Bowden conversion parts (FT-5 and others)

thingiverse

I have converted my FT-5 printer from Bowden filament feed back to direct drive a couple of times while fine-tuning the setup. In the process, I had to figure out how to mount the hot end onto the carriage when the extruder motor was detached. Instead of modifying the existing carriage plates excessively, I decided to print replacement parts for components that were relocated or eliminated. This allowed me to experiment with Bowden feed without making any permanent changes. This set includes: 1) A bracket that mounts the extruder motor (NEMA17) and the chosen extruder onto a side 2020 extrusion. 2) A lightweight alternative to the carriage-mounted motor. 3) A set of clamp blocks for a typical E3D-style hot end. 4) A handy 2mm thick spacer for NEMA17 motor ends. The motor replacement can be attached with the 2-hole section facing downwards to maintain the original hot end height, or with the two holes facing upwards to lift the hot end, which will gain some extra printing space if needed. This "motor" can be used with almost any hot end mounting block clamp designed for direct attachment to a NEMA17 motor face. I have included the ones I used for my E3D setup, but there are many available on this site for other hot ends. You may want to drill two additional motor mount holes in the vertical plate on the carriage if you don't already have four (typical of early FT-5's). This will make it more stable. I used M3 hardware for all mountings except where the extruder mount attached to the framework, which required M5 hardware. **Just added**: A handy clip to help reduce end play in Bowden fittings. Yes, I know there are many similar clips available on this site, but I specifically designed one with a "split" design that clips on and off easily.