I was fighting with my A350, trying to get a first layer to stick. I’d re-leveled the bed and tried monkeying with the Z offset as I was seeing my print head trace out what looked like the first layer without any material seeming to come out? Then, as it seemed to be starting another layer (it was going over the previously traced path) i could see material coming out, but it wasn’t sticking but gumming up around the print head. I made a further adjustment and started a print again, but got called away for 30 min. When I returned, I had a solid brick of PLA surrounding my print head!
I stopped the print, re-heated the print head and pried the PLA away. What you see in the picture came off with the PLA? It looks like some type of rubber liner that fits over the block that holds the nozzle, though I had never noticed it before?
My questions are, what it its purpose? Can I buy a replacement? Can I ignore it and print without it?
I think it’s also for heat protection as well as retention.
There’s a lot of plastic in the print head that I’d be worried about warping and melting without it.
I personally wouldn’t try doing very much printing without it.
It’s silicone so any 100% silicone caulk should work to fix any rips in it until you can get a replacement.
-S
@brent113 i have other printers where the nozzle is recessed like on the Snapmaker, each one that is has a silicone boot. Most likely to prevent everything around it from warping.
