Uploaded June 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Making 3D printer filament from cheap pellets 🧵

More info: DrDFlo.com/Extrusion.html
D-Flo’s Amazon Store: amazon.com/shop/dr.d-flo

📷 Follow Dr. D-Flo on the Gram: instagram.com/dr.dflo

Equipment:
EX6 Extruder: filabot.com/products/filabot-ex6-filament-extruder
Spooler: filabot.com/products/filabot-spooler
Airpath: filabot.com/products/filabot-airpath
Filameasure: filabot.com/products/filameasure-inline-filament-measurement

Description:
How to make 3D printer filament. This video dives into the fundamentals and technology behind plastic extrusion for 3D printer filament. The workhorse behind this process is the screw extruder, which feeds small plastic pellets into a barrel, where a screw conveys and melts the material. A tight fit between the barrel and screw allows for pressure to build as the plastic melts. This pressure provides the driving force to push the molten resin out of the die (or nozzle) that has a 1.75 mm opening. Of course, this 1.75 mm is the desired filament diameter for most 3D printers, and the melted plastic has no choice but to conform to this profile. The process does not end here as the newly formed filament has to be cooled, measured, and spooled, with each subsequent step requiring its own instrument to carry out.

Each plastic behaves differently during the extrusion process, which provides the opportunity to discuss the molecular structure of polymers (semi-crystalline and amorphous materials). This discussion is not only important in creating the filament but also when printing it. Learn how percent crystallinity affects the tendency of material to warp and their opacity. This video features the extrusion of many different materials, including PLA, ABS, PETG, and HIPS. Also, composite materials, such as carbon fibered reinforced ABS, are also extruded as filament.

Please note: The equipment seen in this video was provided by Filabot, but Dr. D-Flo was not compensated for this video. Dr. D-Flo thoroughly tested all equipment for 1 year prior to making this video.

#Filament #Extrusion #3DPrinting

Table of Contents:
00:00 – Introduction
01:17 – Extruding PLA Filament
09:58 – Die/Nozzle
11:45 – Screw Design
16:47 – Inside the Extruder
18:15 – Barrel Heaters
21:04 – Economics of Filament Extrusion
25:04 – Thermoplastics Structure
27:04 – Purging and Cleaning
27:58 – Extruding ABS Filament
28:58 – Extruding Carbon Fiber ABS Filament
30:02 – Extruding PETG Filament
33:20 – Extruding HIPS Filament