Ramrod Filament Extruder

grabcad

In Spring 2013, this project was conducted as part of Georgia Tech's ME 4182 Senior Design course in the Mechanical Engineering school. It operates under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US). The project members involved were Benjamin Craig, Eric Fisher, Jeff Landrum, James Masdea, Jason Rosen, and James Swanson. Their instructor was Dr. Todd Sulchek. Several issues currently need addressing: a more efficient seal at the die-vertical tube interface (leaks occur); the AC motor only drives in one direction (piston withdrawal must be via other means); piston misalignment; improved mounting between the cylinder and stand; better ducting for airflow around the extruded filament or a two-stage die with integrated cooling; an automatic filament spooler; closed-loop control for internal pressure; and high-temperature insulation to avoid degradation over time.