Now announcing: Filastruder 2.0

I'm proud to announce: Filastruder 2.0!

Its been a crazy two years since the Kickstarter wrapped up, for both Filastruder and my personal life. In that time I've finished graduate school, moved to a new state, and gotten married! Professionally, over 2,000 Filastruder Kits have been sold to folks in over 70 countries around the world. We partnered with E3D, makers of the highly regarded v6, Lite, and Cyclops/Chimera/Kraken hotends. Things finally settled down enough to allow me to revisit the Filastruder and make some long overdue updates. These changes have been largely due to feedback from users ranging from the weekend hobbyist to Fortune 500 companies, and I am grateful for their suggestions. Without further ado...

New Features

Aluminum Alloy Chassis - Gone are the days of wooden Filastruders! The backbone of a Filastruder is now made out of CNC'ed 6061 alloy, improving both ease of assembly and durability.

Upgraded motor - (Model #: GF45) This motor is roughly 200% more powerful than the v1.0-1.1 motor. It is 100% more powerful than the v1.2-1.5 series, and 50% more powerful than the v1.6 series. It is also a different style of motor, with better quality internals and easily replaceable brushes. It is around 5-8dB quieter than the previous motor as well. As a courtesy to recent customers, the last 100 or so Filastruders have been upgraded to the GF45 gear motor at no cost, to ease the pain of a new version being released so soon. If your gear motor looks like the photo above, you already have the latest and greatest.

Advanced motor control - The voltage (speed) and current (torque) can now be controlled via a closed loop PWM controller. This controller also displays the input voltage, motor voltage, motor current, and motor power. The voltage/current limiting functionality has been present on v1.6 Filastruders in the form of the stall protection board, but the board adds the LCD display so you can keep an eye on motor load. For example, as the melt filter nozzle starts to become clogged, the motor current increases, which is displayed on the LCD. Additionally when trying new polymers, you can start the speed out slow and watch the current, changing temperature as you dial in the best parameters for that particular plastic.

Lasercut enclosure with cooling fan - All Filastruder 2.0 kits now come with a laser cut enclosure. This enclosure is not structural, just cosmetic, meaning it can be modified by the end user if desired without compromising strength. This is in contrast to the v1.x Kit Enclosure, which was structural and carried the entire motor load. The enclosure also has active cooling via a 60mm fan for the PID controller and motor.

Upgraded hopper - The original Filastruder Hopper was remixed into a 2-part design by imageit, who added threads as well for a standard soda bottle to be threaded in. This part is used with permission by the author, and I added some small tweaks to wall thickness to make it a bit stronger.

Upgraded, fully insulated barrel - The cutout to the barrel has been reshaped to improve barrel torsional strength while still maintaining smooth pellet feeding, resulting in a reduced tendency for the barrel to be damaged by overload. The barrel is now fully insulated to improve throughput and polymer mixing.

Melt filter nozzle - This was originally an option on Filastruder Kits, not the included in the kit. This was for a few reasons. It added cost without being necessary in all cases, and it was new and still being tested. Demand is now such that it can be included by default without significantly increasing price, which is great! The melt filter nozzle prevents any particles larger than 200 um from passing through into the filament. As a result, filament produced through a melt filter nozzle is free of any dirt or debris that would otherwise clog a 3D printer's hotend.

Redesigned filament guide - In the spirit of no more Home Depot wood, the filament guide was redesigned. It now uses a low friction PTFE guide in place of the previous copper guide. The guide bracket is laser cut and attaches to the barrel. It can be slid backwards and forwards to adjust the position relative to the nozzle.

Simpler assembly

Another thing to be excited about is simpler assembly. With Filastruder 2.0, the only tools necessary are:

- Screwdriver
- Pliers
- Allen wrenches
- Wire stripper/crimper tool

Previously things like a pipe wrench, a drill, and a set of files were needed. No more! We deburr the barrel and tighten it into the flange for you, a step that caused some folks difficulty with v1.x kits.

You can grab one from the store here.