Difficulty
Easy
Steps
20
Time Required
00:25:00 - 01:00:00
- Titan Body Assembly 5 steps
- Titan 1.75mm Bowden Steps 3 steps
- Titan Part 3 Assembly 12 steps
In Progress
This guide is currently being written. Reload periodically to see the latest changes.
Parts
- Titan Extruder Body
- Steel Pinion Gear
- Delrin Gear with Filament Drive Shaft
- M3 Grub Screw
- M3x10 Socket Dome Screw
- PTFE Tubing × 2
- Titan Filament Guide
- M3x30 Screws
- Titan Idler Lever
- M4 Thumbscrew
- Idler Spring
- M4x10 Button Head Screw
- M3 Nut
- Titan Lid
- M3x25 Screw
- Compact but powerful motor (optional extra)
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Before beginning your build, make sure that you have an appropriate mount for your extruder. If you have a commonly upgraded printer (Ultimaker 2, Taz 5/6, Prusa i3, etc) you'll likely be able to find 3D models of well designed Titan mounts on your favourite 3D model sharing site.
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When installing the Titan, you must have something to separate the motor from the extruder body by 2 mm. Typically, a piece of your mounting bracket will attach here and provide this space (for reference take a look at our Prusa Mounting Bracket). Having a separation of more than 2mm will mean you need longer screws to hold the assembly together.
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Gather
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The motor you'll be using + mounting bracket
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Extruder Body + Large Gear
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M3x8mm Screw
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M3 Grub Screw
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Pinion Gear
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The Smallest, 1.5mm Hex Wrench, and Mid-sized, 2.5mm Hex Wrench
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Thread the M3 grub screw into the pinion gear slightly so you don't lose it
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Slip the pinion gear onto the motor shaft with the grub screw facing down, towards the motor.
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Slide it about 3/4 of the way down the shaft and tighten the screw.
Confirmed on my build. Better not to provide anything than to provide these wrong tools.
1/16” allen on mine too, and my compact but powerful motor does not hav a fully round shaft like said above.
For my Aero, the right position for the pinion gear was having the motor end of it flush with the front face of the mounting bracket. This will save having to disassemble things a few steps later to adjust the gear position
Would you explain a bit more about gear positioning?
Roberto -
A following step show clearly the reference to position the gear in relation to the hobb gear.
Roberto -
- ball shaped socket, your best bet is a ball hex, a M1.5 ball worked fine for me. but the 1/16 allen is also a smart choice
- In my model X0027VA1P5 I needed to also mesh the gear flush with the motor. I also needed to buy two #10 nylon washers, see step where you attach the hobbed bolt to the extruder housing
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Take your M3 screw that you picked out before and slip it through the hole extruder body in the groove mount (lower leftmost screw hole).
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Slip the screw through your mounting bracket (including spacer if you're using one) and screw it into your motor.
In this step you will almost definitely be inserting your mount (which you may well have printed or otherwise sourced apart from this E3D kit). Here are some photos of what mine looked like at this step, with my mount sandwiched in:
Parts:
https://dawning.ca/wp-content/uploads/20...
Mount on Motor:
https://dawning.ca/wp-content/uploads/20...
Screw going in:
https://dawning.ca/wp-content/uploads/20...
I’d edit this guide and add my photos if I could, but I guess it’s locked for editing at the moment.
Here are some printable mounts.
2020 mount: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:207383...
General Bracket: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:147790...
It seems that whoever authored this document has problems with understanding the concept of right and left… this is the lower rightmost screw… not the leftmost screw.
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Slot in the Hobb gear (attached to the other gear)
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You need to have the top of the pinion gear flush with the top of the Hobb gear.
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If it isn't—and it likely won't be on the first try—loosen the grub screw and adjust the positioning of the pinion gear on the motor's shaft. You may need to unscrew the extruder body to get at the grub screw.
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When you think you've got it, try pressing down on the Hobb gear lightly to see how it will fare when the whole extruder is screwed in and make sure it's still flush.
These instructions don't really illuminate the larger picture, nor say what will happen if you don't align the pinion and drive gears.
If the drive gear is too far out (away from the motor) it will pinch the idler arm against the heatsink and cause really excessive friction. You won't be able to see it inside the closed unit so you'll just wonder wtf is going on. (this is hinted at in step 30).
If the drive gear is too close to the motor then it won't be making full contact with the pinion gear which could cause uneven wear or cause the pinion gear to run out of true, which would in turn cause the pinion gear to rub against the idler - again causing excessive friction.
All this assumes that the pinion gear is correctly installed on the hob, there have been reports of that not always being the case, although it seems OK on mine.
It is hard to know if you have it aligned correctly until you put the lid on tight and see if you can turn the pinion easily by hand. As in step 30. Test this early and often.
Thank you for your feedback, I have added some cautionary notes to reflect these concerns.
Dan Rock -
During this step it can be helpful to test-fit with the heatsink, having already inserted its bearing. The hob tends to tilt when only the back end is supported by its bearing, causing the side of the large gear nearest the pinion to change position relative to when it’s supported and aligned with both bearings.
The original BigBox build instructions for Titan assembly eventually lead here, but this info isn’t really relevant either to the Titan install on the BigBox or to the original parts which are shown here…
Refer to E3D original drawings…
It’s unfortunate that the requirement “top of the pinion gear flush with the top of the Hobb gear” and the height of the supplied pinion gear means that a mount or spacer must be inserted between the motor and the body at this point. So even if you have a solution which grips the stepper motor body instead of using the mounting holes, you have to stick something in here.
Yes - there is no way to do this without a spacer between motor and extruder body; that is not included in the kit. (As far as I can tell)
Gear flush with hob driving gear.
—>https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPa...
The gap between hob gear assembly and extruder body - can move freely without spacer here.
—>https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOU...
The pinion gear is as flush with the motor as it can be.
Takacs -
Making a trip to HW store to correct. Will show when done.
Takacs -
Making a trip to HW store to correct. Will show when done - I don’t like how little shaft this will leave of the hob gear assym. in the extruder block.
Takacs -
Used two #10 nylon washers. nylon was chosen for low friction and durability, as it will be in contact with the other surfaces. (would be preferable for this washer to be smaller than the active portion of the bearing)
—>OuterDia = 9.61mm InnerDia = 4.96mm Thickness= .85mm
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOd...
This provides ~ the precise space needed for alignment of the gear faces https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMg...
Had to use very little force on the screws or the gear is difficult to rotate. What’s wrong here?
Takacs -
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Gather:
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1.75mm Filament Guide (marked "L" or "R" depending on mirrored or non-mirrored setup.
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1.75mm Bowden Adaptor (metal)
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1.75mm Collet Clip
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PTFE Tubing
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Slide in the filament guide (round side down) and bowden adaptor into the bottom groove where you screwed the extruder body to your motor.
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Press the black collet into the bowden adapter.
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Clip on the collet clip.
Again a step is missing, which is to plug the black part (whatever it’s called) into the brass insert of the Bowden adaptor before fitting the collet clip.
Thanks for catching that! I’ve updated the guide to clarify.
Gabe S. -
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Slide in your PTFE tubing until it's snug against the filament guide. This is the tubing that will eventually go into your HotEnd, so probably longer than the little bit that comes with the Titan kit.
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The collet clip should reduce the tube's wiggle once it's pushed in all the way.
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For 1.75mm filament, the bowden tubing should push into the filament guide.
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For the next steps, images will show a V6 in the place of the Bowden adaptor. This does not affect the rest of the build.
I think this should be done with the (blue) collet clip removed; at least that’s how I’ve had success. The whole purpose of the collet clip is to prevent the tubing from being able to slide in or out. This means that the collet clip should not, in fact, be installed at the end of Step 8, but rather at the end of this step.
Good question. I just went down and checked: you should be able to push the tubing IN with the clip attached. The clip will prevent the tubing from being pulled OUT. If you need to remove the PTFE tube, just pull out the clip and push down on the collet while pulling out the tubing. Thanks for asking, hope this clarifies things.
Note that this step refers to your full-length piece of PTFE tubing, leading to your hot-end, not the short piece of PTFE tubing included in the kit, which is used in Step 20, below.
Thanks again, I’ve put that tidbit into the guide.
Gabe S. -
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Screw the M4 nut all the way onto the M4 Screw or Thumbscrew.
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Push the spring over the threaded part of the screw. The nut will eventually let you adjust the tension on your extruder by travelling down the screw and compressing the spring.
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Position the other end of the spring on the little bump on the idler lever.
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Drop this assembly into the extruder body.
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The screw will slot into the nut-channel in the extruder body, and the idler arm will slip onto the motor shaft.
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Make sure that the nut slots into the channel fully and that the idler arm is pressed all the way onto the motor shaft.
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Gather:
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M3x30 Screws
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Extruder Assembly
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Titan Lid
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Shake-proof washer
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M3x25 Screw (the shortest M3 Screw)
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The mid-sized 2.5mm Hex Wrench.
the colour for the hex wrench and the M3*25 screw are switched
Why is this the first time the spring washer shows up? Its not in the list at the top of the page.
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Press on the lid to your extruder. It should be flush with all the sides of the body.
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Screw the two longer M3 screws that don't have blue patch lock on them into the left two holes on the lid.
Typo “don’d” in the first sentence.
We could use a single photo that shows (I think):
top left: 30mm with blue
top right: 30mm with blue, use washer. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN
bottom left:30mm no blue
bottom right:25mm
Thank you for the suggestion, only the top right screw requires the blue patch lock, the two other longer screws on the left do not require the blue patch lock. I have added some markers to make these steps a little clearer.
Dan Rock -
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Screw the second longest screw into the right hand corner of the lid.
Perhaps you should mention that if you use this in a bowden setup you shouldn’t be screwing this in? this went straight into the 3D printed mount that came with this and made a big hole where there isn’t one because I was not paying attention…
Or I guess use the correct screw :-D
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Slip the shake-proof washer onto the screw with the blue patch lock on it.
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Screw in this screw until it is finger tight and no more.
When I finger tighten this screw, the head of the screw ends up about 3mm above the top of the lid. This means that the washer is just flopping around, serving no purpose. I’m not actually sure that the screw is in the motor yet. Should I screw it in further with the hex key (as seen in the image above), or follow the instructions to only make it finger tight?
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Try to rotate the large acetal gear to see if it moves smoothly.
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If it is hard to rotate, check the position of the steel pinion gear, it may be too far forward. Adjust it so that it is flush with the front face of the acetal gear and try again.
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If this does not solve the issue, then the screw with the shake-proof washer on it may have been overtightened. If loosening this screw allows the acetal gear to run smoothly then the screw has been overtightened and permanent damage may have been caused to the bearings; seek replacement bearings if this is the case.
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If the large gear exhibits “backlash” (there's play between the large acetal gear and the metal one on the drive shaft), loosen all screws on the lid and rotate the body such that the gears fully mesh.
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Re-tighten the screws as described in the previous steps.
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If you're printing 1.75mm filament, you can guide it a little better by putting a length of PTFE tubing in the top of the idler lever
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Press the tubing into the lever.
Before filing down the tube, it’s worth trying to insert it while twisting - the twisting motion can help push it through the guide.
Thank you for the suggestion, it has been added to the instructions.
Dan Rock -
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You're done with the mechanical assembly! All that's left is to calibrate your new extruder by updating your firmware and EEPROM. Click on one of the links below to start working on your firmware.
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Cancel: I did not complete this guide.
9 other people completed this guide.
6 Comments
These pictures are pretty confusing.. Since this is bowden configuration shouldn’t this show the extruder physically away from the hot end?
Steps 11-15 looks like a direct setup..
I’d happily make some small edits that would have helped me, but it seems this guide is locked for editing right now. Perhaps it’s actively being updated, or it’s simply been left in an editing mode, where it shall stay indefinitely?
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Regardless, this guide helped me. Thank you Gabe!
Hi James,
You should be able to propose changes now. Sorry about that! Happy to hear your build process went well.
Thanks for improving the documentation,
Gabe Seltzer
Gabe S. -
Is there user documentation of sorts? I am looking for insight on validating my setup (e.g., adjusting the idler, manually extruding filament with the acetal gear—that’s why extrude is embossed on the lid, right?).
You should add a step to adjust the spring tension.
