E3D-hotend adaptor from direct- to bowden-extrusion

thingiverse

The original E3D Hotend purchased was incorrect for the Ultimaker; it required "bowden extrusion," while the one bought had "direct extrusion." To solve this issue, an adapter was designed for a promising hotend mount available on Thingiverse (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:94678). The adapter grips into the grooves on the upper part of the E3D-heatsink and has a nut trap for an M6 nut, which provides secure fastening of the bowden tube. The SCAD file includes a model of the top of the E3D-heatsink, with measurements accurate to the original E3D specifications. Feel free to edit this Thing via OpenSCAD. Since uploading, several updates have been made. On 12th October, photos were added, showing some printing challenges but confirming that the adapter worked fine. The fit of the faces of the adapter with the printhead needed adjustment. On 14th October, the new hotend was mounted on an Ultimaker, and although the bowden adapter functioned correctly, it was found to be 5.5mm too long on the y-axis, necessitating a shift in endstop switches. Photos were promised as soon as a camera could be borrowed. On 21st October, the blueprints of E3D's heatsink were used to replace the previous measurements, and tolerance was reduced by half. The piece where the bowden tubing entered was made longer for better alignment with the heatsink. A pentagonal outer shape was introduced to protect the surface during printing, and the fitting to the hotend mount was changed in hopes of a better fit. An error in fitting for the E3D-heatsink-head was corrected on 22nd October, and three different tolerances were added since printer resolution affects accuracy. OpenSCAD files were uploaded for further editing. A later update reported successful use with 0.3mm tolerance, but some acetone was needed for a proper fit. The alignment tube-heatsink fit perfectly, and the nut fit into its trap. This design is considered optimal, but users can request models with more tolerance or edit the provided code. The print settings include ABS material, Cura 13.06.5 slicer, 250°C temperature, 100°C heatbed, 150 mm/s speed and travel, E3D hotend, 0.1mm layer height, 100% infill, and a printing time of approximately 45 minutes. The part was printed horizontally to avoid support for the grooves of the heatsink but resulted in an imperfect outside appearance. This issue was resolved by accurately tuning the printing temperature and using a pentagonal outer shape.