Hi folks,
Kushal from LayerInk here - my team and me are developing a filament extruder for home use. This extruder was born out of our own need to conveniently produce filament on-demand in quantities, various colors and compositions (ABS, PLA, Woodfill, etc.) as needed for our 3D Printing service bureau (www.insta3dprinting.com).
When we looked at the market we found that there weren’t any that offered a really good solution without making it inconvenient. So, we researched plastic processing technology, studied industrial extruders and worked with advanced fabrication tools to replicate Industrial plastic extrusion screws instead of using an off the shelf auger bit. These screws produce a better quality melt because they rely on mechanical shearing of the polymer to generate the heat needed to melt the polymer as against relying completely on external heat.
We are also working on an integrated product design, with automatic spooling, dimensional control and automatic control. So far we have tested the extruder with multiple materials including PLA, ABS, Wood composite, etc. and going forward we will test with Nylon, Flexible, Copper, Bronze and Brass filled filament and other ‘specialty filaments’.
Currently, we have prototypes up and running and are working on testing our extruded filament as well as packaging all the various modules into a sleek, tasteful and ergonomic exterior shell.
Please help us build a product that we hope will add to your 3D Printing experience. Below is a link to a brief survey that we promise will not take more than 5 minutes of your time. We kindly request that you submit just one response to this survey so that we have good data that will aid us in making this Filament Extruder a reality. All responses are confidential.
http://goo.gl/forms/gbPrdhjWm4
If you want to contribute more in any capacity, feel free to respond below or email me at kushal (at) layerink.com
Thank you for your time. Much appreciated!
Happy 3D Printing 
Best,
Kushal
