Endless extrusion is a continuous process in which materials are pressed through a moulding tool. In the case of filament production, this process is similar to a 3D printer. Plastic is melted and pressed through a nozzle, only of course much larger and with a significantly higher quantity. Extrudr extrudes up to 16.5 kg/h per machine, depending on the material.
This technology is also used in numerous other applications, be it for the production of technical yarns, foils, pipes or foodstuffs such as pasta. After extrusion, the monofilament is wound directly onto the spool in an endless spiral.
How do tangles occur on the filament spool?
Due to the direct winding onto the spool, it is physically impossible for a knot to form during this process. Nevertheless, customers occasionally report problems with tangles. Tangles on the filament spool are often due to human error or external influences. With careful handling, correct storage and modern winding techniques, these problems can be avoided very easily.
Filament change
Changing the filament is a common cause of tangling. It is crucial to always secure the end of the filament by hand. Otherwise the end of the filament can slip under another winding. The knot is not always visible immediately, but often migrates into the interior of the spool over several hours until the radius of the winding is reduced and the knot finally tightens.
Solution: When changing the filament, make sure that the end is always secured. If in doubt, unwind and rewind the spool.
Storing the spool
When storing the filament, it is also important to ensure that the filament is not too loose and can therefore jump off the side of the spool or come loose from the securing device. The end of the filament is well secured in one of the eyelets on the spool or with a filament clip. When stacking filaments on top of each other, make sure that the filament end does not slip out of the eyelet.
Winding too tight
Some manufacturers wind their filament onto the spool with too high tension. With Extrudr, the winding tension is preset depending on the material and is regulated by servomotors.
Messy winding
What is wound endlessly onto the spool can also be unwound endlessly from the spool, even with a messy winding. We did the self-experiment and deliberately manipulated a winding. Both the beautiful and the messy winding can be unwound without any problems.