Granuler extruder on the Ultimaker ++

[mattinv 0]

Hi everybody,

I have been working trying to find a solution to the filament possibly getting stuck in the bowden tube, and the cost of the print when I will have to use 1.5-2.5 kg of filament. To solve the first issue, I could simply put the extruder on the gantry, like most Reprap. I opted for the Ultimaker design originally because I wanted to keep a light head, insuring accuracy and high speed. Since the gantry, in its current form, is very rigid and can handle quite a bit of weight, I started to explore this possibility.

I also looked at cost of filament, and extruding your own is the only solution for cheap material... The problem seems to be that, if tolerances are not respected, the injection nozzle ends up clogging up, and the extruder often fails to grab the filament.

So to solve both issues , the only solution is to mount the plastic extrusion mechanism and make it into a printing head. I looked at a few designs and articles.

http://reprap.org/wiki/Granule_Extruder_Team

http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,70213

http://reprap.org/wiki/GranuleExtruder

http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,93966,94775

http://reprap.org/wiki/Web4Deb_extruder

http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?171,40341,40341

To see the various design, check out the blog:

http://3dlargeprinter.blogspot.com

 

I'm open to any feedback you might have. I'll try to start prototyping of the extruder in about 2 weeks.

[mattinv 0]

I posted the principles of the new extruder on the blog, along with some explanations (http://3dlargeprinter.blogspot.com/).

Let me know if you have any suggestions.