The Nova 300 is Nova Labs' latest Build Group Machine. It is a RepStrap machine in that it requires a laser cutter and a 3D printer to build it.

Design & Intent

The Nova 300 was designed by John Link and Paul Chase in Fusion 360. It is intended to be a high-end printer at as low a price point as possible. The print area is 300x300xover 400mmZ, and the printer itself is roughly 500mm wide, 650mm deep and 600mm tall. It features an aluminum extrusion frame, with as many joints as possible being metal-on-metal. All motion is guided by steel linear rails, which provide the printer with an abundance of gravity and unrivaled rigidity. Bed level compensation is provided by a differential infra-red sensor. The extruder is the direct-drive E3d Hemera. The machine runs at 24V, and has a glass heated bed that can optionally secure a removable metal print surface on top.

Printer Communication

The Nova 300 comes equipped with a USB B port to connect it to a computer, and includes a TFT touch screen with SD card reader for basic control and printing. The electronics are the SKR 1.4 Arm-based board, with Trinamic 2209 drivers for quiet operation and endstopless homing. The machine is Octoprintready with the addition of a raspberry pi, but the pi is not included.

Building Your Own

Nova Labs sells kits of this printer, and provides assistance building. However, we will maintain a full Bill of Materials and instructions on this page - the Nova 300 is an open source machine, and will remain so.

Nova 300 Instructions