Cube 3 Filament Drive Overhaul. The OMG Method

[TommyDee]

I can't tell you how nice a good solid extruder system really is.

And the renewed versatility is over the top.

I wanted to post this thread so I could cover each element and create links as we go.

Just about everything has a story that we've all come across at one point or another.

The OMG Method is a culmination of many iterations, requests, and attempts at making the least restricted and most responsive feeder system.
The secondary wrestling with how to hold the filament, or filament spool... etc...
This video takes that on with something most people have in their kitchen and/or garage.

So let it talk for itself for now. Enjoy!



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...reserved

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A little history helps too:

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[bolsoncerrado]

AWESOME....spool holder! :P


So the basic difference is the main tubing?

[TommyDee]

...And the hardest thing to get right.

I have some FEP tubing rated for push-to-connect fittings now that is exactly the right ID.
There is also great certainty that this is simply the luck of the draw.

I'm done with the PFA tubing. It is way oversized and really not that easy to work with.

I have some of the 3mm OD x 2mm ID Teflon that is nice as long as you don't mess it up with like, threading a round nut on it.

BTW: If you double the spool holder, you can put the KISS-Chamber over it!

[bolsoncerrado]

OK then, link to the final tube winner?

[TommyDee]

Funny thing is, they are all perfectly functional.
It is the degree of effort to fix a failed unit that has been resolved.

[bolsoncerrado]

Where's the secret then!? The 15º?

[TommyDee]

The secret is removing those darn barrel nuts from non-stock 3DS tubing.

The original setup is tested (poorly) at the factory. They have some method to manage it. Old versions tubes could be bad just from the caterpillar over-mold process where they damage the feeder tube.

The splice adds two barrel nuts but it uses stock tubing. Careful implementation allows filament to go though smoothly.
...the splice also incorporates the vertical entry since the caterpillar bend reliefs are now missing. A spare cartridge for parts is required to salvage barrel nuts (2) and the filament untangler tube. 3D-print the coupling.

The rebuilt original does not add anything other than the vertical entry. Care must be taken to not mess up the original tubing during the rebuild process. Still uses the barrel nuts abut again, on original tubing. No spare parts required.

The 4mm machined solution is too difficult. It machines the tube down to the 3mm required and also incorporates the barrel nuts so there is no restriction added. It is fragile at the filament driver, but in general, if the ID was better (closer to 2mm) it was a nice solution except that it still require disassembly for nozzle issues. No additional spare parts required save the tube.

The KISS carts added a break in the line to allow easier access. This introduces pus-to-connect fittings like everyone else uses.
However, I have many reservations about that. And we will get into why as we go along. Yet, this solution is great if you want to manage 3DS standard cartridges by re-spooling.

The Modular Hot-End, is the final piece of the puzzle. This uses a small segment of original tubing within the nozzle housing. Unless a tip got clogged, you should be able to swap filament while the tip is hot on a whim... pause/resume. It take a little machining ability but nothing a novice wrench jockey cannot handle. I'm working on the details to simplify each operation.
Don helped undo KISS by trying to implement it without an outer cover on the cartridge.

That doesn't make sense to an engineering mind since the case flexes like mad without the outer cover. So yes, in that case, there is a new solution that just puts the push-to-connect fitting right in the filament driver. No play, no bending, no stress. And the same tube works with KISS or Direct (Don's Direct Drive; DDD).

So, I put the history there, and now here, so we can go to the next level, which is the video. If all you need is the drive part from 3DS, the plastic cartridge shell is just fine for holding just the filament driver and the filament chip. Some carving is required to clear the fitting, and the metal woodruff key doesn't fit anymore. But who cares! I can start carving more off the case, but it won't buy me anything.



BTW: Bo; is there a way to force new posts rather than having it merge automatically by the user?
This auto-merge function is really bad for trying to do tutorials where you need separations.

Darn, almost lost all of this... it wouldn't save the post without refreshing!

[MegaloDon]

The secret is removing those darn barrel nuts from non-stock 3DS tubing.

I don't have a problem with barrel nuts on non-stock 3DS tubing, as long as I have the coat hanger in the tubing while threading it. This prevents the tube from getting a smaller ID and the threads cut deeper.

[bolsoncerrado]

Tommy the merge thing already adds separators, tutorials would go on the very first post of each thread actually. On HTTPS i'll work on it asap!

Back to topic, if you remove the barrel nuts how do you keep the filament feed from the entry point of the head up to the nozzle?

[TommyDee]

Tommy the merge thing already adds separators, tutorials would go on the very first post of each thread actually. On HTTPS i'll work on it asap!

Back to topic, if you remove the barrel nuts how do you keep the filament feed from the entry point of the head up to the nozzle?

The problem comes in the following scenario:

The filament review thread has pointers to each filament.
But yesterday, I couldn't create a link to a specific filament review because it merged with the one before.

I'll have the same problem here where I wanted to build in an index in the second post with links to specific posts, not some middle section in 12 merged posts.

Getting my drift now?

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I don't have a problem with barrel nuts on non-stock 3DS tubing, as long as I have the coat hanger in the tubing while threading it. This prevents the tube from getting a smaller ID and the threads cut deeper.

It works, but not to a level I'm comfortable with. It leaves the tube weak. Where the nut is, once heated, you will see that it particularly thin. There are properties related to Teflon that says it is not a great solution. One factor being that Teflon tubing is made by crushing it in an extruder. It doesn't deform like other polymers.

Somehow 3DS dialed in the material and size but I cannot find it's exact equivalent.

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Tommy the merge thing already adds separators, tutorials would go on the very first post of each thread actually. On HTTPS i'll work on it asap!

Back to topic, if you remove the barrel nuts how do you keep the filament feed from the entry point of the head up to the nozzle?

Do we get notification when a merge was added to an existing post? I'm getting lost in here


Topic: Good point on the tube in the nozzle. What do you want to know.