Solder Feeder
Description
PDFThis solder feeder is a remix of Mr. Crawford's design, with some improvements for better operation. I printed it with my Creality Ender V3 SE with the below specs:
| Material | PLA |
| Infill | 15% |
| Layer Height | 0.2mm |
| Nozzle Temperature | 190degC |
| Hotbed Temperature | 50degC |
| Support | Tree |
I made two iterations to make it right, the first one didn't work as I expected and the gear was made basically a cylinder. But the second iteration worked pretty well and I'm satisfied with it. I used support only for the Luer Lock part, and I prefer using Tree supports so that the bottom part which fits into the device doesn't get scars or change tolerance.
NOTE: the Luer Lock part is unfortunately asymmetric and it matters which way you insert it into the device. When inserting it, make sure to align its rectangular hole with the solder wire path on the base part.
If anyone wants to make other patterns for the gear teeth, here's the dimensions of the one I made. You can use them to design it so that it fits inside the mechanism:
Also, don't worry about the signature on the body of feeder. For my initial make, I added a little taste to it, but removed the groove in the uploaded files. :)
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Update:
@Milo_111443 asked whether this design can be modified to accept nozzle syringe tip, so I made an update in which a Luer Lock mechanism is added to lock the syringe nozzle to it and feed the solder wire through the nozzle. Many thanks for their idea!
Note:
Only the base and cap of the model has changed. If you have already printed version 1, you can skip printing the spool and gear parts and use the already printed parts.
Note:
If the walls of spools don't print, change wall generator algorithm to Arachne.
Tags
Model origin
The author remixed this model.
Differences of the remix compared to the original
I didn't have the exact CAD model of Mr. Crawford's design, so basically I designed all parts from scratch, only using the geometric patterns and ideas of mechanisms he used for his design. I tried to make it as similar to his design, but here's some changes I made:
- Added a latching mechanism to hold the mini spool in place.
- Changed the wire slot path to reduce bending and ease of guidance.
- Changed position of gear to reduce its pressure on wire.
- Changed geometry of gear to make it less sharp and rough.
- Changed spring mechanism on gear to let it move more freely.
