1 Topic by raykholo (edited by raykholo 2014-08-01 20:11:34)

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Topic: Success! My working Filastruder!

My Filastruder is finally outputting PLA that I am able to print with.  I had to drop to 145 C to get a thick enough diameter.  Problem is, there are small coils in the filament every now and again so it is difficult to get a meaningful length as is.  Sounds like I need a winder!

I'm in the process of building a CNC mill (for which I need printed brackets and whatnot - vicious cycle), which I hope to use to route out the pieces for the FilaWinder from 1/4" MDF.

Attached is a pic of my "plastic room" - It's got a dehumidifier running on full blast which makes it feel like a Sauna but considering how many headaches I've had with humidity related filament failure, small price to pay.

Question:  For a vertically mounted 'struder, would I be better off building a shelf above the toaster oven and putting my filawinder horizontally, or mounting it vertically (I can probably put up another vertical beam behind the oven)?  Either way, the laser photogate would go to the right of the oven.

Apologies for the clutter.  I built that table a week ago, it shouldn't be that messy yet!

EDIT:  Picture didn't upload the first time.  Attached now.

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2 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

The winder works best if its intake is at about the same level as the nozzle, with the filament making a half-circle between them.  They should be 18" or more apart so there is enough filament hanging for the weight to counter any tendency of the filament to twist.  The sensor doesn't need to be any more than 9"-10" below the extruder, though if it goes lower, it would be a good idea to move the extruder and winder a little further apart.  If the curve at the bottom of the loop gets too tight you will start to work against the stiffness of the filament.

You can set the winder horizontal or vertical, depending on what is easiest.

3 Reply by raykholo

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

Ian,
Thank you for your response.  The 18" horizontal dimension fits, I'll put up a shelf in line with that ledge and set the winder on it horizontally.  Then I'll bring the filastruder down to that level.

A couple of winder related questions come to mind right away: 

Do the photocells have to be spaced precisely enough as in the PCB?  I plan to just do the circuitry on perfboard (sorry to butcher your awesome design work, but I don't have PCB milling capabilities just yet...) so I can space them in .1" increments and bend them into place as necessary, but if I understand correctly the calibration takes care of all of this?

The BOM I pulled from thingiverse reads Magnet : ' 1.4x1/4" '.  Should it be ' 1/4"x1/4" '?

Also, 5/16"-18 threaded rod is much easier to get, this is almost the same as 8mm so no issues anticipated, please let me know if I'm wrong.

Thanks for the help Ian.

4 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

The threaded rod just needs to fit the 608 bearings for the spool, so not much precision needed there.

The photocells work best if they are close together, so you can bend the leads to butt them together.  It works by comparing the brightness of all of them to determine where the shadow is, so it tracks more effectively when the shadow overlaps more than one photocell.

You can get PCBs made by OSHPark.  You have to order 3, but it comes to around $24 which isn't bad.  Also Seeedstudio has a PCB fab service that is reasonable.  The Gerber files for OSHPark are on Thingiverse.  For prototypes I use a cheap laser printer and a laminator, along with materials from a kit at http://www.pcbfx.com/.

5 Reply by raykholo

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

That's exactly how the spool holders on my printer are set up already.  Figured it would work. 

Thanks for the suggestion - those are certainly reasonable prices.
That said, I'm currently working on a 3D printer that can create circuits inside of plastic prints, so hopefully in a few months your prototyping process will become obsolete and you'll be able to print a PCB right into the control housing.  smile

6 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

If it includes a way to flip it over and register it for printing the backside as well, or at least multiple layers that would be great.  I can't seem to design anything that works as a single sided board.

7 Reply by raykholo

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

Ian, I sent you some more info via the forum email option.  Did the message reach you ok?

8 Reply by tonycstech

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

Why getting it vertical, does it make filament straighter and eliminates the need for guide roll (i suspect) ?
Any advantages at all ?
Thanks !

my thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/tonycstech/designs
my 3d models http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/Artists/tonycstech

9 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

When horizontal, the filament has to go straight sideways, then down.  While it is going horizontal, gravity is trying to pull it down so the guide position and height to the floor etc has to be just right to make sure gravity is countered until the filament is rigid.   With the extruder vertical, gravity is pulling the filament straight from the nozzle, so there is only one force acting in one direction.  Then it makes a single bend back up to the winder.  With the winder, you get a loop that stays mostly the same shape, with the same amount of filament hanging so that there aren't any changes in the forces pushing on the filament and affecting the melted plastic coming out of the nozzle.

10 Reply by raykholo

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Re: Success! My working Filastruder!

Wow, 3 AM and Ian still beats me to a response.  If that's not good customer service I don't know what is. 
Yes.  Simply put, if you don't have a winder, filament coils better on the floor when the filastruder is vertical.  If you do have a winder, you're not bending the filament extra like when the 'struder is horizontal.