Rendered pen plotter on its table, gantry midway over a blue sheet, pen head with orange printed parts

Proposal for the shop

Shop Pen Plotter 36" x 48"

A flatbed pen plotter for white-on-blue engineering and architectural prints, built in the shop.

Buy pre-built
--cheapest that fits 36" x 48" and takes these pens
DIY price
TBDlow-cost build to recommended build, materials
TitleShop Pen Plotter 36" x 48"
Dwg no.PP-000
RevC
Date2026-10-06
ScaleNTS
DrawnNoah

In one minute

NOTES:

Specifications

Specifications

Next: B Machine

The machine

  1. Right end of the gantry with the end plate, Y rail and belt

    1 of 4

    Gantry

    Hiwin MGN15 rails on both long sides carry a 40 x 80 mm aluminum beam. The end plates are machined on the VF-3SS and bolt into the beam's tapped ends.

  2. The machine seen from the back

    2 of 4

    Drive

    Gates GT2 9 mm belts and three closed-loop NEMA17 steppers. Closed loop means a missed step is caught instead of ruining the plot.

  3. Pen head with the pen down: printed pen tool and straps, lift tab, weight slugs, servo with its horn below the ledge Pen head with the pen up: the servo horn has swung up under the lift tab ledge

    3 of 4

    Pen head

    A servo lifts the pen on a small MGN9 slide. When the pen is down, only the head's own weight presses it, so the pen pressure stays the same on every line.

  4. Rendered pen plotter on its table with the bed and corner stops

    4 of 4

    Bed

    A steel-faced MDF bed with rubber-coated magnets holds the sheet flat. Corner stops square the paper the same way every time.

3D model Rendered from the CAD assembly.

Next: C Cost

Build it or buy it

All prices are estimates and do not include shipping or tax. They were read from vendor websites on October 5 and 6, 2026, and will change. Every stage is re-priced right before it is ordered.

Option 1

Low-cost build

Same machine, Chinese parts

--

Option 2 Recommended

Recommended build

--

Option 3

Buy pre-built

--

Totals drawn to one scale

Next: D Parts

Parts

All 19 CNC programs

Every machined part has a CNC program, checked by an automatic verifier and backplotted.

CNC programs. Hover or focus a row to preview its drawing page.

Recommended build by order stage

The recommended build, grouped by order stage. Every line, part number and vendor link is in the buy list.

Recommended build by order stage

Same parts, by category

Download the full buy list (CSV)

Low-cost build: full parts list

Files

  • First page of the machined-part drawings

    Machined-part drawings (PDF)

    One page per setup for every machined part.

    Download PDF

  • Buy list, recommended build (CSV)

    Every part in the recommended build with its vendor link.

    Download CSV
  • Backplot of the pen carriage plate program

    CNC program backplots

    Toolpath pictures for the pen carriage plate, pen dock and X idler carrier.

  • Plot preview of a test part with a title block

    Plot previews from the plotting software

    What the software shows before it plots a drawing.

  • CNC programs (19 programs)

    Every machined part, ready to run on the VF-3SS or any 3-axis mill.

    Available from Noah

  • CAD models (STEP and STL for every part)

    The whole machine as a parametric model, one file per part.

    Available from Noah

  • Wiring diagram and FluidNC firmware settings

    Power supply, E-stop, motor drivers, home switches and pen servo wiring, plus the controller settings.

    Available from Noah

  • Plotting software and calibration plots

    Turns SVG, PDF or DXF into plot files, plus plots for scale, squareness and pen offsets.

    Available from Noah

  • Tolerance list

    Every GD&T callout on the drawings, with the reasoning behind its value.

    Available from Noah