Extruders

What is a 3D printer extruder?

The extruder is an element of the printer responsible for the proper extrusion of the plasticized material from the printer's nozzle. In FDM/FFF printers, two types of extruders can be distinguished: direct drive and Bowden. The first is characterized by the combination of the driving part with the block and the print head. The bowden, on the other hand, is usually mounted on the printer's frame and pushes the filament through a long PTFE tube to the hotend.

Extruders - not only FFF/FDM 3D printing

3D printing and additive manufacturing is still developing and has many names. In 3D printing systems such as Binder Jetting or Polyjet, the extruder is a requirement for the material to be properly deposited before it is transformed by adding a binder to it (Binder Jetting) or changing its chemical properties (Polyjet and CPX). These technologies, apart from 3D printing with resin, are slightly more specialized methods of additive manufacturing. What connects them and what separates them? A lot, and certainly an extruder! One thing is certain - a wrongly selected or faulty extruder is a straight way to service costs or, at best, poor quality in 3D printing. The astute can find more information in our compendia on the Botland Blog.

Cold end, hot end - extruder in 3D printing

The cold end is… the cold part at the top of the 3D printer extruder. There is no mention of heating the filament here. Rather, it is the part with the motor and gear that pushes the 3D printer filament to the hot tip. The hot end is the part where the filament goes from solid to liquid while being extruded on the work surface. Of course, there are different types, so we include the technical details for you in the product descriptions. And since 3D printing requires high temperatures to work, their control and observation are equally important. Other components and accessories for 3D printing, which you will find in the Botland store's assortment, will be great for this.