Toggle Latch Extruder for 1.75mm MakerGear Groove Mount
Description
Some call it an over-center mechanism. The idea is to eliminate fasteners and springs while providing very fast access to change color or clean up after trying to extrude through a cold nozzle. It's also a little more open than the standard extruder, so it's easier to clean, or to just watch the gear turn. I got rid of the springs because I always tightened the screws of the standard extruder until the springs were fully compressed. They were only acting as spacers. Also, I figured that even if they weren't fully compressed, they would only tend to add variability to the system. The arched shape of the latch link provides the spring action to hold the latch closed. An early experiment without the arch simply broke. I also experimented with a ramp inside the extruder frame to guide filament into the hot end without opening the extruder, but this just made room for the filament to buckle and jam. I have maybe a dozen or so hours of printing on this design. It's not perfect, but it might at least give people some ideas.
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