I.Introduction

Extruder

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The extruder prints the filament onto the heated bed. It is attached to the x-axis and makes the 3d print by moving via the universal axis system.

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II. Functional Knowledge

Extruder - E3D Instructions. Troubleshooting.

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The extruder recieves instructions from the RAMPS board on how to move and how hot to be.

There’s a step motor that uses a drive gear to push the filament thro.. Pushes the filament into the nozzle.

Motor and thermal bit.

It just sits on the x-axis.

An inductive probe finds the level of the bed to print on it.

Heat sink regulates the temperature of the nozzle.

You have to push with a solid plunger. Shap transition from the hot end, right after the heat break, it should get to solid. Its thin, it conducts less and loses less heat.

It’s hot inside the heater block, it cools off bc it’s inside the cooler or heat sink.

Small fan cools the heat sink by blowing air in to the area. This prevents the filament from becoming too hot by keeping the heat sink cool. This prevents the plastic from being liquid because the role of the heat sink is to have a large temperature gradient because ?? it’s when plastic cools quickly from being very hot that it has the property of being able to 3d print.

Big fan cools the actual print material. It goes this by redirecting the wind it generates across the point where stuff is being printed.

The thermister regulates the temperature.

It has an inductive probe that acts as an endstop.

Fan

II. Functional Knowledge

Extruder - E3D Instructions. Troubleshooting.

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A feature of how 3d printing works is that you are melting plastic into something more solid and that it actually becomes printed because …

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That’s why the timing is very important for how the temperature lines up with the 3d printing?

III. Instructional

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Important note:

These instructions are based on the Titan Aero Assembly and reflect a different process than the Extruder that is v18.09.1.

Please see https://e3d-online.dozuki.com/Guide/Titan+Aero+Assembly/23 for the original instructions this guide is built off.

What you below is a skeleton for any alterations we’ve made to suit our use case.

In particular, see steps on teflon tubing, adapter plate, extruder case screws, and mounting the extruder to the x-axis.

III. Instructional

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Identify the volcano nozzle

* facing correct direction

* nozzle should already be inside

* unscrew nozzle a little bit, 1/4 turn

* later, the heat break will pull it in by catching it from the other side?

III. Instructional

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Identify heat break

* screw it in

III. Instructional

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Identify grub screw for thermister

* unscrew

* add washer to end of screw

* wrap thermister under the washer, where two threads of the wire go around opposite ends of the washer

* put thermister into hole adjacent to heat grub hole

* screw in the grub screw s.t. washer pinches wires of thermister to heatblock

III. Instructional

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Test thermister

* attach thermister to existing 3d printer.

* confirm that a temperature reading occurs

* this checks you didn't break the thermister wire

III. Instructional

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Identify heat cartridge

* Put heat cartridge through heat block

* Make it flush

* Tighten the two screws that close the aligator mouth of the heat block

* Turn the allen key around so that you can get better leverage, short side inside the screw, pushing along the midpoint or slightly lower.

III. Instructional

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Identify Extruder Case

* Either break apart the the motor holder end so it's only a sqaure with 4 holes or use a 3d printed piece

III. Instructional

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Assemble Motor

* Put gear onto shaft

* Use measuring tape for a little spacing

* Tighten it with allen wrench

III. Instructional

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Assemble Motor Holder

* Grab 3 pieces

* Make a sandwich: motor on bottom, broken adapter plate in th emiddle, and the extruder holder on top, such that motor cables are pointing up (as shown in picture, technically)

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• The adapter plate will have a sensor. With the heat block area of the extruder case on the bottom right, the sensor should be facing on the left side, and also “away”

* the motor cables will point up, where the extruder case is oriented with the heat block and nozzle on the bottom right. This is where the arc doorway part of the extruder case is.

* put a dome screwinto the bottom right corner

III. Instructional

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Assemble Drive

* Put big gear with shorter shaft down, into hole

* Shift the big gear a little bit to get it in,to overcome slightly resistance

III. Instructional

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Assemble Idler Piece

* Take the screw and put on a washer and springin that order

* Place the tension screw into the top left corner spacing. It should slot into place.

III. Instructional

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Screw in Built in Heat Sink?

* pop in the idler

* pop in the filament guide, a small-ish white funnel

* medium-sized screws on bottom left, top left, top right

* shorter screw on bottom right

* extruder case is oriented with the u gap facing you

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III. Instructional

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When attaching heat sink to extruder case:

• Unlike instructions, use the shorter-than-the-long-screws instead of the longest screws for the top left and bottom left holes, where the nozzle and heat block are on the bottom right. This makes it so that with our adapter plate (which is also the sensor holder) that is slightly thin, that when the motor screws are screwed in, that are not displaced by these super long screws.
• Continue to use the “blue” screw for the top right hole that screws into the idler.
• Continue to use the suggested screw, i think it’s already a short screw, for the bottom right hole -- this will pop out the back in an awkward way, but that’s OK!!

III. Instructional

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When cutting the teflon to insert into bottom end of funnel guide:

• ProTip: if your teflon tube is not exactly straight, then make it so by using a piece of tape and a razor blade to cut perpendicular to the straight edge of the tape
• ProTip: cut straight using one of these methods:
• Use a metal ruler with a centimeter standard and cut 2.3 cm, which is 23 mm
• You can use a pen to mark exactly 23 mm
• OR
• Use calipers and convert to inches for exact precision
• Using the back of the calipers, put the teflon against the back part THEN use a harmer plus a straight edge to cut straight through
• This method may be slightly off because the teflon tube may bend, resulting in a cut that’s more than 23mm

When sliding teflon into funnel guide, it can be a tight fit or impossibe to squeeze in. Here’s what you can do:

• Cut the teflon so it’s half an inch to an inch longer than it needs to be: this makes it so there’s less bending when you’re pushing it in
• Get a pair of tweezers and, grabbing the teflon from the opposite end, both push and twist. Grabbing on the end ensures that ifi you squeeze too hard, you’ll cut it off later and won’t stop the teflon from being able to accept the filament.
• You can use a nail filer to thin down the outer face of the teflon tube, as though you were peeling a potato, the skin.

IV. Troubleshooting

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Document all problems that any person runs into here. Provide a header describing the problem in 2-3 words, followed by a 140 character limit description of what occurred. Here is an example.

Threshed Bearing Slots�Plastic is threshed such that a bearing won’t be able to slide. How to make it slide?

Take a metal rod like a screwdriver, or even a long metal nail filer if you have one, and grind the plastic off. The bearing slot should be uniform.

V. Completed Checklist

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How do you check that this component is successfully built?

Add high-level descriptions of what to check at the top here

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Provide further detail, with pictures and diagrams if necessary, below.

VI. Design Considerations

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How could this be made differently?

For example, in terms of:

• Design
• Materials
• Function

Reveal the design principles of this design. Illustrate trade-offs and choices. This preps folks to start thinking like an OSE developer.