Zesty Technology's Nimble V3 Extruder: Pioneering Lightweight Solutions for Enhanced 3D Printing
Today, we dive deep into the Zesty Nimble V3, a remarkable hybrid of a direct drive and a Bowden extruder, designed to push the boundaries of 3D printing. The question we aim to answer is this: does this hybrid outperform its competitors by seamlessly merging the best of both worlds, or is it just an unimpressive compromise?
Zesty History Lesson
Zesty Technology is the brainchild of two dynamic individuals, Brian Gilbert, and Lykle Schepers.
Brian Gilbert, driven by an insatiable curiosity about how things work, developed a passion for electronics from a young age. As the director of a successful web development company, he delved into the realm of 3D printing after backing a Kickstarter-backed printer. Overcoming manufacturing challenges, Brian modified the printer to enhance its performance, sparking his desire to design innovative 3D printing products.
Lykle Schepers, an accomplished designer, and engineer, showcased his problem-solving approach and mechanical engineering expertise throughout his career. With a background in significant weighing equipment design and collaboration with IBM in CAD/CAM, Lykle's inventive spirit led him to explore 3D printing. Identifying the limitations of his delta printer, he embarked on creating an improved filament feeding mechanism.
Their paths converged when Brian and Lykle, both backers of a 3D printer on Kickstarter, connected on a Slack Channel. Initially planning to develop a delta printer to address industry shortcomings, they eventually shifted their focus to designing the Nimble Extruder—a versatile and accessible project that would revolutionize 3D printing.
By bringing together their complementary skills, Brian and Lykle embarked on an extraordinary journey to push the boundaries of innovation. Their collaboration evolved from the shared Kickstarter experience, transforming their original plan to build a delta printer into the pursuit of creating a groundbreaking extruder, the Nimble V3.
The Nimble V3
The Nimble operates with a unique mechanism. Its direct drive system is not as we traditionally know it, nor is it a Bowden system. Instead, Zesty Technology introduces the concept of a "Remote Direct Drive" or more aptly, a "Direct Extruder". In simple terms, the stepper motor, located remotely, twists an internal cable. This twisting motion is then translated into the spinning of the hob bolt, thus pushing or retracting the filament as needed.
So, what sets the Nimble Extruder apart from other extruders on the market? For starters, it's lightweight, compact, and it can print very flexible filaments. We're talking about printing materials like X60, essentially rubber band material, and Ninjaflex at speeds of 40mm per second - quite the feat!
But there's more. The Nimble has a feature that sets it apart from its competitors – the breech. Thanks to this ingenious addition, it has a fully constrained filament path, reducing the hassle of feeding the filament. You just open the breech, pull out or put in the filament, and close it back up. It's that straightforward.
The Nimble truly lives up to its name – it's nimble because it's a direct drive, but with a significantly lighter weight, thereby enabling quicker movements. A light head allows for faster travel speeds with less chance of ghosting. The nimble is indeed a clever solution to a long-standing 3D printing problem.
Features
30:1 gear ratio for increased control on the extrusion.
Improved strength of printed parts.
Shell halves click together for easy handling during installation.
Increased temperature resilience.
Even lighter than the original Nimble
Unparalleled flexibility in drive cable positions.
Completely overhauled easier to open breech.
Inbuilt clamp for reverse bowden.
Inbuilt hotend PTFE cutting measure.
Injection-molded hotend PTFE clip that ensures centreline of Nimble.
Improved strength.
Where To Buy?
You can buy the Nimble V3 directly from the Zesty Technology official website:
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