Hardware
Direct drive extruder
Also known as: extrusor directo · direct drive · directo · extrusor en el cabezal
Short definition
In a direct drive extruder the motor that pushes the filament is mounted on the print head itself, a few centimetres from the nozzle.
Full definition
With the motor so close to the melt zone, control over the filament is immediate: retractions are short, the response when starting and stopping extrusion is precise, and flexible materials such as TPU can be printed without buckling along the path. The price is weight: a heavier head has more inertia, so at high speeds ringing appears unless the machine compensates. It is the configuration most new mid-range printers use today.
Related terms
- Bowden extruderIn a bowden system the extruder motor is fixed to the frame and pushes filament to the head through a PTFE tube.
- RetractionRetraction is the movement in which the extruder pulls filament back before a non-printing travel move, so the nozzle does not ooze and leave strings.
- HotendThe hotend is the assembly that melts filament: heater block, cartridge, thermistor, heatbreak and nozzle.
Hardware
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