Pico b3 hot end (Page 1 of 2)

I have one as well and am currently designing a carriage for it.

Let me know how your carriage works out.  I am thinking of using the xyz stock metal frame and modding it.

Mine will be a Bowden set up. You gain much more accuracy and can print at higher speeds due to the reduced weight of the head. I am not worried about flexible, although I chose the PIC because it can heat as high as 500C and that will allow you to work with exotics as well as it's reduced weight. The weight reduction was my main goal.

I bought a spool of PET which is supposed to be better than PLA even. Going to give it a try as well.

Bowden is where the extruder, the motor that grips and pushes or pulls the filament is installed remotely from the head. It pushes the filament through a semi rigid Teflon tube to the head where is goes through the hot end/s. The disadvantage is you can't use flexible filament due to the fact it will bunch up in the Teflon tube simply due to it's flexible nature. The advantage is by removing everything from the head but the hot end, linear bearings or brass sleeves, and the carriage you greatly reduce the heads weight allowing it to move faster, make tighter movements, and be more accurate since acceleration and deceleration curves are much lower now.

e3d is good to stupid high numbers (600c) with a TC, unfortunately they don't have a high temp thermistor like the pico though.

True but think about the future if we can get some metal filament that might need the hotter temps.

Metal won't ever print in hotends like these, the surface tension makes it tend to ball up rather than lay on the previous material.

If you got around that problem, there'd be no reason not to use a lower melting point metal.

The point of the PICO is not temperature, but size and mass. With it's great reduction of both you can now make a much lighter head that will allow you to greatly increase your print speed and accuracy. If you are looking at the PICO for it's temperature capacity then you are looking at it for the wrong reasons.

I am using a Bowden setup, it does not have a motor on the carriage. Since I have done away with the motor my carriage only needs to be large enough to carry the head, the bearings (4), and a 20mm fan, not 40mm.

Also it seems almost like you are stalking me. If you don't like my input too bad, most users here appreciate it.

The topic of the thread is the PICO in general. I mentioned it's temp capabilities but that was it. I never said that was a reason to get it. In fact the average Da Vinci user should just use the machine as stock. Changing heads and stuff is for users who like me want nothing to do with the original design. Or want to expand upon their printers capabilities.

I am also getting rid of XYZ garbage controller as well. Want to nitpick that idea as well?

That's an important distinction to make, but actually doesn't change much - especially since you have to add a bowden fitting to the pico.

Pico: 29g
20mm fan: 13g (looked it up to get an actual number)
Fan duct ~5g
Bowden fitting + groove mount ~10g (conservative estimate, probably more)
Total: 57g

E3D is 62g.

Carriage is ~50g, so that's 107g vs 112g. Still about a 5% difference.

Huh? I think this is the first thread we've both posted in. Not sure how that's stalking. Any input is great, as long as it is rooted in facts.

Not at all, so long as the reasons given are factual! If someone had an E3D and bought a Pico expecting "great increases" in speed based on your post but found that those increases were along the lines of 4%, They'd probably be disappointed/upset. No need for that when it can be avoided, I think we'd both agree.

He was comparing the e3d to the pico after I asked him about not going direct drive. Other why would he compare weights of bowden extruders since my e3d is running bowden style.

Actually a company called Proto Pasta makes metal filament that will print on any standard hot end. just like wood filament it is simply a plastic binder with metal filler. You can even polish it once printed. The iron version they makes can even be rusted to make it look aged. They make it in iron, brass, and steel.