Mendel X Carriage modified to hold BitsFomBytes hot end

thingiverse

I possess a RapMan (a laser-cut derivative of the RepRap 3D printer) and have admiration for an extruder design created by another enthusiast. The extruder consists of two sections connected by screws - the "drive" section, where a shaft driven by a stepper motor grabs and pushes filament, and the "hot end" portion that melts plastic. I've used numerous kilograms of various filaments (ABS, PP, HDPE, PLA) without encountering any issues with the hot end from bfb. They sell the hot end as a separate component, enabling it to be mounted onto the Mendel using the pinch wheel drive and the bowden cable as the extruder's other part. The hot end has a diameter of approximately 40mm, so I had to modify the carriage by drilling a large 40mm hole in it. To implement this idea, print both lower and upper carriages according to the Mendel manual instructions, then insert the hot end through the hole. Attach the "bowden cable holder" to the carriage and connect the bfb hot end to the holder (a drawing for this part is still in progress).