Nozzle Choices

[MasterOfNone]

Hello,

I've been interested in 3D printing for quite a while, and have looked at quite a few printers in my price range since joining this forum. Through that process I kept coming back to the MakerFarm Prusa i3v. Going through the checkout process on the website, I have to choose the type of nozzle, and I would like some help with choosing the right one.

Initially I'm planning on printing parts for 1/14 scale trucks, and trailers, and... I'm thinking most everything I've designed will be printed with ABS.

The choices of nozzle I have are:

1. .35mm J-Head Nozzle for 3mm Filament (Prints ABS & PLA)
2. .50mm J-Head Nozzle for 3mm Filament (Prints ABS & PLA)
3. .40mm Magma Nozzle for 3mm Filament (Prints ABS, PVA, Polycarbonate, HIPS), Higher Print Speeds, DOES NOT PRINT PLA
4. .40mm Hexagon Nozzle for 3mm Filament (Prints ABS, PLA and Higher Temp Materials) +$20.00
5. .40mm Hexagon Nozzle for 1.75mm Filament(Prints ABS, PLA and Higher Temp Materials) +$20.00

I'm intrigued with #3 because it opens up the ability to use other materials, but I have no idea if I would ever use them.
I'm interested in #4 because it can print "higher temp" materials, but I don't know exactly what that means.
Are there benefits for using 1.75mm filament?

I will appreciate any pros/cons that will help me with my choice.

This printer will be my Christmas gift from my wife, although she doesn't know it yet!

Thanks, Rob

[printbus]

Welcome aboard!

Others are certainly welcome if I'm incorrect, but I believe the hexagon hot ends can print anything that the Magma can. Some of the hot ends have plastic parts or use a Teflon liner that can impose a limit on how high you can go with a print temperature. The hexagon is all-metal, so it won't have that constraint. By higher temp, it means you can print material like nylon. There have been a few that had issues with a hexagon, and have moved onto other all-metal hot ends like the E3D v6.

3mm vs 1.75mm gets a lot of discussion. In theory, 1.75mm has a debatable benefit in that the extruder stepper motor has a bit more resolution in how much cold filament needs to be drawn for the same amount of extruded material. On the other hand, much of the extruder hardware is sort of optimized for 3mm filament. It can be trickier to load 1.75mm because of this. If you might get into flexible materials like Ninjaflex, 3mm will possibly be easier to work with in the standard Wade's extruder used on the MakerFarm. It'd be less likely to "fold up" in the unsupported gap between the hobbed bolt that draws the filament and the barrel of the hot end.

[JimG]

I have the 0.4 Hexagon for 3mm filament. I chose the hexagon because I plan to print with nylon at some point. I wanted the ability to print PLA, too, so that ruled out the Magma.

When I told Colin I was leaning towards 1.75mm, he indicated that he thought the 3mm might be a better choice for me. I did not press him on this, so I can't tell you why he said that, or if I even understood him completely. The 3mm is working for me, and I have no complaints.

It does seem, however, that there are more sources and color choices for 1.75mm filament than for 3mm filament. If there is a downside to the 3mm, that might be it.

The additional resolution available with the smaller diameter 1.75mm filament makes sense, and is something I had not thought about before buying. OTOH, in my experimentation with ESTEP settings and the equivalent values in slic3r configurations, I am not able to see noticeable differences in print behavior across a fairly wide range (+/- 5% or more) of extrusion rates.

I, too, am anxious to read what others have to say on this subject.

Jim

[printbus]

...OTOH, in my experimentation with ESTEP settings and the equivalent values in slic3r configurations, I am not able to see noticeable differences in print behavior across a fairly wide range (+/- 5% or more) of extrusion rates.

Yeah, I don't think I've read anyone saying they thought there's a print quality difference between 3mm and 1.75mm. IIRC, the benefit has to do with the amount of extruder motor torque involved.

[AbuMaia]

I went with 1.75 because I thought I'd move to a bowden extruder setup someday, and 1.75 is said to be better for bowdens. I did eventually try out a bowden extruder on my i3v, but saw no improvement in my prints (worse oozing though), so I went back to the direct geared extruder.

[eghm]

I went with the hexagon to have more filament options. It's a 3mm, I read on the internet 3mm is easier to start off with and more forgiving.

[MasterOfNone]

I really appreciate everyone's feedback on this subject. Based on that feed back, I'm leaning toward #4, the .40mm Hexagon Nozzle for 3mm Filament (Prints ABS, PLA and Higher Temp Materials) which coats $20.00 more.

I'm going to defer my purchase for a day or two, just in case there is a compelling reason to choose a different nozzle.

Thanks to all of you who have helped me with this.

Rob

[RobH2]

I've had all of those hot ends and the Hexagon is by far the best one in my opinion. I've printed ABS, Bridge Nylon, PET+, PLA, PVA and Ninjaflex with it and have never had a jam or problem.

[MasterOfNone]

So I ordered my 10" i3v with the .40mm hex nozzle today. I really appreciate all of your input. Hopefully the build will not throw me too many curves.

rob

[WhiskeyTango]

Hi Rob,

When I placed my order for a 12" i3v back on Dec. 2nd I went with the 1.75mm Hex nozzle, only because my first printer, a Printrbot Simple, came with one and I've been using it without any problems for a year now. I am curious to know more about the 3mm as well but from what I've read here and elsewhere it sounds like they both work well. It may come down to personal choice... BTW, did you order the 3mm Hex nozzle?

Just my two cents, before taxes...