Lines for the production and testing of filaments for 3D printers > Filament lines for 3D printers

Laboratory filament lines

Laboratory line for the production of filaments for 3D printers

Line for the production of filaments for 3D printers

Lines for producing filament for 3D printers can be equipped with twin-screw and single-screw extruders from the Zamak Mercator offer for research purposes.

The production of fusible fibers for 3D printers is a highly valued technology. It launched industrial innovation, ensuring cost-effective production of a wide range of fibers (filaments) necessary for 3D printers operating using FDM additive printing technology. Fused fiber fabrication is one of the most widely used technologies that has found the maximum number of applications in all types of manufacturing sectors, including biomedical, aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, construction, electrical and electronic food and various others. Thanks to the highest level of printing flexibility and profitability, it maintains the largest share in the 3D printing industry.

Filament for 3D printers is produced by free extrusion. This is one of the most difficult processing techniques by extrusion, due to the particularly large impact of process parameters on the dimensions of the product. Due to the high quality requirements for the product, which is the filament for 3D printers, when introducing a new material into production, the selection of processing parameters is made using the experimental method. The introduction of any changes to the material recipe and processing conditions (process and ambient temperatures, raw material drying efficiency, line configuration) will affect the quality of the filament.

For the above reasons, the filament production line must be built with devices with high technical parameters. It is important to be able to precisely and at the same time repeatably set [adjust] all device parameters; such as temperatures [extruders, water in tubs, pressures, extruder speeds, material pumps, extraction].

Laboratory filament extrusion lines for 3D printers are not designed for efficient filament production, but for research. For this reason, we offer many device configurations that can be used in such lines. Laboratory twin-screw and single-screw extruders can be used in various configurations of additional equipment. Cooling tubs of various lengths. Belt conveyors equipped with filament cooling systems. Caterpillar lashings. Roller lashings. Winders for spools up to 400 mm or 200 mm in diameter.

There are many configurations of laboratory lines for 3D printer filament that we can offer our customers based on our devices.

Requirements for lines for the production of filament used in 3D printing.

In the case of laboratory filament extrusion lines for 3D printers, requirements other than those described below may apply. Our company will make every effort to meet the expectations of our customers in the field of laboratory filament lines.

Since filaments for 3D printers working with the use of FDM technology are subject to very high requirements regarding uniformity, diameter and ovality, the lines used for their production must also meet high requirements:

Industrial lines for the production of filament for 3D printers must have a modular structure susceptible to modifications of devices and the manufacturing process. All devices used in the line must be easy to clean.
The extruder used in the line must have a high ability to extrude a homogeneous alloy of high homogeneity. Parameters such as screw rotational speed, feeding zone temperatures, temperatures of plasticizing system zones should be very stable over long periods. This requires the use of modern drives with high stability and allowing to regulate the rotational speed in a wide range the extruder cylinder heating and cooling systems are also high. This system should be well designed and good quality temperature regulators should be used, preferably in the form of an industrial PLC controller. The control program should allow for the adjustment of the thermal profile of the device to the production process. line elements.
The line should be equipped with a molten plastic pump in order to limit plastic pressure pulsations and ensure a stable outflow of plastic from the head. It should be possible to use the line without the use of a plastic pump. The pump should be equipped with a precise and stable melt temperature control system and pressure transducers used at the pump input and output .
The head is the element of the line which, depending on the forming tool, determines the final shape of the extruded line (filament) All parts in contact with the plastic are subjected to a nitriding process, which allows for high abrasion resistance The head is heated with band heaters and has slots for connection of temperature sensors and pressure sensor The head to the plastic pump or extruder should be fastened with a wedge closure.
The head forming the line for 3D printers has two tools for producing the line with diameters of 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm The head is electrically heated The accuracy of the diameter of the extruded filament is not worse than ±0.05 [mm] Changing the tool is easy and does not require the use of specialized tools All head elements in contact with plastic are nitrided to a hardness of 1000oHV and to a depth of not less than 0.5 mm.
The line should be equipped with two extruded filament cooling tubs.
- The first bath should ensure the calibration of the extruded filament at the entrance to the water in order to improve the shape and maintain the required diameter. and the process water circuit should allow precise regulation of the flow.
- The second tub in the line is designed to cool the filament and should be equipped with a filament drying system. The process and cooling water circuits should be separated by a heat exchanger, and the process water circuit should enable precise flow regulation.The flow of cooling water should not cause the cooled filament to vibrate.
Receiving lashing is used to transport extruded (extruded) monofilament or filamentCrawler lashing is a universal solution, because it enables the transport of profiles with different cross-sections, not only filament. The lashing is a very important element of the line, because it is also responsible for the dimensional accuracy of the monofilament or filament. Precise control of the linear speed allows for very precise regulation of filament dimensionsCrawler strain relief works with a measuring deviceThe results of measuring the diameter of the line or filament are analyzed by the digital line control system. Thanks to this, the suction speed can be adjusted in such a way as to ensure the dimensional stability of the extruded cord or filament. The strain relief should have a pair of tracks with a regulated distance symmetrically in relation to the filament.Adjustment the distance between the tracks should be preciseMeasuring the distance between the tracks should also be preciseThe exhaust system should be equipped with two motors [each track is independent All extraction functions should be controlled from an independent touch panel operator. This is a very useful solution due to the considerable distance of the extraction from the extruder.
A laser gauge with an integrated measurement display should be used to measure the diameter of the line in two or three axes, for transparent and non-transparent lines.
The vertical compensator is in fact an extruded line magazine that receives the extruded line when changing spools on a twin-spindle winder. The compensator allows the operator to easily change the spool without interrupting the extrusion process.
The filament winder enables winding in the technological line It should be equipped with an easy-to-use and reliable spool mounting mechanism It should be equipped with a filament winding length counter and a tension gauge that ensures constant and stable filament tension All winder functions are controlled from an independent touchscreen operator panel equipped with a digital controller PLCThe use of a touch screen facilitates operation, because the operator is not forced to approach the main operator panel usually placed next to the extruder.

The technical and operational requirements for the line for the production of filament for 3D printers are not small, therefore the software that allows you to manage all devices working in the line should provide:

Continuous control and visualization of extrusion parameters such as: pressure, temperature, rotation, torque, energy consumption.
Enable control and control of the process and line devices.
You can add to this the ability to save parameters to the database for later analysis and archiving, displaying graphs on-line and work in the plant network and even globally. The ability to transmit operating parameters via Ethernet to any place for computers, tablets, etc.
The line's software should be able to adapt to customer expectations.
The line can be supervised and serviced via Ethernet [Internet].
The line can be controlled wirelessly from a tablet [option].

We have made every effort to ensure that the information about our products is factually correct. Please treat the technical data of the devices as indicative, because we constantly improve our products, adapting them to changing technologies. The presented offer is informative and does not constitute an offer within the meaning of the Civil Code

Laboratory filament lines

Requirements for lines for the production of filament used in 3D printing.

In the case of laboratory filament extrusion lines for 3D printers, requirements other than those described below may apply. Our company will make every effort to meet the expectations of our customers in the field of laboratory filament lines.

Since filaments for 3D printers working with the use of FDM technology are subject to very high requirements regarding uniformity, diameter and ovality, the lines used for their production must also meet high requirements:

Industrial lines for the production of filament for 3D printers must have a modular structure susceptible to modifications of devices and the manufacturing process. All devices used in the line must be easy to clean.

The line should be equipped with two extruded filament cooling tubs.

A laser gauge with an integrated measurement display should be used to measure the diameter of the line in two or three axes, for transparent and non-transparent lines.

The vertical compensator is in fact an extruded line magazine that receives the extruded line when changing spools on a twin-spindle winder. The compensator allows the operator to easily change the spool without interrupting the extrusion process.

The technical and operational requirements for the line for the production of filament for 3D printers are not small, therefore the software that allows you to manage all devices working in the line should provide:

Continuous control and visualization of extrusion parameters such as: pressure, temperature, rotation, torque, energy consumption.

Enable control and control of the process and line devices.

You can add to this the ability to save parameters to the database for later analysis and archiving, displaying graphs on-line and work in the plant network and even globally. The ability to transmit operating parameters via Ethernet to any place for computers, tablets, etc.

The line's software should be able to adapt to customer expectations.

The line can be supervised and serviced via Ethernet [Internet].

The line can be controlled wirelessly from a tablet [option].

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