Improved nozzle and cassette feeder design

While using for more boards, I discovered some aspects that need to be improved, mainly about usability and printability. There are 2 improvements this time (has been uploaded to website and github, if you already purchased the design, it can be downloaded with the old link).

Nozzle head

It is very important to fit the nozzle tip well and tight. During use, I noticed that nozzle tip is not tight enough, and when pressing on the board harder, it could introduce some offset. Therefore I improved the nozzle tip holding to have a bit flexible structure inside the nozzle to hold the position (the orange part). I also changed the hole diameter. With the change, it can hold the nozzle tip in position well and also make it easier to push and pull out nozzle tip.

For 3D printing, when printing a round object, at layer switch, it will have a small bump, where the layer accumulates. If it happens at the same location, the round object won’t be round anymore, which is bad because this needs to be fit to other components. As seen in the picture, the white line actually shows the bump (z seam).

In order to fix this, a v shaped gap has been introduced to let all the z seam happen inside the gap. Like this, you can make sure the round surface is smooth and it is easier to fit to other components.

Cassette feeder trimmer

After some time of testing the cassette feeder trimmer, I found something that needs to be improved.

When moving the component strip, the trimmer needs to be turned, but the force shouldn’t be too big. Therefore I adjusted the force applied to the strip (orange part), so that it will have less friction. Additionally, a slot has been introduced to reduce the friction, and also adapt to different component heights better.

With the improvement, it can make placing easier and better. Please feel free to leave a comment. Enjoy!