1 Topic by lord_squirrel

  • lord_squirrel
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Topic: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

I'm really on the fence about buying the filastruder. It seems like a nice kit with everything included and intructions. But I'm a bit dissapointed with the "5-8 hours per kilogram" spec.

I would really like it if the filastruder could do a kg of PLA / hour. So I was wondering what would be required to achieve that?

Would upgrading the wood auger to a plastic screw significantly increase the performance of the machine?

I found some relatively cheap (120$ ish) screws from robotdigg https://www.robotdigg.com/product/1691/ … l-n-nozzle

I'm a total noob when it comes to extruder machines so I would love some feedback on my idea of "upgrading" the machine.

I know that I would also need to find a better cooling solution and tractor system for the winding for this to work, but I've mostly figured that out.

2 Reply by Tin Falcon

  • Tin Falcon
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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

The only machine i am aware of that will do close to a kilo an hour is the filabot. That is rated for 2lbs an hour a kilo is roughly 2.2 lbs. The downside of this machine is it is priced and marketed to the industrial /educational market . so at $2500-2700 it is out of the price range of most hobbyists.

https://www.filabot.com/collections/fil … iginal-ex2

Another more affordable option is the welzoom b model for $600 and a complete line from 2400 to 3200 depending on options  they also have a c model that is high temp that appears to be in the full line kits.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Wellzoom& … 5975561011

Be aware the welzoom units are rated to 300 c 450 or 600 c  so make sure you choose the right one for you. If you decide on that path.

http://wellzoomextruder.com/product/wel … xtruder-b/

The extruder will run around $600 for the basic model and the full line around $3200

The spec on this is it will do a kilo in 50 minutes.

So bottom line : can a fiasrudered be modified to do 1 kilo an hour. ? Maybe can a desktop exruder do a kilo an hour ? yes

So filasruder kit is $299  + $250 for a upgrade kit from robodigs. Or just buy the screw and make your own barrel  + Time and misc materials  looks like you are very close to the price of an entry level wellzoom unit.
Per factory specs the wellzoom will do a kilo of abs in less than an hour. It is pre assembled ready to run.
These are my thoughts and rambles. not giving advice your dime your call. I am no expert on this tech. simply a bit of google search. I am not endorsing any of these products do your own research make your own decision.

I hope this info helps
Tin Falcon

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
Marlin/Repetier Host/ Slic3r and Cura

3 Reply by genesat1 (edited by genesat1 2020-08-03 15:32:07)

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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

I think my recommendation would depend on your use case.  Are you wanting it to be faster, from a hobbyist - 'I don't really need it, but SPEED!' approach? (Like how I have to keep batting away the idea of buying a bunch of used Mellanox ConnectX-3s and SFP+ DACs)  If it's just a desire for more speed, but not a concrete need - you could be the first one to talk about changing out the barrel and screw on here and see if speeds improve.

If it's for actual production use, for business purposes, and you really really need 1Kg an hour that's a different matter though and you'd be better suited with one of the $2-3,000 full lines.  The $600 Wellzoom B that Falcon mentions is only rated to 10-26" a minute - for 1Kg an hour you would have to have at a minimum their C model that is $1500, and at that point why not go full line at $2,200?  Of course for that kind of money (compared to the price of a Filastruder kit) you'd have to REALLY need the speed in order to justify it.

4 Reply by lord_squirrel

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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

Thank you for the answers!

I'm probably more confused now than when I initially asked wink

Anyway, I actually found something that suprised me alot. The little felfil extruder has a higher extrusion rate (1.15 meter/minute) than the filastruder (~0.91 meter/minute).

The felfil is so tiny compared to the filastruder but it has a proper plastic extrusion screw and a little more powerfull motor.

It really seems like a plastic screw makes a significant difference and given that the filastruder has a larger barrel I think that it could improve the performance and surpass the little felfil.

5 Reply by genesat1

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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

One thing to keep in mind is different plastics will have wildly varying extrusion speeds.  PLA in general is slower than ABS, meanwhile PETG is faster than ABS for me.  Even among the same plastic type, different qualities exist between different plastics such as the melt flow rate that can make one plastic extrude twice as fast as another of the same type of plastic.  For example with ABS - MG94 is what people use if they want to extrude fast.  With that in mind - there is no official 'this is how fast this thing extrudes this specific 4043D PLA' that is really something you can compare with between one extruder model to another.  Eg - one specification may list how fast it extrudes PA757, while a different manufacturer can use an entirely different plastic (such as MG94) and claim to be faster when really it's just the plastic type they were extruding when they timed it.

6 Reply by Tin Falcon (edited by Tin Falcon 2020-08-04 00:11:35)

  • Tin Falcon
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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

The specs on the welzoom are a bit confusing and are often bit vague or open ended. the model c boast a maximum RATE OF4400 mm/min with abs that is 1 hour 15 per kilo.

To get to 1 kilo an hour you need to do 5.5 meters a minute.

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
Marlin/Repetier Host/ Slic3r and Cura

7 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Is getting the filastruder to +1 kg /hour possible?

Felfil Evo is more than twice the price, I should hope it is faster! Only 20% faster though, apparently.

It’s also about the same size, not considerably smaller.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
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