Micro DUAL/QUAD Extruder

thingiverse

Introducing Gyrobot's dual extruder, a compact design with dimensions of 105mm x 42mm x 42mm, allowing for two to be placed back-to-back for quad extrusion (105mm x 84mm x 42mm). This size advantage is particularly useful when printing with dual hotends where space or weight may be a factor. The pitch between the hotends measures just 20mm for both dual and quad configurations. While Bowden extruders are an option in space-limited situations, this design was specifically created to accommodate FFX elastic filaments from Recreus, which can sometimes have issues with Bowden extruders. The extruder can be mounted onto various carriage types, either in X or Y orientations. Cooling for the hotends is provided by a single 40x40x10mm fan, with ducting built into the extruder to direct airflow to the Nema 17 motors, MK7 drive, and plastic body. For quad extrusion experiments, two dual extruders can be placed back-to-back, but note that there is currently no turn-key solution for quad electronics. Filament support is provided after the MK7 gear wheel, allowing for a PTFE tube insert down into the hotend for flexible filament printing. The design allows for print without support, with minimal built-in support for easy snipping off later. Videos of Filaflex printing at 90mm/s and a dual extrusion print are provided for reference. A drilling template is available for those with existing extruder base mounting plates on their printers. Idler tension springs, sourced from Bulldog clips, clip into small holes under the tensioner arms and main body. An Orca 0.4x printer is compatible with this design, but upgrading to RAMPS 1.4 electronics with dual extruder support may be necessary for Orca owners.