Hello
Just thought I’d make a quick post about something I was trying out. I know I am not the only one but I thought maybe it would spark some conversation or interest.
After fiddling around with lousy filaments long enough to know when my nozzle is clogged, and then printing with better filaments which nearly eliminates the issue, I decided I wanted to give a go at a higher end nozzle.
I am not buying the ruby tip nozzle. I don’t even want to use a tool steel nozzle, although I am sure I will try it, but MicroSwiss has a coated brass nozzle which is supposed to help with wear and also has an impact on clogging.
I will say that I never once was able to preform a cold pull on the older brass nozzle, i tried it a few times but was without success.
With that said, first impressions are good - the line coming out of the nozzle is very smoothe and sharp. Not only that, it stayed nice and clean thru a couple of spools of matterhackers.
I wanted to use some black next so i loaded up the only black I had left after consuming the matterhackers - the dreaded snapmaker pla (not the one that came in the box, dear god dont use that), but one from the extras ordered after the fact when i got the enclosure.
I used the white previously and it seemed ok for me personally, but that was before I was getting better at the machine and i suspect it would not be as attractive for me to revisit.
That’s besides the point - the black from the store is supposed to be OK to use, and it really is better than the junk from the box, but this stuff is not great either. It clogs up, the finish is OK but i’ve seen better, and it was causing some issues with adhesion and roughness… and all in all its pretty much for desperate users only. and yes, i pre-dehydrated the spool too. i almost always do.
I went to go pick my nozzle out with a needle last night, and i was absolutely stunned, the whole glob came up with the needle on one push and pull. i was like whoa!
spent a few minutes doing a bit more poking and prodding and she was running clean again and i resumed printing over night.
Clearly clogged again this morning and i was like ugh i am going to try some petg for awhile instead. i had put it in the dehydrator last night in anticipation of wanting to switch it up.
same thing happened, i poke my needle in and a whole glob of snapmaker comes right out.
I then used some cleaning filament i got from mcmaster carr to work it through, a few additional little tiny chunks came out when working that stuff in and out, which is typical.
i figured now i will do a cold pull to see if i can make it happen…
push down on the petg and decrease the temperature, turned the heat back up and started pulling a bit, and the filament came out right away before it even warmed up, perfectly shaped to the nozzle innards and completely clean.
The coating on these nozzles is really awesome and i personally feel the microswiss mk8 plated wear resistant nozzle is a good investment!
To me the shape of the innards of the nozzle is better, alot of them seem to have a counterbored wider section inside that has a sharp 45 degree to the point at the bottom, but this is more of a straight hone down to the point which leaves less room for extra junk to accumulate…
Now i am off to do my wall thickness test to figure out flow rate on the new material, and i have never had petg come out of my machine looking nicer!
your mileage may vary, dont come beating me up because you spent money on something that doesnt help you out 