Using different filaments

[air2gnd 0]

How can I use 1.75 mm or 3 mm filaments ? What hardware is required?

 

[mnis 11]

I use the Ultimaker 2 for an explanatory example:

The Ultimaker 2 is officially provided for filaments having a diameter of 2.85mm.

Material with a diameter of 3mm in many cases work, although there is no direct recommendation. The total material guide the UM2 (Feeder, Bowden, ColdEnd, Hotend) allowed by design 3.17mm maximum. Depending on the quality of the filament used, the material diameter can vary enormously. Material with 3mm diameter is much closer to the limit as material with 2.85mm and could cause problems.

Material with 1.75mm diameter is unfortunately completely unsuitable for the UM / UM2, as it has far too much space in the total material guide. Nevertheless, few users report of a possible use without special hardware adjustments. However, very often necessary retractions with this much too thin material, are not precise enough or absolutely not executable.

It might not be impossible to use material with 1.75mm to Ultimaker machines. But without special hardware adjustments, the whole is much more a gimmick, and not a meaningful application.

I think in the long run makes the use of 1.75mm filament in a Bowden system even more sense. For especially PLA filaments close to 3mm are very rigid and there is too much mechanical energy required to reliably transport it through a maybe 70 centimeters long Bowden.

This is exactly why I have a universal material feeder designed and already published on YouMagine. The feeder will soon be Able to transport 1.75mm thick filament reliable. Then I will make to my UM2 additional adjustments for experiments with thinner materials.

Markus

 

[ultiarjan 1,223]

I guess there are also many advantages to 3mm fillament. Just thinking out loud, probably has a better volume/meter tollerance. Flexible fillaments in a tube a difficult,I guess with 1.75 even more so, and when I'm printing spiralized vases on a 0.8 nozzle and even thicker walls, my feeder is moving at high speed, i'm not sure the same volume would be possible with 1.75 filament.

As for the friction in the tube at 2.85. creating a more straight path into the feeder will help a lot, take your fillament of the UM and put it lower than the machine (reelholder on the floor) or use my "rail system".