3D Printing: Direct Drive vs. Bowden

I printed a mount which might enable me to convert my bowden setup into a direct drive setup. But as I've delved into this I've had a few thoughts:

• I dislike the naming
• I dislike the forgone conclusions
• I dislike the lack of ingenuity

Starting with naming. I think "remote" vs "direct" is better than calling one "Bowden". Both use Bowden tubing. And they both use it the exact same way. What differs, in terms of the tubing is the length.

While that length IS what makes the difference. It is also the problem in the second point. Everyone just automatically labels all Bowden solutions as inferior. But, the length of the Bowden tube is all that matters. The shorter the tube, the more like a direct drive you're running. Because, literally, a Direct Drive system IS a Bowden tube fed system. Just a special case where the tube is as short as possible.

And, I think that line of thinking is what has led to the lack of ingenuity. I see posts all day every day about people printing mods for their 3D printers. But, in so far as extruders go, the mods either leave the remote bowden setup or go all the way to direct drive.

But, direct drive isn't without problems. The added weight can place restrictions on print speed. And print speed can also address a lot of the issues with Bowden systems. So, I'm baffled at the lack of investment in alternatives.

I have seen the flying or floating bowden designs BTW and think it is brilliant and over complicated. But, definitely cool.

Other thoughts which come to mind:

• Find a way to mount the stepper motor remote, but leave the rest of the assembly direct.
• Introduce a secondary rail to carry the extruder and absorb it's momentum.
• Mount the extruder with less rigidity or in such a way as to minimize the effects of its momentum.

Some of these solution may necessitate slightly longer bowden tubes. But, would still result in a significant reduction vs the existing the remote setup.

Other solutions involve improving the dampening effect of the movement stops. I mean, obviously, if the weight of the stepper motor is enough to throw everything out of whack, then even a hot end, unburdened by a stepper must be affected by the same forces and either they are affecting the print, or have been mitigated otherwise.

Put another way, I'm interested in seeing what can be done. 

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In some ways this is like my PLA vs. PET thoughts. I think that many of the problems for Bowden systems stem from designs being built with Direct Drive in mind. It may seem different because (I believe) the Bowden setup is more common. But, the expertise on the subject is likely centered around people who have either converted to or bought their printers as Direct Drive models. And, it isn't as though the Bowden concerns can't be addressed, so it is often a non-issue.

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