What part is this?
Prusa Mk3. Need help finding the part circled in yellow, as its clogged with something. I've already worked at it for 20 minutes with pliers, tweezers, and needles, and nothing makes whatever it is budge, so I'm just going to order a new one. Thanks!
RE: What part is this?
The white part inserted into the black 3d printed extruder housing is the ptfe tube. I believe spares are available but its also easy to just buy a length of tube and make your own replacements. There are several cutting jig prints to help you cut to the correct length.
https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/how-to-replace-a-hotend-ptfe-tube-mk3s-mk3s-mk2-5s-mmu2s_21664
Looking at the top edge of yours its definitely needs replacing.
RE: What part is this?
I think I might need to replace the whole housing, but I'm going to start with taking out the old tube. Is this a common issue, what could have caused this, and what can I do to prevent it from being clogged in the future? Thank you for the guide and info!
RE: What part is this?
One of the common causes of blocked PTFE is turning the printer off, before the extruder is cooled, this allows the heat from the hot end, to migrate above the narrow section of the heatbreak where it can soften the Filament and cause a jam.
Another cause is printing in a higher temperature environment this can happen when I have the solid fuel heater on, in the winter, the hot end fan, is unable to cool the extruder heatsink sufficiently
this is Heat Creep. heat creep can also occur if you print PLA in an enclosure with the doors closed
and it can occur on intricate prints, especially if you use big retractions, where the heated filament is frequently pulled back into the heatbreak causing a rise in temperature, which can cause the filament to soften which can cause a jam.
regards Joan
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK