# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > Other 3D Printers / Scanners / Hardware > Strooder >  Strooder, New Filament Extruder Project

## Strooder

Over the past few months, myself and a team of robotics enginers have been working on a new filament extruder. 

The current extruders on the market just didn't cut the mustard in our eyes. We wanted a compact, quality and reliable product that incorported an easy to use UI with presets for all maetrial extrusion, whilst allowing customisable settings to be selected.

We are in the later stages of development, having a number of prototypes under our belts and are nearing completion of the final beta version. 

We wanted you guys to see the progress we've been making, and we will be updating any development from here on forth. 

What do you think?

Proto4.26.44.jpg

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## 3dkarma

This looks to be for creating filament.  I see a geared DC motor, a nice big heat sink and what looks to be a heater block.  Am I right in saying the cutout forward of the green gears is where the hopper goes?

The design is nice and compact.  What I've seen of extruders to date relies on distance and a heat break, rather than having a heat sink, which means they're much larger than your design.  Are you going to actively cool it?

I like the fact you're using a heating block.  If my assumptions are correct, I think it will allow you much finer control over the heating of the plastic.

I can't see what you're going to use to force material through the machine.  Is it custom-machined or a standard off-the-shelf part?

I can't see what sensors you have attached to this (if any).  Will you be measuring filament width as it's extruded and fine-tuning heat/pressure to control it?

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## KrypTONight

Do you guys plan on making and selling filament?

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## Strooder

> Very nice looking.  What 3D Printers will this be able to work on?  Do you plan to mass produce these?  If so, are you going to raise money via venture capitalists or a crowdfunding campaign?


Thank you! 

The filament it produces will work on any 3D printer that accepts 1.75mm filament that is not chipped or uses cartridges such as Cubify. After extensive testing we are planning to launch on Kickstarter but this date is yet to be confirmed

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## Strooder

> This looks to be for creating filament.  I see a geared DC motor, a nice big heat sink and what looks to be a heater block.  Am I right in saying the cutout forward of the green gears is where the hopper goes?
> 
> The design is nice and compact.  What I've seen of extruders to date relies on distance and a heat break, rather than having a heat sink, which means they're much larger than your design.  Are you going to actively cool it?
> 
> I like the fact you're using a heating block.  If my assumptions are correct, I think it will allow you much finer control over the heating of the plastic.
> 
> I can't see what you're going to use to force material through the machine.  Is it custom-machined or a standard off-the-shelf part?
> 
> I can't see what sensors you have attached to this (if any).  Will you be measuring filament width as it's extruded and fine-tuning heat/pressure to control it?


We are trying to keep this as compact as possible without hindering filament quality. We are currently both designs to dertermine if active cooling is a possibibility.
You are correct about the heating block! We have calculated the mass and power needed for the heating block to produce consistent temprature and uniform heating.
As for forcing the material through the machine, it is a shelf part, however we have tested more than 10 different feed screws in order to assure we are using the best one.

The Strooder doesn't have filamnet measurement as a standard, however pre-sets are being fine tuned in house and these will be accessible via the screen on the Strooder! 
There will be an option to manually adjust the variables if needed. What's more, you can also make your own pre-sets for the your favourite flavour of filament. To aid this, we are currently creating an online service providing recomended Strooder settings informing you of the best and latest ways to create desried flavours. 

The actual sensors included in the Strooder are for temprature, motor speed and saftey sensors. 
We have been planning to create accessories such as filament winders, recylers, filament diameter checkers and others but this will depend on the Strooder's success.

I hope this helped

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## DrLuigi

> We are trying to keep this as compact as possible without hindering filament quality. We are currently both designs to dertermine if active cooling is a possibibility.
> You are correct about the heating block! We have calculated the mass and power needed for the heating block to produce consistent temprature and uniform heating.
> As for forcing the material through the machine, it is a shelf part, however we have tested more than 10 different feed screws in order to assure we are using the best one.
> 
> The Strooder doesn't have filamnet measurement as a standard, however pre-sets are being fine tuned in house and these will be accessible via the screen on the Strooder! 
> There will be an option to manually adjust the variables if needed. What's more, you can also make your own pre-sets for the your favourite flavour of filament. To aid this, we are currently creating an online service providing recomended Strooder settings informing you of the best and latest ways to create desried flavours. 
> 
> The actual sensors included in the Strooder are for temprature, motor speed and saftey sensors. 
> We have been planning to create accessories such as filament winders, recylers, filament diameter checkers and others but this will depend on the Strooder's success.
> ...


Is this going to opensource when you guys have troubleshooted most of it?

Also did you already try making filament with it so far?

Btw is that plastic PLA or ABS? Probably ABS i guess as it has to be a bit heat resistant.
Kinda have been thinking to make a filament extruder, But i just think at the moment they ask to much space and money for me personaly, As i don't print that much to get profit out of it, but that looks great!

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## 3dkarma

Great response.  Thank you.

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## Strooder

> Is this going to opensource when you guys have troubleshooted most of it?
> 
> Also did you already try making filament with it so far?
> 
> Btw is that plastic PLA or ABS? Probably ABS i guess as it has to be a bit heat resistant.
> Kinda have been thinking to make a filament extruder, But i just think at the moment they ask to much space and money for me personaly, As i don't print that much to get profit out of it, but that looks great!


The project won't be opensource however the software for sharing pre-sets will be! 

We have extruded filament but are still fine tuning all the settings to ensure the quality is of the best consitency.

You are correct however we have moved towards a different technique for the heating block which i will update you on in the following post. Hopefully we will be able to create a compact and affordable enough extruder to change you mind?

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## DrLuigi

> The project won't be opensource however the software for sharing pre-sets will be! 
> 
> We have extruded filament but are still fine tuning all the settings to ensure the quality is of the best consitency.
> 
> You are correct however we have moved towards a different technique for the heating block which i will update you on in the following post. Hopefully we will be able to create a compact and affordable enough extruder to change you mind?


Yep thats why i am curious about this one, It looks quiet compact and if it has a decent price/quality i might  :Wink: 

Are you guys going to open a Kickstarter when its more polished or what are the plans if i may ask?

Also any price you guys have in mind that you are trying to get it sold for? Of course just a rough guess.

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## mttr

what about 3mm, as that going to be added?

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## DrLuigi

> what about 3mm, as that going to be added?


I doubt why they shouldnt, its just the same as making it, just another drill for the head,
Atleast i hope so as most European printers have 3mm at the moment, i believe that atleast.

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## Strooder

> Yep thats why i am curious about this one, It looks quiet compact and if it has a decent price/quality i might 
> 
> Are you guys going to open a Kickstarter when its more polished or what are the plans if i may ask?
> 
> Also any price you guys have in mind that you are trying to get it sold for? Of course just a rough guess.


Great News  :Wink: 

We are planning to launch the Kickstarter soon as we are nearing the final stages of development! After lots of testing and poloishing of course. 

Price is something we are in discussions about at the moment, all we can say for certain is that the kickstarter price will be lower than the retail price, as well as it competeing if not beating the current market leaders. Hopefully that gives you an idea but that's all we can say for sure at the moment!

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## Strooder

Update #1:

It been a week since our first post so we thought we'd update you on our developments so far! (See Picture)

Proto5.jpg

As you will be able to see we have changed the motor speed control sensor from mechanical to optical for greater control and acuracy. In addition we have also changed the heating block to ensure greater control and heat transfer.
Moreover, we have altered the mounting method used which has resulted in a shape change, and changed the main body of the extruder from PLA to laser cut MDF to ensure thermal resistance in case of overheat.

We have also began developmenet of the exterior casing which we will show in the next post to hopefully gain your thoughts and insights!

So, again; What do you guys think?

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## 3dkarma

Very impressed.  I'd like to know the Kickstarter price point.

What kind of intelligence are you building into this thing?  Will it have overheat / cold extrusion cutoff like a 3D printer?

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## Strooder

> Very impressed.  I'd like to know the Kickstarter price point.
> 
> What kind of intelligence are you building into this thing?  Will it have overheat / cold extrusion cutoff like a 3D printer?


We will be updating shortly on the price point for kickstarter in our next update

Thank you! 

What kind of things would you like to know? We have built in various safety features including the overheat and cold extrusion cut-off seen in 3D printers

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## Strooder

Update #2:

The product is nearing final completion and we are currently working with a team to create the exterior shell. 

Recently we have been working on our kickstarter campaign, developing the reward system and have come to a final decision on the price point. 

The starting price point on Kickstarter to receive a Strooder will be £149, this will include a fully assembled Strooder with 100g of taster pellets.

We are also developing for the video, which is planned to be filmed next week. 

Strooder pictures coming soon, you can also follow us over on facebook! facebook https://www.facebook.com/Omnidynamics

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## Strooder

Update #3:

The casing has now been assembled, and prototype case has been made! We have also finalised our design and rendered the CAD designs.

What do you think? 

allStrooder.jpgstrooder.jpg

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## 3dkarma

That is an extremely impressive design.

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## Eddie

I'm very impressed with this.  3DPrint.com just covered you guys in an article.  I can't wait to see how well your kickstarter project goes.

Read the article at
http://3dprint.com/3026/strooder-3d-...r-kickstarter/

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## DrLuigi

> I'm very impressed with this.  3DPrint.com just covered you guys in an article.  I can't wait to see how well your kickstarter project goes.
> 
> Read the article at
> http://3dprint.com/3026/strooder-3d-...r-kickstarter/


Well only thing that might be wrong is that you tell in the article that its 20% less than average filament,
Since i have seen ABS pellets selling for about 1.5 euro a KG. And a average spool is about 20-30 dollars easily.
(http://www.kwb-wedel.de/ example of such reseller of pellets)

I would guess it would be quiet bit cheaper than 20% even with the eletricity costs.

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## nothingTV@yt

I really want to test one, but I'd need a 3 (2.8 to be more precise) mm version.

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## LambdaFF

My my this looks great.
This is not restricted to pellets right ? I mean you can also recycle prints, plastic bottles ..  Correct ?
What kind of safety features do you include ? Auto cut off when Jammed or empty ?
What is the diameter precision range/repeatability ?
Regards

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## JRDM

As far as I'm concerned, it's incomplete without a winder, it's leaving half the project undone. There's little point in running a filament extruder without a way to take up & store the output. Any manual handling of the output causes jiggles at the nozzle.

And please don't claim to be able to extrude PLA unless you actually show a good measure of PLA being extruded. Everyone shows footage of ABS being extruded, that's actually pretty easy. No one that I have seen has shown footage of their machine extruding PLA, and as such, I am dubious as to whether anyone can do it reliably with such a small machine as these hobby extruders.

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## kiwisurfa

This looks great very smart design.

 I'm only just getting started with 3D Printing. I think ill be snapping one of these up when they become available on Kickstarter especially at that price thats very reasonable

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## bmdnut

Very keen to see the Kickstarter when you launch it - this is just what I've been shopping around for this week (and NOT finding!).

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## Yorke

Looks promising, is your Kickstarter campaign going to be open to international backers? if so I hope you're investigating some good deals on international shipping.
Also as JRDM pointed out, a winder would be a great addition.

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## DJNOS1978

Let me know how I can help. I am very interested.

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## MysteryAlabaster

> Also as JRDM pointed out, a winder would be a great addition.





> And please don't claim to be able to extrude PLA unless you actually show a good measure of PLA being extruded.



If these two needs can be satisfied, I will be one of your backers.

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## bringho

The spec stated that :

"Filament Tolerances: 1.75mm (+ .1/ – .1) & 3mm (+ .1/ – .1). with nozzle change."

Is that a typo? Your competition claims +/-0.04 to +/-0.05mm at most.

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## DrLuigi

> The spec stated that :
> 
> "Filament Tolerances: 1.75mm (+ .1/ – .1) & 3mm (+ .1/ – .1). with nozzle change."
> 
> Is that a typo? Your competition claims +/-0.04 to +/-0.05mm at most.


Still isnt that bad at all, most filament you buy from shops have the same or even larger tolerance,
If you simple measure it every print it wouldnt be a problem i would guess.

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## MysteryAlabaster

> Still isnt that bad at all, most filament you buy from shops have the same or even larger tolerance,
> If you simple measure it every print it wouldnt be a problem i would guess.



Personally, I'd just be glad to be able to recycle my plastic easily...

The process I use now is not safe, and I have the burns to prove it...

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## Strooder

Thank you all for your great feedback and the questions you have asked. We will try to respond to all general queries on this post as best as possible and will reply individually to the more specific questions!

From the start of development we have focused on extruding PLA filament as we knew it was an issue that most extruders have avoided in the past. We are currently a week away from filming the video for Kickstarter which will show PLA being extruded.

Additionally as some of you have pointed out that a  grinding mechanism is currently a great need for the community as a whole. We fully understand this and it is a huge issue for ourselves when our prints fail, I have even attached an image of our current failed prints!  A grinder is the next move for ourselves given that the project is successfully backed. Testing will be done with adding virgin pellets to find the highest quality recycling method possible.

The Kickstarter will be open to international backers and we are currently finding the best option for delivery of the product to yourselves. 

In regards to tolerance, we have beaten current competition on several tests, and we are optimistic to sustain this level of tolerance. However, we did not want to give a final statement on tolerance until we were completely satisfied with ongoing testing, hence the confusion from the article. I have attached an image of a calibration cube we printed with perfect dimensions using Strooder filament to illustrate this. The tolerance will be verified before launch. 

Please ask any questions you have and thank you again for your support.


CalibrationCube20.jpgfailedprints.jpg

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## Strooder

> Well only thing that might be wrong is that you tell in the article that its 20% less than average filament,
> Since i have seen ABS pellets selling for about 1.5 euro a KG. And a average spool is about 20-30 dollars easily.
> (http://www.kwb-wedel.de/ example of such reseller of pellets)
> 
> I would guess it would be quiet bit cheaper than 20% even with the eletricity costs.


Hi DrLuigi, 

When we saw this we were slightly confused as well. However, after second glance we have realised why it has been misinterpreted. It is supposed to mean 20% of the cost of rather than 20% less, sorry for the confusion!

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## Strooder

> I really want to test one, but I'd need a 3 (2.8 to be more precise) mm version.


During Kickstarer the kit will be provided with either a 1.75mm, 2.85mm or 3mm nozzle. However you will be able to order bespoke sizes through our store or by simply emailing us after your purchase.

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## MysteryAlabaster

> Additionally as some of you have pointed out that a winder (Grinding mechanism) is currently a great need for the community as a whole.



I'm not sure if I just missed something, or I don't know certain terms being used, but when I first saw someone asking about a winder, I thought that they meant a mechanism that would wind the extruded filament onto a spool.

This sadly changes my stance on weather or not I will be a backer. I can't put money on something that can't grind my failed prints, and at the same time I'm in a similar situation with the spool winder.

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## DrLuigi

I would personaly also like a winder, i can't have my room filled with plastic filament all over the place :P
I personaly wouldnt rly need a grinder tho, as pellets are so cheap anyhow.

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## Feign

> I can't put money on something that can't grind my failed prints.


How could you not want an excuse to mercilessly apply a hammer to your failed prints?

That's like instant stress relief right there.  :Wink:

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## Strooder

Hi,

Based on the Kickstarter being successful we will be immediatly working on a winder AND a grinding mechanism as accessories for the Strooder. I hope this clears things up for you!

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## Strooder

> My my this looks great.
> This is not restricted to pellets right ? I mean you can also recycle prints, plastic bottles ..  Correct ?
> What kind of safety features do you include ? Auto cut off when Jammed or empty ?
> What is the diameter precision range/repeatability ?
> Regards


Hi LambdaFF,

Currently we are concetrating on delivering a great quality filament from pellets. However, as long as recyled plastic is clearned of all contaminates and shredded to a grain size of 3-5mm you would be able to experiment with various recyled materials. 

The saftey features include automatic cut off when cold, overheat cut off, jam detection cut off and a protective case!

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## DrLuigi

> Hi,
> 
> Based on the Kickstarter being successful we will be immediatly working on a winder AND a grinding mechanism as accessories for the Strooder. I hope this clears things up for you!


Any chance if this would be a achievement/milestone like we seen with other products in the past?

For example * dollars have been achieved, if you donate * dollars more you will get a winder addon or/and grinding mechanism.

Due i personaly wouldnt realy buy a filament maker without a winder tbh ^^
After that the strooder looks great and compact, alot better than others i've seen so far wich are most of the time homebrew :P

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## Roxy

> Any chance if this would be a achievement/milestone like we seen with other products in the past?
> 
> For example * dollars have been achieved, if you donate * dollars more you will get a winder addon or/and grinding mechanism.
> 
> Due i personaly wouldnt realy buy a filament maker without a winder tbh ^^
> After that the strooder looks great and compact, alot better than others i've seen so far wich are most of the time homebrew :P


I'm not sure but my head might be in the same place.  The whole reason I think the Strooder is cool is because I have so many failed prints where I would like to throw the plastic I spent into the grinder and have it make me some new filament.

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## Strooder

> Any chance if this would be a achievement/milestone like we seen with other products in the past?
> 
> For example * dollars have been achieved, if you donate * dollars more you will get a winder addon or/and grinding mechanism.
> 
> Due i personaly wouldnt realy buy a filament maker without a winder tbh ^^
> After that the strooder looks great and compact, alot better than others i've seen so far wich are most of the time homebrew :P


This is a great suggestion that we can add to our milestones and we are taking it into discussions as we speak! 

Thank you

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## Strooder

Update #4: 

Happy Early May Bank Holiday to those of you enjoying your extra day off, we've been working, but we don't mind at all as all development are on track for the launch in less than two weeks time!

The final gear box design was finalised and has been put through its final testing over the past few days:

WP_20140505_02_47_16_Pro.jpg

Moreover, and what we are most excited about is to see the casing and internals being produced, ready for full assembly:

WP_20140502_13_36_25_Pro.jpgWP_20140502_20_31_26_Pro.jpgWP_20140502_23_18_59_Pro.jpg

Any thoughts would help us a lot, so keep asking questions about Strooder and we'll try our best to answer.

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## old man emu

When you are figuring out how to box up your components for transport, plan to sandwich your laser cut parts between two pieces of cardboard. The laser cut parts tend to separate from the board during transport, especially on long journeys to foreign countries, and the buyer opens the box to find a jig-saw puzzle. That detracts from your product's first impression.

Also, make sure that your assembly instructions are clear. Beta test them by having a novice build your product from the instructions only. Remember, a customer might be trying to assemble your product on the other side of the world, in a different time zone. Having to wait 12 hours for a response to an enquiry is frustrating. 

Old Man Emu

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## MysteryAlabaster

> Also, make sure that your assembly instructions are clear. Beta test them by having a novice build your product from the instructions only. Remember, a customer might be trying to assemble your product on the other side of the world, in a different time zone. Having to wait 12 hours for a response to an enquiry is frustrating.



I'm sure there are people here who would love to help you make translations, or even be your beta tester.


Personally, if there was promise of a grinder/winder, I would pay big to be your tester. If only to just have the unit to use.
It should be really easy to find someone locally to test for you.

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## MysteryAlabaster

> This is a great suggestion that we can add to our milestones and we are taking it into discussions as we speak!


When you decide the milestones, take into consideration the fact that there are people, like me, who probably won't back you until the grinder and winder are guaranteed.

We've just had all too many failures on the developers part in the past to be able to trust these kinds of KickStarters...

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## bmdnut

Strooder,

Is there anywhere we can register for a notification when the Kickstarter goes live?

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## Strooder

> When you are figuring out how to box up your components for transport, plan to sandwich your laser cut parts between two pieces of cardboard. The laser cut parts tend to separate from the board during transport, especially on long journeys to foreign countries, and the buyer opens the box to find a jig-saw puzzle. That detracts from your product's first impression.
> 
> Also, make sure that your assembly instructions are clear. Beta test them by having a novice build your product from the instructions only. Remember, a customer might be trying to assemble your product on the other side of the world, in a different time zone. Having to wait 12 hours for a response to an enquiry is frustrating. 
> 
> Old Man Emu


Hi Emu,

This is great advice. 

However the Strooder will actually be shipped fully assembled to avoid all these complications and ensure the end user has as little troubles as possible. This is something we have not communicated yet so thank you for reminding us to make everyone aware! 

We are trying to make our instruction manual as clear as possible and will be beta testing everything before shipment.


Thanks again

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## Strooder

> I'm sure there are people here who would love to help you make translations, or even be your beta tester.
> 
> Personally, if there was promise of a grinder/winder, I would pay big to be your tester. If only to just have the unit to use.
> It should be really easy to find someone locally to test for you.


Within the next week we are meeting with a big contender in the 3D printer market who we are taking Strooder to be showcased and tested.
 We are also going to be locally beta testing and potentially opening up beta to the interested world. We will certainly invite you to be one of the first if this is the case. 





> When you decide the milestones, take into consideration the fact that there are people, like me, who probably won't back you until the grinder and winder are guaranteed.
> 
> We've just had all too many failures on the developers part in the past to be able to trust these kinds of KickStarters...


It's one of the first things we discussed when in talks about a winder and grinder being offered as a milestone. 
It has been difficult deciding what the best option is, but we feel you will be happy with the outcome which will be seen during the Kickstarer launch

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## Strooder

> Strooder,
> 
> Is there anywhere we can register for a notification when the Kickstarter goes live?


If you simply head to www.omnidynamics.co.uk and scroll to the bottom, you can enter your email to sign up for a newsletter, upon which we will only update with the most importnat information about Kickstarter and its launch.

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## old man emu

> However the Strooder will actually be shipped fully assembled to avoid all these complications and ensure the end user has as little troubles as possible. This is something we have not communicated yet so thank you for reminding us to make everyone aware!


I suggest that you reconsider your plan to deliver the Strooder already assembled to foreign countries. Although the weight of the consignment will not change appreciably, the size of the box will, and that could add tens of dollars to the final cost for the buyer. I know I hate paying heaps for unused volume in packages I obtain from overseas. If your assembly instructions are clear, and you have tested them by having a complete novice assemble the thing, then you should be OK. However, Murphy's Law lets you know that there is some moron out there who will fit Tab A into Slot C with a sledgehammer, when Tab A is designed to slip easily into Slot A.

OME

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## Strooder

> I suggest that you reconsider your plan to deliver the Strooder already assembled to foreign countries. Although the weight of the consignment will not change appreciably, the size of the box will, and that could add tens of dollars to the final cost for the buyer. I know I hate paying heaps for unused volume in packages I obtain from overseas. If your assembly instructions are clear, and you have tested them by having a complete novice assemble the thing, then you should be OK. However, Murphy's Law lets you know that there is some moron out there who will fit Tab A into Slot C with a sledgehammer, when Tab A is designed to slip easily into Slot A.
> 
> OME


 
This is an invaluable suggestion. We are 100% certain that all UK shipping of Strooder will be fully assembled. We are currently still trying to find the best shipping option for international purchases so that the shipping cost is not heaps out of your wallet. If we find that the shippment prices are too high we will ship Strooder flat packed to international buyers; it is our intention to make the whole Stooder experience as easy for every user as possible so will not do anything that would ever result in any buyer paying extortionate amounts for packaging and shipment. However, for the time being our aim is to still ship it fully assembled.

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## Strooder

Update #6:

The filming has been completed after 2 days of madness. Over the next few days we will be working to create the final edit, which should be complete by the end of next week. The video will be showcased to a small focus group before it is submitted to Kickstarter and we may release it early for a select amount of people who are interested within this forum to gain constructive feedback straight from the users; you guys!

10177952_627850810641693_5149542740395946994_n.jpg

It has been decided that Strooder’s default colour will be Jet black, and all Strooders on Kickstarter will be shipped in Jet black. There is however a reward pledge amount to have Strooder in any colour of your choice. All colours will be available during main release.

1908316_626887727404668_879153500421622760_n.jpg

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## 3dkarma

> It has been decided that Strooder’s default colour will be Jet black, and all Strooders on Kickstarter will be shipped in Jet black. There is however a reward pledge amount to have Strooder in any colour of your choice. All colours will be available during main release.


Dang.  I wanted orange.

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## Strooder

Update #7: 

We have new gears and a motor encoder. The gears transfer higher tourqe and the encoder is giving smoother control. Both are making the filament more consistent.

Also a big welcome to mini Strooder, the prototype keyring being perfected as we speak! 

Protokeyring.jpg

 We wanted to also say a big thanks to 3Duniverse for their article covering Strooder! If you haven't seen it check it out here: http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/05/15/strooder/

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## DrLuigi

> Update #7: 
> 
> We have new gears and a motor encoder. The gears transfer higher tourqe and the encoder is giving smoother control. Both are making the filament more consistent.
> 
> Also a big welcome to mini Strooder, the prototype keyring being perfected as we speak! 
> 
> Protokeyring.jpg
> 
>  We wanted to also say a big thanks to 3Duniverse for their article covering Strooder! If you haven't seen it check it out here: http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/05/15/strooder/



Ah so it is going to cost roughly 450 dollars?
Thats quiet a bit more than the kickstarter, wich makes me think that the retail version will be improven quiet a bit as quality goes etc?

Kinda hoped on this project to be more economical as price goes, To be something that would get more people making there own filament, If it is 450 dollars well, then it wont be that much diffrent as the others we know now.
Even tho the Strooder seems more compact and a bit more nicely to have in your room, kinda dissapointed on that side to be honest.

Just saying my opinion to help you of course.  :Wink:

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## Yorke

I've been a bit of a kickstarter design and technology addict for the last couple of years so I'd be more than happy to review the kickstarter video prior to launch.

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## Strooder

> Ah so it is going to cost roughly 450 dollars?
> Thats quiet a bit more than the kickstarter, wich makes me think that the retail version will be improven quiet a bit as quality goes etc?
> 
> Kinda hoped on this project to be more economical as price goes, To be something that would get more people making there own filament, If it is 450 dollars well, then it wont be that much diffrent as the others we know now.
> Even tho the Strooder seems more compact and a bit more nicely to have in your room, kinda dissapointed on that side to be honest.
> 
> Just saying my opinion to help you of course.


Hi DrLuigi, 


You're correct, when retailed Strooder will roughly cost $450. The reasons vary as to why the price level set but with everything we do we are trying to make extrusion cheaper and easier for every user. Any profit seen from Strooder is being taken to improve Strooder but it is also going to be injected into research to find the cheapest ways and sources to extrude quality and inexpensive filament. This will mean that we will be able to offer advice on how to find the best pellets, whether that be in our shop or from an external retailer. It will also mean there will be a platform to communicate with other users to share knowledge on producing various flavors and such. 


Thank you for your opinion, it's deeply valued.

----------


## Strooder

Update #8:


Kickstarter has been sent for approval! 


It has taken many days to finalise everything but the wait should be worth it! We are expecting it to be approved by the very latest the 27th May but will be updating as soon as we find out. 


We made a small teaser trailer which shows the progression Strooder has gone through. You'll be able to see the full showcase in the Kickstarter video. 

Check it out! 

https://vimeo.com/95998412

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## savantUSA

We are launching a filament extruder in about a month on Kickstarter.  We are Open Source and would like to collaborate if possible on the Strooder.  Our design is longer and has a self-winding spool.  Its made to use in a lab or school, meaning you can extrude what you need, or make a full spool if you'd like.  After Kickstarter orders are fulfilled, we will release the files and BOM. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...token=b04cde69

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## Strooder

> We are launching a filament extruder in about a month on Kickstarter.  We are Open Source and would like to collaborate if possible on the Strooder.  Our design is longer and has a self-winding spool.  Its made to use in a lab or school, meaning you can extrude what you need, or make a full spool if you'd like.  After Kickstarter orders are fulfilled, we will release the files and BOM. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...token=b04cde69


We too are hoping too supply to schools and labs and  for this reason have focused on user friendliness and safety for the product. 

We are also introducing an automatic winder for our project that will be attached as one of our stretch goals for our campaign this month (credit Dr luigi). 

We would be interested in discussing your plans further and any potential for collaboration, please contact us as soon as possible through info@omnidynamics.co.uk so we can begin discussing this before our impending launch .

----------


## Strooder

Update #9:


We have been approved by Kickstarter. Everything is in place and we are launching today (May 27th) at 18:00 GMT+1!


We want to say a massive thank you to all of you who have contributed to this thread. You have all been an incredible help and your comments and questions truly have shaped what Strooder is today. The motivation you provide as a result of your feedback really keeps our team in order and allows us to work to our full potential. So, thank you. 


As a means of saying thank you, we will post a link to the Kickstarter tomorrow before it goes live so you can check it out and have a chance to hopefully grab those early birds before they run out. (Shh don't tell anyone!) 


If you have any questions about the Kickstarter we will answer them both here and on Kickstarter.

Strooder launch today.jpg

And finally, a massive thanks to 3Dprint who wrote this fantastic article on Strooder: http://3dprint.com/4445/strooder-kickstarter/

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## bmdnut

Any idea what you'll be charging for shipping to Australia?

----------


## Strooder

> Any idea what you'll be charging for shipping to Australia?


Hi,

For international orders, the charges will be offset by the UK charges, so you will only pay the remainder. We are putting estimates on the Kickstarter page but the estimated price for shipment to Australia is roughly £30.

----------


## JRDM

I seriously question the profit margin claim. It really doesn't bode well for an upstart to not understand what it takes to stay in business making a product. There's a lot more to costs to produce a product than just the cost of raw materials.

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## Strooder

> I seriously question the profit margin claim. It really doesn't bode well for an upstart to not understand what it takes to stay in business making a product. There's a lot more to costs to produce a product than just the cost of raw materials.


Hi JRDM,


All of our business costs have been factored in when we priced Strooder. We fully appreciate what it takes to stay a float as a business and providing the Kickstarter goal is met we will have the financial means to do so.

----------


## Strooder

Almost time, less than 30 mins and as promised the preview link so you can be notified when we launch https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...token=aa2486b3

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## Strooder

Launch!! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...nting-filament Ultra early birds are gone already!

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## Karel

You reached your goal within 11 hours!
Congrats. Hope you will make the 50,000 stretch goal...  :Big Grin:

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## MysteryAlabaster

So I'm confused...

As of now, the Kickstarter is at about 23,000. If I back this for the 199 tier right now, when I get mine, would I be able to break up my failed prints and recycle them? I know the bot doesn't have a grinder, but it's stated somewhere that if it would fit in the feed tube, you can recycle it. Does that currently hold true, or would that be a future development?


If that is a feature already implemented in the design, I'll back it later today. I'd rather be able to do that by hand without the grinder, than not be able to recycle at all.

----------


## Strooder

> So I'm confused...
> 
> As of now, the Kickstarter is at about 23,000. If I back this for the 199 tier right now, when I get mine, would I be able to break up my failed prints and recycle them? I know the bot doesn't have a grinder, but it's stated somewhere that if it would fit in the feed tube, you can recycle it. Does that currently hold true, or would that be a future development?
> 
> 
> If that is a feature already implemented in the design, I'll back it later today. I'd rather be able to do that by hand without the grinder, than not be able to recycle at all.



That is absolutely possible. As long as the plastic is cut down to the feed tube size (less than .5mm) and any contaminants are removed then you can recycle it.

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## MysteryAlabaster

> That is absolutely possible. As long as the plastic is cut down to the feed tube size (less than .5mm) and any contaminants are removed then you can recycle it.



If Kickstarter would ever take my card info, I'd back you today.

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## astro

Congratulations for this great achievement , I am interested in this kind of machine since I saw the lyman and others. but I'm not handy and the price of other very high speed for a lower result in your post that I can see.
Besides small footprint .
Since yesterday , I hesitate to take action to buy. initially I saw that the delivery was in September but now it's October , that's when you can expect . ;-)


At the moment we can only rely on your information this is the reason why I hang a little, because I do not want to be disappointed with my purchase .


1 / According to some articles I see as features 8 RPM , 10 RPM and even 10 to 35 RPM , there is even video on your 10 or 11 RPM .
what is the real value ? and when you say we are talking about RPM screw stepper motor because the displaced volume is not the same .
I want a machine that does not put one kilogram 10am to because I want to watch while talking about security .


2 / According to some photo here and on other articles, by the time I see an internal wooden box and when a plastic case . what it actually ?
if it's plastic I'm afraid that with time and temperature ( direct and indirect) support pin deforms .

3 / aodre I design, I'll ask for on my desk.
my wife can not say that it is not aesthetic .

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## bmdnut

> That is absolutely possible. As long as the plastic is cut down to the feed tube size (less than .5mm) and any contaminants are removed then you can recycle it.


You might want to double check your information - on your KS home page you say "The parts only need to be as small as the feed tube, about an inch".  That's a fair old difference to .5mm (by a factor of 50).

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## MysteryAlabaster

> You might want to double check your information - on your KS home page you say "The parts only need to be as small as the feed tube, about an inch".  That's a fair old difference to .5mm (by a factor of 50).



Wait... What?


I pitched the idea of backing this to my school and told them one inch...
That was the deciding factor. I can't get them to agree to back this for $333 unless we can recycle our plastic.

Nobody is going to sit down and grind huge chunks of plastic into pieces that small...

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## bmdnut

@MysteryAlabaster - I'm pretty sure the .5mm is an error - just waiting for Strooder to clarify/amend.

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## Strooder

> Congratulations for this great achievement , I am interested in this kind of machine since I saw the lyman and others. but I'm not handy and the price of other very high speed for a lower result in your post that I can see.
> Besides small footprint .
> Since yesterday , I hesitate to take action to buy. initially I saw that the delivery was in September but now it's October , that's when you can expect . ;-)
> 
> 
> At the moment we can only rely on your information this is the reason why I hang a little, because I do not want to be disappointed with my purchase .
> 
> 
> 1 / According to some articles I see as features 8 RPM , 10 RPM and even 10 to 35 RPM , there is even video on your 10 or 11 RPM .
> ...


Hey Astro,

1) We have been experimenting with different motors to achieve the best results possible however the aim is to have about 10 RMP (currently 8 RPM) top speed on the auger bit. The 35 RPM referred to the motor we used previously before it had been geared.  

2) The inside mount holding components together is currently made of mild steel that is welded as stresses are great. The outside shell is currently made from plywood which is laser cut. It has been tested and exposed to high temperatures for extended periods of time to ensure safety.

3) Thank you. We worked with our designers very hard to have visually pleasing and functional product.

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## Strooder

> You might want to double check your information - on your KS home page you say "The parts only need to be as small as the feed tube, about an inch".  That's a fair old difference to .5mm (by a factor of 50).



Our current tests were with the plastic size up to 5 mm grain size which has performed successfully. We have had positive results of extrusion up to about an inch but we are still finalising the tests to ensure best results and to make sure it doesn't affect filament consistency.

----------


## Strooder

> Wait... What?
> 
> 
> I pitched the idea of backing this to my school and told them one inch...
> That was the deciding factor. I can't get them to agree to back this for $333 unless we can recycle our plastic.
> 
> Nobody is going to sit down and grind huge chunks of plastic into pieces that small...


Hi, 

Sorry to hear your confusion. As mentioned above, it is guaranteed that 5mm can be fed into the tube and be successfully extruded. We are continuing our testing of up to an inch and it is looking hopeful that this will be a possibility. 
This is also why a grinder is a future development for Strooder so that the process time can be reduced.

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## DrLuigi

Hello,
I wanted to ask if its sure it will cost 170 dollars more when selling it as retail?

Just as i am thinking to buy one, But more for in the Summer vacation personaly,

And personaly i do think that the price you've set now for your strooder is a nice point to be diffrent from others,
But if you would actualy bump the price to 450 dollars, well than your again diffrent than the normal Homebrew machine or the chinese brands.

I kinda find 450 dollars to much for a home user, as you realy wont print that much to get even profit after a year, as you would need to print roughly 25kg of plastic to get on your break even point as user.
Perhaps its something nice for stores to sell there own plastic, but for home users i would kinda advice to perhaps try to stay at your current pricepoint.

I just kinda felt to say that :P

As i kinda like the product and the work you've put into it, But its just no diffrent than we have now if you would make it 250+ dollars more expensive than a homebrew machine.

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## Strooder

> Hello,
> I wanted to ask if its sure it will cost 170 dollars more when selling it as retail?
> 
> Just as i am thinking to buy one, But more for in the Summer vacation personaly,
> 
> And personaly i do think that the price you've set now for your strooder is a nice point to be diffrent from others,
> But if you would actualy bump the price to 450 dollars, well than your again diffrent than the normal Homebrew machine or the chinese brands.
> 
> I kinda find 450 dollars to much for a home user, as you realy wont print that much to get even profit after a year, as you would need to print roughly 25kg of plastic to get on your break even point as user.
> ...


Hello,

The retail price is definitely set at £249 (Approx. $415) 

If you are buying pellets from ourselves it would take around 15KG-17KG to break even, given you use virgin pellets. 

Once retailing our aim is to at least match our competitors on price but to beat them on performance and ease of use. The price point is set based on many factors, all focused on the consumer. 

Thank you Luigi, we have put tremendous efforts into Strooder

----------


## Strooder

Strooder has hit over £50K now which means if you add £50 to your Strooder pledge, you will receive an automatic spooler. 

Check out the latest update to see the prototype spooler in action

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...filament/posts

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## DrLuigi

Hello Strooder,

I would like to ask how consistent your filament is at the moment?

Like if you have a spool of 100m, At the end at the start it wiggles between ?/?

I am kinda curious and thinking to buy it as my next school i would goto is more specialized in plastics.
So i would be able to get plastic for around 1-2 euro a kilo,

Also is the winder going to get a bit more compact later on or?

And does this all make alot of noise, and how much eletricity does it all take? Incl the winder.

Also any idea if this could do Nylon and PET? As they are both under 250c as far as smelt temrpature goes.

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## Strooder

Hello DrLuigi,

Currently the consistency is at most 0.06, but we are working to improve this so it is consistently below 0.05. The new nozzle designs have been completed and send away to be fabricated. The flow has greatly been improved and we have a high hopes for the new design.

We are working on few spooler designs and the compact nature of the spooler is one of the requirements. We have experimented with different motors to find the quietest one and the device is now significantly quieter than previous prototypes. More testing and decibel measurement will come in later updates.

We are running whole device including Strooder of 15A power supply (180W).

In theory Nylon and PET are possible, but we will conform this for you within the week as we finanlise our plastic testing!

Thank you

----------


## DrLuigi

> check this out
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.eweindustries.comAttachment 1698
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/eweindustries?fref=ts


Could you please make your own topic instead of bombing someone else there project with a link with yours?


Also i find personaly if a extruder is to high as price goes, where is still the profit of having one?
Isnt it better to just buy one for 20 euros instead of buying another device that costs 450-800 euros?
You would have to buy the pellets and eletricity, so it will take long till you even have your breakeven point

This is a opinion and simple a discussion and i would like perhaps if one of you guys could answer it,
Due with those prices i don't think any household would get one, or he is printing every day with 4 printers.

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## DrLuigi

> Hello DrLuigi,
> 
> Currently the consistency is at most 0.06, but we are working to improve this so it is consistently below 0.05. The new nozzle designs have been completed and send away to be fabricated. The flow has greatly been improved and we have a high hopes for the new design.
> 
> We are working on few spooler designs and the compact nature of the spooler is one of the requirements. We have experimented with different motors to find the quietest one and the device is now significantly quieter than previous prototypes. More testing and decibel measurement will come in later updates.
> 
> We are running whole device including Strooder of 15A power supply (180W).
> 
> In theory Nylon and PET are possible, but we will conform this for you within the week as we finanlise our plastic testing!
> ...



Could you please respond about the other questions i've had?
As i am thinking to buy one perhaps, But i aint sure for some points.

----------


## Strooder

> Could you please respond about the other questions i've had?
> As i am thinking to buy one perhaps, But i aint sure for some points.


Hi again DrLuigi,

It is great to hear that you are still wanting to purchase a Strooder before the Kickstarter comes to an end!

This week we employed two new engineers and an engineering intern who are focusing solely on making Strooder the best it can be. We are currently in testing of the newest version of Strooder that has a quieter yet more powerful motor, steel lasercut internal structure which offers imporoved durability, a new nozzel design and an enhanced user interface. 

The enginieers are working with us to make sure that Strooder will work without any faults when it arrives at your door. Because we have had to focus our attention on the new version we are still finalising PLA and ABS testing which has shown stronger and more consistent results everyday. Once this has been finished our imediate next step will be to test other material and colours and we will get this news to you as soon as we know. 

What we can say is that in theory we will be able to melt any plastics in the temprature range of Strooder, up to 250 degrees, and the new engineers will be verifiying this very soon. Unfortunetly we cannot give a definitive answer until these tests have been completed. However, as a team we have complete faith in the potnetial that Strooder holds.

We understand that this does not fully answeryour question, but hope you can make a decision based on this information topurchase a Strooder before Kickstarter ends.

If you have any other queries don't hesitate to ask!

----------


## LambdaFF

The latest update says now all updates and info will be available on their web site.
http://shop.strooder.com/updates

----------


## Strooder

Our latest preview video of Strooder. Getting closer to making all the custom filament for 3D printing. The expected release date is now February 2015

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## LambdaFF

> In theory Nylon and PET are possible, but we will conform this for you within the week as we finanlise our plastic testing!


OK, so are Nylon and PET possible ?
What is the manufacture status now ?

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## procrash

Is anybody so kind who backed up the kickstarter project and forward me the updates? Unfortunately or furtunately depending how you might see it I was not part of the backing campain. I tried to contact the initiators of this project several times. At first they seemed to be very quick (I was paying money upfront through their webpage to receive the product at christmas time). They also promised me to provide me the updates and responded to every mail. Now as is didn't pull back my money from paypal and that some time has passed I'd like to get some updates. Contacting them by mail was not successfull. Via the facebook page neither. And on kickstarter I can't mail other users to ask them about the updates. It's a mess. I'm very disappointed about the current situation. Especially from the guys how developed this thing. Do I not have the same right as other kickstarter users to see what's going on currently? Please drop me a mail at p r o c r a s h @ n e u s o b DOT de if you are a kickstarter backer and are able to provide me some updates.

----------


## Strooder

Hi Procrash, 

Sorry for not responding sooner, I  first i would like to thank you for supporting the product, I will of course send across the update now for you to read.  

Best regards 
OmniTeam

----------


## LambdaFF

> I will of course send across the update now for you to read.


... And what a read that is. Sit down first.

----------


## positronicman

> ... And what a read that is. Sit down first.


Care to share?

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## LambdaFF

> Care to share?


Well, I'll try and summarize the facts.

At the backers' request, the last update goes into detail over :
- the manufacture planning for the 1st batch destined to early bird backers + reviewers.
- why they are priorizing reviewers over the rest of the backers.
- the reasons behind the revised planning (early birds were supposed to ship september 2014).
- their confidence regarding the second batch for the rest of the backers.

It was a lengthy update and it covered more but that's the gist of the facts.

As with such projects, time will show.

As with such delays, not everyone is happy (and I'm really polite here).

----------


## positronicman

Thanks for passing on the info.  When are they expecting the second run to complete and ship?

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## LambdaFF

> Thanks for passing on the info. When are they expecting the second run to complete and ship?


Hum. They don't know.

Look out for news that the 1st batch has been delivered and the subsequent reviews by a few pro tech journalists (I don't know, maybe T Sanladerer ?). I think they might make it 3 to 4 months after that point IF they have the budget, which is part of the issue here.

Best case scenario, they're about 15 months late on their Kickstarter campaign. Worst..

----------


## superprinter12

Hello people, 

I am maybe thinking about buying a strooder, but how are they coming along? 
Has anyone been able to test it etc?  and how are they on delivery and such?

Thanks,

----------


## LambdaFF

> Thanks for passing on the info. When are they expecting the second run to complete and ship?


Well, they completely blew the first batch delivery goal they had announced for july. They probably won't even make it for september now. They don't even keep the timeline they announced for updates on the topic. Don't expect much.

----------


## LambdaFF

> Thanks for passing on the info. When are they expecting the second run to complete and ship?


Well there's news. They lost 2 weeks since last time : didn't provide file to manufacturer and didn't talk to him in all that time so no opportunity to correct that ... in the end 0 progress because this was on their critical path.

DAMN

----------


## LambdaFF

> Thanks for passing on the info. When are they expecting the second run to complete and ship?


Well, still no progress, there was a mistake in the file for the PCBs... probably another month until we get any news. As a reminder, the goal here is to ship to the early backers & to send units to reviewers to get publicity. The delivery to the other backers will wait until after that. For pre-orders, ...

So - basically - no progress since june on that front. One month of delay announced at each monthly update. *Like taking a hike in the fog.

*However, the team was already considering their next product : a shredder. And, they had the opportunity to go to more shows in the meantime.

How can they start a new product when the 1st one is a year late and counting ? How can they go to shows when they're already having funds concerns ? How can they spend time/funds/energy on those 2 when the basics are not covered : if you look at the previous message, they didn't notice a file error for 2 weeks for lack of communication with their provider !

Beats me. Combined with their lack of communication it's extremely irritatiing. They're part of the reason I'm off Kickstarter.

----------


## LambdaFF

Another monthly update missed... a week ago.

Suggestion was raised that a minimum number of complaints are required for them to bother with an update. 

So disappointing.

----------


## iDig3Dprinting

> Another monthly update missed... a week ago.
> 
> Suggestion was raised that a minimum number of complaints are required for them to bother with an update. 
> 
> So disappointing.


You should just buy some filament and then you can do some 3D printing rather than waiting for the filament maker :Stick Out Tongue:

----------


## LambdaFF

> You should just buy some filament and then you can do some 3D printing rather than waiting for the filament maker


Agreed. Especially since Strooder is busy delaying the project of 1 month ... every month.

Another great project launched with magnificent articles everywhere, rode on hype and delivers ... not even updates.

----------


## iDig3Dprinting

> Agreed. Especially since Strooder is busy delaying the project of 1 month ... every month.
> 
> Another great project launched with magnificent articles everywhere, rode on hype and delivers ... not even updates.


You're an original backer of the campaign?

----------


## LambdaFF

Unfortunately yes

----------


## LambdaFF

I can't believe it. Yesterday's update states :
- they have to force fit (hammer) some assemblies.
- the auger screws have to be re-lathed 1mm. How was the initial design tolerance set if you need to remove 1mm in a tube/rod assembly ??
- They have picked delays (again) because they noticed just now that each PCB is missing a couple mosfets. ... like "it's so small, we didn't notice". Really ?

... and that's the end for me of Kickstarter : they make it too easy for people with no engineering skills to present a couple of arranged photos and over-optimistic statements of "prototypes" that are "ready for manufacture".

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## iDig3Dprinting

This to me sounds like a bad choice of manufacturing partner but with some heavy lessons about the importance of oversight. This is obviously a painful lesson for them, and for you. The thing to cling to is that they are still trying to make a go of it and so it should not end the way of the Zano drone

----------


## LambdaFF

> Our latest preview video of Strooder. Getting closer to making all the custom filament for 3D printing. The expected release date is now February 2015


HAHAHAHAHA..... Never again Kickstarter.

----------


## LambdaFF

> I'm very impressed with this.  3DPrint.com just covered you guys in an article.  I can't wait to see how well your kickstarter project goes.
> 
> Read the article at
> http://3dprint.com/3026/strooder-3d-...r-kickstarter/


Eddie, you should do a follow up to show people that not all funded projects actually reach completion.

Especially since the picture of the article with the mention "pre-order on kickstarter" is quite deceptive.

----------

