Overview
A 3D printer extruder is a filament feeding mechanism used in all fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers.
This is a list of publicaly available extruder designs which can be built using a combination of 3d printed parts and a purchasable gear kit. Sections are broken up by gear type.
Terminology:
- Bowden: An extruder not attached to the toolhead that pushes filament through a PTFE tube.
- Direct Drive: An extruder attached to the toolhead that pulls filament through a PTFE tube.
- Standalone: A direct-drive extruder that is a seperate assembly from the toolhead.
- Mounting: The bolt spacing of the extruder to attach to the toolhead.
BMG Gears
Section titled “BMG Gears”BMG gears are part of a kit from the popular BMG extruder created by Bondtech. They are available either as a standard kit, where the extruder and drive gear are two seperate pieces, IDGA (Integrated Drive Gear Assembly), where the extruder and drive gear are a single piece, or RIDGA (Reverse IDGA). Opt for RIDGA/IDGA, if the extruder supports it, for better layer stacking. These gear kits are available from a variety of vendors. Be aware that many vendors sell clones that have varying quality control.
HGX-lite Gears
Section titled “HGX-lite Gears”HGX-lite gears are a set of large extruder gears from the HGX-lite extruder believed to be created by Haldis 3D. They also sell the gears standalone as a gear set. These are essentially a clone of the LGX-lite gears. They come in two variants, HGX-Lite and HGX-lite 2.0. Most extruders featuring these gears are using the original 1.0 version. The 2.0 variant is slightly lighter and can be identified by the extra holes in the drive gears.
Galileo 2 Gears
Section titled “Galileo 2 Gears”Galileo 2 gears are a set of gears designed by LDO and sold by a number of partners. They are a set of large drive gears in a planetary drive train. This superseded Galileo 1 (also known as Orbiter 1).
##Pre-Assembled Standalone Extruders
These are some of the most popular standalone extruders that can be purchased fully assembled and ready to mount. Many of the community extruders are based on these designs.
Other Extruders
Section titled “Other Extruders”These extruders use a set of gears that are still readily available but are less common.
Legacy Extruders
Section titled “Legacy Extruders”Legacy extruders use gear designs that are no longer readily available for purchase or have been superseded by a newer, well adopted design.