Nozzle type  

RE: Nozzle type

Tech, filament may stick less to plated copper compared to brass - less sticking better. I use a 0.6 for my larger nozzle - PrusaSlicer has profiles for the 0.6 nozzle and I'm getting good results with that stock profile. I think anything that keeps the heat stable is a good thing so I switched to plated copper nozzles (and silicone socks) quite a while ago - I did not do comparison prints but effect on my bank balance was noticeable.

Cheers

Digbat

RE: Nozzle type

Plated nozzles are great for printing PETG and other sticky materials that tend to want to glom onto the hottest nearby object. A plated nozzle along with a silicone sock have transformed my maintenance routine, and I'm spending a lot less time cleaning the nozzle and heater block these days. 

Be aware that there are (at least) 2 varieties of coated nozzles:

• P3-D and E3D both make coated copper nozzles. E3D offers nickel-plated copper, while P3-D uses a specialized coating on aluminum in their Apollo series. Both claim superior thermal characteristics to brass (P3-D info here) and while harder than bare brass, neither are "hardened" nozzles suitable for printing abrasives like carbon-fibre or glow-in-the-dark filament.
• P3-D and E3D both make hardened coated nozzles. P3-D has their Hercules series and E3D has Nozzle-X. Both of these are coated, but both are also hardened steel (see P3-D info above) with lower thermal characteristics than brass. I've been doing some throughput testing (chaotic results here) and Nozzle-X does indicate that it can maintain a flow almost identical to plain brass, so it's a great all-around nozzle. I have not yet tested the P3-D Hercules in head-to-head conditions.

RE: Nozzle type

Thanks for the replies.

So how I understand it for PLA it doesn't really make that much of a difference. 

What do you mean with "silicone sock"?

RE: Nozzle type

Posted by: @tech

So how I understand it for PLA it doesn't really make that much of a difference. 

The combination of a coated nozzle and sock will help with PLA. PETG is more sticky and prone to getting in all the wrong places, but even PLA can benefit. 

I had a print go bad and nearly had a "Blob of Doom" experience:

Fortunately, the combination of coated nozzle and silicone sock kept it from getting up into the hotend:

What do you mean with "silicone sock"?

The sock is the blue cover that fits over the heater block. You can see it in the picture above around the nozzle. Search for "E3D silicone sock" to find them.

RE: Nozzle type

Thanks for the info. I never heard of such a sock but it makes sense. My hotend looks quite a mess. So i guess my next order is on its way 🙂

RE: Nozzle type

I mostly print in PETG and have switched to nickel coated nozzles from MicroSwiss - they are great to clean and I am not switching back...

MicroSwiss claims that the coating on their nozzles (TwinClad XT) is hard, very low friction and wear resistant - I have never tried abrasive filament so no experience here. Price for a nozzle is around $15.

RE: Nozzle type

How do you find the top surface looks with the micro swiss?, I've so far stuck with E3d (Nickel plated copper) as I believe the flatter tip end will help 'iron' the top of the round extrusions and pump more heat into the extruded material and help push the extrusion into the previous layer.

What are maximum extrusion widths like with this pointy type of nozzle?.

Thanks.

RE: Nozzle type

The surface from MicroSwiss is more flat than the standard nozzle, but not a replacement for "ironing" function found in slicers like Cura. After more than a year of usage I see no wear at the tip.

My nozzles is all 0.4 mm size and haven't experimented with wider extrusion tracks.

RE: Nozzle type

Posted by: @tech

Thanks for the replies.

So how I understand it for PLA it doesn't really make that much of a difference. 

What do you mean with "silicone sock"?

https://www.matterhackers.com/store/printer-accessories/e3d-silicone-socks-pack-of-3?rcode=PPCADS&gclid=CjwKCAjw95D0BRBFEiwAcO1KDAmKrumgQB6BlB91VhO1pN-IAHu2hiFX3dALo2L9s9fNiCSMSMQ9tRoC3IgQAvD_BwE

RE: Nozzle type

Titanium carbide seems to be the "perfect nozzle material", but TiC nozzles are quite expensive. I've found my nickel plated copper nozzles (from MatterHackers) to be much easier to keep clean than the original brass one while working at least as well, and they're inexpensive. The tradeoff is that they're not abrasion-resistant, but I don't even own any abrasive filaments.

RE: Nozzle type

Thanks for the replies. I will try the "simple" nickel plated copper. They are already ordered 🙂

RE: Nozzle type

If you haven't already, then I would really recommend the silicone nozzle socks: https://e3d-online.com/v6-silicone-socks-pack-of-3

This keeps your heater block clean, keeps your temperature stable (Run a PID hotend tune with the sock on first) and lasts a long time.

There are also a number of forum members who have got away with the blob of death thanks to a silicone sock as it stopped the filament melting all over their hot end. I've been using the same one for about a year now but also don't run the printer 24/7 and have even printed a few poly-carbonate parts with the hot end at 300 Deg C, but this temperature will eventually destroy the silicone, yet 250 Deg and below and it is fine.

Maybe bobstro or someone else whom uses their printer a lot more than me can comment on life expectancy, but even so, treat it as a consumable.

RE: Nozzle type

Yes, I ordered some socks with 🙂