What new printer/extruder features do you want?

[clough42]

Many of you are aware of my collection of single and double extruders and upgrade parts for MakerFarm printers. Everything I've done to date has been based on my needs and the things that bothered me. I'm thinking about what's next and thought I'd toss the question out there for the community.

What do you like about your printer today? What frustrates you?

What kinds of upgrades would you like to see? What would make the printer better?

[curious aardvark]

well faster at low res would always be nice.

nozzles that just click in and out and are universally compatible. That would also be nice.

Printbite is good, but not everything sticks to it and not everything wants to let go either - but a universal print surface that every thing stuck to while printing and didn't stick to when printing had stopped.
I'd probably pay more for that than any other aspect of printing it's the single most frustrating thin about 3d printing.

Couple that with auto calibration that was fast and perfect and, i honestly don't think - as things stand - I'd want much else.

If you can print fast, with any material and it always sticks when needed and lets go when needed and it's never out of calibration - that's the holy grail really.

Now throw that lot at a bnc3d sigma dual independant extruder setup, but with direct drive not bowden (use flex3drive for lightweight directdrive setup) and you've got what I'd consider to be the perfect FDM printer.

[Roxy]

I want to print metal.

[Ama-fessional Molder]

I want to print metal.

Sinterhard was supposed to make that happen. To date I don't know whether or not any other company has stepped in to fill the now empty hole. The idea was a filament that printed like a polymer, and was then kiln fired to sinter the metal and burn out the resin.


This exact method is already used in injection molding to produce metal components (even for industrial components), but the problem is that I don't think anyone has developed a filament which works in an FDM printer.

[curious aardvark]

well if you have to add a kiln and metal processing kit, it's not really an improvement in the printer.

[Roxy]

I have access to a kiln. For the parts I really want made out of metal, I would be willing to fire them.

[curious aardvark]

yeah but it's not actually anything to do with the printer - just a different type of filament.

You tried firing bronzefill ?
probably wouldn't work, but would be fun trying :-)

[Ama-fessional Molder]

well if you have to add a kiln and metal processing kit, it's not really an improvement in the printer.

You wouldn't need a "metal processing kit" (whatever that is), just a desktop printer and a kiln.
Then you need this:



Problem is you need the chamber filled with an inert gas. The cost would be significantly higher, even if you built a small desktop unit, than just FDM printing with a plastic binder.

You need the metal powder, a lot more energy, and consumable gas at the very least. Add milling tools to the cost if you want secondary processing.

yeah but it's not actually anything to do with the printer - just a different type of filament.

That would be the point, wouldn't it?

[clough42]

You wouldn't need a "metal processing kit" (whatever that is), just a desktop printer and a kiln.
Then you need this:



Problem is you need the chamber filled with an inert gas. The cost would be significantly higher, even if you built a small desktop unit, than just FDM printing with a plastic binder.

You need the metal powder, a lot more energy, and consumable gas at the very least. Add milling tools to the cost if you want secondary processing.


That would be the point, wouldn't it?

Well, this wandered off topic, didn't it?

[BLKKROW]

Well, this wandered off topic, didn't it?

Have you designed anything to fit the Pegasus printer?