Need to replace hotend - any suggestions?
I tried to change the 0,4mm nozzle on my Mini+ yesterday. Since I bought a used Mini+, the nozzle came pre-installed and I never had to change it before - and I must confess, I also was a bit nervous about the process (especially about the part that the nozzle has to be screwed in in just the right amount for the heatbreak to function and so on).
Turns out, my nervousness was justified, just for a different reason. I heated the nozzle to 280°C (290°C was in the instruction, but the Mini+ wouldn't accept that temperature, it only goes up to 280°C), but I couldn't turn the nozzle at all. Got a few thermal runaway errors and reboots, and when I finally tried to screw with a nut that would grip the nozzle safely, the nozzle broke off... yay.
So, I need to replace the hotend anyway, and no way I'm going to install the identical replacement.
Can anyone recommend me a good hotend for the Mini+ that also has an easier nozzle change process? Especially one where it's less likely to destroy it completely the way I did? (Preferably also one where I don't have to print anything to make it fit, since right now, I can't print at all...)
Thanks!
RE: Need to replace hotend - any suggestions?
You can get the stock part from the Prusa shop but they have aluminium blocks which are too soft for hardened nozzles and it is easy to damage the threading in it.
If you want to keep close to the original setup but with improved heating/cooling and print quality then I can totally recommend https://www.sliceengineering.com/products/prusa-mini-upgrade-kit bundle which consist of copper heatblock, heat break, silicone sock and a hardened nozzle. Replacement is trivial, maintenance and quality are superb. This is good if you don't change nozzles frequently.
Anything else will be more expensive but also opens new possibilities, such as for quick nozzle swaps see Revo Micro kit for Prusa Mini https://e3d-online.com/blogs/news/introducing-revo-prusa-mini-edition though this needs a bit more work to install it in the first place.
See my GitHub and printables.com for some 3d stuff that you may like.