Heat block / heatsink mod??  

RE: Heat block / heatsink mod??

Copper is commonly available and cheap. And the difference between silver and copper is less than 10%.

RE: Heat block / heatsink mod??

Posted by: @sofakingfast1977

Hello everyone!

I was just wondering if a heat block and/or heatsink made of pure silver would have any advantages.. 

Thanks!

James

If you enjoy polishing silver, a sterling silver heatsink would provide you hours of enjoyment. If you really want bling you could go for gold, slightly lower thermal conductivity than copper, but (marginally) closer to copper than copper is to silver. With the benefit(?) of being even more expensive than silver. Or, if you can find someone to manufacture and then shape it, go for single crystal diamond (conductivity well over 2000). 🤪 

RE: Heat block / heatsink mod??

I like the diamond idea: you'd put those ruby folk to shame.

RE: Heat block / heatsink mod??

Sorry, not being condescending or otherwise to the OP, but adding to the replies.

Lutetium, 1 nozzle worth should buy me a few good prints. 😀 don't even have to use it for printing with myself.

But seriously, silver is going to be too soft. It is softer than brass and unless you have an unlimited supply, I fail to see how this could be useful in any way for 3D printing.

Brass is cheap, and good enough for PLA, Nickel plated copper is better and good enough for a lot of materials esp. PETG, but still too soft for abrasive materials and currently tungsten carbide is probably the best nozzle material going for wear resistance / thermal conductivity.

RE: Heat block / heatsink mod??

If money was no problem, I would use Tungsten carbide for the heat break and heater block (Good luck making these!), the cooling would be a silver or silver plated copper water block, but only using silver as it is a really good material to inhibit microbial growth and biofilm formation, and reduce microbial-induced corrosion in the water used for cooling.