WISRD Research & Engineering Journal

The noteworthy components of the printer are the extruder, nozzle, x , y , and z motors, belt, printing surface, and wheels as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Parts of the Potterbot 7 labeled. The extruder sits inside a plastic tube that holds the clay. The job of the extruder is to push the clay out at a set rate through the nozzle. It is connected to the z-axis. The z-axis motor moves like a conveyor belt and moves a chain to which the extruder is attached up and down. We do not have a device to load the clay, so it is loaded by hand. The x- and y-axis motors move the plate beneath the extruder nozzle. Specifications for the Potterbot 9 are shown in Table 2. Table 2. Specifications for the Potterbot 7, using Potterbot 9 software. (Aniwaa, 2021)

Technology

Extrusion

Material

Ceramic, Clay

Build Size

508 x 432 x 762 mm

Release Date

2016

Country

United States

76