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Donate to Jim KoolUM2E+ Dry-Filament-Dispenser
Moisture reducing filament-dispenser with silica-granulesreservoir for Ultimaker 2 Extended+
3D printer parts and enhancements
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Description
The effect of humidity on filament for 3D printers can cause some serious printing problems…
All filament-types are, more or less, hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture from the air.
This has consequences, often destructively bad, for the quality of the prints…
In storing filament you can eliminate moisture-absorption by combining silica-sachets with
vacuum-enclosure, giving your print a good start, however, during a generally long printing proces,
filament will be exposed to the air...
With containers and dryers you can reduce quality problems considerably while printing, but
slow moving and exposed filament is insufficient and the energy consumption and fire hazard
of a filament-dryer left unattended for many hours, is dangerous…
After considering different options and combining existing products, i was still experiencing
difficulty and it seemed to me that, to gain control over these moisture-related problems, i had
to make my own tightly tailored printer-specific solution…
So i designed a container with a transit channel that seals filament from the environment as
well as possible, but also absorbs ingressing moisture in a reservoir filled with silica-granules,
placed in the lid…
NO (!) moisture-related problem has occurred since the installation of the filament-dispenser…
No layer-separation, no brittle print or blob-forming due to humidity…Combined with a simple
drying & storage-protocol, this printer add-on proved to be a problem-discarder…
For me, this solution worked effectively, and although the design is specific for the UM2 Ext+,
i wanted to share my findings with the community and be helpful in tackling a nasty problem…
I Hope the images and files are self-explanatory, if you have any questions let me know…
Materials and methods
First of all, you don't have to make any alterations to your printer-housing what so ever:
no drilling extra holes, no cutting or sawing into the body...
The dispenser is designed to use the Ultimaker-perforations, so if you ever want to sell
your printer, it will be original, as far as this intervention is concerned...
The filament i used to print most parts is PET-G, but any will do ... the parts that needed to be
flexible i used TPU-98A for which shows in the names of the STL-files...
For glueing PET-G parts i used polyurethane glue, commonly known as foaming wood-glue,
which works perfectly and only little is needed... these are the parts i glued together:
Lid-grate on the dispenser-lid
Dispenser-funnel (or filament-channel) to the dispenser body
Fastener-plug on the lid-fastener (don’t forget the m8 nut...!)
Hardware used is:
1x m8 x 70mm hexagonal bolt and nut
2x m6 x 40mm allen bolt with recessed head and matching lock-nuts and washers
2x m6 x 30mm allen bolt with recessed head and matching lock-nuts and washers
In the lid-fastener an m8-nut, which i forgot to show in the parts-image, needs to be embedded
and than enclosed, so tightening and loosening of the lid can withstand wear...
I spray-painted non-TPU parts with acrylic paint, but any finish is up to you...
Feeding the extruder is a little different, because you can’t mount a spool, which is standard
Ultimaker-size by-the-way, before you insert filament... there’s no room for your fingers to do
so, so you hold the spool outside nearby the nexus, stick the filament through the funnel into
the extruder when it is in ‘inserting new material-mode’ until it grips and then slip the spool
over the nexus... check if the filament is within the walls of the spool, but... you’ll manage...
To fill the lid with silica-granules i used bags of 1 kg and cut them open... i store the granules
in a vacuum-box and take out what i need and pour them with the scoop in the wide TPU-funnel
which i plug in the lid-grate-opening... when filled i close the grate with the plug and slide the
lid over the bolt that sticks out of the nexus...
- Issue #1 : Countersinks of dispenser-mount need to be scraped out
David F. mentioned to me that the dispenser-mount in it’s unadjusted form will
obstruct the buildplate in it’s movement...
I assembled the dispenser over a year ago and forgot about this, however at the time
i solved this problem by a little scraping and sanding of the mount...
The countersinks of the bolts that go in the dispenser-mount need to be scraped out
with a counterbore to level the heads of the bolts with the surface of the mount. In
combination with that the surface of the mount may need sanding so that the mount
leaves just enough clearance for the buildplate to pass...
Of course you can redesign the mount and print it again, but in my experience it
worked out fine...
- Issue #2 : Nexus needs to be shortened by 4mm
While disassembling my dispenser for alterations, i remembered there was another adjustment
i made when i first installed it on my printer...
Because the lid proved to be more flexible than i expected, the lid fastener pressed
the center of the lid inside so that the space between the lid and nexus closed completely...
The lid could then not press hard enough on the lid-gasket to sufficiently seal of the
dispenser-body, so i took off 4 mm of the nexus on the lid-side which did the trick,
without hindering the spool inside...
Added:
I have uploaded 2 STL-files (nr.19 and nr. 20) of additions that extend/elongate the dispenser about 8 mm.
If you want to apply these alterations, take into consideration that the lid-gasket will be
discarded and the Nexus will get a sock/shoe... also you need to replace the hexagonal bolt with an 80 mm-version...
My filament-supplier changed the spools on which the filament is delivered with an environment-friendly version, which is broader and has a non-tubular nexus... anyway, i had to make changes to my dispenser and share these with you...
Documents
Edit in 3dslash
Comments
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Rflynn commented agoThank you
David F. commented ago@rflynn per the description: "Feeding the extruder is a little different, because you can’t mount a spool, which is standard Ultimaker-size by-the-way,"
I've also used eSun spools in the dispenser which are taller than standard UM spools. I've found most standard spools fit, the main issue is the width of the spool. The extension pieces allow you to use wider spools, though.
Rflynn commented agoWhat are the dimensions of the spools it can hold ? I really love this design.
Rflynn added this to the Duel prints collection agoDavid F. created derived design Filament Dispenser ago
Lion U added this to the Interesting collection ago
Jim Kool commented agoI've added a Fusion360 document nr. 21, the filament funnel stripped of all fillets, etc... Hope it's of use to those that want redesign the dispenser to fit a non-extended UM2+...
Jim Kool commented agoUnfortunately not... i made the design in 123dDesign and was able to import a format into Fusion360 for storage and stl-versions, but thats it...
David F. commented agoIs there anyway you can post the native CAD file for component 1? I'm trying to redesign it so that it lines up with the feeder when you mount the dispenser on the back with a 10mm thick bracket. It's currently offset by 10mm normal to the main face of the dispenser. This would be so I can use it on my UM2+ non extended printer! Thanks in advance.
Jim Kool commented agoI have uploaded 2 STL-files of additions that extend/elongate the dispenser about 8 mm.
If you want to apply these alterations, take into consideration that the lid-gasket will be
discarded and the Nexus will get a sock/shoe... also you need to replace the hexagonal bolt
with an 80 mm-version...
My filament-supplier changed the spools on which the filament is delivered with an environment-friendly version, which is broader and has a non-tubular nexus... anyway, i had
to make changes to my dispenser and share these with you...
Jim Kool commented agoNote (!) ...
While disassembling my dispenser for alterations, i remembered there was another adjustment i made when i first installed it on my printer...
Because the lid proved to be more flexible than i expected, the lid fastener pressed
the center of the lid inside so that the space between the lid and nexus closed completely...
The lid could then not press hard enough on the lid-gasket to sufficiently seal of the
dispenser-body, so i took off 4 mm of the nexus on the lid-side which did the trick,
without hindering the spool inside...
David F. commented agoIn case anyone is looking to use this on their UM2+ (non Extended), the distance between the spool mount and the feeder are different. Therefore the filament dispenser body fouls the feeder. I initially assumed the major dimensions between them were the same. I will need to mount the dispenser body farther down the back panel.
Justin T. Conroy added this to the Printer Things collection agoJim Kool commented agoYes, it is supposed to be printed in TPU to squeeze-fit in the larger hole of the extruder... i forgot to name the stl-file for it accordingly, sorry about that...
It’s not essential, but it does help to optimise the functionality of the dispenser...
David F. commented agoIs the extruder plug (#13) supposed to be printed in TPU as well? Filename doesn't say so, but it appears that the dark grey parts in the exploded view are the TPU parts.
Jim Kool commented agoThanks, David... i hope it is of use to you...
David F. commented agoThanks for sharing! This is a such a great idea and design.
Curven added this to the UM2 upgrade collection ago
Francesco Rodighiero added this to the UM2 collection ago
Erik de Bruijn added this to the Ultimaker 2 upgrades! collection agoJim Kool published this design ago