Extruder development
Revision as of 19:57, 26 January 2011 by AnthongRedbeard (talk | contribs) (→Major Models For Comparison)
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?