DESIGN OF 3D PRINTER FILAMENT MAKER

Project Report

Submitted
To

Visvesvaraya Technological University

Jnana Sangama, Belgaum-590 014, Karnataka, India

For the Award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING

In

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

By

MD ZAHID ANSARI (1GC19ME011)

ZIYA ANWAR KHAN (1GC19ME019)
ANUJ YADAV (1GC20ME401)

Under the Guidance

of
Dr. SYED ZAMEER
Associate Professor
& Director of Research Centre.
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagaram-562159

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Ghousia College of Engineering
Ramanagaram-562159
December-2022
 GHOUSIA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Ramanagaram-562159

Department of Mechanical Engineering

CERTIFICATE

Certified that the Project work entitled “DESIGN OF 3D PRINTER FILAMENT

MAKER”, is a bonafide work carried out by MD ZAHID ANSARI (1GC19ME011),
ZIYA ANWAR KHAN (1GC19ME019) and ANUJ YADAV (1GC20ME401) in partial
fulfillment for the award of BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING in MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING of the Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belagavi during the
academic year 2022-2023. It is certified that all the corrections/suggestions indicated for
internal assessment have been incorporated in the report deposited in the departmental
library. The Project work has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in
respect of work prescribed for the above said degree.

(Dr. Syed Zameer) (Dr. Mohammed Mohsin Ali H)

Signature of the Guide Signature of H.O.D

( Dr. Mohammed Zahed Ansari)

Signature of Principal

External Viva

Name of the Examiner Signature with date

1.

2. `
 DECLARATION

We here by declare that the entire work embodied in this Project work entitled,

“DESIGN OF 3D PRINTER FILAMENT MAKER”, has been carried out

independently by our team and no part of it has been submitted for any Degree

or Diploma of any institution previously.

Place : Ramanagaram
Date : 31/12/2022 (MD ZAHID ANSARI)

(ZIYA ANWAR KHAN)

(ANUJ YADAV)
 ABSTRACT

With the proliferation of 3D printers in all sectors right from homes and small offices to educational
institutions and industries, there is a growing demand for 3D printer filament. 3D printer filament is the raw
input material required for the 3D printers to produce 3D printed models. Thus, the filament is analogous to
ink for a regular printer. During the 3D printing of almost every model, first a base layer is laid onto the
printing bed of the 3D printer so that the rest of the actual part sticks to the bed and gets printed correctly. If
there are complex geometries involved in the model to be printed such as a large overhang, extra supports
are modelled into the model so that the complete part can be printed. The base that was printed as well as the
extra supports are cut away from the model and discarded.

Due to various reasons, the 3D model may not get printed correctly and the whole model may have to be
discarded. Discarding these cut-offs and improperly printed 3D Models results in large quantities of 3D
printer filament getting wasted. Our project’s aim is to design a fully-controlled, easy to operate, IoT Based
3D Printer Filament Extruder that can utilize these cut-offs and discarded parts and produce recycled filament
that can once again be used for printing. This not only saves money but also has a positive environmental
impact since waste plastic gets recycled.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is distinct pleasure to acknowledge Dr. SYED ZAMEER, Associate Professor & Director of

Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ghousia College of Engineering, with

profound gratitude for his moral inspiration, encouragement, valuable guidance and suggestions

throughout the course of our project work and preparation of this report.

We sincerely thank to Dr. Mohammed Mohsin Ali H, Head of Department of Mechanical

Engineering, for his constant support during the course of work.

We are extremely grateful to Dr. Mohammed Zahed Ansari, Principal, Ghousia College of

Engineering, Ramanagaram, for his support and co-operation during this course of work.

We are thankful to all the teaching, non-teaching and administrative staff of Ghousia College of

Engineering for their kind cooperation.

Our special and sincere thanks to our parents, brothers and sister for their kind cooperation and

timely help to carry out this project work successfully.

 TABLE OF CONTENT

SI.No Particulars Page No

Certificate i

Abstract iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of Contents v

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 Plastic and Recycling 2

2.2 Plastic Extruders and 3D Printing 3

2.3 PID control 4

2.4 Temperature Measurement 5

2.5 Raspberry Pi 6

2.6 Extrusion Motor 6

3. Methodology and Implementation 8

3.1 Block Diagram/ System Architecture 8

3.2 Project Flow 8

3.3 Hardware Design 10

3.3.1 Mechanical construction 10

3.3.1.1 The Base Platform 10

3.3.1.2 The Barrel-Auger-Die Assembly 11

3.3.1.3 Heating Mechanism 12

3.3.1.4 Extrusion Motor Assembly 13

3.3.1.5 Main Power Switch and Display Panel 14

3.3.1.6 Spool Mounting 15

3.3.1.7 Electronic Circuit Design and Mounting 15

 3.3.1.8 Hopper Design and Cooling Fan 16

4. Results and Discussions 17

4.1 Failed Model 17

4.2 Final Model 18

5. Conclusion 19

References 20
CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Problem Definition

The problem that this project aims to address is the discarding of plastic waste generated with every 3D
printed object. The printing of every 3D model produces plastic waste in the form of cut-offs, stray filament
deposits and in some cases, misprinted parts. These plastic wastes are thrown away with garbage and end up
in landfills where they do not biodegrade and cause environmental pollution. Also, from an economic
standpoint, this plastic waste is money that is lost as 3D printer filament has a significant cost.

1.2 Domain of Work

The project is multidisciplinary in nature and draws on key concepts from Control Systems, Embedded
Systems and Power Electronics. The project demands knowledge in various subjects including Mechanical
Engineering and Chemistry as it involves melting of plastic and handling it in a molten state at high
temperatures. 3D modelling and mechanical fabrication skills are required for the construction of the
prototype.

1
CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 Plastic and Recycling

There are many materials that are being explored for 3D Printing, however, you will find that the two
dominant plastics are ABS and PLA. Both ABS and PLA are known as thermoplastics; that is, they become
soft and moldable when heated and return to a solid when cooled. This process can be repeated again and
again. Their ability to melt and be processed again is what has made them so prevalent in society and is why
most of the polymers you interact with on a daily basis are thermoplastics. The key differences between ABS
and PLA plastic are highlighted below.

ABS - Its strength, flexibility, machinability, and higher temperature resistance make it often a preferred
plastic for engineers, and professional applications. The hot plastic smell deters some as does the plastics
petroleum based origin. The additional requirement of a heated print bed means there are some printers
simply incapable of printing ABS with any reliability.

PLA - The wide range of available colours and translucencies and glossy feel often attract those who print
for display or small household uses. Many appreciate the plant based origins and prefer the semisweet smell
over ABS. When properly cooled, PLA seems to have higher maximum printing speeds, lower layer heights,
and sharper printed corners. Combining this with low warping on parts make it a popular plastic for home
printers, hobbyists, and schools. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) (chemical formula
(C8H8)x·(C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z) is a common thermoplastic polymer. ABS is a thermo-polymer made by
polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene. The proportions can vary from 15
to 35% acrylonitrile, 5 to 30% butadiene and 40 to 60% styrene. ABS is extensively used in the manufacture
of inexpensive, durable products.

The durability of ABS has made it a primary material in the manufacture of products such as computer
housings, televisions, automobile components, etc. In recent times as 3D printers have gained popularity,
ABS plastic is used extensively as the filament for printing.

2
 Figure 2.1 - ABS Polymer pellets

2.2 Plastic Extruders and 3D Printing

Plastic extrusion is a manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous
profile. The process starts by feeding plastic material (pellets, flakes or powders) from a hopper onto a barrel.
The barrel consists of a rotating screw rod that conveys the plastic along the heating chambers present around
the barrel. The plastic is heated and melted at an appropriate temperature. The profile of the rotating screw
forces the melted plastic along the barrel and through the extrusion die. The extruded plastic is slowly cooled,
which results in solidification. This is called plastic filament and spools of this are used in 3D printers (Figure
2.2).

Figure 2.2 - Spool of ABS Plastic filament

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3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing refers to various processes used to synthesize a three-
dimensional model. These 3D models are used in a variety of applications ranging from household hobby
users to manufacturing in Space. 3D printing involves three stages:

Modelling: 3D printable models are created using CAD software, where the 3D graphical model is designed.
Few 3D modelling softwares are Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, Blender, SketchUp, SolidWorks, etc.
Various softwares provide a combination of various features, each with their own advantages and drawbacks.

Printing: The 3D model is suitably processed and a G code is generated. Using this G code, the printer
creates the 3D object.

Finishing: Once the 3D object is obtained, depending on the requirement, it is coloured, smoothened or
made rough. Stray depositions are removed. Printing techniques which require internal supports are also
removed at this stage.

2.3 PID control

A proportional integral derivative controller (PID) is a closed loop feedback mechanism used in control
systems. It calculates an error value and attempts to minimize the error over time by adjusting a control
variable (as shown in Figure 2.3). A system where there is a requirement of smooth change of parameters
and without any oscillation, a PID controller is used. It can compute the desired value of the parameter
quickly and can hold the position with great accuracy. A PID controller can be implemented as a program
on a microcontroller or an electronic circuit can be built using Op-amps. It consists of three major terms
proportional, integral and derivative. These terms are summed to calculate the output of the PID controller.

Proportional term: The proportional term produces an output value that is proportional to the current error
value. The proportional response can be adjusted by multiplying the error by a constant Kp, called the
proportional gain constant. A high proportional gain results in a large change in the output for a given change
in the error. If the proportional gain is too high, the system can become unstable. A small gain results in a
small output response to a large input error and a less responsive or less sensitive controller.

Integral term: The contribution from the integral term is proportional to both the magnitude of the error and
the duration of the error. The integral in a PID controller is the sum of the instantaneous error over time and
gives the accumulated offset that should have been corrected previously. The accumulated error is then
multiplied by the integral gain and added to the controller output. The integral term accelerates the movement

4
of the process towards setpoint and eliminates the residual steady-state error that occurs with a pure
proportional controller.

Differential term: The derivative of the process error is calculated by determining the slope of the error over
time and multiplying this rate of change by the derivative gain Kd. The magnitude of the contribution of the
derivative term to the overall control action is termed the derivative gain. Derivative action predicts system
behaviour and thus improves settling time and stability of the system.

Figure 2.3 - PID block diagram

2.4 Temperature Measurement

The measurement of temperature is necessary in order to maintain the optimum condition for the plastic
extrusion. A thermocouple is used to measure the temperature. The thermocouple is an electrical device
which consists of two different conductors forming a junction. It works on the principle of thermoelectric
effect. A voltage is produced, which is dependent on the temperature and this voltage can be interpreted to
measure temperature.

There are various types of thermocouples. Each thermocouple has a characteristic property, which is
dependent on the combination of the alloys used. Among various types of thermocouple, the K-type
thermocouple is widely used in industry and in commercial applications. It is made of Chromel and Alumel,
which has a sensitivity of 41μV/°C. It has a large temperature measurement range from - 200°C to +1350°C.

5
2.5 Raspberry Pi
Embedded platforms like Arduino, Cortex M0 and Raspberry Pi are commonly used for small scale projects
and prototyping. Each platform has certain features which makes it suitable for particular applications. The
Raspberry Pi (as shown in Figure 2.4) has a desktop grade SoC processor which is capable of running a
complete Linux operating system. The Raspberry Pi has high computational throughput compared to other
popular microcontroller based systems. The advantage of running a full Linux OS is that the network stacks
and other low-level libraries are already present and need not be created by the user. This reduces
development time. The Raspberry Pi has more pins compared to the popular Arduino Uno, allowing
interfacing of more devices. The Raspberry Pi offers more than 1GB of RAM compared to 32KB of RAM
on the Arduino Uno. The GPIO pins operate at 3.3v level on the Raspberry Pi compared to the 5v of the
Arduino devices, eliminating the need for level shifting ICs when interfacing to newer sensors. The cost of
the Raspberry Pi is more than that of Arduino Uno but provides a lot more flexibility and power, which easily
outweighs the cost.

Figure 2.4 - Raspberry Pi 3

2.6 Extrusion Motor

Generally, DC motors are of three types; stepper motors, servo motors and DC geared motors. The extrusion
of plastic along the barrel and through the dye’s hole requires high torque. The process also requires a slow
and constant speed of rotation of the motor. Reasonably sized stepper motors and servo motors do not give
sufficient torque and maintain speed. In contrast, a desktop sized geared DC motor satisfies the above-

6
mentioned requirements. Off the shelf industrial DC motors of required size are expensive, requires dedicated
drivers to drive the motor. Hence, a cost effective solution was necessary. A DC motor used in automobiles
to drive the windshield wiper (as shown in Figure 2.5) comes with two different speeds of control, along
with gear system to increase output torque. This is not only economical and meets our requirement, but also
facilitates mounting due to the presence of custom built mounting holes. This motor is powered by 12V DC
supply and can be easily controlled using MOSFETs.

Figure 2.5 - Wiper Motor

7
CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY AND IMPLEMENTATION

3.1 Block Diagram/ System Architecture

The block diagram of the entire system is shown in Figure 3.1

Figure 3.1 - Block Diagram

3.2 Project Flow

In the initial stage of the project, a literature survey was conducted. The knowledge gained from the literature
survey aided in coming up with a feasible plan of action with appropriate timelines. Quotations for the
necessary components and an estimate of cost of fabrication was used to come up with an approximate budget
for the entire project. After an approximate bill of materials was drafted, we approached companies involved
in 3D prototyping research with our plan of action and estimated budget. A private firm, ‘Kanthi Precisions
Pvt. Ltd.’ was interested in funding and supporting our project as they felt that the project showed sufficient
promise and scope for applications.

They agreed to support this project financially and have permitted us to use their fabrication and workshop
facilities such as lathes, CNC machines, etc. The initial plan to construct the prototype revolved around using
a drill bit that was scrapped from active use. We managed to acquire such a drill bit with a diameter of around
8
14.3mm and length of around 20cm. Raw aluminium and brass stock was obtained from Peenya Industrial
Area where such metals are sold on a per Kg basis. These raw materials were then machined using a
combination of conventional and CNC machining, according to our design specifications. The required
aluminium parts were specially TIG welded to produce a barrel in which the drill bit would be placed and
rotated. After machining and welding, the parts were completely assembled.

At this stage, the heating of the barrel was designed to be done through Nichrome Filament wound directly
on the barrel. To provide electrical isolation between the conductive barrel and the conductive Nichrome
wires, specially produced Kapton Tape was wound on the aluminium barrel. After the assembly, we
proceeded to test this prototype. Plastic pellets were introduced into the barrel through an opening and the
motor coupled to the drill bit was powered. The Nichrome heating element was also energized with 230V
mains power so that the temperature of the aluminium barrel would be raised to the Glass Transition
Temperature of the ABS plastic pellets. Testing revealed that the plastic pellets would initially travel through
the flutes of the drill bit, get melted and get extruded out but upon passage of time, the material surrounding
the inlet itself would get too hot and cause the plastic pellets to melt outside the drill bit and would prevent
further plastic from entering.

The testing also revealed that the helical angle of the flutes of the drill bit used, would not produce enough
force to continuously transport fresh pellets to be melted and extruded. The tests showed that our initial
mechanical design had a serious flaw and would therefore need to be modified in order to get the system to
function in the intended manner. The end result of this stage of implementation of the project was acquiring
knowledge of the changes that needed to be done. After flaws were discovered in the initial design of the
prototype, further research was conducted about other available mechanisms and technologies. A fresh
design was synthesized involving procuring off the- shelf parts to further reduce the cost of the whole project
and also simplify and eliminate machining operations.

The new design involved using Galvanized Iron (GI) pipe which is available in pre-cut sizes with threaded
ends, as the new barrel. The research suggested that Auger Bits would be able to move more amount of
plastic pellets and exert a greater force on them due to their different tool geometry compared to the drill bit.
Thus, a brand new auger bit was procured with a slightly larger diameter of 16mm and a length exceeding
the initial drill bit length. In order to use the GI pipe section as a barrel, mounting hardware had to be
procured. After much searching, the required hardware mounting flange was procured and the rest of the
system design was finalized around it. To mount the various components and provide a test bed, we procured
spare wood cut-offs and machined it to our requirements ourselves.

To couple the auger bit to the wiper motor, a different mechanism was conceived which involved fitting a
9mm socket onto the end of the auger bit and a corresponding socket onto a nut welded on the shaft of the
motor and inserting a solid metal piece in between to couple them. Further improvements were made from

9
the first prototype in terms of the heating mechanism, temperature sensor and control device. These
improvements aid in a more robust design, easier assembly and more finished looking prototype. In order to
automate this process and enable the user to control the entire system remotely, a web server was created on
the Raspberry Pi, this is accessible through the Wi-Fi network to which it is connected. The user has control
over the entire process through a website. This was developed using HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The details
of hardware and software design are discussed further in the following sections.

3.3 Hardware Design

3.3.1 Mechanical construction

3.3.1.1 The Base Platform

For the creation of a robust durable system, we needed a sturdy base to build the entire system on. Hence, a
platform was created out of two-centimetre-thick plywood as shown in Figure 3.2. Three strips of plywood
were cut with varying widths. One of the three pieces, the wider one, forms the base of the platform and the
other thinner cut-outs were used to form the legs of the platform. The three pieces were put together using
L-shaped metal joints for maintaining their relative positions.

Figure 3.2 – 2 cm Thick plywood

This wooden platform provided a solid base for constructing the rest of the system on and is also easy and
cheap to manufacture. To add a touch of professionalism, a white laminate sheet was cut to size and stuck
onto the platform on all sides.
10
3.3.1.2 The Barrel-Auger-Die Assembly

At the heart of the plastic extrusion system, we have a barrel which guides the molten plastic towards a die
which helps in forming the plastic filament of required dimensions. A propulsion system needs to be installed
inside the barrel to push the plastic pellets forward towards the die and build up pressure. Once the required
pressure is generated, the molten plastic is extruded out of the hole of the die. The barrel has a diameter of
½ inch and length of 9 inches. An auger bit (as shown in Figure 3.3) slightly lesser in diameter, rotates in a
counter-clockwise direction inside it. This direction of rotation is opposite to the conventional use of auger
bits used for drilling purpose.

Figure 3.3 - Auger Bit

As a cost effective solution, we have used ½ inch commercially available threaded galvanized iron (GI) pipe
(as shown in Figure 9) as the barrel. The auger bit that propels the plastic is also a commercially available
product. A ½ inch to 1-inch brass coupler (as shown in Figure 10) is used to couple the die. The die is also
made of brass and has 1.75 mm hole drilled at the centre, through which the plastic gets extruded. The auger
bit has a very convenient geometrical profile, a single spiral channel with sufficient depth is present through
which the plastic pellets travel.

Figure 3.4 - 9-inch Barrel

11
 Figure 3.5 - Brass coupler and Die

The ends of the coupler, barrel and the die have threads. Teflon tape is wound around these threads, which
ensures the tightness of the threading and prevents any leakage. Thrust bearing (Figure 3.6) is fixed along
the axis of rotation of the auger bit. This enables smooth rotation and also takes up the axial load provided
by the auger bit during extrusion.

Figure 3.6 - Thrust Bearing

3.3.1.3 Heating Mechanism

The plastic (ABS) has to be heated to a certain temperature for it to melt and get extruded. To achieve this,
a band heater is used. A band heater (as shown in Figure 3.7) is a cylindrical ring that is placed around the
object to be heated. Heat is generated when sufficient voltage is applied across certain heating elements such
as Nichrome. The inner side and the outer side of the band are metal. An electrically insulated Nichrome
wire is present inside the band heater. The heater requires a voltage of 240V AC or DC, can raise the
12
temperature up to 400 degrees Celsius. However, the plastic we are using is ABS, the suitable melting
temperature for which is around 180 to 250 degree Celsius.

Figure 3.7 - Band heater

The band heater is mounted around the die coupler. The outer surface of the die coupler is hexagonal in
shape. In order to ensure proper contact and uniform conduction of heat, a thermal compound (Figure 3.8)
which is a very good conductor of heat is placed around the die coupler. The thermal compound is placed
along the inner surface of the band heater and this is fixed around the coupler.

Figure 3.8 - Thermal Compound

3.3.1.4 Extrusion Motor Assembly

The motor used for rotating the auger bit inside the barrel is a DC geared motor. This is an automobile
windshield wiper motor. It consists of a DC motor, a worm gear box (to increase torque) and custom
mounting points. The motor is mounted in line with the extruder assembly and the auger bit is coupled to it.
For coupling, two torque wrench sockets (as shown in Figure 3.9) of suitable sizes are mated together and
other ends of each socket are connected to the motor shaft and shank of auger bit respectively.

13
 Figure 3.9 - Wrench Sockets

3.3.1.5 Main Power Switch and Display Panel

An on-board panel is designed using plywood to enable onsite monitoring and power control by the user.
This consists of a main power switch and a 16*2 LCD display. The main power switch is a double pole
double throw switch (DPDT). It controls the AC power input to the whole system. It has an inbuilt indicator
light to indicate the presence of the supply voltage. The switch is capable of withstanding 16amps of current
and under 240 V.

A 16*2 LCD display is used to indicate the present extrusion temperature and status of various sections of
the extruder (as shown in Figure 3.10). When the user makes changes on the web page, the status on the LCD
updates in real time.

Figure 3.10- Display Panel with Status Indication

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3.3.1.6 Spool Mounting

A spool is mounted on a separate and detachable platform. A stepper motor is used to rotate the spool in the
desired direction and speed. It consists of three mounting supports, two of which holds the shaft of spool
parallel to the plane of the base and the other support is used to hold the stepper motor (as shown in Figure
3.11). The stepper motor is coupled to the shaft of the spool using a flexible rubber joint. This enables free
rotation even if the spool shaft and the stepper motor shaft are not aligned. One of the end supports is fitted
with a hinge, this will enable us to remove the spool from the spool assembly. The hinged support can be
bent and the spool can be removed once the plastic filament has been spooled. The spool has a diameter of
6cms, which provides sufficient curve radius to spool the filament without breaking it. The spool platform
has to be plugged into the main base and has to be aligned with the die hole.

Figure 3.11 - Spool Mounting

3.3.1.7 Electronic Circuit Design and Mounting

The electronics system was designed using Eagle CAD. At the heart of the system, there is a Raspberry Pi
that controls and monitors all the peripherals and components. They require various supply voltages ranging
from 3.3 to 230 volts. This is provided by a switch mode computer power supply. This power supply is
conveniently mounted underneath the base platform. A custom layout was designed and all the electronics
components were soldered onto the Vero board. The wires that carried high current were of thicker gauge
and the wires that carried lower current were of a thinner gauge. All the power lines and signal lines to
various peripherals and components were wired underneath the base platform as shown in Figure 17. The
GPIO connections from the raspberry pi to all the components on the Vero board were connected above

15
boards. The Vero board has input and output header pins soldered to it. The input pins are connected to the
raspberry pi GPIOs and the corresponding outputs pins are connected to motors, sensor etc. The Vero board
and the Raspberry Pi is mounted at the rear of the base platform and they are mounted on PCB standoffs,
prevents unnecessary contact which may lead to short circuit. Wire joints are insulated using heat shrink
tubes.

Figure 3.12 - Wiring underneath the base

3.3.1.8 Hopper Design and Cooling Fan

A platform is designed to hold the hopper above the inlet to the barrel. Plastic is poured into the hopper,
which directs it onto the auger bit. The platform is designed using wood and the hopper is made of metal.

A fan has been placed at the front end of the extruder, near the hole of the die. This is used for cooling the
plastic that gets extruded out of the hole. If the size of the hole is greater than 3mm, air cooling is required
in order to make the plastic solidify as it has high thermal mass. If the diameter of the hole is less than 3mm,
natural cooling is enough to solidify the plastic.

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CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

4.1 Failed Model

The initial model is described in the Project Flow section. This model considered a failure by us as it failed
to perform mechanically. It also proved to be very difficult to interface with and provide control. The initial
idea of using a drill bit for the main extrusion screw did not pan out as the rotating drill bit did not provide
sufficient pressure to push the softened plastic out of the small opening. Also, another problem with the
drill bit was that the flutes were too shallow and did not allow the plastic pellets to fully enter the flutes.
This caused blockages at the site for feeding the plastic pellets. The other main concern was that sufficient
plastic was not being carried forward by the drill bit and this also contributed to a loss in pressure build-up

The other main failure was the heating mechanism implemented in the design. The heating mechanism as
discussed consisted of Nichrome wires wrapped in a spiral around the aluminium barrel on top of Kapton
Tape. The Nichrome wires were interfaced directly with AC 220v Mains. This would allow for rapid
heating up of the Nichrome wire. Consequently, the Nichrome Wire would become red hot while the
aluminium barrel would still not have heated up. The high temperature of the Nichrome wire would cause
oxidation and charring of the Kapton tape in and around the Nichrome wire. This would weaken the Kapton
tape and would cause its disintegration into black soot particles. The aluminium barrel is conducting in
nature and the Nichrome wire is essential an exposed resistor. When the Kapton tape which provided
electrical insulation, disintegrated, the result would be electrical contact between the conducting aluminium
barrel and the Nichrome wire. This would cause shorts between two points on the Nichrome coil. The short
allows a much lower resistance path than the Nichrome wire and would result in an overall decrease in
resistance. The decrease in resistance would allow much more current to flow through the coil as the supply
voltage would still be the same. The excess current would cause further heating and disintegration. This
cycle would continue until catastrophic failure and tripping of the mains circuit.

The mounting mechanism for the drill bit was also not mechanically reliable. The mounting consisted of a
machined extension to the drill bit, which would be held in between two roller ball bearings. The other end
of the extension was fitted with a sprocket which would be driven by a chain in turn driven by the motor.
Mechanical misalignments were unavoidable due to the mounting strategy which involved holding down
the bearing with hose clamps. The mechanical misalignments caused the barrel to uncontrollably shake and
further lead to weakening of the Nichrome heating filament.

Thus, the conclusion drawn from the model was that the mechanical design needed to be implemented.
Also, we realised that there were too many custom machined parts making the product uneconomical. It

17
was decided that the next prototype would be constructed with more off-the-shelf parts to make it cost
effective. Also, it was decided that a better heating mechanism that was more reliable and safe was needed.

4.2 Final Model

After recognizing the shortcomings of our previous model, we conducted meticulous research on how to
address these issues. Firstly, the drill bit was replaced by an auger bit. This enabled the plastic to be pushed
with a greater force and had a single channel for the plastics to move along. This channel was also deep
enough so that it could accommodate a larger amount of plastic in them. Secondly, the more expensive
custom machined aluminium barrel was replaced by a standard size, commercially available GI pipe. This
reduced the cost of this system significantly. Third, the Nichrome heating coils were replaced band heaters.
These heaters along with thermal compound provided uniform heating and eliminated the problem of
drawing of over current as a result of the Nichrome coils making contact with the metal. Also, since no
Kapton tape was used, there was no charring or burning of any materials near the band heater. Fourth,
maintaining the concentricity of the drill bit and the shaft coupled to the sprocket was very difficult as the
motor shaft and the drill bit shank was not along the same axis. This was overcome by placing the motor in
line with the auger bit shank. This not only reduced the extra weight provided by the sprockets and chains
but also resulted in more compact and elegant model.

In our initial model, we used ULN2003 stepper motor driver to drive the stepper motor that was connected
to the spool. Although the driver was able to supply the necessary power to the motors, due to high current
draw by the motors, the driver used to get heated up very quickly and would eventually burn out. The driver
is designed to withstand a maximum of 500mA per coil. However, the overall current draw was around 4.4
Amps, which is much nearly 1.1 amps per coil. This problem was addressed by using N-channel MOSFETs
to drive each coil of stepper motors. Each of the MOSFETs can provide more than 25amps of current
without causing excessive heating.

Once all the shortcomings were rectified in our new model, testing was necessary to ascertain the
performance and durability of our new model. Each of the electronic components was tested individually
and was later interfaced with the rest of circuitry. With only a few grams of pellets poured onto the barrel,
we were able to extrude 15 to 20 meters of plastic filament and spool it. Figure 36 shows our improved
model extruding plastic filament and spooling it.

Simultaneously a user-friendly web page was designed to enable remote access for the user to monitor and
control the system. This web page can be accessed by any device with an internet browser. The user can control
the main extrusion process, spooling process, heating of the barrel and can shut down the system. It also displays
the current temperature and cautions the user by giving appropriate warnings when the user doesn’t follow the
recommended procedure in the web page.

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 CONCLUSION

The project involved design and construction of a working prototype with the constraints being that it had to
be portable and easy to operate. In order to achieve this goal, an initial design was proposed and the prototype
was built.

A number of serious flaws were discovered which led to impaired operation. The serious flaws were
identified individually and possible solutions were found for each. All of these solutions along with additional
fresh ideas were considered for designing the improved version of the prototype.

During the construction of this newer version of the prototype, any mechanical implementation challenges
were overcome through iterative design changes. The final version of the prototype was tested manually to
ensure that it met its mechanical specifications and that it could extrude plastic satisfactorily.

During this testing, the importance of maintaining correct temperatures for extrusion of The design of the
controller interface board was done from scratch and the circuit was fabricated by us using discrete
components and through-hole ICs. The latest version of the Raspberry Pi was procured as it contained built-
in Wi-Fi module and avoided another extra component.

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amorphous polymers and their elastic-plastic properties as a function of temperature,” Macromolecules

38(5), pp. 1874-1881, 2005.

[4] S. Gopalakrishna, Y. Jaluria and M. Karwe, “Heat and mass transfer in a single screw extruder for non-

Newtonian materials,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 221-237, 1992.

[5] M. V. Karwe and Y. Jaluria, “Numerical simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in a singlescrew extruder

for non-Newtonian fluids,” Numerical Heat Transfer, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 167-190, 1990.

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