Lowest Prices on Machined Extruder Parts -- Heater Barrels, Nozzles, Thermal Barriers (PTFE, PEEK, Hybrid)

Hello,

After a few months of careful consideration, I have decided to suspend my hobby of machining parts. This is even though I get a great sense of satisfaction making these parts for the RepRap community. Since this is a hobby, I do not have to worry about profit, cash-flow, etc., so that really isn't the issue. Without revealing too much, my current employment situation has forced me to realize that I need to spend some time pursuing other options.

Since I have had an idea for an innovative piece of software in my head, for some time, I am going to take a break to pursue this avenue of interest.

This does not mean that I am going to disappear entirely. If anyone requires support, for parts that I have sold them, I will be here. Also, if anybody would like a quantity of parts produced at a reasonable price, please feel free to contact me.

I may also, at my discretion, make parts for sale on E-bay from time to time.

At some point I plan on returning.

Thank you for all your support.

Regards,

Brian




Items:

Parts Kits

RepRap Machined Extruder Parts Kit (Discontinued)
Part No.: PK-R1
$10.90
The RepRap Machined Extruder Parts Kit consists of the PTFE2 and the N-RR2.

Thermal Barriers

PTFE Thermal Barrier (Special Order)
Part No.: TB-PTFE2
$4.90
This is the standard 5/8 inch diameter thermal barrier that is made out of PTFE. It is 35mm long, has been drilled out to 3.5mm, and threaded to M6 in order to fit either the heater barrels or the combination nozzles. The barrier also has an internal taper in order to improve the feeding of the plastic filament.

PEEK Thermal Barrier (Special Order)
$10.50
Part No.: TB-PEEK2
This thermal barrier is identical to the PTFE thermal barrier. However, it has been machined out of PEEK.

Hybrid PEEK/PTFE Thermal Barrier (Special Order)
$15.00
Part No.: TB-HYBRID1
This thermal barrier has identical dimensions to the PEEK and PTFE Thermal Barriers. Internally, it has been bored and sleeved with a PTFE insert in order to provide a slippery guide for the filament. A snap-ring has been installed to secure the PTFE insert as PTFE does not maintain it's shape properly to ensure a permanent press fit. The end result is a thermal barrier that has the strength of PEEK and the slipperiness of PTFE. This thermal barrier is available with either the standard two shallow grooves, for optional gluing, or with the wider 3/16" groove, for mounting.

Heater Barrels

Standard Heater Barrel (Special Order)
Part No.: HB-MB2
$5.50
The heater barrel is made out of M6 brass rod which has been drilled out to 3.0mm then reamed to 3.1mm. Both ends are internally tapered in order to allow the plastic filament to feed correctly. Both ends of the heater barrel have been turned down to 4.5mm, for 2mm, in order to allow engagement beyond the threads. This heater barrel will fit both the thermal barriers and the nozzles.

These heater barrels can be drilled out to a larger size upon request.

Nozzles

Note: Orifice sizes of 0.30mm, 0.35mm, 0.40mm, 0.50mm, 0.60mm, 0.70mm, 0.80mm, 0.90mm, and 1.00mm are available at no extra charge. Please specify the orifice size, when ordering. If a size is not specified, the default size of 0.50mm will be supplied. Please note that 0.30mm orifice sizes are considered experimental.

Large Brass Nozzle (Special Order)
Part No.: N-LB1
$6.00
The nozzle is made out of 7/16" brass hex rod, is 14mm long, and has been drilled and tapped to M6x1. The default orifice size is 0.5mm. Other orifice sizes are available at no extra charge. (This nozzle is similar to the "BigHead" nozzle produced by MakerGear, LLC.)

8mm Brass Hex Nozzle (Special Order)
Part No.: N-MB1
$5.00
This nozzle is made out of M8 brass hex rod and has been drilled and tapped to M6x1. The default orifice is 0.5mm.

Combination Nozzle (Special Order)
Part No.: N-RR2
$6.00
This nozzle is made out of M6 threaded brass rod and has the nozzle machined into the end. The internal diameter has been drilled out to 3.0mm. The nozzle screws directly into the thermal barrier and the length of the nozzle doubles as the heater barrel. The insulator end has been turned down to 4.5mm for 2mm in order to allow engagement beyond the threads. As with the 8mm brass hex nozzle, it also comes with an orifice of 0.5mm unless another size is specified.

Miscellaneous

Aluminum Idler Wheel (Discontinued)
Part No.: IW1
$11.50
This idler wheel is a drop-in replacement for the standard 41mm acrylic idler wheel in the extruder. The outside diameter is 41mm and it is 3mm wide. A shallow groove has been cut into the outside diameter in order to help properly guide the filament. The center has been carefully bored out to 0.8655 (+0.0004 -0.0003) and the bearing has been pressed in with a 2 ton arbor press. This part is guaranteed to last the life of the printer. On occasion, there may be some slight visual imperfections, on the sides of the idler wheel, however, this will not effect it's operation. Due to the tolerance required, for the press fit, there may be a slight delay shipping this item.

Customizations
All parts can be modified, for little or no charge, upon request.

Item Condition: All items are new.

Number Available: Practically unlimited. I have my own machine shop and will machine additional parts as required.

Payment Conditions: Paypal or check. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

Location: Based near Harrisburg, PA, USA. Will ship international.

Shipping Cost:
$1.50
Free First Class shipping for orders over $50.00.
Free Priority Shipping for orders over $100.00.
Please add $5.00 for international orders.

Shipping Conditions:
US Postal Service, First Class mail.
Other shipping agreements are available upon request and at additional cost.

Contact Information:
Please contact me either by sending me a Private Message or by sending an e-mail to reifsnyderb at hotmail dot com. (Replace the "at" with an @, remove the spaces, and replace the "dot" with a period.) Unless it is a weekend or a holiday, I will usually reply within 24 hours.

Photo:
See attached file.

Edit History:
2/8/2010 -- Lower pricing on PEEK, changed through-hole size to 3.1mm for insulators.
2/11/2010 -- Changes to the heater barres and combination nozzles and the addition of the 0.35mm nozzle orifice.
2/13/2010 -- Uploaded new parts picture, added parts kit.
3/5/2010 -- Addition of aluminum idler wheel.
3/15/2010 -- Addition of the hybrid thermal barrier, changed through-hole size back to 3.5mm for thermal insulators.
3/17/2010 -- Uploaded new parts picture. Removed separate idler wheel picture. Changed part numbers. The heater barrel orifice was incorrectly listed at 3.5mm and has been changed to 3.0mm. Minor edits.
3/18/2010 -- Added additional nozzle orifice sizes. Updated descriptions.
3/19/2010 -- Minor edits.
3/26/2010 -- Removed notice about shipping of hybrid thermal insulators. Price increases.
5/16/2010 -- Updated heater barrel information. They are now reamed out to 3.1mm.
6/29/2010 -- Fixed bad part number: N-RR2
8/24/2010 -- Changed idler wheel price.
11/19/2010 -- Posted message suspending operations.

Edited 37 time(s). Last edit at 11/19/2010 11:39AM by reifsnyderb.

btt

btt

How long are the barrels and combo barrel/nozzle parts?

Also, would you be able to turn down a section of the middle to 4mm?
About halfway down this picture is what im talking about.
[1.bp.blogspot.com]

Hello,

The combo barrel/nozzle is 32mm long and the barrel is 50mm (I am going off of memory on this one as I don't have the blueprint handy at this time.) long.

The 5.5mm section with the 4.5mm diameter is possible...as long as the wall is thick enough to hold up under the stress of machining. The ID should probably be reduced to 3.0 mm, at this point. Normally the ID is 3.5mm.

Is this an extruder nozzle? What is the green circle for? If there is a demand for this item, I'll make a batch; but, I'll need more information.

Regards,

Brian


RustySpoon1121 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How long are the barrels and combo barrel/nozzle
> parts?
>
> Also, would you be able to turn down a section of
> the middle to 4mm?
> About halfway down this picture is what im talking
> about.
> [1.bp.blogspot.com]
> AAAAAAAADxc/-Bs8MStcWvA/s800/cross_section.jpg

This is a whole assembly that nophead made up.
the green circle is a power resistor used as a heater, embedded into a block of aluminum(the gray square around it), which is also used as the nozzle.

The turned down section acts as sort of a heat shield section.

Here is his whole post about it.
[hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

I was thinking that i could just use one of these
[www.makergear.com]
threaded onto the end with some heatsink compound.

Either way I'll probably contact you soon about getting a couple barrels and a few nozzles.

Hello,

I can make these parts. However, in order to keep the price reasonable, I would need to make a batch (10?) of them. Otherwise, the price would be rather high as the parts would be made on a "one-off" basis. Also, there would be a small variance as the "blueprint" is not too specific about certain items and I don't have a CNC mill to do the outside contours. (I suppose that I could use radius end-mills; however, each machining operation adds time and cost.)

If there is enough interest, I'll make them. Since stainless steel is required, the cost would still be on the high side as stainless steel expensive, harder on tooling, and slower to machine. As a guess on the price and assuming that I would be making a batch of 10, I would say I could charge around $70.00 each initially. (In contrast, to make only one, I would estimate that it would be around $250.00.) Over time, that cost could come down as manufacturing efficiencies are discovered.

I am sending you a PM, with my contact information, as you mention that you have an interest in nozzles and barrels.

Regards,

Brian



RustySpoon1121 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is a whole assembly that nophead made up.
> the green circle is a power resistor used as a
> heater, embedded into a block of aluminum(the gray
> square around it), which is also used as the
> nozzle.
>
> The turned down section acts as sort of a heat
> shield section.
>
> Here is his whole post about it.
> [hydraraptor.blogspot.com]
> ise-extruder.html
>
> I was thinking that i could just use one of these
> [www.makergear.com]
> ore
> threaded onto the end with some heatsink
> compound.
>
> Either way I'll probably contact you soon about
> getting a couple barrels and a few nozzles.

Hi Brian,
is it possible to get one (or more) Thermal Barrier made of "Macor" Ceramic and a
Heater Barrel made of copper for Mendel?
Best Regards from Germany Erich

Hello,

I just looked up Macor and it is possible for me to obtain it. However, the cost of the stock alone is $50.89 for 3 inches (about 76mm). (Three inches is also the minimum length that I can order.) The cost of the copper is also rather expensive at $17.94 for a 1 foot (about 305mm) length.

I also read a brochure on machining Macor and it appears that it would be rather harsh on tooling as well. All of these issues will need to be factored into the cost.

So, yes it is possible. However, the cost would be rather high as my risk factor is also quite high and my tooling life would be quite low. (i.e. If I were to scrap just one, it would cost me slightly over $25.00.) Machine set-up costs also have to be factored in as well as some changes need to be made to the machining process in order for it to be successful.

I would estimate that I would have to charge as follows:

Macor Thermal Barrier:
Batch of 8 -- $50.00 each
Batch of 2 -- $85.00 each
One -- $170.00

So, if you would one want 1, it would be $170.00. However, if enough people would like to pre-pay for 8 thermal barriers, they would be $50.00 each.

For the copper heater barrels, the cost would be as follows:

Batch of 8 -- $15.00 each
Batch of 4 -- $20.00 each
One -- $60.00

Regards,

Brian



chris-nobody Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Brian,
> is it possible to get one (or more) Thermal
> Barrier made of "Macor" Ceramic and a
> Heater Barrel made of copper for Mendel?
> Best Regards from Germany Erich

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2010 09:42AM by reifsnyderb.

Sorry Brian too expensive for me.
Thanks Erich

btt

btt

btt

btt

...AND low quality

To try and free up some time I paid Brian to start making the 7/16" nozzles and ordered a few dozen. Unfortunately, the nozzles I received are poorly done - holes off center and/or at angles - and are pretty much unusable.

makergear Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...AND low quality
>
> To try and free up some time I paid Brian to start
> making the 7/16" nozzles and ordered a few dozen.
> Unfortunately, the nozzles I received are poorly
> done - holes off center and/or at angles - and are
> pretty much unusable.

Makergear, please feel free to post pictures of these off center and/or angled holes. When you initially indicated that it was a problem, almost 2 weeks ago, I requested pictures as I wanted to see the problem and have a chance to rectify it. You never sent me the pictures that I requested. Instead, you have decided to make a public accusation without providing proof.

I would also like to add that I have sold many parts kits, individual pieces, and save for yourself, have not had a single complaint.

I will be more than happy to post the entire contents of all of our correspondence, to this thread, and allow our customers to make their own decisions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2010 11:48PM by reifsnyderb.

Brian -

MakerGear paid you (upfront) to start making the 7/16" nozzles. The nozzles we received are unusable for our intended purpose. I decided to just cut my losses and have the nozzles professionally manufactured. I am not using or selling any of the nozzles that you drilled.

I don't care if you sell 7/16" nozzles but I'm not satisfied with the product and I simply requested - before posting here - that you remove the reference to MakerGear and similarity to BigHead nozzles from your ad.

Rick

Rick, Brian has a point: if the products you received were so awful why don't you just post some pictures showing how bad they were?

btt

btt

can you email me and let me know what you would charge for 10 ptfe and 10 brass rods? similar to the mk3 design

james villeneuve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> can you email me and let me know what you would
> charge for 10 ptfe and 10 brass rods? similar to
> the mk3 design

E-mail sent.

Regards,

Brian

btt

btt

Say, what does "btt" mean?

---

--
I'm building it with Baling Wire

In forums generally BTT = Back to Topic.

---

Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

I thought it ment "bump to top." That way the posting goes back to the top of the list.

Ok, it appears that it means "Back To Top."

[acronyms.thefreedictionary.com]

YES - that does make more sense in the instances where I have seen it used here.
BUT... The question remains - WHY do it when the poster obviously didn't have anything useful to add to the topic?

---

Bob Morrison
Wörth am Rhein, Germany
"Luke, use the source!"
BLOG - PHOTOS - Thingiverse

Well, if you mean me, I am busted. Since I have stuff for sale, I'll just post a "btt" to move the posting back up to the top of the list as opposed to creating a new post. That way people can find it easier.

Regards,

Brian



rhmorrison Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> YES - that does make more sense in the instances
> where I have seen it used here.
> BUT... The question remains - WHY do it when the
> poster obviously didn't have anything useful to
> add to the topic?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2010 07:20PM by reifsnyderb.