Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
Hi everyone,
A few failed prints messed up my hotend.
I already wiped most of the PLA off the nozzle by heating it up to 215°C and using some paper towels.
Some of the Filament stuck in the gap around the thermistor/heater/nozzle so I think it is useful to disassemble the hotend and clean it completely. Do you have some advises about what I have to be careful with?
Am I able to damage the thermistor/heater with my finger nails when scratching the filament off or is there another way?
Rain
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
BE CAREFUL with the thermistor wires.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
Is it useful/good for the nozzle/Heatblock to clean it with acetone or do I damage to surface?
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
I use thin cardboard and try scraping off excess builtup filament while the hotend is warn.
Carboard is more rigid. Can be shaped into a V for scraping good.
Prusa Mini+ kit. BondTech extruder. FW 5.1.2
Prusa MK3S+ kit. Stock. FW 3.11.0
Prusa MK3S+, used. Stock. FW 3.13.3
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
Yes, be very careful as Chuck said, thermistor wires are very delicate.
Heat the hot end up until all the filament is melted then carefully scrape it away.
I would not recommend disassembly, be patient and make sure it is completely melted before trying to remove , sometimes it helps to use a very small implement (very small flat blade or similar) to gently press the filament against the heat block to melt it, you don't want to pull something off that is attached to the wires.
Had a similar issue on my Ender 3 hotend, and was able to remove it from between the wires and block with some patience and care.
Remember the wires are live as well.
Tank you very much!
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
@clarmrrsn
I of a similar belief. The more you print with a thermistor, the more fragile those wires get.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
@cwbullet
Indeed they do, all insulation becomes brittle over time due to heat, even heat proof insulation suffers from this.
The large production machines I work on all get this eventually, you go to unplug a header from the hot process and the plug and insulation crumble in your hands.
I am always a believer of if it ain't broken, don't fix it, sometimes what seems a very easy cleanup can spiral out of control.
Tank you very much!
RE: Cleaning Prusa Mini + Hotend - Advices?
Thanks for all the responses. I added some pictures of the heater, but now it seems very clean.
Yesterday I also tried using some paper very carefully when the nozzle was hot to get the filament out of that gap around the heater you can see in the pictures. After I was finished there was a "glow" around the heater in the filaments color.
Should be fine if I heat it up, clean the rest following your tips and then put a silicon sock onto the heatblock or what do you think?
Otherwise I would loosen the heater, put it out very carefully and see if there is anything left.
