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  1. #1
    Student
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    2

    New guy with a question. Bowden or direct drive extruder on Prusa kit?

    I'm waiting for my new Prusa i3 kit to get here from China. This machine appears to have a direct drive extruder. I have the parts laying here to replace the direct drive with an E3D clone hotend and Bowden type extruder.

    I understand the Bowden setup will give me lower weight on the carriage for the hotend. But you sacrifice some filament to the length of the feed tube.

    Am I getting ahead of myself or is this a worthwhile upgrade to add while assembling the machine from it's kit?

    Thank you.

    --
    TW

  2. #2
    Technologist
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Honolulu, HI
    Posts
    199
    You might try the direct drive first. Seems like Bowden came about for delta printers because of weight. I don't think that weight should be an issue with the Prusa and you won't really get an advantage over the direct drive.

  3. #3
    Super Moderator curious aardvark's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Posts
    8,818
    stick to direct drive. Lets you use flexible filaments.
    doesn't make any noticeable speed difference either.

  4. #4
    Super Moderator Roxy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Lone Star State
    Posts
    2,182
    Bowden drive causes a number of issues. The only benefit you get is slightly less weight at the nozzle. But for all of the extra issues that come up, I'm just not a fan of Bowden drive.

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