Redesign of a 3D Low Cost Filament Printer, Adapting it to a Pellet Extruder for New Material Assays

The present work arises from the need identified on the additive manufacturing field due to the lack of 3D low cost pellet printers and the little diversity of materials available for 3D FFF printing. Considering this problem, a 3D pellet printer design is proposed starting from a 3D FFF printer. To carry out this design work, at first it is selected a commercial pellet extruder which meets all the conditions to provide a proper printing quality. At second, a new mechanical propose is analyzed and tested by simulation programs considering the changes made. In the course of the mechanical analysis, the structure is reviewed, and also a temperature study is accomplished. Based on the results, it is possible to verify the correct performance of the machine. From the different simulations, the optimal conditions in terms of dimensioning, structure, internal temperatures, and loads are obtained. This enables to determine an optimal and functional design which adapts into a commercial pellet extruder keeping low costs and simple implementation.