Type of Spring in UM3 Tension Control

[kmanstudios 1,120]

For some reason, I keep letting my spring just fly out of the feeder when I have to disassemble it. This time, I got woke up to the sounds of the feeder clicking on stuck filament. 2AM. Not an excuse, but it is what it is.

As I took off the back of the feeder, the spring just went flying somewhere. So, in the future events, it will happen again I am sure, what type of spring is it?

Size, type, tension, whatever is needed to purchase a whole bunch of them when I do these clumsy things in the middle of the night whilst still mostly asleep.

I made a makeshift spring out of wire I had in the house to keep printing (must, not, stop...must....Keep....PRINTING!!! Ok, if not a fan of 60's or 70's Hanna Barbara superhero cartoons, that will make no sense) but is is not a spring metal and it will eventually just conform to shape.

I cannot keep bothering the good folks at fbrc8 about this. I did ask the same info, but I was hoping for an answer here as well so that I can get a bunch of these things.

Thanks,

da clumsy noob......

Edited July 14, 2017 by Guest

[IRobertI 516]

Unsure of the spring. Looking at the BOM for the 2+, this is mentioned "DIN 17.224 material nr. 1.4310", does that help?

To prevent the spring from flying away (which hasn't happened to me yet even though I've opened a fair share of feeders), set the tension to the minimum setting before opening the feeder. It will make re-assembly easier as well.

[geert_2 556]

I am not sure, but can't you do without spring? And replace it with a piece of metal of fixed length and suitable design? So that you can still finely adjust the position of the pressure wheel, to get the desired bite-depth of the teeth into the filament?

I have always wondered why there are springs in the feeders of almost all printer brands? Yes of course, officially they are needed to push the filament against the knurled feeder wheel, so it gets a good grip. But does it?

If the spring tension is too high, it flattens the filament into a plate, instead of a round. Then the filament gets stuck in the bowden tube, or nozzle, or at least causes high friction. If spring tension is too low, it causes slipping, or the feeder-teeth jumping out of the filament, instead of biting. So we are supposed to find the nice spot in-between those extremes. But is there always an optimal spot in-between?

If the feeder would have fixed setting-screws, so we can finely adjust how deep the teeth bite into the filament, but without spring, then I guess that should reduce both effects: it should stop flattening the filament, as soon as the teeth have bitten into the filament for the desired depth (because at that moment there is no more pressure)? And it makes it more difficult for the teeth to jump out of their bite-pits (as there is no soft spring that can give way)?

Or am I overlooking something?

Maybe in Robert's feeder this would be easier to test than in the original feeders?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

geert_2:The spring give the lever a bit of play. I am assuming that it is for people like me who take a while to get the right feel for some things and not just flatten it from the get go. And, for right now, I have a piece of metal in its place, but it will shortly deform.

IRobertI: Not sure. I will have to input the numbers into a search engine and see where I can buy them from. And, I have no idea really about other machines, but from what I have seen, the feeders do not seem to be too different.

And, thanks for the tip. Here was the problem(s):

1. Woke up to the sounds of my baby crying

2. Decided to open the feeder while still, basically, asleep to see what could be happening as to why I could not pull the filament out.

3. Upon opening, while the feeder was still attached and vertical, I was not aware of anything until I heard something careen off things behind me. Fortunately, I found the screw mechanism, but have no idea where the spring went.

So all this mess but for not paying attention to one simple idiotic rule (And I know better):

Do not work on the machine while in a sleep like state. Either shut it down and wait, or be a bit more patient and wait until more aware.

[IRobertI 516]

I know for the UMO the reliability increased by about 1000% when the spring was added to the feeder. It was rigid before Bertho came along with the new spring loaded arm design. I remember back then even something basic like retractions were a pain.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Started doing research and what I can find, and figure, is this: The 'material nr. 1.4310' is the type of metal for correct 'springiness' and the 'DIN 17.224' is the length of the spring in mm.

Still on the search as I drink my caffeine boost to wake up.

These look about right....but awaiting confirmation from any knowledgeable source before spending money. Also waiting on hardware store to open to see what they may have.

Edited July 14, 2017 by Guest

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I know for the UMO the reliability increased by about 1000% when the spring was added to the feeder. It was rigid before Bertho came along with the new spring loaded arm design. I remember back then even something basic like retractions were a pain.

I imagine it also gives some play for when the filament is not really straight (Kinked or curled) or super-duper even.

[tomnagel 123]

Started doing research and what I can find, and figure, is this: The 'material nr. 1.4310' is the type of metal for correct 'springiness' and the 'DIN 17.224' is the length of the spring in mm.

Still on the search as I drink my caffeine boost to wake up.

These look about right....but awaiting confirmation from any knowledgeable source before spending money. Also waiting on hardware store to open to see what they may have.

This is what you need

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Thank you, thank you On the hunt now.

[Intelligent_box 1]

I am well aware that this thread is dead, but I made an account to leave this vital I formation for future people who also make the mistake of disassembling and losing the spring. If you're in Europe, there are many options for buying the DR2160 spring so all you need to do is Google. If you are in North America such as myself, McMaster Carr carries the identical spring here:

https://www.mcmaster.com/2006N274/

under the part number 2006N274. I hope this helps someone in the future, or myself when I inevitably make this mistake again.😂