I am currently designing a wax extruder that is based off of a standard Mendel extruder (http://reprap.org/wiki/Geared_extruder_nozzle), and I was wondering why the PEEK block cannot be replaced with a thinner metal block or PTFE. I realize that PEEK can withstand very high temperatures, insulate well, and remain rigid; however it seems expensive/difficult to buy in comparison to its benefits. https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,71354#msg-71354 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 04:37:47 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180574#msg-180574 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180574#msg-180574 brnrd Mechanics Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:19:36 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180563#msg-180563 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180563#msg-180563
Lowered the retract setting to 1.25mm and slowed the retract speed down and voila 13 prints off 9 different machines without a hitch. All at 230 C. I can't thank you enough for your help. Now just need to order 200 lbs. Thanks again and sorry to hijack this thread.

BTW, your extruder is a nice clean design! Going to print up one and put it on my developement machine.]]> Atac572 Mechanics Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:29:25 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180344#msg-180344 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180344#msg-180344 gearless NEMA17 extruder with a 0.35 mm J-Head Mk-V but I don't push the speed too hard (perimeter 30 mm/s and solid infill 80 mm/s) even though I've determined that it can extrude at 150 mm/min of 3 mm ABS. That should allow me to print up to around 180 mm/s feed rate.

I've also checked the melt zone temperature with a thermocouple and it's easily within 5C.

How fast are you printing?]]> brnrd Mechanics Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:43:01 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180322#msg-180322 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180322#msg-180322 Atac572 Mechanics Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:22:03 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180296#msg-180296 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180296#msg-180296 brnrd Mechanics Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:37:03 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180287#msg-180287 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,180287#msg-180287
If you don't mind me asking, what type of settings are you using as far as extrusion speed and retract speed? I revisited using this plastic last night but again was having issues of the filament slipping and causing air prints. I can get it to run on my development machine with a J Head @ 245 C but on all of our production units I can't consistently get it to print at 230 C. Any insite you could give would be greatly appreciated.]]> Atac572 Mechanics Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:20:45 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,177359#msg-177359 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,177359#msg-177359 brnrd Mechanics Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:13:06 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,177320#msg-177320 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,177320#msg-177320
We have been testing abs from New Image Plastic here in the U.S. We got 30 pounds from them on single spool. In the process of spooling it on to smaller spools I ran the filament through a laser mic. Diameter went from a low of 2.97 to a high of 3.01. The only downside for us is that it appears to need extruder temp of around 245-250C. We run 22 printers all with budaschnozzles which don't do too well at those temps. On the plus side the price is way better than anywhere else.]]> Atac572 Mechanics Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:15:24 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,175135#msg-175135 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,175135#msg-175135 nophead Mechanics Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:01:27 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,175129#msg-175129 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,175129#msg-175129 mechanical stress, vibrations etc. It may hold easily 550 C for a very long time.It has a cooper or a metal inner rod which can be drilled to make a nozzle. It is somebody wiling to try and post the results?
Best regards,
Octavian]]> Octavian Mechanics Sun, 06 Jan 2013 05:19:15 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109410#msg-109410 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109410#msg-109410
The problem is 2.74mm ABS filament does not work in a barrel designed to take up to 3.1mm (i.e. bore 3.2mm or 1/8") and the maximum flow rate achievable goes down as the gap between the filament and the barrel gets bigger, so I find 2.85mm ABS unreliable at the flow rates I have been using for two years. PLA might be a bit more forgiving but the change my ABS supplier made has cost me hundreds of pounds in lost production.

I think all suppliers of filament should give their upper and lower bounds and suppliers of nozzles should give the exact internal bore size.

Starting from scratch, standardising the bore make sense, but 3mm was an existing standard for welding rod. Also where is the consistency if "3mm" filament is intended for a 3mm bore and is centred on 2.84mm and "1.75mm" filament is intended for a 2mm bore and is centred on 1.74mm?]]> nophead Mechanics Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:48:47 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109404#msg-109404 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109404#msg-109404
Regarding plaster : Aside from the heat resistance, I wonder how does that behave under compression ?

Couldn't the thread used to contain the nozzle break easily when the hotend push vertically into the build surface, even if the bed is on springs ? We all know this will happen sooner or later.

I'll give it a try. Such a thermal barrier would be a nice improvement to the reprap project, regarding costs, availability of materials, and ease of build.]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:06:19 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109368#msg-109368 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109368#msg-109368
@nophead - Chris, I understand your personal frustration... but the fact is most people would have serious problems if we supplied 3mm diameter filament. The typical expectation is that '3mm' filament will pass down a 3mm hole, so should be at most 2.9mm (as you noticed with all suppliers). Our internal spec' is actually 2.84 +/- 0.1mm (although we achieve up to 0.02 across some of our lines). However, '1.75' material will pass down a hole normally drilled to 2mm, so here our spec is 1.74 +/- 0.1mm (and better). These have become industry standards.

We spent quite some time considering how we communicate these dimensions. Our goal is to make 3d printing way more accessible, particularly for designers and crafts people. We felt that actually it would confuse newbies more, and everyone in the community already understands the nominal sizes... Our on site weight /cc estimates are all based on the actual (2.84/1.74) values. I want to be absolutely clear, we would never mislead anyone. I will be reviewing how and where we can add this info to save confusion. We want every customer to be delighted with their order. Chris- just drop us an email to arrange a refund. We are also happy about doing a custom 3.00mm extrusion run for you... just drop us an email (as we rarely check these forums). Cheers.

All the best,
Andrew]]> faberdasher Mechanics Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:05:30 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109324#msg-109324 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109324#msg-109324
What type of plaster would be best? plaster of paris is easy and cheap to source, as is tile grout. Fire cement is a bit harder maybe, but would certainly stand up to the heat. Portland Cement? Dental Plaster?

I attached some quick mockups

taking it even further, maybe you can even skip the heater block entirely and encase the thermistor and resistor in plaster right around the nozzle. (not the orifice, though, of course.)]]> Buback Mechanics Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:05:33 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109264#msg-109264 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109264#msg-109264
So working back from 683cc gives 2.95mm. It would be great if it actually was 2.95mm or anywhere between 2.9 and 3.1 as that is what non-Bowden extruders are designed for.]]> nophead Mechanics Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:38:58 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109255#msg-109255 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109255#msg-109255 -------------------------------------------------------
> And thinking about it, because it is sold by the
> metre is must be illegal to deliberately under
> size it. It is 11% short on volume.


I was trying to determine if they announce the volume for 3mm or 2.8mm on their product page :
"100 meters is about 880g or 638cc" for 3mm filament.

But I'm failing at the math. Shouldn't the volume be (cross section (which is Pi times r²)) times length ?

That gives me .3cm x .3cm x Pi x 100cm = 28,27 cc per meter, which means 2827 cc for 100 m.

That's doesn't seems related at all to the announced 638cc. Where am I failing ?]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:07:07 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109251#msg-109251 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109251#msg-109251 -------------------------------------------------------

> It surprises me that the cheap PLA (from China)
> can be extruded at 150C. Assuming it's the same
> extrusion grade of Natureworks 4043D, the only
> explanation is that the material has been
> degraded, leading to shorter chain lengths with
> lower MPt.

I have no idea what Esunpla's PLA is made from.


All of you talking about extruding PLA over 200°C made me curious, So I tried it.

It works better ! It appears I was using a non-optimal temperature all that time. I have less occurences of filament cutting corners, the extruder needs less force, etc. I'm gonna stay at 210° C for now.

Thanks.]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Thu, 08 Dec 2011 03:55:01 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109205#msg-109205 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109205#msg-109205 brnrd Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:25:41 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109204#msg-109204 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109204#msg-109204 nophead Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:22:38 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109168#msg-109168 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109168#msg-109168
Does anybody know of a company that sells 3mm filament that is actually 3mm!]]> nophead Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:44:53 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109166#msg-109166 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109166#msg-109166 -------------------------------------------------------

>
> @fabersdasher,
> Incidentally why is your filament only 2.83mm? I
> though your web site claimed 3mm +- 0.1mm. Nobody
> seems to make 3mm filament any more but they all
> sell it as "3mm". What actual size is "1.75"mm
> filament?

All the people - like me - using a bowden cable setup are happy to get sure the filament is always under 3mm, even with variations along the spool, I think it's one of the reasons why.
this said, agreed that it might be nice to mention it in the product description, then.]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:13:29 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109163#msg-109163 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109163#msg-109163 rhmorrison Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:36:44 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109160#msg-109160 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109160#msg-109160
The blue from Faberdashery was still very viscous at 220C and gave massive die swell, something I haven't seen with PLA. Even at 250C is didn't turn to syrup. Red seems to like lower temperatures and gets too runny at 240C, so more like Makerbot.

I am pretty sure my temperatures are accurate. I calibrate so that the temperature inside the nozzle matches a thermocouple within a degree or two. People that measure the temperature on the outside may will see lower readings.

@fabersdasher,
Incidentally why is your filament only 2.83mm? I though your web site claimed 3mm +- 0.1mm. Nobody seems to make 3mm filament any more but they all sell it as "3mm". What actual size is "1.75"mm filament?]]> nophead Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:05:39 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109154#msg-109154 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109154#msg-109154 rhmorrison Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:31:10 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109153#msg-109153 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109153#msg-109153 It shouldn't be necessary to run at 240C... although we are still in the limits of error for temperature measurement... perhaps? We would never recommend using above 230C. A bed temp of 60C should work great in most instances

It surprises me that the cheap PLA (from China) can be extruded at 150C. Assuming it's the same extrusion grade of Natureworks 4043D, the only explanation is that the material has been degraded, leading to shorter chain lengths with lower MPt.

Cheers.]]> faberdasher Mechanics Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:04:10 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109059#msg-109059 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,109059#msg-109059
Glad you mentioned it, I just received some faberdashery's PLA - save me some time here (tu)]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:22:46 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108945#msg-108945 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108945#msg-108945 nophead Mechanics Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:01:35 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108938#msg-108938 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108938#msg-108938
I'm going to try that with bamboo wood one day.]]> DeuxVis Mechanics Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:31:31 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108930#msg-108930 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108930#msg-108930 nophead Mechanics Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:58:00 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108927#msg-108927 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?14,71354,108927#msg-108927
Techzone's kit replaces the PTFE cylinder in an original extruder with a block of oak. I can definitely see how if there is not a seal between their PTFE sleeve and nozzle, that plastic would be injected into pores in oak (though there are plenty of readily available hardwoods that are not porous).

The post that started this thread though, is talking about a PEEK support block used to hold the nozzle, taking the load off the PTFE cylinder from the original extruder design - quite a different application, where porosity shouldn't be an issue. If plastic is going to leak between the nozzle and PTFE, it's going to glob out into open space, not be injected into the wood.]]> billmi Mechanics Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:16:39 -0500