Barriers, Barrels, PTFE, OH MY!
Hi fellow Operators,
We have received a number of requests asking when we will have brass Heater Barrels, PTFE Thermal Barriers, and Spare Parts Kits back in stock. We had an unprecedented run on these items, folks bought a LOT of them all at once, and we sent them out to MakerBot Operators all over the world. Due to long lead times, are now waiting for a resupply. We expect them to be available in the store again in several weeks, and we want to thank you all for your patience, and apologize for the delay! We work hard to keep all our items available, and we are adjusting our operations to support the growing demand we see for machines and parts.
I saw a post recently discussing whether or not you needed to replace the barrel and barrier if you were having some warping, or plastic leaking out. The short answer is no, you don’t have to immediately replace them, if they continue to extrude! Some of our longest-printing extruders have had some crazy blooms, like the one you may have seen on CBS. The ABS eventually forms a seal, and can sometimes self-correct the problem! So as long as it keeps extruding, you don’t need to swap it with a new barrel or barrier. Run it ’til it quits!
Hose Clamp Hack
Another solution to warping or bulging of the PTFE barrier is an old plumbers hack- the Hose Clamp! You can head down to most hardware or plumbing supply stores and get a nice metal hose clamp, and tighten it around the joint between the heater barrel and PTFE barrier. This can control warping and contain some of the pressure that causes bulges. It also acts as a great heat sink, which helps cool the entire hot end assembly.
Thanks again for your patience and happy printing!
Bernhard Slawik
July 14th, 2010 at 7:49 pm #
My hint is: Add an additional nut IMMEDIATELY after the PTFE barrier! This redirects the force of the extruder back to the retainer. Making the retainer the “single point of failure” (but we can live with that! Just print out some more!)
Greetings from sunny Munich,
HotKey
Bernhard Slawik
July 14th, 2010 at 7:52 pm #
Second hint: Buy some spare parts at *sorry!* MakerGear (check out the “Operator’s Pack”). They have that great black PTFE and the blue retainer – that stuff rocks!!!
Cathal
July 15th, 2010 at 5:13 am #
Also, when you do get around to replacing your thermal barrier, get a PEEK barrier instead. At present, only Makergear is stocking these pre-made, but I’d love to see them becoming the standard for new Makerbots. The material is simply superior for extruding ABS. However, for PLA it poses some friction problems, so caveat emptor!
I would also love to get a new pulley from Makerbot, but the shipping is far more expensive than the item itself! Any way we could get small items shipped by post instead of pricey packaging?
Chuck Schlottman
July 16th, 2010 at 5:44 pm #
I have seen PTFE thermal barriers at http://www.reprapstores.com as well.