Bondtech lgx vs hemera free#

It’s worth mentioning that these results are with the idler tension close to the maximum. It has a higher contact surface, similar to the LGX but it also has sharper and denser grip marks. Trianglelab TBG LiteĪ good mix between grip mark density and pressure on the filament is delivered by the Trianglelab TBG Lite which probably has the closest to ideal grip effect on the filament. While the gear markings on the filament are not as dense as with the Hemera, the added contact surface of these gears and the possibility of manually adjusting their position helps a lot with ensuring a consistent grip without deforming the filament. This one has larger gears to allow an even better grip on the filament. Bondtech LGXĪnother high-performance extruder is the Bondtech LGX. Having larger gears than a BMG while also having sharp cuts in the gear allows the E3D Hemera to have a powerful grip on the filament, without actually deforming it. In the images below, you can see how sharp the gears are and how close these markings are compared to the other extruders. The E3D Hemera extruder is one of the best extruders out there and that’s mostly because of the hobbed gears it uses. Please remember that the images below don’t have an example of ideal tension on the filament, but just a visual representation of how the extruder gears affect the filament with various pressure. This should help you understand what you can expect from various extruders. To give you a visual representation of how various extruders impact the filament integrity, I took some filament and ran it through a few of my different extruders. You can do this using the on-screen options of your 3D printer or a program like Pronterface.

Adjust the tensioning knob on your extruder until pressure is applied to the filament and start extruding some filament. Now that we confirmed the filament can be fed easily through the hotend, and the filament path is not obstructed, we can begin tightening the extruder idler. Begin tightening the extruder idler tension The filament should be easy to feed and no blockage should be present in the filament path. When the hotend is heated to the correct temperature, (ex: 215C for PLA) I manually feed the filament through the nozzle. I do this in order to ensure that the filament has a smooth path from the extruder to the nozzle. There are a few dozen different extruders out there, so it’s hard to give a unique answer but here’s how I recommend doing this: Loosen the extruder idler tension to the minimum value My main reasoning when calibrating the extruder tension is to have a good enough grip on the filament so the gears don’t slip while keeping the deformation on the filament as low as possible. Over time, the gears can slip and filament can build up onto the gears.

Bondtech lgx vs hemera free#

I also recommend ensuring that the extruder gears are clean and free from plastic accumulation. To ensure an accurate calibration for the extruder (tension, e-steps, and flow rate) you need to ensure that the filament path is clear and the filament can move freely until it reaches the nozzle. Prerequisites for a successful extruder tension calibration In this case, the flow rate will also change depending on how much the shape of the filament changes. Instead of a nice round shape with a 1.75mm diameter, you can “deform” your filament into a saw-like squared piece of filament that has variable density across a specific length.

When too much tension is applied to the filament, the extruder gears sink into the filament and actually crush it changing its diameter and shape. Unfortunately, we are not living in an ideal world so the diameter has a tolerance of about ☐.02mm to 0.05±. In an ideal world, the filament should be round with a 1.75mm diameter across the whole spool. The second factor that changes when adjusting the extruder tension is the filament shape.

Of course, this change will be different between different types of extruders, gears, and hotends used. When the extruder tension is less than ideal, the gears can slip against the filament and the torque is not correctly transferred to it. Usually, when more pressure against the filament is applied, there is more grip so the flow rate increases a bit. This change in flow occurs because the grip on the filament changes with the amount of tension applied by the idler or gear. Depending on the amount of tension applied to the filament, you will notice more filament or less filament flow through the hotend. The first thing I notice when adjusting the extruder tension is the flow rate changing. When this happens, multiple factors change: Flow Rate

When you adjust the extruder tension, you are basically changing the amount of pressure applied to the filament by the extruder gears. 6 Wrapping up Why calibrate extruder tension?