Unified Prusa i3 Extruder for Mk8 drive gear, e3d v6 hotend, and BLTouch sensor.

thingiverse

I redesigned the great extruder design by coricoco (thing #755164) and incorporated some innovative design improvements from Marck80's remix (thing #932386).\nThis design boasts numerous benefits.\nThe solid, unified construction requires minimal assembly.\nNo Bowden setup is needed.\nMinimal footprint ensures that it doesn't encroach on printing volume.\nThe center of weight is positioned on the X axis.\nCapable of processing Flexible filaments with ease.\nThis design is backward compatible. You should be able to utilize various accessories from the previous designs (#755164 and #932386).\nThis extruder is specifically designed for Mk8 drive gear (effective diameter 7mm) and an E3Dv6 nozzle.\nIt also features a BLTouch auto leveling sensor mount ( https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bltouch-auto-leveling-sensor-for-3d-printers ).\nRequired additional parts and gears\nPTFE tube (o.d. 4mm / i.d. 2mm)\nM3*7mm countersunk bolts (x4)\nM3*5mm bolts (x2)\nM3*20mm bolt (x2)\nM3*25mm bolt (x1)\nM3*50mm bolts (x2)\nM4*40mm bolts (x4)\nM3 & M4 Nyloc nuts\nWashers\nSprings x2 (about 15mm)\n3mm&4mm drills\nM3 Tap\n623 or 624 bearing 1ea\nMk8 drive gear\nE3Dv6 hotend (or lite ver.)\nNEMA17 & 31mm stepper motor.\n(Optional) BLTouch sensor\nPrinting Instruction\nI recommend using high infill rate (above 40%) and 3 perimeters. I used ABS but PLA probably works fine. Reorient parts if necessary.\nPrint [Extruder_mk8]. It's designed to be printed without raft and supports, however, choose decent bed adhesion option if needed.\nPrint [Extruder_fixer]. If you want to use BLTouch sensor, print the _BLTouch version. Otherwise, print the _normal version.\nPrint [Extruder_tensioner] for your bearing size.\nPrint [Spacer] and [TubeClamp].\nAssembly Instruction\nFor better vibration resistance, use Nyloc nuts in every possible place.\nRemove pre-designed supports.\nClean holes using drills.\nTap two M3 threads at the center of the extruder.\nTest mount an E3D nozzle. Cut the PTFE tube to be placed just below the drive gear.\nMount a stepper motor using M3*7mm countersunk bolts\nMount a bearing to the [Extruder_tensioner]. For 623 bearing, use M3x20mm bolt. For 624 bearing, use M4x25mm bolt. If you're using 624 bearing, place the bolt head toward the stepper.\nMount the [Extruder_tensioner] assembly to the extruder body. Use M3*25mm bolt and add some washers for clearance. Tightening the bolt is tricky here. Use a long-nose plier to fix a nut. Make sure the tensioner is moving freely.\nMount the Mk8 drive gear to the stepper.\nUsing two M3*50mm bolts, springs, and nut, push the bearing against the drive gear. Refer the picture.\nPlace four M4 Nyloc nuts to the extruder body. Apply a drop of super glue to avoid falloff during assembly.\nUsing [Extruder_fixer] and two M3x20mm bolts, mount the E3Dv6 hotend.\nIf your hotend has PTFE tube clamp, just go to next step. Otherwise, clamp the PTFE tube using TubeClamp part & two M3*5mm bolts.\n(Optional) Mount the BLTouch sensor. The X-offset between the nozzle and sensor probe is 23mm. Y-offset is zero. Z-offset requires calibration for your parts.\nMount the extruder assembly to the carriage using four M4*40mm bolts. Sandwich [Spacer] between them.\nIf you have some rubbery material, place it between the stepper motor and carriage. This will greatly reduce vibration during print.