Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?  

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

If you're in the US, Filastruder, Printedsolid and MatterHackers carry Prusa versions of the E3D hotend parts. You can get a full assembled hotend. Be sure to get the Prusa versions except maybe the heatbreak. 

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

I would heat the hotend or use a heatgun to soften and carefull remove the plastic with tweezers.  

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

If the mounting point for the part cooling fan duct is intact, you may only need a replacement fan duct.

In any case it's a good precaution to get a spare heater cartridge and thermistor, and also print off a set of parts to rebuild your hot end... just in case another 'blob of death' savages your hot end in the future (than all you need to do is salvage the metal parts and reassemble it!).

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

if you are careful, you will only need the fan shroud.  Raise the head to about 100 position or so so you can see and get in there with needle noses and picks.  Be careful around the nozzle wires where they go into the heat block.  It doesn't look too bad from the pictures.

What were you printing with at the time?  PLA?  PETG?  For either of those, when that happened to me, I set the printer to pre-heat at PETG temps.  As that heats up, the blob will start to soften - and parts of it will start to sag towards the bed.    The fan shroud is a "wear part" - you expect to break those now and again - so get yourself a couple of those for spare.  

As the blob melts - start picking off the areas that are soft and dripping. Warning its going to be too hot to touch with your fingers - recommend some gloves for some protection since it is so easy to forget and reach for that one piece ... 

Keep picking till you can see the nozzle come into view.  Take some pictures as it gets that far.  If the cycle goes too long it will auto-cool down.  Let it cool down and repeat the process.  I had a working printer from the blob of death about an hour later - but I did have a spare fan shroud since I bought one way early on because it is such a fragile part and very hard to print at home.

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

@dan-rogers

I have to agree - it is not bad based on the photo.  I think it is salvagable with care.  

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

@bobstro

Sometimes you can find Prusa compatible on Amazon. Usually cheaper, free delivery, and faster. Plus if it doesn't work, it is returnable.

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

@cwbullet and Dan Rogers 

Agreed, I had a similar issue on the ender 3, was wrapped around the thermistor and heater wires and all around the nozzle, was a solid block of plastic,  Almost freaked when I saw it.

Heated the nozzle to 210 and very carefully worked around removing it a bit at a time., sometimes pausing to let bits melt.

Don't try and remove it too early, give it a chance to melt a bit of it and will be surprised how easy it starts to come away 

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

@clarmrrsn

Patience truely is a virtue.  

RE: Total melt down on the head, is it repairable?

@cwbullet

Except when waiting for a MK3 😉