Deutsche VersionThe extruder...
It consists of a stainless steel M6 threaded connector and a stainless steel wood screw. The water cooling system and the heater block are machined from a single aluminum block featuring the necessary bores. Sound incredibly cheap and simple? It is, once you know the details!
...at the printer...
The extruder is mounted here on a Prusa MK4 and operates using the original firmware, the original electronics, and a low-power 40W heater cartridge.
A conversion for the RatRig Vcore 4 is currently underway. With two independent printheads, two different materials can then be processed in a single pass.
...can print!
Printing with plastics works just as it does with conventional filament printers, but that is only the beginning:
Materials can be printed that previously could not be processed. One example is sugar, which serves as a water-soluble support material or as a binder for ceramic or metallic powders.
...and not only recycled plastic.
If you can’t buy it, you simply have to make it yourself:
A modified grain mill grinds plastic waste into new raw material for 3D printing. A circular economy, even in the hobby workshop.
Drying filament? Unnecessary!
Inside the extruder, the material is automatically dried as it moves toward the nozzle. The water vapor escapes along the same path as the air trapped in the powder, namely through the gap between the extruder screw and the tube wall. Consequently, there is no need for the time-consuming drying of hygroscopic plastics prior to processing.
Basic research into the new technology.
Understanding the processes within an extruder and knowing the properties of the raw materials are essential for improving 3D printing.
Research and development are a fundamental part of the project.