Tom's Extruder

thingiverse

This is a fully printable 1.75mm Bowden-style extruder. The release lever allows for easy filament insertion. Filament tension is adjusted via the recessed cap screw located at the rear of the extruder. There are no top or bottom sections, allowing the extruder to be mounted to the stepper motor for either left- or right-hand operation. I included a piece of foam in the filter along with a couple drops of mineral oil to clean and lubricate the filament. The filter is press-fitted into the body. To seat it properly, insert the filter and give it a slight twist. If you add foam to the filter, make sure to push the filament through the filter first and clean any piece of foam stuck to the tip before mating with the extruder body. I printed up a batch of filters and leave them on the roll of filament in storage. This acts as the filament holder, preventing tangles from forming. The gear ratio is 4.090909, achieved using teeth that are 11 and 45. The adapter plate I use for my custom Quad CoreXY printer. A different plate is used for my Mendel setup. This piece may need to be redesigned to fit your printer properly. I provided two parts lists: one in PDF format with non-functional hyperlinks, and the other in Microsoft Word doc format with working links. The list shows the bulk cost of the components, but purchasing smaller quantities will save money. I was able to print the release lever without support material where the idler bearing sits. However, your results may vary depending on your printer's print quality. Print Settings: Printer: Custom Designed CoreXY Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: 0.2mm Infill: 100% Notes: I've had good results printing these parts with the first layer at 0.3mm and the remainder at 0.2mm. Post-Printing: The stepper motor mounting holes on the body sections are printed closed off for print quality. Use a 3mm finger drill to open the holes the rest of the way. Depending on your printer's print quality, you may need a 3mm washer above and/or below the bearing in the release lever. Normally one washer/spacer is all that's needed. The release lever is designed to hold the plastic Bowden clip directly. How I Designed This: I used DAZ Hexagon to design my CoreXY printer, including the extruder. The extruder gears were initially designed using FreeCad but had to be tweaked in Hexagon for proper functionality.