Pellet Extruder for 3D PRINTER HOTEND

For 3D printing, the holy grail has been to print directly with AFFORDABLE pellets instead of the expensive rolls of filament. I found this pellet extruder On KZbin of all places. Mahor Muñiz Cadenas (link to his channel below) had spent much time effort and investment developing his pellet extruder and my curiosity got the better of me (but in the good way). From what i have seen of this pellet extruder, it holds alot of promise, so my hopes are very high. build quality Appears great, but the kit had missing hardware and a few design issues that Mahor is still Working out.
i purchased the pellet extruder (this is more than just a hotend) a few months ago but wasn't in a hurry to assemble it since i already knew i didn't have a test machine to try it on. now that i have the Folger Tech FT5, i will be experimenting with it VERY SOON.
the plan is to learn form this and then use that information to build a MUCH larger scale 3d printer... one that would be too expensive to purchase, but affordable to build.
the printers in the video are - Giantarm D200 and the Geetech Mecreator 2. Folger Tech FT5
link to FT5 assembly - • Folgertech FT5 3D Prin...
Link to my 3d printing playlist - • 3D Printing
Link to Mahor's KZbin Channel - / @mahormunizcadenas7694
Link to the Pellet extruder video playlist - • how it´s made pellet e...

[@ManCrafting]

Can't wait to see it running. I know that anyone wanting to build this will love this step by step video.

[@RayMAKES]

thanks Chad, im eager to see what it can do as well!

[@rafaelrosa9543]

@@RayMAKES Have you added it to your larger printer? I searched a video and haven't found it.

[@en2oh]

Excellent video. Clear content and pleasantly delivered. My compliments to anyone at home that ‘might’ have stood in the way of this logical, if not totally necessary printers! 😉

[@thomas_st]

As I am a newbie in 3D printing but working with injection moulding machines at my job, this is really interesting.

[@RayMAKES]

yes it is, cant wait to try it!

[@TaylorAlexander]

Thank you! I was reaching out to Mahor about this myself! He seems to have made a very interesting design. I can't wait to see how this turns out for you!

[@RayMAKES]

I think he certainly has!! I'm hoping to get things together this weekend.

[@floriangrey]

Interesting video with a lot of info during the build. Looking forward to see where this is heading. Subscribed.

[@RayMAKES]

thanks, Glad you liked it. it will likely be a few weeks before i have anything to report, but there will be other non 3d printer videos coming out in the meantime.

[@JeffDM]

I'd been watching Mahor for a while and signed up to buy one but hadn't heard a peep from him for months. I already have a machine that would be great for this, save for needing to build a mount bracket.

[@RayMAKES]

Then you are ahead of me. I need to put together the printer I purchased just to experiment with this extruder!

[@BK42Cycles]

Cool! Looking forward for the real tests ;)

[@RayMAKES]

yeah me too! i hope i dont destroy the printer.

[@titter3648]

Looks high quality. like for example he has made a proper extruder screw where the "flutes" gets shallower as it gets father in to the barrel, just like the screw in a professional injection molding machine. And this helps to heat the pellets as well as compressing it and evenly distribute the heat in the plastic. Unlike most of the hobby level extruder screws where they just use a cut of wood drill bit.

[@RayMAKES]

good catch, you obviously know your stuff. the fast that it is a "proper" screw is why i pulled the trigger on this one. Mahor has put alot of effort into the R&D of this extruder.

[@ESCAGEDOWOODWORKING]

Dang!! Awesome dude!!

[@RayMAKES]

Ha, thanks Eloy! BTW, I sent you some msgs on FB, with links to help you out on your woodturning adventures!

[@avejst]

Thanks for sharing. Interesting stuff you show :-)

[@RayMAKES]

thanks! glad you enjoyed it

[@BlaiseMibeck]

I would never ask anyone why they are making another 3D printer. :)

[@RayMAKES]

lol!! i like that. i just put it in there just in case someone was thinking it.

[@MegaMaking]

seems really interesting, it should work just fine for extrusion, i am extremely interested to see the retraction performance though.

[@RayMAKES]

It will be interesting to see how retraction works...if at, all

[@nicewhenearnedrudemostlyel489]

new giveaway announce! make a logo that doesn't look like a ripoff of a different logo! trick is, you have all of humanity's history to go against! good luck! fake btw, cuz everything is a ripoff to some people.

[@x24llc]

retraction performance in the barrel, driven be the screw rotating in reverse, will likely function pretty well---seeing that the barrel is fluted to keep the molten load from just spinning freely when the screw pulls material from out of the nozzel.

[@nerddub]

Those slots look dual purpose also allowing you to access the screws that hold the gearbox to the motor which is pretty cool

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked it

[@Bryanlesage]

Hi, I've also bought one and came across your video while building it haha. On the pictures on Mahor's website it looks shows both fans on the same side and the cables threaded through the metal parts, might wanna change that for cleanness ;). Looking forward to see the printing results of it!

[@RayMAKES]

Awesome, I'm hoping to test it soon. Good catch on the fans, I didn't like the idea of running the wires through the metal brackets because the sharp edges might chafe the wires. I mentioned it in the raw video, but cut it out in editing... I had 4 hours of raw video!

[@haxanlee469]

That‘s awesome！

[@RayMAKES]

thanks

[@hardkit5330]

Отлично получилось!

[@RayMAKES]

thanks!

[@ChristopherGaul]

This seems like you'd want a printer design where the X and Y motion all happens under the print bed and the hot-end/extruder mounts on a solid mount that only moves in the Z axis. That way you don't have to try and move all that weight around, plus feeding the pellet hopper would be a lot easier. Suggestion: I would add silicone thermal paste to the hot end threads to help heat transfer from the heater block. The same stuff used between CPU's and heat-sinks. Cool product though. Can't wait to see it print.

[@RayMAKES]

glad you liked it, im still working out how to mount it, just haven't had the time

[@theofficialczex1708]

This style of extruder is designed for larger format printers. The bed and whatever you're printing will weigh significantly more than the toolhead.

[@janwiersma1449]

subscribed!!! i need too see this outcome. because pellets are so much cheaper. infact seeing this set-up, opens the doors to a new complete manufactured FDM printer series with pellet extruders. i think China will step in very fast.

[@RayMAKES]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to testing this out soon, it will be a few weeks until I do. I'm looking forward to using materials otger than the usual suspects. I have 3 local companies I can source pellets from! I think China will only step in if there is enough market to profit from.

[@Fluless]

Is there no fan on the cooling fins of the hotend itself? I like the idea of an extra fan dissipating the rest heat and maybe even drying the pellets a bit, but can this work without a hotend cooling fan?

[@RayMAKES]

Good question

[@Georges3DPrinters]

yes you can tes it in yours. just move end stop, or set coordinates manually via g-code. see marlin.main in firmware if you need to get g-code.

[@RayMAKES]

Yes, but I also wanted a bigger printer! This gave me a good excuse to get one

[@Coloursofdiscovery]

I finished building a shredder to make the finely ground plastic for this extruder. It dose not work very well so I will definitely be looking for a new design if I'm able to get the extruder working. However now at least I have plastic to test with. On my first tests the plastic kept getting stuck in the feed tube and in the extruder housing because the flakes from PET bottle plastic are very light and have a lot of friction. I found a solution for this then the next problem I had was after the first 3 or 4 layers of every print I ended up with under extrusion even after turning up the LCD tune flow to 280. I then decided to test the extruder running at a super low speed (10mps). But the thermistor on the extruder then broke! So now I'm back to the beginning again. I also made a discussion group on Thingiverse for this extruder and hope that other users will join and share their experiences, so we can all solve problems more quickly. Find it here: www.thingiverse.com/groups/universal-pellet-extruder

[@RayMAKES]

Awesome! I spoke to Mahor, he says pellets work much better tgat shredded material. If you mix it 50/50 it will work better

[@PavelK77]

Good idea!

[@RayMAKES]

Thanks

[@orbitalair2103]

Cant wait to see the real world testing.

[@RayMAKES]

me TOO!

[@RayMAKES]

it will be a few weeks though

[@AltMarc]

Do you have cleaning pellets (used in injection..) when changing to a different material/color ? What max. heat can it take ? And what the price (range) aprox. ?

[@RayMAKES]

i dont have ANY pellets just yet, but yes i will be getting the purge material as well. not sure of the max temp just yet as the software will play a role. i paid $353 including shipping when i purchased it.

[@JohnClark-tt2bl]

How do you like the FT-5? I've seen mixed reviews, but many are from a year or more ago. Assuming you've gotten to test it as it comes stock.

[@RayMAKES]

I haven't finished assembly yet, I'm hoping to get it done this weekend.... but from looking at the parts, I like the quality.

[@ThousandHobbies]

hmmm great idea !!!!

[@RayMAKES]

I think so

[@JohnSmith-mk8hz]

Great potential to save money on filament but that thing is big. How heavy is it? I wonder how well it will handle retraction? And no chance of a Bowden setup with that.

[@RayMAKES]

it is very heavy, i'm guessing around 3 lbs! i think retraction is going to be tricky. my guess is it will tolerate a little retraction but too much may get molten plastic into the cooling zone and cause it to stick to the screw and barrel. my plan for this thing is to print BIG, Heavy, fast, and 1 to 2 walls only for utilitarian objects.

[@JohnSmith-mk8hz]

I appreciate the time and money you are spending experimenting with this. Hopefully it pans out.

[@RayMAKES]

I hope so too... of nothing else, i will learn somthing i can apply to something else in the future

[@allankinnear6522]

I am printing currently with Pellets on this setup. kzbin.info/www/bejne/monMqmOLltOFY5o, retraction is possible. The screw creates suction in the opposite direction. I had to play with the retraction length to get it just right but it works. Recycled pellets is also an interesting challenge I have been working on.

[@RayMAKES]

Allan Kinnear that's awesome, thanks for the link!

[@rachinc]

so I'm brand new to the 3d printing world trying to research how to make my own 3d filament extruder (toss shredded parts into a machine and it turns it into filament). I was really excited to see you build it step by step but was disappointed that you didnt show us the part where you toss in the pellets at the end to show that it makes filament. So I'm not even sure if thats what your machine does. for all i know maybe it shreads filament to make pellets (the opposite of what I'm trying to do).

[@VectorRoll]

Maybe I missed it in the video but how much does the entire assembly weigh. It looks pretty heavy. Wondering if you might have to beef up your other motors to compensate and also gow much you'd need to tweak the jerk settings in MarlinFirmware.

[@RayMAKES]

i didn't mention it in the video , but the unit i estimate weighs about 3 lbs! a lot, i know. i will definitely need to dial down my speeds and accel but i'm hoping to print with 1mm to 2mm nozzles and tall layers. the speed of printing big heavy layers makes up for speed of printing. i show that in my modify nozzles video.

[@VectorRoll]

Ray MAKES Cool thanks for the info and good luck.

[@RayMAKES]

thanks!

[@dicktsui1818]

Is it necessary to tell the printer to CALM DOWN STOP WIGGLING And does the pellet absorb more moisture? It seems to have a lot more surface area.

[@RayMAKES]

whether a material absorbs moisture depends on the material not the shape of the material. i would imagine i will have to turn down the acceleration quite a bit... if that's what you were asking

[@monkeydroofie7344]

Hey Ray, have you gotten around to trying the pellet extruder yet? I was thinking of buying it but there's hardly any videos out there showing it working and printing. Would you be able to do a comprehensive test of all the properties it should have as a good extruder to see if it fits these? Thanks

[@RayMAKES]

I haven't yet, I just finished assembly of the test platform printer, TODAY! once I get it all sorted, I will definately film a complete workup on the extruder. Probably next month.

[@monkeydroofie7344]

Thank you, this will be a very helpful video!

[@RayMAKES]

I think so too. Right now, the next video (this week) will be about the FT5. The video after that will be all the modifications to make the pellet extruder fit... then the one documenting the pellet extruder itself. I've orders some parts for the kids, just waiting on them to show up.

[@fadli291089]

Nice assembly..

[@RayMAKES]

thanks

[@robertevans6481]

Very interesting....most definitely i am following. I wonder if you are going to print a boat.....lol...LOL...have a great weekend...

[@RayMAKES]

Lol, that is, actually the plan!!! This is the first step in data acquisition!

[@robertevans6481]

I hear they printed a house in China or Japan....but i am not sure....

[@RayMAKES]

Robert Evans yeah, they have built a ton of 3d printed houses, in the US as well.... but they are commercialized in China

[@volodymyrdemydiuk8321]

how it get rids off air bubbles that can come together with pellets?

[@jedaward]

Interesting project. The auto sub titles said that your 3D printer noises we're music. To people in the hobby it kind of is.

[@RayMAKES]

interesting..i will have to check that... but you are right, i love hearing them hum.

[@MrMorteh]

maby it would be good to use termal-paste when assembling heaterblock with the rest of the system. (im sure the silicon insulation is good, but intruducing air as an insulater in the threat will defenetly not make the heating of the pellets beter. ) cool project, gonna be good to see results? (i am sorry for my poor english :/ )

[@RayMAKES]

Your English is good, I think that is a great idea to make sure i get good thermal conduction

[@drayko-okamidirewytch5542]

that loading tube is intended to be used in conjunction with a tube hense the flare at the top, and the fan serves the purpose of also agitating the pellets to keep them from settling. The down side to this is its mass which will severly limit your print speed assuming the nema17 steppers and most common drivers can produce enough torque not to skip, its a novel idea but not very practical, i could see this being useful for one of them endless Y axis style printers where you could have weeks worth of plastic ready to go.

[@RayMAKES]

Thanks

[@GibClark]

👍👍👍

[@matthewsmcgregor]

Do you have it up and running yet? Interested in buying one but want to see a high quality review of how well it works.

[@RayMAKES]

im working on it right now, hope to have a video next week

[@wekker090]

I work with big pallet extruder, the only thing I really do not like it the brass hot end... I think the screw will wear it out very fast.

[@RayMAKES]

great, we will find out soon enough when i post my next video about the extruder

[@paczyck2]

@@RayMAKES I'm assuming then, that the extruder is working OKAY for you?

[@crmusicproduction]

pellets eh? and maybe even finely chopped failed prints, purge blocks etc, as in recycling filament, would it be a possibility with this?

[@RayMAKES]

Yes

[@3DDistributed]

Did you ever get the pellet extruder working? I'm thinking about buying one.

[@rsilb]

When you do, find me. I'll send you a few pounds of our clear PET-G pellets, gratis.

[@drawinaminutewithdr.rajasa8861]

Reminds me of Generator Rex, specially because of the colours

[@Scott_C]

I just subbed. Keep this series going. I'm really curious how it's going to turn out. I have a 24"x24" i'm currently working on.

[@RayMAKES]

24x24, now I'm jealous! Yes I'll keep it going but it will be a few weeks before I have it set up

[@Scott_C]

Ray MAKES Don't be jealous, size in this case is more like a burden. Also it's going to be on the bones of a failure. Google: Cobble Bot Beast

[@RayMAKES]

I saw that printer on your channel... did you ever get it working?

[@billkaroly]

How much does it weight? That hopper looks too small. I'm interested in this as well for a larger printer I am building from scratch.

[@RayMAKES]

I have weight it but I would guess it's about 3 lbs. Heavy by most standards but for a pellet extruder I think it's reasonable

[@orbitalair2103]

You build a bigger hopper, and run a feed tube down to the smaller hopper. Changing colors will be fun !

[@RayMAKES]

its definitely going to be a fun process, figuring everything out

[@ameliabuns4058]

I just realized You can print peek for 80$ a kg instead of 300$ a kg with this. Imagine the power.....

[@garthor]

Is there a version of this kit that comes with the parts pre-3d-printed? I don't have a 3D printer to print 3D printer parts... =p Where did you get it?

[@RayMAKES]

im not sure if he does, if you contact him he might provide a version with them

[@Tom-yc8jv]

The coupler is made to dampening, not mis-alignments..... It gives a little bit of play, so that the driving shaft doesn't get excess strain placed on it.

[@RayMAKES]

Glad you liked it

[@AcrimoniousMirth]

I’d be interested in re-implementing this to extrude my own filament.

[@RayMAKES]

that has been a very popular idea, i cannot see any reason why it wouldn't work for that

[@EliSpizzichino]

so ... did you get it running at the end? Can't find any indipendepent video review about it

[@RayMAKES]

hi, i still havent had a chance to mount it, but im hoping to get to it very soon

[@KeythRodgers]

When is the follow up video coming? I'm really interested to see how you print using a bottle and how you can use more than one bottle in a single print.

[@RayMAKES]

The follow up video is coming soon. I just finished building the printer, just need to upload the firmware and make a few test prints BEFORE fitting the extruder.

[@KeythRodgers]

Ray MAKES, I'm excited to see it finished. It seems like this isn't your first rodeo so I hope things go well. I was considering getting this extruder myself but the price was a bit of a turn off. Did you get both auger types? If so I'd love to see how you use the one that let's you print using peg bottles.

[@ntx9design392]

Is there a follow up video? Curious about the outcome...

[@RayMAKES]

I need to get back to it

[@GeoffreyPitman523]

This looks like it would be a great extruder to be added to an MPCNC, make as big of a printer as you want!

[@RayMAKES]

I had to look up MPCNC! Yes I think it would be great for that

[@GeoffreyPitman523]

Ray MAKES, ready set go! The more MPCNC exposure the merrier!

[@RayMAKES]

well, as soon as i get this up and running, i might have to give it a go!

[@GeoffreyPitman523]

Ray MAKES my build is almost complete, it's pretty easy to print and assemble. An experienced maker could probably knock it out in a weekend.

[@RayMAKES]

awesome, are you going to put up any videos on it?

[@yashsoni609]

Well, that is interesting. Actually, I was wondering that when the extruder stepper motor of that 3D printer will be changed then, whether there is a need to accommodate that change of voltage, RPM etc. in the firmware of the motherboard or not? Please clarify my doubt, anybody.

[@RayMAKES]

I haven't gotten that far yet but I suspect that I will need to do some tweaks... I already ordered a higher capacity stepper for the job

[@seanstutsman1935]

Hiya!!! In love with your content 👆

[@RayMAKES]

Hi, THANKS, glad you enjoy it

[@carloscamposalcocer]

This is AWESOME! Im trying to print food grade plastic and knowing what's exactly on my pellets its important. Anywhere I can buy this?

[@RayMAKES]

i have links in the description to Mahors channel. you have to contact him directly.

[@RayMAKES]

gland you enjoyed the video

[@anderfpv5670]

Does anyone have any idea what hotend this is? I'm doing an engineering project for my highschool and this design looks ideal. I just cant find a hotend similar to this. Any ideas?

[@darksideadv]

If I create a steel hopper, I put the plastic there, I melt it or leave it more manageable, and then it is pushed inside the hopper under pressure, so that it melts into the rotating screw that pushes the pellet towards the nozzle, it would not have to buy pellet, or crush the plastic. What do you think about that idea?

[@RayMAKES]

i think that is doable but very difficult to get it to work properly

[@darksideadv]

@@RayMAKES Hello, you know where I can find the piece that holds the UPE to the X axis in 10 mm.

[@lucasmayer5809]

hello ray makes can you send a link where you ordered the things

[@fillipeamp2]

Maybe you can use this not as a final hot end, but as a real time 1.75mm filament extruder, not conected to moving parts, but in a fixed position. The filament produced by it can then be used directly in our comom hot end. This excludes the extra weight in the axis and gives the advantage of continuous filament (not limited to 1kg as we can add each time more pellets). Pellets -> 1.75mm or 3mm filament -> 3d printer comom hot end. Sure this extruder would need some modifications to extrude 1.75mm filament. This was my idea at first for this. Don't think using this as a final hot end is a good Idea, due to its weight and incompatibility to our printers. Thanks and keep the project. I will be watching it...

[@RayMAKES]

That is a very interesting idea.... something to think about

[@JulianGoesPro]

already seen it on YT but that idea did not take off... not sure why... it actually was a racing drone manufacturer​ that sells 3d printed parts with his CF frames and they recycle the failed prints and supports that way...

[@viper5326]

i think it won't work because you have to cool the filament first down before it gets to your hotend and it's not so easy to provide a constant 1.75 diameter without much deviation in tolerance. i've already seen such a diy machine and it is one hell of a machine, a lot of work, engineering and not cheap at all. perhaps the reason why people try to direct extrude into the hotend

[@Alluvian567]

Yeah, that would be great (would need extra fans to cool off the plastic as it is exiting the nozzles so it does not warp under it's own weight. ultimately you would want to run the final nozzle extruder and the filament maker at different rates so that you don't have to deal with retraction on the filament extruder. if you could get the filament maker to ignore retraction and whatever they call un-retraction, heh then you would be fine if you just had some slack in your filament.

[@RayMAKES]

I'm sure there would be some problems to solve

[@mgwilson271]

If you are looking to use cheap pellets, you might consider trying the Filastruder to create filament from pellets. With the print head so heavy, you sacrifice print speed (since your print head has increased in weight). tldr; nifty idea, but not really a great for desktop printers

[@RayMAKES]

i think you are right on the weight, thats why im looking to build the larger printer. acceleration would have to be turned WAY down

[@wallylangsford3369]

Does it work well? Could you please post a video of it printing something?

[@RayMAKES]

i am in the process of conducting my testing, i will put up a video soon on the results

[@citezyne]

Next video? im keen to see it print something!

[@RayMAKES]

SOON, im working on mounting it (finally) things are now getting back on schedule

[@spidermurph]

Did you get any further with this? I am thinking of getting one for my Chiron.

[@RayMAKES]

Unfortunately no... life has thrown me a few obstacles... everything is better now so I'll be getting back to it very soon

[@kaighn8086]

wonder how well it would work just making filament to use in your standard printer?

[@RayMAKES]

i think it would be possible to do that.... i'll probably try it!

[@kaighn8086]

ive found Mahors second version of this which is a bit more basic, ill be trying that one out as i have most of the parts.

[@RayMAKES]

Great, I hope it works out for you

[@paulpansen6519]

Hello. The extruder looks very good. unfortunately can not find the kit in the net.

[@RayMAKES]

it is hard to find, i have a link in the video

[@ktisistoukuriou]

Can you modify the mecreator's firmware to restrict the size of the print bed so it doesn't force the pellet extruder against the side where it doesn't fit?

[@RayMAKES]

I probably can... I think... but I have no idea how.

[@ktisistoukuriou]

I guess it will depend on where the endstops are that automatically measure 'home.' If they're on the safe side, then I think you can change the print bed size in your slicer's settings without changing the printer's firmware at all. If the endstop is on the size where it will crash the extruder assembly, you would need to do some hardware modifications before changing the print bed size in the slicer. You could attach a rod to the extruder assembly so it can hit the endstop from a safe distance, or move the endstop so the extruder assembly bumps into that before it bumps into anything else.

[@RayMAKES]

that could work, its just that these particular printers have angles at the corners that protrude far enough to present a problem with this set up

[@yzl6284]

hi, may i know which model is the motor?

[@Saboteurbaron]

Why you dont change firmeware measures for bed. or you can also put endstops on other position to test the extruder.

[@RayMAKES]

its because those two printers are too small and they work great as they are... but the real reason... was to get another printer, lol

[@Saboteurbaron]

hey, your printers are not to small. just change preferences. Like I said before! You sure that you will not have same issues with new one? contact me if you have trouble with some issues on new printer. www.makers-prototype.de is my website. you can get custom 3D-printer parts here also. Good Luck!

[@RayMAKES]

I will take a look, thanks

[@stormbringermornblade8811]

ya just going to keep my cr-10 best of luck to ypu

[@RayMAKES]

Thanks, I was thinking about a getting a cr10 to put this on, how do you like it

[@normoloid]

I think direct drive systems and even pellet/crushed filaments will eventually replace the more traditional printers, benefits are simply too obvious in my opinion to not expect these being a standard at some point.

[@RayMAKES]

I agree

[@OneOfDisease]

Does the extruder have to ride over the print head? Couldn't you extrude onto a spool then load into the printer in traditional style? I do see the merit of an unlimited load of printer material but most applications are not going to require this.

[@RayMAKES]

Some others have suggested the same thing. Although I suspect you are right that most applications won't require this.... MY future applications very likely will. This is definitely not for everyone... but certainly is for some.

[@outdooradventurenz6045]

Sir I am interested for that extruder for my project ...just want to ask how you buy and where??thanks a lot

[@RayMAKES]

if you want one you need to contact Mahor, links are in the video description

[@alexandrevaliquette1941]

My main worry, asside the weigh, would be accuracy of the print. Secund, you say you have access to cheap pellet. But for "regular people", what is a good price for PLA pellets? Let say for arround 25kg bag?

[@RayMAKES]

I've seen PLA pellets go for 3 to 5 a kg

[@alexandrevaliquette1941]

Where should we check to buy? Alibaba, Ebay our local plastic extrusion compagny?

[@RayMAKES]

ive seen them on alibaba but also a few other places. i think there are a few deals on ebay as well. if you get them from regular filament suppliers, they need to mark the material up to make a profit on the pellets, so the "economy" is lost

[@alexandrevaliquette1941]

I was talking about "extrusion compagny" such as blow molding, rotomolding and such.

[@beastold1320]

Can you pls Link your nozzle?!

[@gaellafond6367]

Nice project. I like people who are not afraid to try something new. The extruder looks heavy. I'm afraid you will have to lower your printer's acceleration quite a lot to avoid "ghosting"

[@RayMAKES]

It is massively heavy, and you are right, I will need to lower the accel, but it is going to be an interesting experiment

[@orbitalair2103]

I see this as best for a large printer, running like a 0.8 or 1mm nozzle. I would like to see this on a big hang printer ! But how to feed pellets ??

[@RayMAKES]

good questions.... im going to have to figure all of that out.

[@user-kg7yi9oy1p]

Did you put this extruder on some printer? Any news?

[@stevendavidson3472]

Hey Ray, whatever happened with this pellet extruder?

[@manojsrivasttava1]

From where did you bought the extrusion system?

[@RayMAKES]

from mahor

[@spudnickuk]

Forget about printing with one, i would setup in tandem with my printer, ok lets explain , i would setup on top of my existing printer with a 1.8mm nozzle and have it extrude and have it feed into my existing print head and so i would use to recycle my old odds and ends and whatever, so you just do the calculation for the feed and the way you go.. then afterwards just put back in your normal plastic, Simples

[@RayMAKES]

thats an interesting idea

[@gentiligiuliano7882]

Did you have any opportunity to try it?

[@gorantri]

❤

[@magnetomage]

Is there a price point, sales date, spec link for this extruder? i would be interested in getting info on this.

[@RayMAKES]

i paid $353 with shipping. if you want one you need to contact Mahor, links are in the video description

[@XTCTech]

Not sure i would ever purchase this. How would you maintain a consistent extrusion? I feel like there would be almost no retraction. Not to mention, Its gigantic, You would be really limited in print speed.

[@RayMAKES]

Im not really concerned with print speed, I usually print at 25 to 30mm/s with 5mm/s accel. I also plan to print at 2mm line thickness so any slowness in printing will be made up in layer height and few walls

[@XTCTech]

Ray MAKES while making compromises in print speed is fine I suppose, what about accuracy. Do you think this extruder will be able to accurately sustain an exact extrusion? What do you gain by using this over a more conventional setup? Is there one? Are you just excited to try something new and create some KZbin content with it?

[@RayMAKES]

XTC Tech accuracy is not a big concern for me, after all this is just printing with plastic and I'm not interested in fine detail. I have had great results printing with 1mm nozzles, parts print faster even though printing is slower, counter intuitive to say the least. 1mm lines is really the limit of 1.75mm filament. With a pellet system I can push to 2mm thickness, probably thicker. That's what I'm after, big heavy lines, strong utilitarian parts, printing quickly. As for excitement and KZbin content... why not both.

[@idontwantachannelimjustcom7745]

Did you ever get this to work? I see you made a video assembling the printer shown at the end, but then you kinda disappeared after that.

[@RayMAKES]

Sorry, life had other plans... I'll be getting back to this

[@glennedward2201]

How do you purchase that extruder? Your link was broken, any website available?

[@RayMAKES]

i contacted hi directly, it took a while to get everything worked out. try his website mahorxyz.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/pellet-extruder/

[@VeganRashad]

I want this on my CR-10 S5

[@RayMAKES]

I almost got a cr10-s5 to mount this to.... but I'm not a fan of the moving bed design, so I opted for the ft5... but now I need to put it together

[@FilmFactry]

What is the gear reduction on that motor? Thanks!

[@RayMAKES]

I'm not sure but I think its 8:1

[@TheIndustrialphreak]

any further updates, can I purchase one of these pellet extruders so I can print with recycled plastic? I really want to do this.

[@RayMAKES]

I have had some issues in life but I hope to get back to thus project soon

[@davidswe98]

really neat design just a shame it takes up so much z height

[@RayMAKES]

It is a big one, definately not for every printer

[@clawkelsay2006]

So I'm assuming at this point that this was a major fail and wasn't worth the shipping from Spain let alone the time of assembly since there's been no follow up in 5 years

[@maikeydii]

Seems like you haven't yet done a video of testing this in use?

[@RayMAKES]

not yet, working on it right now.

[@dvdrwsor]

Subscribed and waiting.

[@RayMAKES]

Should have some progress in a few weeks or month.... or two, lol

[@CarlosEduardo-xf2xx]

where can i find parts to buy

[@user-gb4mz4fx3h]

Where can you buy the pellet extruder in your video? What brand?

[@RayMAKES]

MAHOR sells them

[@Deneteus]

Is that extruder based off the RE:3D design or the older Lyman design? github.com/Gigabot-Labs/Pellet-Extruder/wiki www.kickstarter.com/projects/re3d/gigabot-x-your-direct-pellet-extrusion-3d-printer

[@RayMAKES]

not as far as i know. Mahor has been working on this design for several years and has self funded the development

[@Jonas-dz3ve]

Ola, preciso do link do STL. Pode passar.?

[@rickyschadel1333]

how well did it function

[@RayMAKES]

never got around to messing with it

[@briant444]

Have you tested it yet? And how large is your very large printer?

[@RayMAKES]

Not yet, wirking on putting together the FT5. My big one is being designed but it will be 2400x1200x1200mm

[@briant444]

wow, good luck with the big one

[@RayMAKES]

Thanks! The goal is to 3d print boats like my clear polycarbonate boat... here is the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJvKfIqthdSNbNk

[@MrEratrace]

the shear rate in this extruder must be so high im not even sure you would need a heater (thats why there are turbofans on extrusion machines); I have the same idea with a big 3D printer with pellet extruder but when you do the math and add up the costs you will be scared ^^' The extrusion motor needs to be quite big (about Nema 34 to 42 = heavy) the screw has to be made out of stainless = the bigger the screw the heavier; then you add the rails (that needs to be beefy), the spindle and the belts; heavy moving assemblies = lots of stress on the frame with aluminium extrusion I had to choose 90x90 rails and they are expensive when they add, about 1.000 euros only for these and this is to get less than 0.05mm of flexing). I did the math for a 2*2*2M machine :)

[@RayMAKES]

I think you're right, the heater on the end is probably just to keep the nozzle from cooling. I'm not so concerned with cost at the moment.... just trying something new!