My version of the LYMAN FILAMENT EXTRUDER
Description
This version has a:
1. Larger Hot end with 350 Watt heater
2. Automatic timing system
3. fan ducting
4. Modified sprokets and hopper
5. Adjustable motor speed on the control panel.
Basics of how it works:
Flip on the main switch. This turns on the cooling fan. Then press the red Momentary pushbutton. This activates a 1 second timer that gets latched on and begins the motor timer set for 20 minutes. The latched 1 second timer powers the relay that powers the PID. I used the 1 second timer because I wanted the control mechanics as I made them. Unnecessarily complex, but it's what I wanted.
If you take a look at the parts I used, you might see a lot of dollar signs. The parts that I used were mostly free. I endup collecting a lot of stuff that gets deemed "broken" or otherwise would have been thrown away.
Instructions
The STL and sketchup files are included. I hope some will find the data useful.
I'll add on to why I made the changes that I made after some sleep...
I've added a photo of the Rev B hot end. I haven't had time to do anything 3d printer related in the past few weeks, so as far as I have gotten.
I figure I would add this here incase it gets lost...
I started changing somethings around with the extruder. I installed the refined hot end. I changed the hardware to studs for easier mounting. I was going to make a new insulator until I realized that I didn't need it. Air is the best insulator, so with the steel tubing between the hot end and the hopper side, it makes a nice air separation. I've added two photos of it. An issue that I have been having is with the filament getting twisted and jammed in the cooling duct. I did some testing and devised a solution. There needs to be two guides at the outlet. This keeps the filament from arcing too high in the duct. I'll be posting the STL for that soon.
For a BOM, I would look at the original Lyman extruder. I used the same thrust washer, bushing, tubing (DON"T USE LOWES/HOME DEPOT BLACK PIPE), drill bit, etc. For the heater, I used P/N G1442594 available from zorotools.com . The PID was the cheapest USA shipped one I could find on eBay (Item # 150853795607) [I Didn't want to wait 3 weeks from China]. The thermocouple can be found on eBay (Item # 400352110948). The voltage regulator is on eBay (Item #160739335951). I used a different one without a voltage display. I see no need to know what the voltage is.
The drill bit for the nozzle is a #52. The POT on the dash/control panel which controls the motor speed is soldered (via harness) to where is original POT is on the board. I also piggy back the original POT to the dash one to adjust the MIN/MAX of the dash POT. If I only had the one on the dash, the "usable range" would only be a 1/16th of a turn. Using the second POT, I was able to adjust the range to allow a large turn radius of the dash POT to make "usable" adjustments. The POT on the dash is a 10K POT from Radio Shack. It had a secondary on/off switch piggyback underneath. That mech made the POT have a detent. I didn't want that, so I took the POT apart and disabled that.
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Bottleworks, I appreciate your work on this project and I wish you well. I hope to build one myself sometime. I'm already hoarding the plastic from my failed print jobs in hope of giving it new life.
Has anyone noticed that air-gun BB's can be purchased made from PLA and rather cheaply. I wonder how well one of these could process them. I hope to find out some day.
May the force be with you.
I haven't messed with this thing in a couple months. I updated the hot end again. The hope is to help with heat creep. I've been so busy with the aluminum Replicator Z Arms, that I haven't touched this project. I hope to play around with it more soon.
I'm printing the fan duct to try with my own extruder. Is there something inside of there? There seems to be something just inside the edge of the guide, but I can't quite tell from the photos.
Oh, and whoever can tell me what computer is partly shown at the upper right of one of the new photos I posted get a prize.
So, I haven't had time to play in the world of 3d printing for the past few weeks until the last couple nights.
I started changing somethings around with the extruder. I installed the refined hot end. I changed the hardware to studs for easier mounting. I was going to make a new insulator until I realized that I didn't need it. Air is the best insulator, so with the steel tubing between the hot end and the hopper side, it makes a nice air separation. I've added two photos of it. An issue that I have been having is with the filament getting twisted and jammed in the cooling duct. I did some testing and devised a solution. There needs to be two guides at the outlet. This keeps the filament from arcing too high in the duct. I'll be posting the STL for that soon.
For a BOM, I would look at the original Lyman extruder. I used the same thrust washer, bushing, tubing (DON"T USE LOWES/HOME DEPOT BLACK PIPE), drill bit, etc. For the heater, I used P/N G1442594 available from zorotools.com . The PID was the cheapest USA shipped one I could find on eBay (Item # 150853795607) [I Didn't want to wait 3 weeks from China]. The thermocouple can be found on eBay (Item # 400352110948). The voltage regulator is on eBay (Item #160739335951). I used a different one without a voltage display. I see no need to know what the voltage is.
The drill bit for the nozzle is a #52. The POT on the dash/control panel which controls the motor speed is soldered (via harness) to where is original POT is on the board. I also piggy back the original POT to the dash one to adjust the MIN/MAX of the dash POT. If I only had the one on the dash, the "usable range" would only be a 1/16th of a turn. Using the second POT, I was able to adjust the range to allow a large turn radius of the dash POT to make "usable" adjustments. The POT on the dash is a 10K POT from Radio Shack. It had a secondary on/off switch piggyback underneath. That mech made the POT have a detent. I didn't want that, so I took the POT apart and disabled that.
Does that cover all?
Hi anybody know where i can buy the 12V wiper motor, mosterguts is out of stock. Thanks
Ebay works nicely. One can buy anything short of a replacement liver on Ebay. My search for "12v Wiper motor" New items turned up over 200 items.
Any cheap wiper motor will do. I would bet the one they used is from the GM world. Mine is a 24v wiper motor used in Gillig transit buses.
Hello
An Archimedes screw the heart of the extrusion machine development you can contact me etienneberthaud@gmail.com
Nice design, I wish you could give us more details on its construction. Do you have a guide? Blog? Im especially interested in your heater, nozzle and feed screw.
Congratulations
for the realization of an extruder new version we realize many people
interested in your machine. Missing in your publication plan and scheme changes
electric.
Oh, wow... This is a thing of beauty...
For a moment I didn't know what I was seeing.
Some drawings and specs of the actual pellet drive / heater element / nozzle would be nice as well...
does the material you are extruding into filament have to be little round pellets? or could this be used to recycle older prints?
i.e. Crush and chop older prints into tiny pieces and re-extrude them into filament?
I haven't tried recycling any prints yet, so my thoughts are half based on speculation. I would consider consistency critical for the feed material. This machine is intended to use pellets because the cost of pellets is insanely low. I would think that using a grinder similar to a coffee grinder to break up old prints would be doable. The results from grinding need to be rather small and consistent.
Once again: this is my speculation. I will try some attempts at recycling soon.
Tolerance is good. I was expecting to spend a lot of time tuning it and trying different nozzle sizes, but it just worked. The key is getting that filament cool and not getting it jammed or pulled on. The Lyman notes that you need to allow the filament to coil some on the floor before spooling any of it. This is fully true. I think there is room for improvement in this aspect.
I've had this project assembled for sometime and i've been doing some testing. If you look closely at the photos, you can see the heat insulator is blown out. I was testing to see how well it worked with higher rpm @ 205C. The pressure was too great. If someone follows the same concept, you shouldn't make the hot end the exact same as I had. The diameter should be smaller between where the heater clamps on it and the flange. That will help slow down heat transfer to the hopper side of the extruder. I was trying to build it when I was waiting on parts, so I didn't have all the measurements, so some assumptions were made.
Although I like the revised concept, even myself being a machinist, this version elminates many people from being able to build it due to the requirment of a lathe to spin a couple parts. But it looks nice!
This is great! Any idea what tolerance you are able to keep on the diameter of the filament?
Quality work - would appreciate it if you'd post up the dimensions of the chamber you turned.
License
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In one of the previous comments you said that you put an stl up of the hot end is it still there or was it never there or am I just an idiot?