Design and Development of Portable ABS Filament Extruder for Desktop FDM Applications

The rapid adoption of fused deposition modeling has increased the need for affordable and flexible thermoplastic filament production systems, particularly for small-scale users, educational laboratories, and research environments. This study presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a low-cost, portable ABS filament extruder intended for laboratory-scale filament production. The system is based on a single-screw extrusion mechanism driven by a NEMA 23 stepper motor, with thermal regulation achieved through PID-controlled band heaters and an air based cooling strategy to reduce thermal shock–induced brittleness in ABS. Design calculations were performed to estimate material feed rate, screw rotational speed, torque requirements, and heating power demand. The fabricated prototype operates within a temperature range of 300–450 °C and achieves a steady-state material throughput of approximately 11 g/min under stable operating conditions. Experimental extrusion trials indicate continuous filament formation with acceptable dimensional stability after thermal equilibrium is established. The total system cost is approximately INR 20,000, corresponding to a cost reduction of about 50–60% relative to commercially available desktop filament extruders. The proposed system demonstrates the feasibility of low-cost filament extrusion and provides a basis for future work on closed-loop diameter control and multi-material extrusion.