Preparing for my MK3 to arrive  

Re: Preparing for my MK3 to arrive

Be prepared for your first inevitable jam. You've ordered the assembled unit, so you won't have the experience of putting things together. I did the same, and the 1st jam is unnerving. Whatever you do, DON'T PANIC. Do yourself a favor and have the parts needed assembled beforehand:

For the nozzle and wrenches, I ordered this kit. The nozzles are of questionable value, but work just fine for PLA and as emergency spares. The wrenches are the key. Having that screwdriver socket to catch the hot nozzle is nice (trust me). The wrench to brace the heater block is essential to avoid breaking the heatbreak.

You can replace a nozzle by just removing the orange part cooling fan to gain access. For basic clogs, that's all you may need to do.

Get familiar with the extruder tensioner screws and where they're set. You'll need to know how to loosen these to gain access to the mechanism when you get the inevitable spaghetti when you decide to try flexibles, and you don't want to crank them down too hard when done. Be aware of the little cover insert on the right side that needs to be removed to open the door. Take a look inside the extruder and get to know what that bit of PTFE tubing looks like before you get a jam in there. Know that removing the nozzle will allow you to insert a 1.5mm hex wrench, wire or rod up to push stuck filament out (if you're lucky).

Be aware that if you print with a high-temp materials, you need to clean things out before switching to a low temp material. That's why I like the cleaning filament. Purge everything at high temp. Read up on doing a cold pull to clear the high-temp stuff out before switching filament.

Go slow. If something seems off, download and read the kit manual. Don't go tightening things that "look loose" until you know what they do.

Knowing this stuff would've saved me some stress the 1st two times it happened. Now I don't fear jams, and am quite comfortable swapping filaments and nozzles throughout the day. It's a learning process.

Re: Preparing for my MK3 to arrive

Bob, for some reason, I couldnt see your reply to my post long time ago. many thanks for the insights and the time to write. Best wishes

Aman