Extruder development
collaboration page for ideas on new extruder development, started for the Atlanta area hackerspace freesideatl.
Contents
Ongoing discussion
I'd be honored if you guys join the technical-but-friendly dev list, since you guys are technical-but-friendly devs. :D http://reprap.org/pipermail/reprap-dev/ --Sebastien Bailard 04:13, 4 January 2011 (UTC)
Major Models For Comparison
Mendel Stepper Extruder
Wades Geared NEMA 17 Extruder
- Simple Design, easy to modify
- Simple print.
- Common
- cannot see the filament
- Labor intensive to do any type of maintenance.
Guiding Principals
- Cheap
- Easy to reproduce
- Follows in reprap principles
Current issues
Filament Drive
idea bucket
- Try different material for gripping filament such as sugru / oogoo
- Make the filament visible until it enters the hot end.
- Add a rotary encoder to the idler wheel to detect if the filament is advancing. http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9117
- hinge the idler idler block and add the tension on the outside of the block instead of through it so it can be easily removed.
- make it easier to replace the hot end.
- make the mounting to the printer easier, try a gravity mount, or hold in place with paper clamps
- Look into granule extruders like the BFB3000 uses.
- Look into a filament cleaning step.
- What about a modular extruder system? Some sort of mounting bracket that holds the extruder and hot end. The filament drive and hot end could snap off using a clip system and molex connectors this would help with adoption as well as give us (and many others an easy upgrade path) Want a dremel cnc? Snap it on. Laser cutter? Snap it on.
Hot End
idea bucket
- make it easier to remove from filament drive.
- remove PTFE, don't use any parts that break down at typical extruding temperatures like ABS
- trying fiberglass
- try make a combo heater block/nozzle]
- try various cheap and off the shelf heatsinks like the copper pipe cap.
- off the shelf nozzles, mechanical pencils, misting nozzles, airbrush nozzles
- airbrush nozzle: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=.25mm+nozzle&hl=en&safe=active&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=ivns&biw=1440&bih=697&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=1294577444451734448&ei=67IiTeWiMoT48AaC3YyBDg&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers
- mechanical pencil: http://www.amazon.com/Pentel-Automatic-Drafting-Pencil-PG523BP/dp/B004FLKP4Q/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1294119645&sr=8-9
- compare resistance wire to resistor and other options,
- wind your own resistor to make it as hot as possible?
