1 Topic by lawsy

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Topic: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Hi Everyone,

Long time, no post, and even longer between releasing something. Never fear, I have returned!

I recently ordered and fitted a ballscrew for the Z axis, hoping to fix some irregular banding. Install went well but the issue remained. Hmm..

Something I had wanted to do for a while was to try a bowden setup. I already had an E3D mk5 bowden sitting around for at least a year. I searched around here and thingiverse and found a great deal of mk5 remixes, but they seemed to use a different fitting compared to what the E3D came with.

I took the opportunity to port my designs from SketchUp to 123D Design, modifying what I needed to for the bowden setup.

I'm pleased to say the print quality has gone through the roof! The issue I had before must have been from a heavy stepper motor rocking back and forth on the carriage. My little Solidoodle 2 is pumping out prints as good as any printer I've used (Makerbot Rep1, Printrbot Plus, Zortrax M200).

Parts, instructions and pictures can be found here:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1203807

http://thingiverse-production-new.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/08/3e/8f/45/79/20151216_163215_display_large.jpg

lawsy's Website

2 Reply by IronMan

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Lawsy, 

Great work as usual and great to see you here back at the ranch smile

SD2 - Stock - Enclosure - Heated Bed - Glass Plate - Auto Fire Extinguisher
Ord Bot Hadron - RAMPS 1.4 - Bulldog XL - E3D v6 - 10" x 10" PCB Heated Build w/SSR - Glass Plate
Thanks for All of Your Help!

3 Reply by lawsy

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Here is a pic of a 20mm test cube before and after bowden mod. The results for me are stunning!

The extruder has a harder job pushing the filament now, so some tips:

- Keep the PTFE tube as short as possible to lower friction.
- You may need to up the extruder stepper motor voltage a tad
- You may need to up the extruder temperature a tad (I went 5 degrees C)
- Retraction had to be increased from 1mm to 3mm, with -0.2mm 'Extra restart distance' (I use Simplify3D)

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lawsy's Website

4 Reply by mdrVB6

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Nice work!  I might use this when I eventually go to dual extruders and Cyclops setup on my SD4.  But I am still brainstorming a way to do that and make a complete top enclosure.  It seems the options will be either mount motors outside the case and have a hole cut in for the bowden tubes and wires conduit (making it less efficient at holding heat in), or mount the motors similar to how you did it but more inside the frame so there could be no tubes going thru the top enclosure (harder to find room for this).  I just need like a week off work to mess around with my printer... thankfully the holidays are soon!

SD4 w/ RUMBA, E3D Volcano, all bearings, glass bed

5 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

mdrVB6 wrote:

Nice work!  I might use this when I eventually go to dual extruders and Cyclops setup on my SD4.  But I am still brainstorming a way to do that and make a complete top enclosure.  It seems the options will be either mount motors outside the case and have a hole cut in for the bowden tubes and wires conduit (making it less efficient at holding heat in), or mount the motors similar to how you did it but more inside the frame so there could be no tubes going thru the top enclosure (harder to find room for this).  I just need like a week off work to mess around with my printer... thankfully the holidays are soon!

You mean something similar to this set up?  I couldn't find a picture but my usual pyramid lid with a hole in the center worked fine.  I just had a notch in the back panel that went right around the motors.  There was very little air gap and worked rather well.
http://i.imgur.com/3WDXTm8.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JWbq1pV.jpg

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

6 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

When I added an enclosure, I originally had a top until I dropped it and broke it.  After awhile I realized it wasn't necessary, ABS prints were just as successful without it.  I also started heating the enclosure with a mini space heater, and it was able to keep the print area hot even with the top off. 

http://thingiverse-production-new.s3.amazonaws.com/renders/86/9e/a3/64/ef/IMG_5910_preview_featured.jpg

7 Reply by mdrVB6 (edited by mdrVB6 2015-12-16 18:04:45)

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

You mean something similar to this set up?  I couldn't find a picture but my usual pyramid lid with a hole in the center worked fine.  I just had a notch in the back panel that went right around the motors.  There was very little air gap and worked rather well.

Ya, that is one way to do it but how did you manage the wire sheath coming in from the back?  Did you cut a hole for that too or just change the way it runs to run thru what used to be the filament hole?  And then is is hard to remove the top?  Any problems having kind of a lot of curve in the bowden tube?

Anyway, here is my SD2.  I'm thinking of doing my SD4 the same way because it is easy to make this out of wood.  It also allows you to mount a spool right above the extruder for single extrusion and when I go to bowden, I could just mount the 2 extruder motors on the back wall of the top part and have the bowden tubes point right down into the build area with no curve.  Just add a dual spool holder outside of the enclosure to the top.  Note that the front door is off here since that print is woodfill pla.

http://i.imgur.com/lk7kTq4.jpg

SD4 w/ RUMBA, E3D Volcano, all bearings, glass bed

8 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

It tends to get cold here so for me the top is very helpful.  In the summer I can definitely print with no top.
As far as wire and tubing management, study my top picture.  Everything is in the sheath which goes through the top yellow printed ring in the second photo.  At that point all wires and tubes are outside of the enclosure.  Then as the sheath meets the rear of the frame the tubes then reenter the enclosure and go up to the motors.  The wires exit the sheath and go down to the board.  I have had no issues with the tubes and how they are curved around.  My settings were very similar to those listed by Lawsy.  Each panel of the cover is removable and all that remains with no cover is the printed ring which I can easily slide down to the frame should I choose to print with no lid or enclosure.  I currently don't have that printer configured with the Cyclops and Bowden setup or I would provide better pictures.  I will say that I like this setup so much that out of over ten SD printers that I have owned, this is how all of them were set up when I sold them.  I realize that the picture of the top with the tape isn't very attractive but that was when I did the very first one and needed a quick solution to hold things in place.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

9 Reply by mdrVB6

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Okay, I think I understand what you are saying.  I didn't realize that the top ring of the pyramid was removable and it could be broken down.

SD4 w/ RUMBA, E3D Volcano, all bearings, glass bed

10 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Yep, It's what works for me.  We all have our own ideas and there is no right or wrong way as long as you're having fun doing it.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

11 Reply by lawsy

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

mdrVB6, I thought your post was a double and mistakenly deleted it. I use the following crimp tool:

http://www.jaycar.com.au/Tools-%26-Sold … s/p/TH1834

I usually add a little solder after it's crimped to get everything as strong as possible.

+1 to not needing the lid to stay hot for me.

lawsy's Website

12 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

lawsy wrote:

+1 to not needing the lid to stay hot for me.

Says the guy living where it is currently summer wink

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

13 Reply by Kronikabuse

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

it gets cold here too. Have to keep it closed all the time. heres my current setup. http://soliforum.com/i/?SM4pU44.jpg

Sd4 #9080 with a glass bed. E3d chimera duel extruder. Paste extruder , duet wifi.
Lawsy carriages. linear bearings. Y axis direct drive, Kinect scanner
SD4#8188 glass bed, lawsly carriages, E3d v6, octoprint http://www.ustream.tv/channel/hotrod96z28
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14 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Lawsy, this is OT but did you ever get that injection molder running?  I was curious how it worked out with hard plastics.

15 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

IanJohnson wrote:

Lawsy, this is OT but did you ever get that injection molder running?  I was curious how it worked out with hard plastics.

Inquiring minds would like to know wink

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

16 Reply by lawsy

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

It's sitting behind me and on the list for over the holidays.

A friend borrowed my compressor for a while but everything is back and ready now.

lawsy's Website

17 Reply by grob

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Not to be critical, or to add to your holiday list, but can see a drive belt in the back of your printer there lawsy.
I think next job is direct drive. smile
Welcome back!

SD3. Mk2b + glass, heated enclosure, GT2 belts, direct drive y shaft, linear bearings, bowden-feed E3D v5 w/ 0.9° stepper
Smoothieboard via Octoprint on RPi

18 Reply by lawsy

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

It's not the original belt, it's upgraded if that gets me some credit. Mounting the stepper on the outside would be ugly, but then again the extruder is on top now.

lawsy's Website

19 Reply by grob

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Hehe no shortage of credit for you lawsy!
Exactly... now the extruder's up top, why not stick the y motor out the side?? smile

SD3. Mk2b + glass, heated enclosure, GT2 belts, direct drive y shaft, linear bearings, bowden-feed E3D v5 w/ 0.9° stepper
Smoothieboard via Octoprint on RPi

20 Reply by AZERATE

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

+1 to direct drive!
+1,000 to WELCOME BACK LAWSY!!

DD doesn't have to be ugly. http://i.imgur.com/I0eVhCFh.jpg
With a mount, a guard with a mounted fan, and a fan blade guard, it assumes all necessities, actively cools, AND looks cool!
here is the motor guard link if you feel like working with it.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:723816

Printit Mason and Printit Horizon printers
Multiple SD2s- Bulldog XL, E3D v5/v6/Lite6, Volcano, Hobb Goblin, Titan, .9 motor, Lawsy carriages, direct Y drive, fishing line...the list goes on
Filawinder and Filastruder #1870.....worth every penny!

21 Reply by wardjr

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Re: Mk5 Extruder - Bowden Edition

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder wink
http://i.imgur.com/6ov9z8e.jpg

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website