Induction-Heated, Unrestricted-Rotation Rectangular-Slot Hot End for FFF

Abstract

This work presents a fused-filament fabrication (FFF) hot end that combines an unrestricted-rotation C-axis with a rectangular-slot nozzle and an induction-heated melt sleeve. The architecture replaces the popular resistive cartridge and heater block design with an external coil that induces eddy-current heating in a thin-walled sleeve, threaded to the heat break and nozzle, reducing thermal mass and eliminating wired sensors across the rotating interface. A contactless infrared thermometer targets the nozzle tip; the temperature is regulated by frequency-modulating the inverter around resonance, yielding stable control. The hot end incorporates an LPBF-manufactured nozzle, which transitions from a circular inlet to a rectangular outlet to deposit broad, low-profile strands at constant layer height while preserving lateral resolution. The concept is validated on a desktop Cartesian platform retrofitted to coordinate yaw with XY motion. A twin-printer testbed compares the proposed hot end against a stock cartridge-heated system under matched materials and environments. With PLA, the induction-heated, rotating hot end enables printing at 170 °C with defect-free flow and delivers substantial reductions in job time (22–49%) and energy per part (9–39%). These results indicate that the proposed approach is a viable route to higher-throughput, lower-specific-energy material extrusion.