My extruder is leaking, but where does the extruder leak if it isn’t tightened enough?
My extruder is leaking on top of the heating element, not a lot, and only one direction, when you turn the extruder, the leakage turns as well.
I think the parts of extruder are not enough tightened
You can try to tight them a little more
If it’s not enough tightened it’s leak between the top of heating element and the bottom of the white PTFE tube
Do this very careful and do it when it is hot.
Too much force will break it (3.5Nm max).
I also had a leaking extruder, i did tighten it to specs.
I disassembled the whole head and cleaned everything.
I have some 2 components compound (some sort lquid metal), before putting the head together i put just a little bit on the threads of the tube.
Again tightened it wit 3,5 nm and let it dry for 12 hours. now my extruder isnt leaking anymore.
I know this is not the way, but for me the only way to go.
Only thing is that i will never be able to disassemle it anymore.
Therefore i hope that i can get an replacement tube and nozzle.
I have tightend the hot end up to specifications, but stil leaking on top of the heating element. And i don’t like the idea to glue them to getter.
I don’t like it either but i wanted to print and not wait any longer.
You could try the following.
But do it with extreme caution!!
Do this at your own risk.
Raise thee Z axis to 150 or above
Remove the bolts for the hot end.
Remove the Teflon tube.
heat the hot end to 160 - 190
With a pair of channel locks (maybe called a pipe wrench or pliers)
Gently grab the large opening.
Do not crush it
With a 13mm wrench (spanner) gently tighten the nozzle just a little.
If you go to far you will mess up the threads on the nozzle or the tube.
Reassemble and try to print again.
Keep an eye on it for awhile.
I hope this helps.
Hi,
I had the same problem and solved it with “Hylomar M”. The temperature range is up to 250°C, and it’s no problem to disassemble the extruder, if required. You get this stuff in car repair shops.
hylomar.com/hylomar-product-rang … compounds/
Michael
I also have an extruder leak. It looks like this:
https://flic.kr/p/q7fzXK
What do you suggest I do about it? How can I clean the extruder? It’s all covered in melted PLA.
One trick you could use if you only print in PLA is to run some ABS or even better ColorFabb XT through the extruder.
Its melting point is higher enough that it can be used to seal the leak.
I plan to also print with ABS. But your idea is promising, I wonder if I can use plumber solder to seal the extruder head (the kind of solder used to seal copper pipe joints). Can the extruder handle 260 deg. Celsius?
You could try the instructions I posted earlier.
This does work but use caution not to break the tube.
[quote=“Wrong Way”]You could try the instructions I posted earlier.
This does work but use caution not to break the tube.[/quote]
Ok, I will try that. Is the brass tube so fragile as to worry about it?
A lot of others have broken the tube.
The one time that I have a leaking tube I tighten it in very small increments and test it each time.
It took some time and was kind of a hassle but I did not want to break it.
This was about a year or so ago and the tube was not available as a spare part as it is today.
If you do break it the part number is NOZ8200/SP.
I will need to do it again because I set my machine with the new version of the thermistor.
The caution comes from do not break the tube and do not burn yourself as the hot end will be active.
Just take your time.
The brass barrel (3d printer spuitmond) including nozzle can be purchased separately at the following address (15 euro). It is a Dutch company. Scroll down to pass the filament.
[quote=“merallas”]The brass barrel (3d printer spuitmond) including nozzle can be purchased separately at the following address (15 euro). It is a Dutch company. Scroll down to pass the filament.
allekabels.nl/3d_printer.html[/quote]
Looks like I’m going to need the replacement because I broke the tube:
https://flic.kr/p/pQi3NC
Let’s hope I’ll be more lucky next time. Do you know if I can find this spare part made from a more resistant material? Or should I try another extruder/hot-end since I already broke this one?
The stock nozzle is the only one I have worked with so I don’t know about the others.
Some have had really good luck with them.
I don’t know where to get one in the USA
I do not believe that other materials are less sensitive. It is a matter of design.
I got the replacement tube. At 20 euros it was quite expensive. I also bought a torque screwdriver to make sure I don’t shear it again. Just finished my 1st print (2h20m apx). No leaks so far.
Very glad to hear you’re up and printing.
Enjoy