Is there a market for a premium end to end extrusion product

[Farr0wn3d]

I've been considering this for a little while, and I've started talking with a very talented designer/machinist about the possibility of making a setup that would replace the filament drive, hot end, and cooling with metal components that would be easily interchangeable and would work to solve some of the difficulties that go along with the setups that are currently available. I would like to build one for myself, but I'd like to gauge interest on here to see if that would be something others would like. The goal would be to push adoption with printer companies so that getting parts and troubleshooting on all the different printers would be easier and more user friendly. I know that E3D makes a great product and there isnt a ton of room to improve on their hot end design, but this project would be more than just a hot end.

I'd appreciate everyones "constructive" input and suggestions on what they would like to see in their ideal filament drive, hot end, and cooling setup

[wmgeorge]

Go to eBay and do a Search for Makergear M2, there is a company in Israel making what you are proposing.

[Tim]

I'd appreciate everyones "constructive" input and suggestions on what they would like to see in their ideal filament drive, hot end, and cooling setup

The MakerGear v4 is very close to my idea of the ideal filament drive, hot end, and cooling setup. But I have the dual extruder, which has an all-metal bracket. In general, though, the v4's design with the easily-removable hot-end would be hard to beat (although I prefer wiring it not as MakerGear suggests, but with the wires running outside the motor in a way that allows the hot-end to be completely unplugged and removed without touching anything else).

I would like to see a dual extruder solution that allows the inactive extruder to be parked so that the filament doesn't ooze all over the print, but I understand that that's more of a patent issue than a technical one. Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of patent issues with extruder designs.

[innkeeper]

i own the israel extruder solution ... defiantly room for improvement.
i've used it with e3d and pico hotends.
dosn't work well with flexable filaments for example.. which makes some nylon useless on the extruder.

[MagicEngineer]

I just received my Israel made extruder. Apparently they do not work with newer model M2s. I might be able to make an adapter plate of some sort, but for $125 I really would have liked something that will work out of the box.

[sthone]

If it's the same one I got see This Thread on how I went about doing it, it might help.

Innkeeper went a different route but it might be helpful too so see This Thread too.

All I can say is good luck.
-Steve

[MagicEngineer]

If it's the same one I got see This Thread on how I went about doing it, it might help.

Innkeeper went a different route but it might be helpful too so see This Thread too.

All I can say is good luck.
-Steve

I really wish I had seen this before I ordered it.

[wmgeorge]

Yes, the eBay listing leads you to believe its a drop in replacement.

[sthone]

Yes, the eBay listing leads you to believe its a drop in replacement.

I don't know about that... I thought both of the listed auctions on ebay (least the ones I saw) for this were pretty clear it wasn't a drop in part. Both basically say this is all you get and show a picture of just the metal extruder, and one of them even says "This upgrade is not plug and play". That's half the reason I did my write up just encase some one else wanted to go down the same road.

-Steve

[innkeeper]

I'll second that, it was very clear to me it wasn't plug and play when I bought it.