CR-10 E3D V6 Direct Drive Extruder

thingiverse

A few people have asked for this so I'll post it as a thing. It implements a direct drive extruder and integrates it with an E3D V6 mount, all in a single component. The stepper motor is mounted sideways and stay out of the way of the rails, so doesn't cause any loss of print area. Additionally this thing provides a mount for a 12mm automatic bed levelling sensor and an optional improved part cooling fan. I have also included a holder for the cables coming from the fans and hot end. Tuck the wires in and use a small tie wrap at the top and bottom for maximum hold. I use the standard E3D V6 cooling fan for the hot end but if you want to mount alternate fans you should be able to exclude the part cooling fan and the E3D fan and use something like a fang instead. The part cooling fan I use is a typical 40mmx20mm blower (https://www.amazon.com/SoundOriginal-Humidifier-Aromatherapy-Appliances-Replacement/dp/B071WMHNG5/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521462212&sr=8-4&keywords=40mm+blower+fan). I could add a second mount variant for the standard part cooling fan that comes with the CR-10 if someone wants, but it isn't really that good and it's cheap to replace. The part cooling fan just screws onto the side of the hot end mount so if you have a special fan, it would be trivial to create your own mount. It's also beneficial to insulate the hotend or cover it with a silicone shield. I removed mine for the photos, though there aren't any parts close enough to the heat block to cause any damage even if you are printing without insulation (safer though). The extruder plate holds the stepper motor and the extruder of your choice (I use an all-metal one but any extruder will work). In the attached photos you may see lots of connectors above the mount. I have everything on the printer attached with connector rather than direct-connect wires - makes for easier swapping for parts if I need to. If you build this, yours will probably be cleaner if you don't have all these connectors. UPDATE: 2018-Mar-25 Updated the extruder plate to make it a lot more sturdy and lay it out on the proper axis so it doesn't require rotation in a slicer app.