cleaning filament ?
is this stuff worth buying ?
RE: cleaning filament ?
Maybe I'm not the right guy to answer as I have never used it. Have also thought about it, but haven't been in a situation where I felt like it would help....
RE: cleaning filament ?
I use the eSun cleaning filament, but infrequently. Most of the time for nozzle changes, to get as much gunk out of the old nozzle as I can. If I just do regular filament changes (same or different material types), I tend to run the new filament through 4 or 5 "is the color correct" cycles, and that seems to do the job. I have used cleaning filament for cold pulls but again, most of the time I found regular filament work just as well for that particular task.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: cleaning filament ?
is this stuff worth buying ?
Absolutely worth it. You don't need to use cleaning filament. You can do cold pulls with PLA, and nylon is very good. However, there are benefits to cleaning filament:
- You can use it at higher temps than most filaments, ensuring anything inside the hotend or nozzle gets melted out.
- It will also extrude at low temps, so if a bit of cleaning filament gets left behind, it won't cause a jam next time you print PLA.
- It is very stick and flexible, so is very good at capturing crud inside the hotend and nozzle.
- It absorbs moisture. This is bad for print quality but good for cleaning. When using cleaning filament, it will often steam a bit and extrude a very bubbly stream. This is great for trapping debris when it cools and you do a cold pull.
My favorite cleaning filament was rigid.ink, but sadly they've ceased production. I use eSun regularly now.
and miscellaneous other tech projects
He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
RE: cleaning filament ?
I use it whenever I change between filament types. Going from PLA to higher temp filaments such as PETG have on more than a few occasions clogged up my nozzle. It's just my guess, but it seems like PLA residue gets overcooked and burned at higher temp, then clogs the nozzle. Then I started using cleaning filaments whenever I change filament type. Not a single clog since.
It's funny how the cleaning filament works. I'll usually load the filament, then when the printer ask if the filament loaded correctly I leave it unanswered for about 5 minutes or more - cooking the nozzle. After a few minutes, I tell the printer "no", which basically feed more cleaning filament through. The second time it feed more, the cleaning filament always comes out with a few black spots in it. I repeat this procedure until I see no more residue in the extruded cleaning filaments. It usually takes 3-5 purges to get all the crud out, if its been a while since the last cleaning.
My printers: Mk3s / Mk3s clone with +upgrdaes (you know SPinda and all that good stuff) / Mini+ / Ender 3 v2
RE: cleaning filament ?
I've had good luck with it, both for the so-called cold pull and just for giving the hot end a good flush if needed.
RE: cleaning filament ?
I have used it sometimes to flush out all the remaining bits in the hotend, I rarely use it but it's nice to have around. It is quite expensive but I'm sure it will last you years as you don't use a lot of it when you do.
RE: cleaning filament ?
I haven't used a pen, but I assume the nozzle is similar to a printer. It depends a bit on what material you are using. When my nozzles clogged due to a poor quality PLA spool, I removed the nozzles and soaked them overnight in acetone. I also bought some wire nozzle cleaners (0.4mm as I recall - buy the ones that match the size of your nozzle) and used them to clean up the residue.