1 Topic by Ggalisky

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Topic: Diameter problems

Okay, so I have been extruding for a little while now, way past the initial purge. Although the tolerances of filament are good, + or - 0.05mm, the actual base diameter of the filament is not. I mostly have gotten filament at diameters from 1.56mm to 1.65mm.

     I am using the newest version of the filastruder, GP-35, a 1.75mm melt filter nozzle, and my filastruder is about 5 feet off the ground. When I was using the MG94, I still got the same diameters. I have also used tempetures from 173-180 with no luck. If needed I can provide video and pictures. At this point I am thinking it may be the nozzle, but I am not sure.

Ulitmaker 2, a few repraps, Custom Big FFF 3D printer with heated chamber.

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2 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Diameter problems

The nozzle is intentionally slightly undersized, as some materials exhibit more die swell than others. You can drill the nozzle out if you like, but really there's no issue using 1.6mm filament in a printer. On the other hand, if the filament is too large it will definitely jam.

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3 Reply by Tomek (edited by Tomek 2014-07-22 23:21:17)

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Re: Diameter problems

I am not very experienced, but this seems to come up alot.

One solution is to increase the nozzle hole size, because they are conservatively drilled for a <1.75mm typical diameter.

The other main point is: One kind of ABS are you using? The type will matter alot, as they have different swell factors.  It looks like you did mention the two types (sorry I just noticed this.) I'm surprised there is no variance between the two.


Another thing to consider is: Perhaps you can use the smaller diameter filament? Personally I am all for a smaller filament diameter, especially if you are not running a bowden setup and can more easily prevent kinking.

Major pro of smaller filament:
It requires less torque than the bigger filament to bring through the nozzle. Meaningfully.
It is similar to having a gear ratio on your stepper motor. So less moire. Not majorly different, but 1.54mm vs 1.75mm is about 18% different volumetrically.  Gear ratio = less moire, but also extracting more torque from the motor because the extruders are substantially below max rpm.

Major cons:
potential for kinking esp with a system sized for 1.75mm filament.
greater surface area to volume, potentially problematic for hydrophillic filaments like PLA and Nylon

4 Reply by Ggalisky (edited by Ggalisky 2014-07-23 01:54:44)

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Re: Diameter problems

I have been using the filament and it works fantastically. The only reason I care about getting 1.75mm is for the recycling project, ( http://www.soliforum.com/topic/6473/rec … or-abspla/)because if I am going to sell recycled filament, I can see people freaking out about diameter not being 1.75mm.

Ulitmaker 2, a few repraps, Custom Big FFF 3D printer with heated chamber.

My Blog http://ggalisky.weebly.com/
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5 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Diameter problems

McMaster-Carr sells drill bits in 0.05mm increments. They're like $2, and you can drill by hand. I can send you one drilled larger if you need it - did you ever order a melt filter?

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
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6 Reply by jamesshuang

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Re: Diameter problems

You could also reduce the height of the extruder to increase the diameter. I highly recommend you get a winder if you're planning on making a large quantity of plastic. Not only does it save you a ton of pain and suffering winding the stuff onto reels, it improves the diameter tolerance dramatically (+/- 0.05mm is easy, typically +/- 0.02 for me).

Also, regarding your attempt at recycling, you should be careful with dry ice and blenders. Parts of the blender itself may become brittle if you tried to blend plastic with dry ice. There have been previous efforts to improve that process -- here's a good one: http://ubc-rapid.com/blog/improvements- … a-blender/

I built my own extruder initially to recycle my prints, but after I found ebay listings like this, it really didn't make sense to sink all that work into recycling the prints themselves. I bought a 16 lb box for $25 a few weeks ago, and even with 100% recycled material, it comes out beautifully, no foreign material, very high quality filament. Just some food for thought...

7 Reply by Ggalisky (edited by Ggalisky 2014-07-23 15:16:23)

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Re: Diameter problems

@elmoret

Yes, I got a melt filter with my order, and it is currently installed. Should i drill the melt filter nozzle out, or would it be wiser to just get a larger one from you? I just ordered a filawinder, so you could throw the new nozzle in with that order.

Ulitmaker 2, a few repraps, Custom Big FFF 3D printer with heated chamber.

My Blog http://ggalisky.weebly.com/
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8 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Diameter problems

PM sent - we'll get this taken care of.

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9 Reply by bringho

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Re: Diameter problems

Anyone with experience extruding PLA?

10 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Diameter problems

Yup, many people. Here's one:

http://www.soliforum.com/topic/4108/my- … s-and-pla/

You could also do a search, plenty of topics about it here. The key with PLA is pre drying.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend

11 Reply by Ggalisky

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Re: Diameter problems

Thanks for the drilled out nozzle. Perfect filament now!

Ulitmaker 2, a few repraps, Custom Big FFF 3D printer with heated chamber.

My Blog http://ggalisky.weebly.com/
My Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXShYo … aDUpebDAOw

12 Reply by milehigh3dII

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Re: Diameter problems

I'm in the same boat.  What is the suggested drill bit to go from a 1.5-1.6 to 1.75?

13 Reply by elmoret

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Re: Diameter problems

Drilled by default at 1.58mm, so if you're looking to jump 150 microns, a 1.75mm bit would be ideal. McMaster carries them for $2.

Filastruder - the robust, inexpensive filament extruder
E3Dv6 All Metal Hotend - the premier 3D printing hotend