Heat-Resistant Panel

[mr_intensity]

Okay.  Nobody has ever posted here, so I guess I'll give it a shot.

My fertile mind (fertile = full of...uh...fertilizer) has been envisioning a multi-(more than two)-headed extruder for 3D printing.

The bottom of the assembly is a Base Plate, where the heatbreaks come in from above, and protrude through to the heatblocks, which would be up against the Base Plate.  This plate would bolt to the rest of the extruder body, which would most likely be 3D-printed plastic.

   

Since this plate contacts the 3D-printed plastic body of the extruder, it must be made of a material that resists heat transfer.  It also must resist heat transfer, as it holds multiple heater blocks, and you don't want the hotter heater blocks influencing the cooler heater blocks around them.

The bolts (that hold the Base Plate on) also hold on the alignment plate.  This part is under the Base Plate with the heater blocks.  Besides keeping the heater blocks from twisting and touching one another, it must also act as a heat shield, to prevent hotter heat blocks/heads from influencing the temperatures of the cooler heat blocks/heads around them.

   

So, what do I make these parts from?  It has to be something easily drillable/cutable/machinable.  Or maybe printable?   Oh yeah, and don't forget cost-effective (i.e. CHEAP).

I saw something on Amazon called homasote, as I searched for "heat resistant board."  But, I dunno.  It may be good for soldering on, but can it handle multiple heater blocks up against it for long periods of time?

Any ideas?

[MisterAcoustic]

Hi mr_intensity,

Well, I don't have an expert on tap for this forum, so I'll have to take a shot at it myself.

I think the first thing to note is that there is no magic bullet (or material) for this situation - said another way, I don't think it's sufficient to simply try to block or reduce the flow of heat through the material. At some point, the energy _will_ transfer through it, no matter how slowly. I think you will need to incorporate some kind of idea to transfer the heat away from the area.

Also, it kind of depends on what you mean by 'easy' . After consulting with and slicing the data found on this page: 

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/therm...d_858.html

It turns out that a few different types of stainless steel might be good options. From the table where 6.3 (W/m K) ... (uhm, watts per meter per degree kelvin? I have no clue ) is the lowest listed, here are some of the steel values:

11.6  Steel - Nickel Chrome, 40% Ni, 15% Ni
14.3  Steel - Stainless, Type 347
14.4  Steel - Stainless, Type 304
15.1  Steel - Chrome Nickel, 20% Cr, 15% Ni
17  Steel - Nickel Chrome, 80% Ni, 15% Ni
19  Steel - Chrome Nickel, 15% Cr, 10% Ni
19  Steel - Nickel, 20% Ni
19  Steel - Nickel, 60% Ni

I think several of those are commonly available. Now you get to decide if they're 'easy' to machine .

I'm wondering if there is a sane way to incorporate a means to move the heat away from the plate - perhaps combining a conductive material to transmit heat laterally out to some 'fins' to dissipate the energy, with a stainless steel base plate to act as a block.

So - if there are any experts out there, don't just laugh at me, jump in and offer some advice .

Stan