Greg's Wade Accessible Belt Drive Extruder, Rev2

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Summary This mash-up brings together the zero-backlash advantages of Terawatt Industry's belt drive extruder design with a heavy-duty, rock-solid frame. It is designed specifically for use with 3mm filament. Note: The solidworks files included are for the frame and assembly, but you will need to download the remaining files from the original version of the extruder in order to fully edit the assembly. This remixed version combines elements of Greg's Wade extruder and Terawatt Industry's belt drive extruder. It has a beefier main frame that helps prevent cracking around bearings, accommodates two 608 bearings on the non-drive side of the hobbed bolt for added stability, and features improved nut traps for M4 mounting nuts. The stepper mounting plate has also been enhanced to improve performance. 2015.10.27 Update: I have included files for the idler in this package, courtesy of NITEWING76. 2014.10.01 Update: I have updated the 1.75mm version to allow for more compression of the filament and revised the Solidworks .prt file. 2014.09.23 Update: A 1.75mm filament version has been added. However, it is unclear whether there will be enough clamping distance available with the idler. If someone tries this setup and it works (or doesn't work), please let me know. The solidworks part file now includes two configurations: a default 3mm setting and a 1.75mm version. Instructions Components Required: 65T plastic (carbide) GT2 pulley with an 8mm bore, flanges, set-screw 17T aluminum GT2 pulley with a 5mm bore, flanges, set-screw GT2 belt, 2mm pitch, 88T, 196mm length, 6mm width, fiberglass-reinforced, closed-loop Pulleys and belt can be sourced from stock drive products, Terawatt industries, or eBay. Hobbed Bolt 608 bearings, at least four (three for the hobbed bolt and one for the idler) Two M4 x 55 SHCS Two springs One M8 axle or stud for the idler pulley Four M3 SHCS for the stepper mount Four M3 washers for the stepper mount Miscellaneous M3/M4 hardware Assemble the components in a standard manner, similar to Greg's style extruder. Use the slots in the stepper mount to tension the belt. Be sure to recalibrate your E steps after installation. You may also need to reverse the direction of your extruder stepper in your firmware (as I did). Enjoy quieter, backlash-free printing!