Resyringe - The Retractable, Refillable, High-Torque Compact Direct-Drive Paste Extruder

thingiverse

This project has not been abandoned! I've been fine-tuning my printer and tweaking the code for my other device (which in turn will provide an ultra-efficient gearset with an optimized ratio). My biggest obstacle has been actually printing extra parts for further testing, as my printer has recently been on-again-off-again. I have plenty of filament to throw at it though. Finalizing v0.2 models for upload! Stress testing has also been completed; I will upload the images and details. I'm currently working on my printer's bridging capabilities, so I won't be able to make any bridging-related improvements until that's finished. One thing I do need help with is printing with chocolate; I need to know what the most popular heating solutions are so that I can provide support for them in this design. Post-Printing Hardware: 2x 608zz skate bearings 1x 6-8mm M3 screw 7x 8-10mm M3 screws (swap one for 10-12mm if using a vertical mount) 7x M3 nuts 1x M5 screw, 10mm-25mm 1x M8 nut 1x M8 threaded rod or long screw (about 120mm) Stepper motor Syringe (10mL centre slip or Luer lock) Support removal There are built-in supports in some of the current models to take care of the overhangs and bridging. They should be only 1-2 walls thick; cut them with a hobby knife if they are stubborn. How I Designed This When I was looking into the future possibility of building a paste printer, I found that the other paste extruders here didn't quite fit my needs. I was looking for something that was easy to clean (direct-drive syringe-based), could handle thicker material, and could also handle retraction. The only options I found were either too weak, unable to retract, or were Bowden-style. So, I came up with some ideas, and just as quickly saw their flaws. That was, until I thought about doing the opposite of a lead screw: turn the nut to move the screw. The first idea from this was to print a new plunger with built-in threads, and mate it to a printed gear. Then I realized that I had an M8 rod at my disposal, and that eventually led to this. Shortly afterward, I realized that I needed some way to transfer the motion of a stepper to the nut on the thread. I figured that a worm gear would put it in the best possible position, and I just so happened to remember seeing the hyperbolic gear now used in the design. Custom Section TODO: Fix non-manifold file(s) Design top assembly with endstop mount Images of the assembled model Final tests w/o printer frame Calculate average steps/mm from tests Versions Version 0.1 (current) First revisions uploaded to Thingiverse. Quick-release mounts integrated into design. Initial testing of printed components. Version 0.2 (unfinished) Improved design based on real-world testing. Simpler part trees in FCSTD files. Next Up v0.3: Out-of-material switch mounts and actual part names v0.4: Heater pad support for chocolate printing v0.5: Complete documentation, including building instructions and a usage manual