[Question] Pushing filament to direct extruder

Hello

I would like to ask if there has been any kind of development about "pushing filament to a direct extruder/wade"

I do not want to use a Bowden system, although I know that It works great, I prefer wade´s system.

What about mixing both systems?

I want to use the direct drive system, or wade´s...with a motor on the X-Axis, but I would like to use the second extruder motor, which I do not use, to push through a pipe, bowden´s alike, from the filament roll. With this you would avoid the first extruder pulling from the filaments roll.....

I suppose someone else has come up this idea before....But i am not able to find this kind of development....

I hope you understand what I mean...If not let me know...(English is not my first tongue)

Thank you for reading.

Some Stratasys printers have a motor to push the filament through a long tube to the direct extruder that is inside the build chamber, so you wouldn't be the first to think of it. I don't know if it would improve anything.

If you want to reduce the load on the extruder you can just make the filament path from the spool to the extruder as short and straight as possible. I do that in my printer by putting the filament spool on top of the printer and feeding the filament through a hole to the extruder below. The path is no more than about 500mm maximum (at Z=0) and gets shorter as the print gets taller.

You can see the path here:

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

Thank you for your answer.

The thing is I am using this box for storing my filament rolls Filament Storage Solution (IKEA SAMLA) which is under my desk. My printer is a Prusa i3 Steel with some add-ons to guide the filament up to the extruder, but from time to time I am having problems....that ´s why I wanted something to pull and push the filament to the extruder....I think that idea would solve my problems....

I thought of mimicking the extruder design without the extruder and adding a pfte tube as bowden in between.And the connected as the z-axis does .....So everytime It goes forward or backwards,...both motor would go at the same time and speed....this .would free the main extruder motor of pulling the filament, it only would have to push through the nozzle.....

What do you think?

It might be best if the pusher motor pushes the filament by friction instead of having teeth that might dig into the filament. That way it can push without damaging the surface of the filament. Maybe it would be a good idea if the diameter of the wheel that does the pushing is slightly larger than the diameter of the drive gear in the extruder so that the filament is always being pushed to the extruder.

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Ultra MegaMax Dominator 3D printer: [drmrehorst.blogspot.com]

That idea sounds great!

Do you know any design similar?

I have been looking for something similar in thingiverse, but without any luck

maybe I am not using the right words...

Do you know any design?

Thank you!!!

So this "storage box" can't go above the printer
with a straight shot down to extruder.

Functionality over aesthetics?

Driving two stepper motors from the extruder driver would do it.
(Two steppers are driven from same driver on Z axis on some printer designs)

But just another thing to go wrong when printing!

Yes The storage box might go up the printer..but this is not main thing...

What I am trying to do is to avoid the main extruder has to pull the filament from the ROLL. I want to avoid any kind of strain in the filament before being pushed....

I think that is the main problem of misstepping in extrusors....

So pulling filament with other extrusor would avoid this problem...I guess..


Yes i know that adding another link to chain of failure multiples the posibility of failure.......and is more expensive.

...but......

IT´S FUN solving problems!!!!

Thank you all.....

Maybe a circuit like this?



As filament gets pulled into extruder,
it pulls down loop of filament
triggering photo interupter
which switches filament puller motor ON
as filament puller motor drives loop goes up
triggering photo interupter to turm motor OFF.

Perhaps one of the electronic wizards can draw up a circuit

Anyone can recommend a sensor that would work when I have an IKEA Lack filament guide? That guide has an aperture of 65mm and the filament is traveling from left to right, so I can’t really catch the filament inside a little photoelectric sensor. Example for such a guide: [www.thingiverse.com]

The wade extruder can pull lots and lots of kg. If my filament roll jams, it pulls the whole x axes up till it jams, so strong it it.
So possible you need to increase the current through your extruder stepper, and increase the pressure on the filament to let it hold better.
Also run the filament through a teflon tube.

But if you like to use an extra motor: what you do is the same as filament extruder wire winders are using. Look up the filawinder