Clay in a wheeling consistency

[con...@les-eissautier.com]

Hi !

I find your approach exciting and I have been following the development of your clay printer for some time.

As a ceramist for over 40 years, now retired, (see www.les-eissautier.com) I am trying to develop a 3d printer model that can be easily used in pottery workshops.
The number of printer models that can be found on the market and adapted to the needs of ceramics, leaves a lot of possibilities of choice.

It is the issue of extrusion that seems to be the most important to resolve.

I was very impressed by your extruder model and I find it very nice to offer it in open-source.

Looking at your videos, I see that you use creamy clay.
Here, in France and more generally in Europe, the clay available in the workshops is of a wheeling consistency. So it seems normal that it is in this consistency that it is used in a printer: you know how hard it is to make the clay more softer...!
It is also a guarantee against the collapse during printing, as Olivier van Herpt's machine proves.
Of course, this requires a more powerful extruder.
Could we have your opinion on this?

Thank you

Charles

[cera.tops]

Charles,

The CERA-1 extruder is capable of extruding many clay bodies at a throwing-consistency. Here is a video of an older prototype version of the extruder (which was less powerful than the current one) where you can see the consistency is even stiffer than that:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfuILd-gHR8/

HOWEVER - after many, many trials, I have found that you will get more consistent results with clay that is slightly more diluted than throwing consistency. Depending, of course, on the body - stiffer clay can crack and tear as it is extruder, especially at extreme angles.  There can also be problems with layer adhesion.

I hope this helps answer your question!

-Bryan