[ Closed ] Filament Extruder - Convert pellets to filament (Page 12 of 58)

When I use ABS colorant I use about twice as much and it produces very consistent filament. I have to cut the ratio down for HDPE which is why I need a better way to evenly distribute colorant.  I am confident there is a combination/technique that will work for the HDPE colorant but its going to take some time to dial in.

And I have about 4lbs of the clear.

I've reading up on masterbatch, to see if I can learn anything useful.  There is something called Universal Masterbatch which is pigment mixed in a resin that is compatible with a variety of polymers.  They didn't say what variety, but there might be masterbatch out there that can be used in ABS, PLA and HDPE.  It might be tough to buy in anything less than a ton of course.

One ton...Group buy anybody?

The quantities these suppliers sell masterbatch in makes it almost impossible for us to experiment.  The main reasons I am experimenting with trying to mix the ABS and HDPE colorant is because I know these plastics are mixed in certain applications so it must be possible.  In addition, the only supplier I know of who sells small quantities of masterbatch (osprintingllc) only sells three colors of ABS and about ten of HDPE.  As they are selling acquired stock it's hard to say if they are going to ever get other colors.

Trying to track down a sample of the universal masterbatch might be worth our time...

I would have given up on the HDPE/ABS combo awhile ago if it weren't for that blue filament I posted before.

I found one supplier for PLA pellets. Minimum order quantity: 40,000 lbs.

I've been following this thread and I'm very impressed by your extruder. It is amazing the progress you and the beta testers have made in such a short amount of time.

What is your ultimate goal?  To sell extruder kits or to become a filament supplier?  Maybe a little of both?

Small quibble:  what's wrong with kg/cm² (kg per square cm) as a unit of pressure?  Looks as valid to me as pounds per square inch (lb/in² or psi).

Titanium

Sounds good.  Do you have an idea when you'll be ready to offer the kits to the general public and how much they will cost? Days, weeks, months?  I think that a lot of people, including me, are watching this with great interest and are really rooting for you.

You are correct, of course.  I only realized my mistake when I woke up this morning.  I was hoping to edit my post, but you beat me to the punch.

Titanium

What would the effect be if the pipe and auger were 3/4" instead?  Would the flow rate be the same because it's the same rpm, nozzle size and temp, or does the diameter of the melt chamber matter?

Well guys, good news and bad news. Good news first:

Ran it for 10 hours straight, made about a kg continuous of filament without tangles or kinks:

Bad news:

Destroyed another 32lb (the blue one) thrust bearing. Looks like these are good for about 20 hours of runtime, at least in my experience.

The only 555lb bearing that has been broken was one on DeParted's and that one might have been contaminated, he said.

I'm going to have to work out this bearing issue before the final product. What do you guys think is a long enough runtime to be comfortable releasing post-beta? Maybe 100 hours straight? Luckily, the bearings are cheap and easy to replace, so if it take a couple iterations, that's not too painful.

Finally, a question for Ian, DeParted, Nickythegreek, and Jon (once he gets finished):

What did you think of having switches to control the heater and motor/fan? I could simplify the wiring a fair bit by getting rid of those. I personally don't use them - I plug in/unplug as necessary.

Well, when I built *my* beta 2, I was out of the hex brass ends. I had to grab one from Lowe's, which was partially hollow. So, it went from about 1/4" hole for 1/4" to a 1.6mm hole for 1/4".

The beta2s for everyone else will have the normal hex plugs.

I have ran the blue one for about 8 hours and i don't really like how it lines up compared to the 555lb one.

It could also have not had even pressure applied...

I'm confused on how you have your switches hooked up...Right now I have one switch controlling the heater and one switch controlling the motor which works great.

I was a bit confused about how to wire the switches, so I have one to switch on the heat, and then I plug in the motor/fan.  I plan on just adding the other switch on to the wire leading to the wall wart.  I don't mind having two things plugged in, but I would rather have both switches on the box (once I get it printed).

Same, the wiring diagrams need some work if they haven't already been changed.  I love having both switches...i wouldn't want it any other way.