Bondtech LGX Large Gears eXtruder

Bondtech LGX Large Gears eXtruder

Determined to push filament feeding and 3D printing forward by enabling easier access and usability to the growing number of people, companies and OEM manufacturers in the space, Bondtech kept the printing quality of the BMG and added many innovations never seen in filament extruders while downsizing its form factor.

The development process, that took place during the last 15 months, was guided towards the following goals:

• to improve support to an extended range of materials, from abrasive to flexible and even softer filaments;
• to make it easier to use, to adapt and to maintain for both advanced and beginner users;
• and to reduce weight and size so more 3D printer models could access Bondtech’s Dual Drive Technology.

1. Larger Drive Wheels for increased filament grip
   With the larger hardened steel drive wheels of the LGX™, more teeth are in contact with the filament simultaneously, resulting on increased filament grip and no risk for material grinding. This also comes as a fail-safe mechanism. Strong grip and no grinding will make the custom stepper motor to skip steps in case of a clog or jam, sounding the alarm something is wrong while not worsening the problem neither causing damages.

2. Filament pre-tension lever for repeated results
   No more struggle with the thumbscrew, spring and hinge to load and unload filament and no pre-tensioning the filament in between the gears by approximation. The new pre-tension lever mechanism allows for easy filament load and unload plus 5 repeatable filament pre-tension pre-sets to use abrasive, rigid, semi-flexible, flexible and soft filaments.

3. Multi-function interface sockets for tool or application quick swap
   The frontal Multi-function Interface Socket allows going from Direct Drive to Bowden and back in a breeze or swapping hotends as easy and quickly. It is also an open door to upgrade using Bondtech Interface Plugs, or even third-party plugs, to create solutions that meet special application or requirements.

4. Compact, light and symmetric design for increased compatibility and performance
   This Bondtech new Dual Drive Technology enabled extruder packs additional features and capacity in an original and compact design. Almost as small as a 25mm Nema 17 pancake stepper motor, the LGX™ is a very light and flexible unit, easy to install in many more machines, at a record-breaking low weight of 218.6g. It features symmetry with a very short filament path flowing through a central axis, preventing the need for standard and mirrored versions.

5. Drive wheels maintenance windows for easy cleaning
   Dust or other particles on the filament surface can shed inside the extruder. The accumulation of this debris can be negative to the good functioning of any extruder, and the LGX™ is no exception. The 2 windows that partially show the drive wheels’ teeth give easy access to brushing their surface, but also to blow air through the extruder, or vacuum clean the inside. There is a much lower need to disassemble the extruder to keep it clean
6. The LGX™ features multiple mounting patterns for easy and flexible setup
   This new design features flat surfaces and multiple M3 mounting hole patterns at the bottom, both sides, front and back. The design and patterns allow for an unprecedented flexible approach to mount the extruder on almost all frame styles or carriage plates.

   Technical Specification

   • e-steps value : 400 on 16 bit micro-stepping setups; 800 on 32 bit micro-stepping setups.
   • Drive wheels : hardened steel;
   • Materials compatibility : abrasive; rigid; semi-flexible; flexible; and soft.
   • Mounting holes : M3
   • Mounting patterns : bottom anterior (2 points); left (2 points), right (2 points), front (4 points), back (4 points)
   • Holes on the sides of the LGX™ : 5 mm depth
   • Holes on the bottom of the LGX™ : 12 mm depth
   • Max tightening torque on all screws is 0.3 Nm
   • retraction speed : 35 mm/s
   • retraction distance (bowden) : ~5 mm (0.4 + tube length x 0.15)
   • retraction distance (direct drive) for rigid materials : 0.4 mm
   • retraction distance (direct drive) for soft materials : 3 mm
   • Max operating temperature : 80°C
   • LGX™ DD net weight : 218.6 g
   • LGX™ B net weight : 224 g
   • Package measurements : 80x103x73 mm
   • Package weight : 269 g
   • Download the LGX Technical Drawings here.

   LDO STEPPER MOTOR FOR BONDTECH LGX™

   • PH-06AWJ connector
   • 2 phases
   • DC 5.5 V
   • Max 1.0A/phase
   • Max recommended environment : 70°C
   • Download the stepper motor Technical Data Sheet here.