Dual grip / feed direct drive wade extruder (for 3mm filament)

thingiverse

A Modified Wade Extruder for My 3D Printer I'm excited to share with you my modified Wade extruder for my 3D printer. This project is a great example of how you can upgrade your existing printer to achieve better print quality. Take a look at the video below to see this extruder in action: You'll notice that I've used a combination of different materials and components to build this extruder. Here are some notes on what you'll need to assemble it: First, gather the following parts: * Two hobbed bolts * Nine 608 bearings * Miscellaneous items like an M8x50 bolt, multiple M8 spacers, and locking nuts * Some M3 nuts and bolts Next, print the following files: * One base.stl or base_mirrored.stl file * One baseCap.stl file * Two idler.stl files * Three Small_Drive_gear.stl files Now, here are some components you'll need to fetch from elsewhere: * Herringbone gears - I recommend checking out this thing on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:97377 * Two M3 wing nuts - You can find these on Thingiverse as well: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1137902 When assembling the extruder, be sure to add an extra 608 bearing between the side of the base and the big (herringbone) gear, as shown in the third image. The drive gears can be a bit tricky to get right. Since one size doesn't fit all, you'll need to measure the distance between the center of the hobbed bolt (where the teeth are for gripping) and the hex bolt. You may need to modify the height of the drive gear to fit your needs. Finally, pay attention to the center bolt (between the two hobbed bolts). This is a regular bolt, but you'll need to file off some metal from the middle so that it doesn't interfere with the filament path. Since the center bolt rotates in the opposite direction of the hobbed bolt, use a half-round file and attach the bolt to a drill press or lathe to make this process easier.