Has anyone here ever cleaned their hot end? I'm curious as to which method(s) you used. Can it be done, if so how? Is Acetone safe to use on it?
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Has anyone here ever cleaned their hot end? I'm curious as to which method(s) you used. Can it be done, if so how? Is Acetone safe to use on it?
Here's a little quote from user 'jimc'
i switch plastics alot and i do have to clean out my hot end and nozzle often. if you have never cleaned it then im sure your due. before you do anything, pull the nozzle and brass tube off the machine and soak it in a little paint stripper. the methylene chloride will dissolve, pla, pet and abs. basically everything except nylon. let it sit a few hours then rinse, blow out, run a pipe cleaner through the tube, etc. Use zip-strip from Home Depot.
I have had my nozzle plug up and the only way to clean it is by fully disassembling it and using a small drill bit. I never have a problem going from PLA and switching to ABS. It is the ABS to PLA direction that is dangerous for me. For some reason, it seems a little bit of ABS plastic stays in the nozzle and eventually it comes loose and plugs the nozzle at lower temperature. Some times I can turn the heat up and get it out. But always the print is destroyed.
Roxy, I ask because I've never used a drill bit on my nozzle. Do you use the back end of the bit and just push it in a hot end? I'd be afraid that by using the sharp end that you might begin to gouge the inside wall of your tiny hole. What's your experience?
Typically micro drill do not have a back end as it would not clamp in a normal chuck. I have used micro drills and welding tip cleaners.
http://www.advantage-drillbits.com/i...de%20micro.jpg
https://store.aihalaska.com/images/aih/atwwypo21.jpg
So, no damage issues and great results eh? Good to hear. I'll order something to have on hand. I was just afraid I'd damage that relatively soft brass (or whatever alloy it is).
I used a paper clip when we had out nozzle clog a week ago.
I have taken apart the hot end of a Rep 2 to clean it before. It's pretty simple as long as you know how to take it apart and re-assemble it.
I guess I'm being too cautious then. See, my reservation about a paper clip might have been that they cut them from rolls when manufactured and a tiny bit of metal gets extruded or pushed sideways leaving a little burr. I'd be afraid that that burr would/could scratch the inside of the hole and begin to cause problems. Maybe I need to be a bit less anal...lol...
But yes, that's the good thing about building your printer instead of just buying one assembled, you know how to take things part from the get-go. It's not hard for me to pull the hotend off for a soaking.
I bought mine assembled and it just took like five breaks where I had to take various parts off and back on for me to learn the ins and outs of my printer.
I could assemble one from scratch at this point, I think.
i cleaned my hot end the other day and am kicking myself for not taking a pic of this but i soaked it as usually in my paint stripper bucket. it loosened all the plastic in the nozzle and brass tube as usual but this time i didnt let it sit too long and i was able to actually pull the plastic out of the tube in one piece. it was kinda like a plastic straw lining the brass. i set this on the work bench and let it harden back up a bit then i took my xacto knife and sliced the end off. in the cross section you could actually see the rainbow layers of each color i had printed with over the past 3 weeks or so. this was the first actual hard evidence i found that many plastics dont intermix welll and each time you switch you are left with a thin film that stays in there cooking and it gets harder and harder making the hot end tighter.
Cleaning your hot end should be a regular procedure. The best way I've found to do it is to heat up the hot end to a few degrees over the temperature you would normally print at, let it settle, then reduce the temperature to just above the glass transition temperature of the plastic you're working with. About 90 Celsius works best for me with the PLA I use. Once the lower temperature has settled, back the filament out of the printer. As per jimc, you should see a straw at the end of the filament you backed out, which means that the plastic has been dragged out of the hot end. It should bring any debris / old plastic out with it. Repeat as necessary until you're happy and make it part of your regular maintenance schedule.
I don't see myself drilling out a 0.4mm in hole by hand, specially in brass. What kind of nozzles do you guys use?
@jimc, I would love to see those pictures if you have the chance to take some next time!
I tend to use a small screwdriver and heat the hotend just enough for the plastic to start to melt then insert the screwdriver and ease the plastic back slowly up the hotend. It usually comes out in one piece that way.
It's not that you're redrilling, it's just a convenient tool sized for the job. Anything to just poke it out works. Just heat and push the plastic out of the way and you're golden.Quote:
Originally Posted by Egon van Engelen
small guitar strings work well also
Right, well I never cleaned my hot-end and I'm not going to anytime soon. I only print in PLA so I imagine that helps a bit.
I did measure the filament string on the cooled down hot-end a few times after reading this thread but it's still 0.4mm
I didn't see your question until now... I don't drill up through the nozzle. I have to take everything apart and usually the 3mm filament is broken off on the top side. I drill that out and kind of grind away all the stuff in there. But I don't push the drill bit into the hole of the nozzle. Sometimes I see some clear crystal like stuff come out. I don't know what that is. But I don't think it should be there and the fact my nozzle is plugged kind of makes me think it is the reason.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobH2
Ha!!!! I bet this is what is killing me!Quote:
Originally Posted by jimc