I'm considering a purchase of the Fireball Comet CNC machine
http://probotix.com/FireBall_Comet_cnc_router/ and am thinking of the possibility of hanging a 3D print head on it. I figured the more knowledgeable and experienced people here would be able to chime in and give me some information as to the likelihood of this working, where the potential issues might be, and if there is a "best case solution" as far as additional electronics, extruder, materials or anything else I should look at.
I am into designing custom computer parts mostly, although I'm not limited to that and do other stuff ranging from jewelry pieces to home decoration items, custom lamps and other things. I have (as in my sig below) a 40w laser cutter.
What I would like, ultimately, to be able to do is create a method to 3D print an entire replacement front panel for a computer case. The Fireball Comet has a working area of 25"x25"x5". I understand fully that I won't be able to utilize the entire 5" vertical with a hot end hanging below the gantry, but will certainly try to get as much of that as I can. The parts I would like to produce would fit within a 12"x20"x2" area. If the machine is capable of producing movement within this range, and is solid and steady enough to have good accuracy, would a part this size be feasible with a 3D print? I would assume I'd print PLA or Nylon on an unheated surface. I don't think I'd be able to run a heated bed of that extreme size, so ABS is probably not an option.
As far as electronics, the Fireball Comet comes with a complete package including a computer pre-configured with EMC2. For those more familiar with EMC2, I assume it shouldn't be too difficult to "clone" the CNC configuration files, add the controls for the extruder stepper and heater... or am I completely out to lunch? Can the existing hardware, aside from an extra stepper driver, operate the 3D printer part of the system, or would I have to completely replace the electronics package with something more suited to a 3D printer (and likely have some way to switch control of the stepper motors to another board)?
Is this something that would be worth looking into, or is it completely nuts?