Hello Community,
I would like to build an fillament extruder to recycle my failed prints and create cheap fillament. I was following this instruction (https://www.instructables.com/Recycle-Plastic-Into-3D-Printer-Filament-at-Home/) and I noticed that the diameter sensor to check the flow rate (thickness) of the fillament is obsolete. Are there other sensors which I can use to replace that sensor? (TSL1401CL line array sensor)
Please extract the interesting information and place it here. Don't expect helpers to plow through a complete project like this.
A useful link here: How to get the best out of this forum - Using Arduino / Project Guidance - Arduino Forum
I wouldn’t think this would give great results , a good quality filament is important !
Thats why we still need some after processing and some material adjustments. This is the first iteration of the project with a small buget. The whole thing will get upgrades and improvements, when we have the chance to actually see how good it works. And figure out what is most important problem/issue and if there is a alternative to the current measurement/fillament production.
(First change would be something like watercooling, replaceing arduino with ESP32 or Raspbeery Pi for higher calculation power too use more advanced measurements, replacing the wooddrill with a better feeder etc). The created Fillament is used for pretty simple stuff so thats no big problem when the first fillaments aren´t the best.
Wait a few days before measuring newly created filaments. I learned 20 years ago, when I bought an injection molding business, that all plastic shrinks. Lots in the first few hours and less after that, but always continues to shrink.
Do you maybe know a good way to measure the flowrate/thickness while creating the filament?
I actually heared the same in a lesson in university when they were talking about injection molding.
The question is how can I influence the effect of shrinking to a mimmiumum? effect best should I cool it in a waterbath after extrusion (few secounds) or are there other ways?
Currently I may see 3 Ways which I could try to use:
Ultrasonic,Laser and Measurement with a camera.
But laser could have trouble, when the material isn´t always the same.
Ultrasonic could have to less accourcy.
And measuring with a camera could (maybe) be pretty complicated with image processing (Arduino is to weak for that so that need to get changed too)
Well, practically, since you have no clue about the type of plastic you are using and that it will vary, there is no way to predict or control the shrinkage. With known plastic type, the mold maker can adjust the mold dimensions to make the final cold product be close to the required dimension.
But a filament of plastic will be the size it wants to be. The commercial manufacture can size everything to produce the filament they want because the type of plastic is consistent..
This is also why it's impossible to recycle plastic waste.
I may forgot to mention that I used sorted plastic (PLA, PETG,PET,PP and maybe even PS ) only. I do not know if they are using additional blends but there is no mixture between PLA and PET. Every diffrent kind of plastic will get a different profile for temperature, flowrate and pullspeed. (Planed for a improved design is an simple AI which will handle the corrections more dynamic/better, but for that I need a lot more data and it will be more complex).
I am useing these symbols for sorting:
(And of course failed prints/leftovers from 3D printers where I know which material I/they did use).
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