RepRap Pro Mini extruder protector

thingiverse

Who's it for? Probably only useful for owners of the following design (or similar):http://www.think3dprint3d.com/Kossel-Mini-3dPrinter-Kit The Kossel mini kit I got from Think 3d Print 3d uses a RepRap Pro mini extruder on one upright beam with a feed from a filament reel mounted on one of the upper horizontal beams. Why's it needed? When printing the filament was rubbing on the large gear of the extruder due to the tension between the reel and the extruder. This is probably bad for the long term reliability of the extruder (although this design might cause other problems, let me know if you have any) How does it help? This little outrigger mounts to the extruder to ensure that the tension is taken by the body of the extruder rather than the large gear. Instructions Printing I made it on the kossel mini in the description above (using the Slic3r medium), these are the main settings I used, I suspect it will be quite tolerant to changes. 0.2mm layer heights should be fine. Fill density of 0.2 2 perimeters Fitting I just attached it to the extruder with a couple of m3x40mm bolts, replacing the two m3x25mm tensioning bolts and adding a couple of nuts and washers to the outside of the outrigger, leaving the tensioning nuts in place. So your finished sandwich should look like: Bolt head Left outrigger arm Extruder body (L) Adjustable gap (where the filament is fed in) Extruder body (R) Nut Right outrigger arm Nut (Or washer and nut, if you're feeling fancy)