Hotend blockage is a common problem in printing, and there are many reasons for its occurrence, such as: nozzle damage resulting in the inability to extrude filaments normally; The temperature at the hotend is not high enough to ensure the rapid melting of the filament during extrusion. Use filaments with particles such as carbon fiber or luminous materials. The main manifestations of hotend blockage are insufficient extrusion or no filaments being extruded from the nozzle.
¶ 1. Tools :
- S1.5 Allen key
- Heat-insulating gloves
- Pliers
- Through-needle
- Filaments
¶ 2. Precautions:
Please note that some operations involving nozzles in this guide carry certain risks. When performing these operations, please take all necessary protective measures. For some of these operations, it is necessary to turn off the printer and wait for the nozzle to cool down completely.
¶ 3. Operating Steps:
This guide offers several methods for cleaning the nozzle. Depending on the severity of the clogging, you may need to use them multiple times until you find a suitable method. Please clean the nozzle according to the following steps:
¶ Step 1: Manually extrude the filament
First, please raise the temperature of the printhead to slightly higher than the required temperature of the filament, and then let the extruder extrude the filament. Set the temperature of the print head to 250℃ (for example, PLA), and then click "Extrude" on the display screen to check if the clogged material in the nozzle can be squeezed out.
¶ Step 2: Clean the hotend
If it doesn't work, please remove the print head case, pull the snap that fixes the hot end, wear heat-resistant gloves or use pliers to remove and fix the hot end. Then take a section of the filament and send it into the throat pipe. Squeeze out the blocking material forcefully. It can be squeezed out multiple times to ensure that the blocking material in the nozzle is cleaned thoroughly. If the blockage cannot be squeezed out even with the filament, please use a long-handled S1.5 Allen key to insert into the throat and manually squeeze out the blockage in the hotend.
Note: The nozzle temperature can reach up to 250 degrees. Do not touch the nozzle directly with your hands. Please wear heat-resistant gloves or use pliers to fix the hotend.
¶ Step 3: Clean with a needle
After the above cleaning, please insert the needle into the nozzle to clear the filaments at the nozzle and check whether the blockage inside the nozzle has been cleaned up completely.
¶ 4. Check the nozzle:
Although the above method can clear 99% of the blockages, in some cases, the nozzle may have been damaged. Please replace the quick-release nozzle with a new one and check whether the printer can print normally.
Note: The 0.2-millimeter nozzle is more difficult to clean and may require multiple steps above. In addition, the larger the nozzle diameter, the more particles it allows to pass through, and the less likely it is to get clogged.