14 DAY TRIAL // Contrary to what some might think, the cost of 3D printing material, per kilogram, is not determined solely by the substance itself. The extruder, the head that deposits the material in its proper place, plays a great part also. Luminar Products is exploiting that.
Luminar has introduced a new extruder, the ambitiously named 3D Super Extruder, which can print lower cost plastic.
Normally, extruder filament plastic costs anywhere from £20 / $33 / €24 per kilogram to £80/$130/€95 (MakerBot's glow-in-the-dark green).
With the Luminar 3D Super Extruder, the price can go from £70/$114/€83 to £6/$10/€7 per kg (Polypropylene).
The new extruder also supports five different filament sizes, of 1.75 mm / 0.06 inches, 3 mm / 0.11, 3.175 mm / 0.125 inches, 3.96 mm / 0.152 inches and 4.76 mm / 0.18 inches.
Admittedly, the filament size doesn't have a lot of bearing on things, but every little bit helps.
Another asset is the very compact design with a mid-mounted, integrated heat sink (better cooling for both the stepper motor and filament drive parts).
Another asset is the one-piece construction. The Luminar 3D printer extruder is made from a single block of aluminum and has mounting options on the top, bottom and either side.
Then, there's the copper heater block and nozzle (fast and stable temperature control) and the spring loaded dual-wheel filament drive mechanism (positive filament control via steel drive wheels).
Furthermore, multiple plastic options will be included, thanks to distinct nozzle options, and there will even be two extruder sizes: a NEMA 17 stepper motor size (for smaller 3D printing machines) or the larger, more powerful NEMA 23 stepper motor extruder (for larger, faster moving 3D printers).
All in all, Luminar Products has invented an extruder that will dramatically cut on the cost of each 3D printed project, removing the greatest barrier preventing mass adoption of 3D printers.
