Replacement of extruder.
The nozzle of my extruder was broken off the body by a massive spiderweb of PLA. Is this a good time to buy a more capable hot end? If so, what is a reasonable upgrade? I have several years experience with PLA/PETG. Would be nice to have access to stronger material. Thanks
The standard hotend is capable of far more than PLA & PETG, what sort of material are you considering?
Cheerio,
RE: Replacement of extruder.
Test to see if the post worked.
RE: Replacement of extruder.
Would like to expand into higher strength materials. Not knowledgable about mat'l temp requirements and the capability of standard nozzle. If I have to buy one, I'd like the most capable for future printing.
RE:
Some people like modifying their equipment, others like to use it as is intended by the manufacturer. The one caveat about doing 'upgrades' is that if you break it, you own the pieces. 😉
As was said, the Prusa I3 series is perfectly capable of excellent prints as designed, and unless you have a specific need to replace stock components with others, you'll most likely have good luck with the original equipment.
The stock hot end is relatively inexpensive and readily available. If you are in the States you can get them from Amazon in a few days.
If you want more heat resistant and stronger materials, the stock I3 series is capable of the ABS/ASA filaments as well as such things as PC Blend and Nylon. Many of those are more tricky to print than PLA/PETg, but once you climb the learning curve you will get good results.
I regularly do ABS prints and have had few issues.