Capricorn

Capricorn XS Reduced Friction Bowden Tubing 2.85mm

Capricorn XS Reduced Friction Bowden Tubing 2.85mm

$ 18.00 USD
$ 18.00 USD
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Finally, a Bowden Tubing made truly custom made for 3mm filament.

3mm filament can bind in a standard PTFE tube, which is why quality '3mm' filament is normally produced to 2.85mm.  

This Capricorn tubing will solve that problem.  

It has the same nominal 6.35mm OD so it will work with all existing bowden systems, but it is more lubricious, more flexible, and best of all has a slightly larger ID of 3.2mm.  This will permit you to run a wider range of filaments with less sensitivity to filament quality.  

Give it a try Today.  

Here is some more info from the manufacturer:


PTFE, or Polytetrafluoroethylene, is a synthetic polymer commonly used as a coating for non-stick pots and pans. It is the slipperiest substance known to man, and is said to be the only surface to which a gecko cannot stick. Although Bowden tubes can be made from several different polymers, PTFE is generally considered the best because of its high melting point and low coefficient of friction. 

Capricorn tubing is manufactured using the most sophisticated equipment currently available. It always comes out perfectly round, and the diameter stays as consistent as possible. 

Capricorn XS Bowden Tubing is made from the highest quality pure virgin Japanese PTFE, and formed using the paste extrusion process. However, we have added a "Secret Sauce" which lowers the coefficient of friction. This additive also makes the tubing opaque. 

 

Important Note regarding interpretation of these specifications

Generally it is not safe to bring any PTFE above 260.  The somewhat arbitrary melting temperature listed in this table is an indicator of stability of the material and is not indicative of a safe use temperature. 

 

Opaque White PTFE Translucent White PTFE TL Series Light Blue XS Series Dark Blue
Additives None None Blue Color Blue Color and Secret High Performance Additive Mixture
Best For Chunky Filaments No No Yes Maybe
Best For Flexible Filaments No No No Yes
Can See Through No Yes Yes No
Pulling Friction♠ 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8
Color White White, Translucent Blue, Translucent Dark Blue
Density (kg/m3) 2100-2200 2100-2200 2100 +/-100 2300 +/-100
Hardness 58-62 58-62 55 60-65
Linear Thermal Expansion at 250 °C 3.4-3.6% 3.4-3.6% 3.4-3.6% 2.2-3.3%
Material Cheapest PTFE Better PTFE Highest Quality Pure Virgin PTFE Highest Quality Pure Virgin PTFE
Melting Point (°C)♥ as low as 220 around 260-327 around 340 around 340
Outer Diameter about 4 mm about 4 mm 4.075 +/- 0.025 3.995 +/-0.025
Roundness (ϵ) Variable Variable < 0.1 < 0.1
Stiffness High High Medium Medium High
Thermal Conductivity (W/m-k) 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25
Wear Rate (gm/s) 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
Young's Modulus (GPa) <0.50 <0.50 0.50 0.532

♠Pulling Friction is calculated as the average force required to pull 1.2 meters of 1.75mm PLA filament through 1 meter of tubing at a constant speed, relative to 1 meter of cheap white reference tubing. Note that although we observed the friction of the TL series to be about the same or even slightly lower than our XS series, it also has a larger internal diameter.
♥PTFE does not transition quickly from a solid to liquid, but acts as a glass, slowly softening. Temperatures were approximated by heating samples of all tubing simultaneously, observing how quickly each one began to deform.

 

Full specsheet:  Here.