Mar 16, 2018 | By Benedict
Italian 3D printing company Felfil has made available its Felfil Evo filament extruder, initially the subject of a Kickstarter back in 2015. The extruder is available in basic (€299, $369), complete (€599, $738), and assembled (€719, $886) versions.
Here’s one for the 3D printing veterans (sort of): remember when Italian startup Felfil introduced an open source filament extruder that allowed you to make your own 3D printing filament from cheap plastic pellets? It dropped in 2015 via a Kickstarter campaign, giving backers the chance to grab the useful 3D printing machine for just a few hundred euros.
The Arduino-powered filament extruder was entirely open source, allowing for total customization by the user, and the startup behind it stressed that it wanted to increase the use of recycled filament in the 3D printing world. All in all, it was a promising-looking project.
That 3D printing filament extruder is now available to buy in a non-crowdfunding format, with Felfil recently launching the extruder in three different versions: basic (€299, $369), complete (€599, $738), and assembled (€719, $886).
Basic version of the Felfil Evo filament extruder
Getting a 3D printing filament extruder can be a great way to save money on filament. While a 1 kg spool of readymade filament will generally set you back upward of $20, the equivalent volume of plastic pellets generally costs a fraction of that price. This means that, with just a little investment, you can soon make your own filament for a much lower cost than getting it off the shelf.
Whether it makes sense for you to invest in your own filament extruder depends on a number of factors. Do you have the time to collect and process your own plastic pellets? Do you have the expertise to ensure that each spool of homemade filament is usable and won’t end up jamming your 3D printer? Are you interested in making 3D printing greener by using recycled plastics?
If yes, Felfil says its extruder is one of the better options out there.
Assembled version of the Felfil Evo filament extruder
“The mechanical components are made in Italy and manufactured in durable materials, ensuring product quality; the extrusion screw is in fact specially made,” the company says. “An electronic board compatible with Arduino automates the filament extruder machine and makes it customizable.
“The aluminum case is very easy to open to allow anyone to work on the internal components in case of need. The essential, compact design makes it suitable for all types of users. A perfect addition to your desktop 3D printer.”
For many users, however, the fun part of the Felfil Evo will be getting stuck into the project and making various modifications to it. You can find its GitHub repository with all the open source files here.
Posted in 3D Printer Accessories
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