Formbot Voron V0.2 / V0.2r1 Kit Review

Why the Voron V0?

If you’re reading this, you’re probably already familiar with the Voron V0 platform and why it exists.

Briefly:

• Compact CoreXY kinematics capable of very high speeds

• Simple cantilever bed (manual leveling, no mesh required)

• Fully enclosed chamber suitable for ABS / ASA

• Small 120×120×120 mm build volume with fast heat-up

• Powered by Klipper, with a massive mod ecosystem

The Voron V0 is one of the most popular entry points into the Voron ecosystem, and for many people, it’s their first DIY CoreXY printer.

All of those were the case for me. It was also my first printer with linear rails and first fully enclosed printer even those I’ve owned used and reviewed upwards of 12 3D Printers in the past.

Checkout the Voron Database for examples of what other builders have done. Color schemes, filaments and mods. There’s a saying that you don’t build A VORON, you build YOUR VORON.

The Formbot V0 Kit at a Glance

The Formbot V0.2 kit is one of the more budget-oriented Voron V0 offerings, but it includes several upgrades that are often optional or aftermarket in other kits.

At the time of purchase, the kit started around $329, with pricing varying based on:

• Warehouse location (China / EU / US)

• Hotend selection

• Printed-parts inclusion

I initially built this printer as a V0.2, then upgraded it to V0.2r1 once that revision was released.

You’ll have to decide if you want to print parts yourself, buy them from Formbot, buy them from another retailer one Etsy or other retailers, or purchase them from the Vorno PIF (Print-it-forward) program. I chose to purchase my printed parts from Fabreeko’s cPIF program where they team up with PIF members and utilize Fabreeko’s shipping capabilities to receive your parts faster than the typical Voron PIF turnaround times.

Relationship to the Stock Voron V0 Specification

Despite including several popular mods, the Formbot V0 kit remains very close to the stock Voron V0 BoM and design intent.

Many of the included “mods”:

• Are referenced or discussed in the official Voron V0 manual

• Have become common, community-accepted upgrades

• Do not fundamentally change the printer’s architecture

While the builder still needs to seek documentation for the different mods, especially:

• The BTT Pi V1.2

• Kirigami Bed Frame

Builders can generally count on:

• Getting help on the official Voron Discord is straightforward

• Community troubleshooting advice applies cleanly

• This build is recognizable as a standard V0 configuration

This matters, especially when compared to kits that significantly diverge from the reference design.

Packaging & Unboxing

Documentation

This is the kit’s largest weakness.

Formbot provides very little kit-specific documentation:

• No wiring diagrams

• No Formbot-specific Klipper configs

• No consolidated references for included mods

Builders are expected to rely on:

• Official Voron documentation

• Community resources

• Independent research

To help fill that gap, I created a GitHub repository that serves as:

• Partial kit documentation

• A build log

• A reference for wiring, configs, and fixes

Many builders have used the livestreams and repo to build along successfully.

Hardware Quality Breakdown

Frame & Extrusions

The extrusions included in the kit are labeled on the Formbot site as “MakerbeamXL”, but in practice they are much closer to LDO-style V0 extrusions.

Important notes:

• Compatible with LDO-style slide-in nuts

• Work with the popular 3D-printed no-drop nut mod

• Do not impose the usual limitations associated with true MakerbeamXL

Quality impressions:

• Cleanly cut and accurately sized

• Post-cut anodization / powder coating looks excellent

• All extrusions tapped on both ends

• Measured lengths were extremely close to nominal spec

• Post cutting and tapping power-coat/anodization is very nice

Overall, the extrusions are well-suited to a Voron build and present no meaningful drawbacks.

Kirigami Bed Frame

The Kirigami frame is a welcome inclusion but is not a full Kirigami kit — only the frame itself.

Pros:

• Rigid and square

• Simplifies bed assembly

• Improves serviceability and cable routing

Issues encountered:

• Frame thickness measured ~2.3–2.5 mm vs a 2 mm spec

• Powder coating reduced clearance in critical areas

• Tight fits caused some over-constraint during assembly

• Thermal fuse placement conflicted with bed travel in certain positions

These issues were solvable (light filing and repositioning), but they added friction and are worth noting.

Heated Bed & Build Surface

• MIC6 aluminum bed appeared flat

• 60 W heater reliably reaches 110 °C (slower heat-up)

• Smooth and textured PEI sheets both performed well

• Longer heat soak helped large ABS prints

Despite no mesh or ABL, first-layer consistency was excellent.

Electronics Overview

BTT Pi V1.2

A solid Raspberry Pi alternative:

• Quad-core Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz

• 1 GB DDR3L RAM

• Armbian + KIAUH support

• Dedicated ADXL and CAN expansion support

The only notable issue was the included power cable, which was too short and appeared designed for a standard Pi GPIO layout.

V0 Display

A basic but workable option for controlling the printer (vs headless)

SKR Pico

The “spec” mainboard for the build. It performs well but has limited I/O for expansion

Fans

The weakest part of the kit:

• Generic, unbranded fans

• Adequate but unremarkable

• Slightly brittle feel

I replaced them with GDSTime fans and saw improved cooling at similar noise levels.

Both are valid — CANBus is an evolution, not a requirement.

Why I Migrated to CANBus

Eventually, I chose to migrate to a single-cable CANBus toolhead setup, not because the Umbilical was unusable, but because CANBus offered additional benefits.

Contributing factors:

• Intermittent ADC out-of-range errors and MCU disconnects w/ Umbilical

• Molex cable sensitivity

• Desire to simplify wiring further

• Ability to have a filament run out sensor, buttons, RGB and other enhancements at the toolhead

  • I wanted use the Magneeto X Lancer (Orbiter 2) extruder with a Dragon Burner toolhead

• Interest in modern toolhead architectures

CANBus Setup Details

• Single 4-wire cable to toolhead:

  • 24 V / GND

  • CAN+ / CAN−

• EBB36 v1.2 toolhead board

• All toolhead components plug directly into the EBB

• Much easier RGB LED integration

• Frees IO and fan pins on the SKR Pico, which is otherwise constrained

This setup pairs well with the BTT Pi V1.2 + CAN expansion board. I highly recommend the Esoterical CANBus Guide if you’re interested in trying it out on your printer

V0 Umbilical

• Nice upgrade

• Much easier wiring and cable management vs not having them

• Over time I had some disconnects and failures from the multi-wire Molex umbilical cable

  • Discussed more below in the Long Term Upgrades section

  • Many V0 users have noted this issue across many sources

  • Extra strain relief can help

Over I’d prefer having the V0 Umbilical over not having it

CANBus

• Cleanest wiring

• Fewer failure points long-term

• Frees MCU IO

• Easier RGB and future expansion

Additional Wiring Improvements

• Chamber LEDs now run in parallel from a single 5 V / GND / Data pin on the SKR Pico

• SBC → SKR Pico connection switched from USB to UART

  • Uses RX/TX added to the existing 5-pin JST power connector

  • Improves robustness and avoids USB quirks

Full instructions for CANBus and UART wiring are documented in the GitHub repo.

Callout: Umbilical vs CANBus (Quick Comparison)

Toolhead Wiring: Umbilical → CANBus (Long-Term Evolution)

Initial Umbilical Experience

The included V0 Umbilical works as intended and dramatically simplifies initial wiring. I ran the printer for hundreds of hours using the Umbilical without major issues.

Build Experience

The build went relatively smoothly, especially compared to common Discord troubleshooting cases.

Nothing blocked progress entirely, but friction points included:

• Kirigami tolerances

• Fan wiring fitment

• Documentation gaps

• Short SBC power cable

Patience and research are required, but nothing here is unreasonable for a DIY Voron build.

Tuning & Print Quality

Tuning followed standard Voron and Klipper practices:

• Extruder rotation distance

• First-layer squish

• Pressure Advance

• Input Shaping

• Material-specific flow tuning

After tuning:

• Clean surface finish

• Reduced ringing

• Consistent extrusion

• Excellent performance for such a small printer

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Competitive pricing

• Strong platform for mods

• Good balance of value adds

• Close to stock Voron V0 spec

• Improved significantly over earlier Formbot kits

Who This Kit Is For

Great fit if you:

• Want a cost-effective Voron V0

• Are comfortable problem-solving

• Plan to mod or evolve the printer (Printer for Ants)

Less ideal if you:

• Want a highly guided experience

• Expect turnkey documentation

• Prefer minimal tuning and research