A 3D printer extruder is a filament feeding mechanism used in many fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printers. There are several types of 3D printer extruders. A Bowden extruder is a type of extruder that pushes filament through a long and flexible PTFE (Teflon) tube to the hot end.[1] An alternative type of extruder which is also widely used in filament 3D printers is the direct-drive extruder, which sits closer to the extruder hot end.
On a Bowden design, the feeding mechanism (here indicated with two roller wheels) often sits relatively far away from the hot end part of the extruder.Figure of a direct drive extruder mechanism, an alternative to a Bowden extruder.
Bowden type extruders are easier to swap since they are outside the print head. They also have less chance of tangling the filament while it unwinds from the spool. Additionally, they reduce the mass of the extrusion carriage because it doesn't have to hold a stepper motor. This allows for faster changes in print head movement direction, increased print speed, increased accuracy, and decreased instances of artifacting or ghosting along the x and y axes.[2]
One disadvantage is that because Bowden extruders push filament through a long and curved tube, more friction must be overcome compared with direct drive extruders. To partially mitigate these friction forces, the tube is made of PTFE, which has a low coefficient of friction. Flexible filaments do not print well because the filament flexes inside the tube and clogs up the machine.
Another disadvantage is that the feeding distance is relatively long, and thus the resistance is high, meaning the stepping motor of extrusion is required to have a higher torque. [3]
Direct-drive extruderedit
With a direct-drive extruder, the motor pushing the filament is installed by the hotend and pushes the filament directly into the nozzle. Direct-drive designs have several advantages, and typically give better extrusion, faster retraction, are able to print more types of filaments, and can use a smaller and lighter motor due to the short distance to the nozzle.[4] One typical disadvantage of direct-drive extruders is the added mass to the hotend, compared to a typical Bowden extruder, which may cause more vibrations so that the direct-drive printhead has to move slower, which can affect print speed. Another typical disadvantage is more complex maintenance[4] due to tight packaging of many components in the hotend.
See alsoedit
Lyman filament extruder, a DIY device for manufacturing new filament from plastic pellets or recycled filament
Referencesedit
^Landry, Taylor (2016-03-15). "Extruders 101: A crash course on an essential component of your 3D printer". MatterHackers. from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
^"3d Printer for Miniatures". Friday, 19 November 2021
^"Comparing Bowden Extruders And Direct Drive Extruders". Raise3D. from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
^ abDirect-drive extruder vs. Bowden extruder - Guide - 3DJake International
May 08, 2024
extruder, printing, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, extruder, printing, news, newspapers, books, sch. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Extruder 3D printing news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this message A 3D printer extruder is a filament feeding mechanism used in many fused filament fabrication FFF 3D printers There are several types of 3D printer extruders A Bowden extruder is a type of extruder that pushes filament through a long and flexible PTFE Teflon tube to the hot end 1 An alternative type of extruder which is also widely used in filament 3D printers is the direct drive extruder which sits closer to the extruder hot end On a Bowden design the feeding mechanism here indicated with two roller wheels often sits relatively far away from the hot end part of the extruder Figure of a direct drive extruder mechanism an alternative to a Bowden extruder Contents 1 Bowden extruder 2 Direct drive extruder 3 See also 4 ReferencesBowden extruder editBowden type extruders are easier to swap since they are outside the print head They also have less chance of tangling the filament while it unwinds from the spool Additionally they reduce the mass of the extrusion carriage because it doesn t have to hold a stepper motor This allows for faster changes in print head movement direction increased print speed increased accuracy and decreased instances of artifacting or ghosting along the x and y axes 2 One disadvantage is that because Bowden extruders push filament through a long and curved tube more friction must be overcome compared with direct drive extruders To partially mitigate these friction forces the tube is made of PTFE which has a low coefficient of friction Flexible filaments do not print well because the filament flexes inside the tube and clogs up the machine Another disadvantage is that the feeding distance is relatively long and thus the resistance is high meaning the stepping motor of extrusion is required to have a higher torque 3 Direct drive extruder editWith a direct drive extruder the motor pushing the filament is installed by the hotend and pushes the filament directly into the nozzle Direct drive designs have several advantages and typically give better extrusion faster retraction are able to print more types of filaments and can use a smaller and lighter motor due to the short distance to the nozzle 4 One typical disadvantage of direct drive extruders is the added mass to the hotend compared to a typical Bowden extruder which may cause more vibrations so that the direct drive printhead has to move slower which can affect print speed Another typical disadvantage is more complex maintenance 4 due to tight packaging of many components in the hotend See also editLyman filament extruder a DIY device for manufacturing new filament from plastic pellets or recycled filamentReferences edit Landry Taylor 2016 03 15 Extruders 101 A crash course on an essential component of your 3D printer MatterHackers Archived from the original on 2021 01 27 Retrieved 2021 05 19 3d Printer for Miniatures Friday 19 November 2021 Comparing Bowden Extruders And Direct Drive Extruders Raise3D Archived from the original on 2021 05 19 Retrieved 2021 05 19 a b Direct drive extruder vs Bowden extruder Guide 3DJake International Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Extruder 3D printing amp oldid 1221150551, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
