Bowden Type Extruder Limits

Bowden-type extrusion has inherent strengths and weaknesses, but what I am most interested in is how large of a print build area one can go with a Bowden setup (assuming cartesian X-Y movement only, with a moving Z-bed).

People talk about size limits for effective use of them, but I'm looking for people with either first hand experience with them in a larger format machine, or possibly very reliable second hand info. Have any of you worked with a Bowden setup in a large format machine, or have any of you found the limits of a Bowden setup that you tried?

Thanks in advance for any input!

300x300x300mm print volume, 1.75mm bowden extruder. I have about 100 hours printing time with no major issues related to the bowden setup so far.

I have found one you go over a 1 metre bowden tube you will start to have a hard time retracting fast/far enough (at least with 3mm).

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Sublime, do you think that 1.75mm filament would possibly aid in that?

Would stronger motors possibly help with that, or do you think it is more caused by elasticity/compliance in the filament/bowden tube system?

maddox Wrote:
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> Sublime, do you think that 1.75mm filament would
> possibly aid in that?
>
> Would stronger motors possibly help with that, or
> do you think it is more caused by
> elasticity/compliance in the filament/bowden tube
> system?

I think the problem is the tubing stretching and the filament compressing and at a certain point you end up having so much hysteresis that you get ooze coming out during the retract. With the tubing some people use for 1.75 it would be worse as it is thin walled and stretches a lot. If you used thick wall tubing then it may be better because it takes less force to extrude 1.75 and a little less retraction by the sounds of it so it should all even out. But with that all said if you wanted to build a machine 1x1metre you could mount the extruder above the machine on a gimble and still keep the tube short.

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Tantillus.org	Mini Printable Lathe	How NOT to install a Pololu driver