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Forum Briefcase sized, portable plastic grinder/filament extruder/spooler
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  • 3D Printing
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Briefcase sized, portable plastic grinder/filament extruder/spooler

Former Member
Former Member over 9 years ago

Enjoyed the video on the briefcase sized 3D Printer.  How about a companion unit to make filament?  Should be able to take suitably sized plastics, grind, extrude and roll onto spools, for use with the briefcase-sized 3D printer, making for a completely portable 3D factory.  Simple menu selection (ie-soda bottles, milk jugs, cd cases, plastic bags, etc.) to set the temperature and extrusion/spooling speed.

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  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago in reply to makerkaren +2
    I have a friend that teaches technology, including 3D printing. Part of their class projects is printing and finishing low-cost plastic prosthetics made to fit a specific child in their community. Their…
  • kingrahl
    kingrahl over 9 years ago +2
    I've been working nearly four years (off and on) on an improved design of Ben's Briefcase 3D Printer. One of my intentions was to include (or design separately) a folding filament making station. (about…
  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago in reply to beacon_dave +2
    IMHO, that requires an unnecessary melt, more energy, time, and an additional molding process. Might as well make pellets, at that point. That's really the purpose of using shredded stock, then being able…
  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 9 years ago in reply to Former Member

    A demolition hammer drill motor/gearbox might do the trick - they are rated at around 2HP but are still fairly compact.

     

    I'm not 100% convinced about the cutting of the bottles - you are likely to end up with injuries. Crushing them flat however may help feed them into the shredder cutter. However a shredder like this appears to make quick work of whole bottles and will probably feed ok if there is enough weight of material in the hopper

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Ghwd29W-o

    Alternatively some sort of a feed tube where the next bottle inserted effectively pushes the previous one into the cutter

     

    In a later design they added a mesh under the shredder which appears to grate the shredded material into smaller pieces.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFIPXgrk7u0#t=10m10s

    Not sure how small you can make a cutter that still will bite into a bottle.

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave over 9 years ago in reply to Former Member

    This video shows pretty coarse plastic pieces going into the extruder unit

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4NoY33-Tfo#t=15m48s

    so it looks like grinding may not be absolutely necessary.

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  • kingrahl
    kingrahl over 9 years ago in reply to Former Member

    How much do you believe this unit will weigh after everything is combined?

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  • Former Member
    Former Member over 9 years ago in reply to kingrahl

    I have no idea.  Since it hasn't even been attempted.  My suggestion is based on the request for ideas.  I know someone that works within a school-funded budget, and a filament maker would vastly expand the number, and types of projects that could be done, such as providing an accident victim with a functional prosthesis, when insurance wouldn't.

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  • kingrahl
    kingrahl over 9 years ago in reply to Former Member

    It's not listed as one of the specs on the Filastruder website, but it looks pretty heavy. I'd guess between 10 and 20 pounds. The hand crank grinder you pictured looks pretty light. Maybe between two and five pounds. All that, with the bulk of each item... I'm thinking, instead of a "briefcase" sized system, it may be better in a suitcase. One with an extendable handle and wheels. You might even fit the briefcase 3D printer inside.

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