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Airwolf 3D Announces the G-Series Dual Extruder Hot End

Posted on by Airwolf 3D
21
Feb

Airwolf 3D introduces its G-series dual extruder for EVO 3D printers. Starting at $945, the G-series upgrade takes the EVO, EVO R, and EVO 22 to the next level in terms of print quality and reliability by incorporating a milled teflon feeding system and stronger componentry.

First and foremost, the feeding system is extensively redesigned to promote extrusion reliability and print quality. The original feeders are one or two piece polycarbonate designs incorporating teflon tubes. The teflon tubes are pressed to hardened extrusion gears with a metal or silicone compression mechanism. The compression keeps pressure on the filament when it passes through the feeder such that the extrusion gears push the filament through the nozzles.

The first versions of the EVO hot end featured a solid, 1 piece polycarbonate feeder block. The new G-Series hot end improves on this design by using two machined feeder arms with a center tensioning spring.

For the G-series, this mechanism is extensively re-engineered. Starting with a solid PTFE extrusion, the form is milled to form cavities for a central compression spring and two shoulder bolts.The feeding mechanism is coupled to the extruder via shoulder bolts, minimizing deflection. The shoulder bolts are located near the filament entrance to keep filament feeding centrally into the top of the hot end whether the material is rigid or flexible. The entire feeder consists of two feeder arms, two feeder bolts, and the aforementioned compression spring.

The shoulder bolts, tensioning spring, and new teflon-infused delrin feeding arms are all part of the new G-Series hot end.

The assembly is precision machined to maintain tight tolerances and minimize deviations in performance, even if the feed material deviates significantly. The mechanism is compatible with filaments ranging from flexible TPE to hard polycarbonate. More consistent tensioning over a wide range of materials and sizes provides more accurate extrusion, even under the most demanding situations such as when using small orifice nozzles (,35mm) and flexible filaments.

The new teflon-infused delrin feeders come standard on the G-Series and make 3D printing difficult materials like TPU (shown above), a breeze.

In addition to improved feeding, positional repeatability is also enhanced with a more rigid pivoting bracket. Specifically, the ¼” billet aluminum bracket was replaced with a stronger and more rigid ⅜” billet aluminum bracket.

The old pivoting bracket (left) was machined out of ¼” aluminum, while the new G-Series pivoting bracket (right) is machined out of ⅜” aluminum.

Airflow to and through the hot end is also significantly increased. All materials, and especially PLA and PETG require proper airflow through the hot end to avoid softening during extrusion. To address this, the pivoting bracket was substantially modified to promote extensive airflow from the center fan through the hot end radiators and to the extrusion motors and drive gears.

The new pivoting bracket (right) features increased airflow, is thicker, and is only slightly heavier than the old version.

If you have the old version EVO hot end and would like to upgrade to the new and improved G-Series, please visit the G-Series page at airwolf3d.com.