Wondering about How To Clean Blocked 3D Printers Nozzle? Don’t worry anymore, we got your back. In this article, we tell you how to clean your blocked 3D printers nozzle and some preventative measures that you can take to avoid it in the first place.
In every field of work, running into problems and issues every now and then is natural. The same is applied to 3D printers for printing. From messy filaments to extruder assembly and low-quality prints, when you use 3D printers on a daily basis, you’d come across issues and would want to have quick fixes for them. One of the most common issues with Clean blocked 3D printers nozzle is that their nozzle gets blocked. What to do when this happens?
How To Unclog The Nozzle
Now that the nozzle has clogged, it is time unblock it so that your clean blocked 3D printers can start working again. Depending upon how severe your nozzle has been clogged, follows any of these methods to make it work as new:
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Brush The Nozzle From Outside
The easiest solution to getting your nozzle unclogged is bursting it from the outside. Simply take a brush, ensure that its size is appropriate for the nozzle, and brush it on the outside. This will clear the tip of the nozzle. It is recommended that you use a wire brush if you want the burnt material accumulated on the nozzle to get removed too.
You can also use a brass threads brush if you want to avoid your nozzle getting damaged from any brushing. While a steel wire brush can give a more enhanced Clean blocked 3D Printers Nozzle, it can result in damage to your nozzle.
One thing that needs to be mentioned here is that brushing the outside of Clean 3D Printers Nozzle only clears its tip. So if you have a more-than-normal clogged nozzle, try another method.
Cold Pulling With Nylon Filament
When nozzle clogging is caused due to melted filament, use this method to get remove of the clogging. Nylon filament is typically used in the ‘cold pull’ method because of its high melting temperature. The alternative for nylon filament is ABS.
Here Is How You Can Use The Cold Pulling Method:
- Heat the nozzle to 250 C.
- Leave the nozzle at this temperature for around 5 minutes.
- Push the nylon filament through the nozzle.
- The left-over material from the old filament will completely melt away.
- Repeat this method until you no longer see any left-over material of the filaments.
- Let the nozzle cool down to room temperature.
- The filament will solidify in the meanwhile.
- Heat the nozzle up to120 to 130 centigrade.
- The filament will re-solidify and you will be able to easily pull it out.
If you were unable to get all the filament out of the nozzle after doing this process one time, you can repeat it multiple times.
Soak The Nozzle In Acetone
This method is used when none of the other methods work. It is also dubbed as ‘if all else fails’ method. But this might not be effective for every type of filament. Here is how you can do this:
- Remove the nozzle via a socket wrench from the heater block.
- If the nozzle got jammed whilst printing with ABS, soak the nozzle in ABS for 15 minutes or more to remove the clog.
- Either wipe off the remaining acetone or let it vaporize itself.
- Only install the nozzle back in the 3D printer once it is completely dry.
- If the nozzle clogging was not caused by any filament, it will dissolve in acetone.
- Use a heat gun to heat up the clogging material and melt it.
- Once the nozzle gets hot, use a sleek and soft wire to clear the hole.
Preventive Measures
The best way forward is to ensure that your nozzle does not clog, to begin with. There are a number of things that you can do to avoid this problem. By taking proper care of the nozzle and the extruder assembly, you can enjoy clog-free 3D Printers for printing. Here are several of the steps that you can do:
- In-between Switching Filaments
One of the most common causes of nozzle clogging is that filament leftovers are not removed from the nozzle. When you don’t remove the leftovers for months, the leftovers get accumulated to the point that it clogs the nozzle. The solution? Clean your nozzle every time you switch the filaments.
- Clean Filament
If the filament is dirty or has some dust particles on it, it will transfer that to the nozzle. When nozzle gets heated up, the dirt particles will burn and become hard plug over time. Typically the filaments are clean but a good approach is to store every filament in a vacuum bag.
- Right Temperature
The size of the nozzle of a 3D printer is smaller than the filament’s diameter. Therefore crucial that the filaments get completely melted so that it flows through the nozzle efficiently. If you have set the temperature lower than it should be, filament material will not be melted properly. It might gather up around the nozzle, causing the clogging.
If your 3D printer is not working efficiently or you want to get it checked for routine maintenance purposes, get in touch with us today!
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