. Take one piece and place near the middle so the bearings are facing in and tighten it down all the way. Place the other piece opposite the first one and tighten it down only most of the way. Grab the spool of filament and make sure it sits properly. Now you can tighten down the other side.
Extrude Assembly
This Extruder is a direct drive system and has a beautiful almost 360-vent for the fan, it’s an e3dv6 hot end with an authentic BL touch built in, it has its own board with all the connectors on it. The design is nice and easy to load.
Take out the three screws in the back, line the screw holes of the extruder up with those on the plate and, place the middle screw in first. Tighten this screw, then do the other two. Make sure they are nice and tight.
Data Cable
Now that the extruder is in place you can attach the data cable.
Simply connect the correct end to the top of the extruder assembly and screw it down. It doesn’t have to be super tight, just nice and snug. Bring the other end of the cable up over the top of the gantry and place it in the centre of the spool holder.
Now hook the ring on the back of one of the hooks on the back of the spool holder. Run the cable down the side of the gantry and hold it in place with the clip, now plug it into the control box. Tighten the cable so it is nice and snug, and then make sure the cable has plenty of movement.
The Specs
The Raptor is a complete 44 aluminum extrusion. The Y and the Z run on linear rails and the X runs on a belt. There are four B-slot wheels, which is more stable than the typical three.
The control box has TMC 2208 stepper drivers, which means it is super quiet. It also has a filament sensor and is direct drive.
The power supply is 24-volt, which means it is a good quality power supply. The touch screen on the side.
The bed is aluminum, 5 mil, and it comes with a PEI sheet on the top. It is an authentic Kinovo silicon heated bed. It only takes about 60 seconds to heat.
The rods are not the regular threader rods. They use industrial ball screws.
The build is 400x400x500. They do make a lager model which we don’t carry but could get!
The LED is g-code controlled.
There are two separate outlets for power. The printer has a black cord, and the bed has its own separate power cord, which is thick and orange. The bed is controlled by the system and has a solid-state relay.
Set the Z Offset
It’s a little different from the way you would normally set a Creality machine.
Home the extruder and then go to motion and move the Z-axis .1 mil. These are usually pretty close when they come from the factory. Once you find how much you need to adjust the Z-axis by, back out of the menu to get to configuration, then select advanced settings, and finally, probe Z offset. Simply turn the dial to the correct measurement and then go back to configuration and store the settings.
Back out and auto-home it again, test the offset and repeat the above steps if necessary.
To start the print, preheat the bed. On the menu select preheat PLA. IT will only take about a minute to heat up. Raise the Z to load the PLA filament and set the spool on the spool holder.
Bring the filament right down and slide it through the filament sensor, give it a little twist and push it in. Feed it through a little bit by selecting move axis, extruder, and then 20 millimetres.
Take the SD card and insert it into the back of the control box (not the LCD) with the label facing out. On the LCD select test model and start the print.
The Raptor does have to probe the bed before every print, unlike other printers.
The Raptor and the T-rex from Vivedino Formbot are my favourite printers out of the 30 I own.