With desktop 3D printers, there are two components that need a lot of attention: the hotend and the extruder. Bondtech takes pride in their spectacular focus on what features the 3D printing industry needs for extruders and rapidly iterates on their SLS 3D printed housings to create perfect fit mounting solutions. The latest Bondtech LGX is no exception; the larger gears, one-hand pre-tensioner, and varied mounting options prove the worth of this small yet powerful package. When it gets down to it, it’s hard to beat a Bondtech extruder.

Let's break it down-

Large Gear Extruder

This extruder gets its namesake “LGX” from the newly designed large feeder gears, which is a significant size increase from previous extruder gears, Bondtech included. It’s not just for looks either; the larger diameter means that more teeth grip against filament and prevents them from chewing through filament when it encounters a slightly lower than expected temperature or a slight clog, instead pushing right through it. With any extruder gear, plastic builds up over time within the teeth that needs to be cleaned out for optimal performance. Thanks to the small section of exposed gears on either side of the extruder, you can manually jog the gears and clean out each individual tooth as necessary. Paired with the larger gears, a 3:1 gear ratio means this extruder can apply considerable torque to any filament you can throw at it.

alt="The two drive gears of the LGX are significantly larger than any previous 3D printing extruder out there." title="The two drive gears of the LGX are significantly larger than any previous 3D printing extruder out there."
The two drive gears of the LGX are significantly larger than any previous 3D printing extruder out there.

Filament Tension and Other Features

Almost every other 3D printer extruder out there has done extruder tension the same way with minor variations: a screw or knob that is tightened down to compress a spring and apply tension to the extruder idler. The Bondtech LGX does things a bit differently: the bright red lever at the top of the extruder is part of a latch mechanism, so with a quick flick you can release tension on your filament for easy, one-handed removal. When you’re ready to get back to printing, flick the lever back for one, two, or three clicks for repeatable filament tension; once you find the ideal force for your flexible filaments, always come back to the same spot and reduce adjustments to get it right. 

alt="The bright red lever makes filament tensioning easy with several distinct points to set your tension." title="The bright red lever makes filament tensioning easy with several distinct points to set your tension."
The bright red lever makes filament tensioning easy with several distinct points to set your tension.

Installation and Mounting

The Bondtech LGX was designed in such a way that there are several mounting options available to you, both in how you install this on your 3D printing and how you integrate your hotend of choice. A fairly common way to mount extruders is by using a plate between the stepper motor and the extruder housing. In the case of the Bondtech LGX, that feature remains, just make sure the mounting plate is no thicker than 3mm. Alternatively, on the top, left, and right sides you can find two mounting holes on each face that can be used instead. When it comes to hotend options there are three unique adapters that screw in directly to the extruder housing; one for Slice Engineering’s Mosquito or Mosquito Magnum, one for a normal bowden push fit connector, and as an optional add-on, Bondtech’s FF Print Head mounts a heatsink and Slice Engineering Copperhead heater block directly to the extruder, for a filament path as short as possible, an ideal setup for the wiggliest flexible filaments.

alt="Directly mount Slice Engineering hotends or use one of the many other options to perfectly adapt the Bondtech LGX to your 3D printer." title="Directly mount Slice Engineering hotends or use one of the many other options to perfectly adapt the Bondtech LGX to your 3D printer."
Directly mount Slice Engineering hotends or use one of the many other options to perfectly adapt the Bondtech LGX to your 3D printer.

The Bondtech LGX is an incredible new extruder offering from Bondtech that started from a fresh perspective to create a 3D printer component for modern needs. Hopefully you have a much better understanding of what makes this extruder shine and have the information that you need to get one installed on your 3D printer. To learn more and to order your own Bondtech LGX, check out the collection here.