E3D-v6 Minimum clearance for bowden tube?

Discussion in 'E3D-v6 and Lite6' started by 3dirk, Oct 16, 2014.

  1. 3dirk

    3dirk Member

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    Hello,
    Just joined after examining a E3D-v6. I'm working on a 3D printer design (and who isn't:) that doesn't have much clearance above the hotend. I was impressed with the fact that part of the tube actually fits down inside the hotend which may help support the tube when its bent in a small radius. My question is, how much can I bend the tube (expressed as a bend radius or distance from the bottom of the nozzle to the top of the tube) before it starts causing problems?
    Thanks for any incite.
     
  2. elmoret

    elmoret Administrator

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    A bend radius of 3in is about as tight as I would go, but I haven't tested that. It will depend on the average filament diameter as well.
     
  3. 3dirk

    3dirk Member

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    Hi and thanks for the reply,
    If one were to bend a symmetric/consistent curve in a piece of copper or steel tubing and then ran the feeder tube through that, do you think a smaller radius would be possible? 2in radius would be better than 3in for my needs.
    I do plan to experiment with this which brings me to another question since I'm not familiar with bowden feeders. Are all feeders basically the same or are there some that "push" harder on the filament? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
     
  4. elmoret

    elmoret Administrator

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    I would expect copper or steel to be worse.

    The issue isn't tube strength, its friction.

    Yes, some bowden extruders are better than others. Unfortunately you can only put so much force on a piece of filament before shredding it, so there is a limit.

    What exactly are you trying to do here? There may be a better solution...
     

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