My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby Seshan » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:08 pm

Looks great, to bad I don't have a printer yet, other wise I would grab that other one. So I donated $5 instead :P
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:09 pm

The thermocouples are enclosed in a stainless sleeve, so they get secured in a hole drilled for them in the heater block.

I want to let these ones live in the wild for a bit to see how they perform, and once I've gotten enough feedback design another revision. If I ever get a version out to production, I could see there being a buildlog discount, seeing as you guys inspired this whole thing.

Seshan: Thanks a lot! Every little bit helps me keep moving this design forward.
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby orcinus » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:37 pm

So... pardon my bluntness, but how is this different than existing hotends that use stainless steel as a thermal barrier?
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:44 pm

Bluntness excused. There's nothing especially revolutionary about using a titanium thermal barrier. There is a slight improvement in that 304 stainless has a thermal conductivity of 16.2 W/m-K and Ti6Al4V alloy has a thermal conductivity of 6.7 W/m-K. I've also thinned and lengthened the narrow section to allow less heat to pass.

What's new is the use of Titanium for the heater block. It doesn't conduct heat very well (grade 2 Ti behaves almost identically to 304 SS), so it makes the whole system very stable. It will take longer to heat up, but will be much more stable when it reaches temperature. That's the goal, anyway.
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby SystemsGuy » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:50 pm

orcinus wrote:So... pardon my bluntness, but how is this different than existing hotends that use stainless steel as a thermal barrier?



:-) Coolness factor? Stainless is ~ 16 W/(m.K), TI is 21, so there's no advantage there at all, and I don't think there's any advantage w/regard to ability to create a smooth surface for laminar flow. I'm one of those guys who's always been told it's a nightmare to machine, so I've no experience there at all.

So an expensive and +5 on the "coolness" scale, but -5 on the "not as good as stainless" scale....

EDITED : Cross posting! :-) I'll take your word on the alloy being less thermally conductive than than T2, which is unless I miss-googled 21 W/(m.K)
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Fri Mar 01, 2013 7:57 pm

SystemsGuy wrote::-) Coolness factor? Stainless is ~ 16 W/(m.K), TI is 21, so there's no advantage there at all, and I don't think there's any advantage w/regard to ability to create a smooth surface for laminar flow.


I think you may be looking at the wrong alloy. Here's the alloy I'm using for the thermal barrier: http://asm.matweb.com/search/SpecificMa ... num=MTP641

So.... +1 expensive, +5 awesome, and every bit as good as stainless.

In a production setting, Ti can be a nightmare. It puts all the heat straight into the cutter, and work hardens at the drop of a hat. If you're trying to push your speeds, you will hit trouble. But on a small scale, all I have to do is use sharp tools, run slowly (and with plenty of coolant and oil), and keep cutting so the tools don't rub. And with proper care on drilling, you get beautiful polished bores. It's fantastic for hobbyists, but I'm also crazy. :lol:

EDIT: Yes, also coolness factor. The coolness factor is not to be underestimated. :D
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:49 pm

It's funded!! Woohoo!!
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby Enraged » Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:59 pm

Do you know which controllers support thermocouples?
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:06 pm

As far as I know, none support them natively. I run a thermocouple on my ORD Bot (RAMPS v1.4) by using a thermocouple amplifier (http://store.makerbot.com/thermocouple- ... 0-pcb.html) and piping it straight into an unused analog port on the RAMPS. From there, I just set the firmware to use a thermocouple instead of a thermistor and it just worked.

If you do go that route, buy the circuit board and the parts separately. MakerBot charges $50 for all the parts, when it's really more like $20 if you buy them from digi-key.
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Re: My Latest Project -- Introducing The TiEnd

Postby JeremyBP » Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:39 am

Alrighty! So I got a small box of Ti bar today, which was kind of weird. I had about a foot and a half of various sizes, and it didn't weigh anything! :)

I did a test today of one of the most difficult parts to machine: the threaded end of the nozzle.

DSC_0041.jpg
That's an M6x1 thread on the outside, and a 2mm hole down the center.


I think it came out fairly well, which is encouraging.
The titanium is actually really pleasant to machine, and if I keep it oiled while cutting it, the surface finish is superb, as you can see. I'm going to have to start using it for more things, it really makes you feel good about yourself. Hopefully either tomorrow or Monday I can make the fixtures I need to do the other side of the nozzles, and get all of them finished (or at least close).

I'll keep doing a build thread here, unless anyone objects.
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