15:1 Gear Set and Improved twist-lock for Remote Direct Drive Extruder

thingiverse

Improved durability of twist-lock "wings" and enhanced clearances for the PA12 tube connector and mounting bolt are key features of this remix. Under heavy load, the original wings often snapped off with just light finger pressure. The revised design addresses this issue by doubling the wall width, making it much harder to break them off. A slightly increased central hole diameter facilitates easier insertion of the PA12 tube connector, while a larger bolt hole prevents issues when removing the bolt. The PA12 tube connector's brim has been slimmed down for an improved press fit in the twist-lock. Depending on printer accuracy, you might find the remixed version too loose, so using the original and filing to fit may be preferable. A 15:1 reduction worm gear set is also available, providing a significant upgrade from the original 30:1 ratio. This change allows the printer to make faster moves for retraction, loading, and unloading filament, while keeping the step driver well within the "stealth chop" zone for near-silent operation. A photo of my fleet of Benchies is attached, showcasing two models with impressive accuracy. The yellow one is made from PLA with a 4mm nozzle and uses the original 30:1 gear set, while the orange one is in PETG with a 0.2mm nozzle and employs the remixed 15:1 gear set. Although the orange PETG version exhibits signs of under-extrusion, this may be due to incorrect settings for my 0.2mm profiles rather than any issue with the gear set itself.