Pellet extruder with Prusa
saw on internet a company known as Direct 3D has created a pellet fed extruder that in the descripition says it has been tested and works with the Prusa printer.
Has anyone tried this? I would assume you would unplug the extruder motor and plug the Direct 3D in its place.
Any advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
What is the reason for switching from PLA spools?
I can understand the benefit of a pellet feeder for something like injection molding that can use a lot of material to make a part every few seconds. A 3D printer running constantly would probably go through less than one kg per week.
Steve
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
i wold be - cost of pellets is 1/2 spools or less, plus ability to experiment with new materials, mix custom colors, etc.
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
Strange company nothing new on their web site since the spring and no info about costs or specifications other than this on their FAQ page,
How can I buy your Pellet Extruder?
Simply get in touch with us at [email protected]
We can ship our Pellet Extruder anywhere in the world.
they said their kickstarter launch was soon in one of the news articles; but no updates on that front either... It sounds very cool but it also whiffs a bit of snake oil... if they were actually shipping these one would expect the major youtube pundits would be all over it....
if it actually ships it would be fun to play with and depending on price and the reviews I would be in line for a version 2 if it pans out.
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
I saw a review somewhere on another smallish extruder -- it was very slow, took all sorts of hand-holding to make usable filament, and generally wasn't worth the effort. Constant agitation, stirring of the pellets, providing proper tension on the filament being created, sensitivity to material, voids, etc.
If that technology is in play on a direct pellet to to print head, I'd be very suspicious.
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
Just spitballing but I would think that a pellet feeder would use a less costly "filament" ('specially as it ain't filament yet) and reduce problems with consistent "diameter".
Neal
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
Right now the filament is fed by the gears advancing it. This causes the pressure build up to allow for the melted filament to flow. What would they have in place to keep constant pressure on the filament balls as they are fed into the hotend???.....
Re: Pellet extruder with Prusa
I have a Filastruder that takes pellets, melts them, and makes filament, and it's quite finicky. So, fun to play with, but very hard to create consistent, usable filament. So even though pellets cost about 1/2 as much as spooled filament, the savings aren't worth the hassle. Unless you _want_ to learn about making filament, of course. It's great fun to make your own filament in custom colors and materials. But if what you want to do is print stuff, you can get plenty of good filament for $20/kg.
To answer the question above, filament extruders use an auger to push the pellets into the hot zone, where they melt, and the auger rotating creates the pressure that pushes the plastic out the die to form the filament.
If they have figured out how to combine the 'melt pellets to form filament' and the 'melt filament to extrude it' into one process, that'd be interesting. But I'd be a bit skeptical that they could get enough pressure control to get clean, consistent prints. When an extruder motor is pushing filament of a known diameter a known distance, the volume of plastic extruded is controlled. Pushing randomly arranged pellets into a melt zone with an auger is a lot less consistent, expecially if it's in a print head zooming around.
So I kinda doubt that it's a good idea. But I'd love to be wrong - the idea of pouring bulk pellets into a printer is appealing from a cost perspective, if they can make it work reliably.