RC-50 High-Speed 3D Filament Extrusion Line

A single screw with a 30:1 length-to-diameter ratio and wear-resistant nitriding treatment melts and meters the material; screw speed reaches 200 r/min through variable-frequency or servo adjustment. The barrel uses six independently controlled heating zones with PID control at ±3 °C, and the main drive is a 17.3 kW Inovance servo or permanent-magnet synchronous motor. A dryer and material loader feed pellets to the hopper. The extruder unit measures 2,600 × 940 × 2,800 mm at roughly 690 kg.

Freshly extruded melt passes two hot-water tanks and a cold-water tank for gradient pre-cooling. This relieves internal stress before main cooling and helps avoid warping, cracking or an off-round core caused by quenching. Hot-water temperature is continuously adjustable from 30 to 90 °C at ±3 °C, so each bath can sit near the transition range of the material being run. Each tank heats with three 2 kW stainless-steel elements and reaches its set point in about 15 minutes. An internal circulation pump (0.5–2 m³/h) with filtration keeps the bath even and protects the filament surface; water make-up, level control and drainage are automatic, with dry-run, over-temperature and leakage protection. The cold-water tank runs 6,000 mm long, and its bath temperature is regulated through an external chilled-water connection.

Filament diameter is checked in line by a dual-axis laser gauge that measures the X and Y axes simultaneously at ±0.001 mm, monitoring roundness and ellipticity in real time. Out-of-tolerance filament triggers an alarm and automatic feedback to line speed. Traction uses servo-driven double- or triple-roll clamping, synchronized with winding at up to 200 m/min with ±0.1% speed accuracy. Between extruder and winder, a 14,100 × 950 × 2,060 mm storage rack holds up to 500 m of filament to absorb speed differences between the sections; its stainless guide wheels are dynamically balanced and fitted with adjustable silicone guide sleeves to protect the filament surface.

The winder takes the filament up at up to 200 m/min onto spools with a 52–56 mm core and up to 200 mm outside diameter, about 1 kg of filament per spool. At the start of each wind, an automatic glue station feeds, cuts and applies tape in one motion, fixing the filament end to the spool at an adjustable length and position so the first layers wind in order. A 1.5 kW vacuum pump holds the joint flat, and tape tension adapts to the filament so the surface is not damaged. Traverse runs on a servo screw or cam for a flat, even roll face. Seventeen Inovance servo axes (about 7.75 kW in total) drive roll change, and the machine stops itself on filament break detected by photoelectric and proximity sensors; a laser sensor handles precise hole threading. Fixed-length winding, output statistics and remote monitoring run continuously, so the line winds without an operator standing at the spool.

The line is operated from an Inovance 10-inch touch screen with an independent extruder PLC linked to the winder. The HMI stores temperature curves, manages recipes, runs fault diagnosis and logs output statistics. Communication uses RS485 and Ethernet with Modbus TCP/RTU, so the line can be integrated into an MES. Schneider breakers and contactors provide overload and short-circuit protection, and Taisong current-detection sensors monitor the temperature-control circuits in real time. The line runs on a three-phase 380 V / 50 Hz TN-S supply with a total installed power of 69.4 kW, including both hot-tank heating groups, rack traction and the hopper.