I think the extension springs are going to work. I worked for a while on options to use compression springs and captured nuts, but they were all bulky to get the needed strength. The M3x50 screws were hard to get anyway.
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I think the extension springs are going to work. I worked for a while on options to use compression springs and captured nuts, but they were all bulky to get the needed strength. The M3x50 screws were hard to get anyway.
Clough42, what file type is your dual belted extruder designed with? It looks like you are a fan of Solid-Works. I wish this was done in OpenScad.
I guess that kills it for me, and anyone else who doesn't use the hexagon hotend. Unless the hexagon stuff is optional, that is...
I'd still love a parametric hotend cooling shroud like your design so I could make it work with my E3D v6. Then I might be able to find a print cooling fan that fits.
Just guessing but there could be room for e3d v6's as well. Was there a dimension on the center to center of the nozzles?
The E3D v6 will fit if the centre-centre distance is 30mm or more. That's with fan duct installed as well, to have room for the 30mm fan. http://files.e3d-online.com/v6/Drawings/V6-175.pdf
Quick edit :). Yes, I was referring to the center to center on the extruder.
the fans can be rotated out some due to the clip on shrouds, so I think it could be less than the full 30mm.
Not very much, though, as there's only about 65mm in between the two side pieces bracing the extruder shelf. Less, if you have an ABL servo. It's going to be tight.
N.B.: I am in no way trying to nitpick or naysay clough42's design. I want to see it released so that I can use it myself. I'm sure any of these minor issues can be resolved or worked around in some way. I'll get different hotends if I have to, dammit. :)
I think it is unfortunate it wasn't done in OpenScad. That would have worked better for me.
The center-to-center distance is 20mm. I think this will work for many hot ends (Hexagon, JHead, Merlin, Magma). If you want something wider, there is a dual extruder earlier in this thread with (if I remember correctly) 32mm spacing.
The dual extruder is coming along nicely. This is the third or fourth prototype. If only I had more time...
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BTW, if you're in the US and interested in getting a 3mm Hexagon, I ended up buying a whole pile of them and listing the extras on eBay.
I wish you had more time too...lol.... I'm really interested in what you are doing.
Just looked at EBay and couldn't find your Hexagons. Do you have a link?
Ok, lets do this. I bought two of your Hexagons on EBay to force me to focus on it. I'll assist your prototyping. I can make the time as my day job is me...
What are you modeling with? Can I get your files/drawings/dimensions? I can import and convert almost any format there is. I'd like to help you play around with the design you've started. It would be great to get this tweaked out and working.
Interested to see how this goes, love the design of it. Too bad I missed out on the hot ends. Can't ever have enough hot ends!!!!!
MiniMadRyan, there are 2 more of clough42's hot ends on EBay. I'll send you the link in a PM, the link he sent me.
Do an advanced search for "hexagon" and seller "clough42".
Clough42 - how goes it with the dual extruder?
I can answer that just a bit. I'm working with him to refine and perfect it. Actually, I'm getting my copy of it set up today and starting some tests. It's looking fantastic but not ready for prime time just yet, but pretty close. But, that's his call.
I'm just being a Beta tester I guess you could say. I've built it and am comparing notes with him to see where we match and where I'm different. It's coming along though. I'll let James weigh in...I've said enough.
I'll start another thread later today. I'll make early bits available on GitHub, but I'm not ready to put this on Thingiverse just yet.
I've added a RasPi and a relay board to my printer, which now makes it (almost) completely controllable remotely over the internet. The only thing I cannot yet do remotely is remove the finished part from the bed to start a new print.
I can turn the printer on and off, control the fans and lights, upload gcode and start prints.
At long last, I'm releasing the Itty Bitty Double Extruder: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:566329
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Based on MakerFarm hobbed bolts, Hexagon hot ends and NEMA 14 motors, it's super-compact, with the hot ends on 20mm centers and the whole package narrower and lighter than the stock single extruder. I've included everything you need to mount the extruder on a MakerFarm i3v printer, with hot end cooling, print cooling and a servo Z probe all integrated into the system.
Many thanks to RobH2 for countless hours of prototype testing and feedback.
If there's interest, I can start another thread for discussion.
Hi all, I can confirm that dual extruder is awesome. I only have one printer and I had to remove my existing extruder and steal a few screws so if this thing didn't work, I was out of a printer until I got things back together. But, that fear was unfounded because as soon as I began build it I realized it was going to work right away. I haven't looked back. I have about 15 hours of print time on it now without a single jam or hiccup. I had a power supply issue that stymied me a bit but I've worked past that I think. It had nothing to do with the extruder. The mods you need to make to Marlin are not difficult either. I can post what I did if people what that.
It's a great design, well thought out and great looking. So many extruder designs look like boxes glued to more boxes. This design really looks like it does what it says it does.
I appreciate the kudos for testing and feedback but I have to admit, it was so well designed that there was not that much to tweak. The fact that I was able to print it, order the parts and pretty much get it working on the first pass speaks volumes to the work that had already gone into the initial design and prototyping. I had to modify the design to fit my older style Makerfarm i3 8" as I have rods for the x-carriage. This was designed for the Markerfarm V-slot version, the latest model.
I made a special back plate for the extruder shelf and the only mod I needed for my Makerfarm was to drill two small holes in the wood of the x-carriage bearing plate. If there is interest I can upload that plate to Thingiverse for you. Those holes allow the extruder shelf to rotate enough to level the two hexagons. It's a really easy mod if you have the older Makerfarm, or, any other printer that has an "L" shaped mounting system.
So, go to Thingiverse and give this thing a try. It's worth the work. So, thanks 'clough42', for an awesome dual-extruder Hexagon solution for the Makerfarm.
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I'm very interested in your Itty "Bitty Double Extruder, I have most of your mods installed on my i3v and this would be the next step in the evolution of my machine. if you decide to do a hardware kit I would buy one.
Clough42, have you seen this? http://www.filastruder.com/products/...eid=a4395377f5 I hope it wouldn't be hard to get this hotend to work with your extruder, especially the Cyclops variant. :)
It's a dual hexagon extruder. I respect the decision to concentrate on one system rather than trying to be all things to all people.
I would be a bit careful on the brand new stuff from E3d for a while since they stepped on their ding a lings pretty good with the Phoenix printer deal.
It's a dual extruder for anything you can get to fit the spacing. If the new dual hotends fit, I see no reason to not use them.
For those of you who are not using Auto Bed Leveling yet, here is a caliper holder I made for the i3v. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:570778 It clips onto the X axis v-slot extrusions, and lets you use the caliper's depth gauge to level the print bed.
Please excuse the ugly filament. I'm trying to use it up as fast as I can, and usually paint it to hide it.
Agreed.
I think the hot ends you mention, though are for bowden use. While you could use my extruder to drive a dual bowden system, it wasn't really designed for that. There are probably better options.
The Itty Bitty Dual Extruder is really all about getting the hot ends as close to each other as possible and minimizing moving mass. Neither of these are issues for the bowden.
Very cool thread. I ordered a i3v 10" last weekend and am hoping I can get most of Clough42's mods to work for it as I am new to the 3d printing world. Thanks for all the hard work guys
Here is my first custom mod for the i3v
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:633186
Z-ROD SUPPORT BRACKET
I've published an improved support bracket for use at the top of the i3v frames to Thingiverse - http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:636381. There's been another bracket out there, but I found ways to improve various aspects of it. Predefined STL files with and without a bearing recess are provided, along with the openSCAD source that allows the entire bracket to be customized.
The same bracket would be installed on both sides; I don't offer one that includes mounting provisions for the MakerFarm spool mount.
These won't improve print quality. In fact, if they're installed with pre-exisiting bent threaded rods, print quality might actually suffer since any bend may force the X carriage to wobble around a bit as the bent threaded rod is rotated. The brackets are intended to help prevent straight threaded rods from getting bent. In my case, I've been on borrowed time before our grand daughter grabbed one of the rods and bent it over.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/...wdb/30326a.jpg