During the Seattle robotics meeting, I ‘crossed the streams’ (reverse polarity) and destroyed the motor controller (and presumably the motor, don’t want to take changes). Given that I wanted to standardize on the 12v motors I was using for the Axis, this seemed like a good time to incorporate this motor into the extruder.Â
While building the new motor mount, I decided to look into a different type of extruder drive, similar to the pinch pulley, but built with gears. Two drive gears have a 1/8 channel milled into them. The gears with the channel ‘capture’ and hold the plastic cord. I wasn’t sure how long the urethane pulley would last, so this is an experiment.
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Hi,
I’m really glad you’re working on a pinch wheel extruder. Reprap needs a robust extruder! Below are just some extra supplier options.
Your friction wheel looks good; but if you ever want to experiment with cheap stuff, you can try flat tap washers, like the ones at:
http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-4048-%C2%BE%E2%80%9D%20Flat%20Tap%20Washers%20Pack%20of%203.html
For the steel gear, another source is:
http://www.technobots.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_MOD_0_6_Steel_220.html
Cheers,
Enrique