October 12, 2026 • Editorial Guide

In a Bowden system, the extruder motor is mounted to the frame, pushing filament through a PTFE tube to the hotend. In a Direct Drive system, the extruder motor is mounted directly above the heat sink.

Advantages of Direct Drive

Shorter retraction distances (0.5mm – 1.2mm vs 4mm – 6mm), zero stringing, and reliable feeding of flexible TPU filaments.