Design and Implementation of an IoT-Based Filament Extruder for 3D Printing Using PLA+ Plastic Pellets

This paper presents the design and implementation of an IoT-enabled filament extruder for 3D printing, developed as a practical application in the field of electrical and electronics engineering. The system utilizes a microcontroller-based embedded control architecture to manage the thermal and mechanical parameters of the extrusion process using feedback from integrated sensors. Temperature regulation is achieved through a PID-controlled mica band heater, while motorized feed and puller systems ensure consistent filament output. The extruder is equipped with real-time monitoring capabilities via wireless data transmission using an ESP32-based IoT platform, enabling remote supervision and data logging. The proposed method offers several advantages, including low-cost fabrication using off-the-shelf components, improved energy efficiency, and realtime remote control and monitoring for better process reliability. Experimental validation shows that the system successfully extrudes PLA+ plastic filament with a consistent diameter of <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">${1.75} \pm {0.1 mm}$</tex>, demonstrating effective sensor integration, power-efficient control, and suitability for sustainable distributed manufacturing. The design reflects key principles in embedded systems, sensor fusion, and energyaware control systems, contributing to sustainable solutions in additive manufacturing.