Factory assembled hotend/heatblock leaking
This was a kit, but with the kit the e3d V6 assembly is built from the factory.
As you can see below my hot end/heat break have leaked above the block where the hot end screws in. I have not made any changes to the nozzle or heat-break from when I assembled it as a kit, so my guess is the nozzle/heat-break were not assembled correctly from the factory or loosened up over time? Is this a common issue?
At this point, how do I go about cleaning all this burnt plastic off to be able to extract the hot end. I'm more concerned about the inside of the heatblock where the nozzle and hot end meet to form the seal. Should I just buy a whole new e3d V6 assembly and take this one as a backup and clean it up? I don't have a tap to ream out the threads, but I would be more concerned about damaging the tolerances of the aluminum block and further causing issues with the assembly. May make it easier and that might be answering my own question. At this point it's oozing too much and messing up longer prints. But it may also happen again with a factory assembled e3dv6 so... not sure if a one off or something I should be concerned about.
I'm assuming it's not possible at this point to heat it up while assembled and clamp the heat block in place and tighten the nozzle because once it leaks, it's already past where you want it to be?
The printer otherwise has done great, and continues to print fine but if left long enough on a print can drip hot PETG ( what I prefer to print with ) on prints and mess them up.
RE: Factory assembled hotend/heatblock leaking
Clean up of this type is pretty easy. Heat it up to the temp range that the material will melt at. Then go at it with a dental pick. Just like you would want to take the nozzle out while hot.
Have you ever had a blob of death? If so, that residual may be from that - but if you print something and the print looks ok but your problem grows, then you are probably right about something being off. Unfortunately I cannot see the nozzle/heating element clearly in this shot to see if there is a gap like there should be.
Have you changed the nozzle? If the gap that is needed isn't showing perhaps the heat break got shifted upward during one of the nozzle changes. Always heat up to the recommended temp to change a nozzle.
RE: Factory assembled hotend/heatblock leaking
I was able to clear filament out of the block by running the heatbreak through it, heating with a hot air gun. Wooden toothpicks work well for cleaning around the wires. I find strips of cardboard work well to "squeegee" filament off the block.
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: Factory assembled hotend/heatblock leaking
Thanks guys. Pulled the nozzle. Definitely loose on the hotend it just kind of wobbled. So it's possible the block came in contact with a print that got popped up previously and unloosened it. Definitely a possibility but I'm going to pull this and clean it all out. It's so gunked up I can't even tell if there was a gap anymore heh.
I had not changed the nozzle or messed with it.
RE: Factory assembled hotend/heatblock leaking
Cleaned it as best as I could.
Followed these instructions, and hopefully this is good to go now.
Prusa MK3 disassembly:
https://help.prusa3d.com/en/guide/how-to-replace-a-hotend-mk3s_161575
E3d V6 assembly: