In recent years, 3D printer nozzles have come into use in all shapes and sizes, but what should you pay attention to? Filamentz tells more!
3D printer nozzle
A 3D printer extruder consists of many parts, including temperature sensors, heating elements and other heat conductors, but the 3D printer nozzle is often forgotten when achieving better results. Yet it is an essential part of achieving faster print times and improving your quality. For years, suppliers have been trying to convince you with the most tropical coatings, material choices and finishes, but is that really necessary?
The 3D printer nozzle is mounted at the end of the 3D printer extruder. It will push the molten 3D printer filament through it at the preset speed, layer height and line width. If you think about it, you can conclude that there are three important criteria for determining the quality of a 3D printer nozzle, namely inner diameter, material and size. Let's take a closer look at all three.
3D printer nozzle size
At first glance, you would think that the inner diameter and size are comparable, but that is not the case. When determining the size of the 3D printer nozzle, it is necessary to consider its actual length, so in principle the mass of the nozzle. This mass is related to the amount of heat that can be transferred to the 3D printer filament. There are roughly three types of sizes available within the 3D printing market.
Standard nozzle size
The standard size of a 3D printer nozzle often depends on the block used. In general, two types can be recognized on the market, namely the MK8 extruders and the regular V6 extruders, both of which have a 3D printer nozzle size of 12 to 13 mm in total. The screw thread is also the same, namely M6x1. The standard E3D V6 nozzles are also included. A normal V6 3D printer nozzle does about 15 mm 3 /s roughly. The regular V6 3D printer nozzles are available with diameters ranging from 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm.
Volcano nozzle size
The volcano nozzles are larger and therefore have a longer melting chamber than a regular nozzle. Some precautions must be taken for this. You need a larger heater block, but often also a stronger heating element to get the filament up to temperature quickly enough. A volcano nozzle is approximately 21 mm in size, which means it can process more 3D printer filament. An E3D volcano nozzle does approximately 45 mm 3 /s, depending on speed, layer height and layer width. Volcano 3D printer nozzles are also available with diameters between 0.1 mm and 1.2 mm.
SuperVolcano nozzle size
A superVolcano nozzle is not often found on 3D printers as standard. These gigantic 3D printer nozzles of 50 mm in size require heating elements of at least 80W and are capable of processing more than 100 mm 3 /s. Nozzles can also withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius, where they are also excellently suited for harder thermoplastics. This size 3D printer nozzle is often used on printers that have to cover large surfaces and volumes. SuperVolcano 3D printer nozzles are available with diameters between 0.6 mm and 1.4 mm.
3D printer nozzle materials
There is also plenty to choose from in terms of materials for 3D printer nozzles. There are three groups we want to look at today.
Brass/brass 3D printer nozzle
Brass (or also called brass in English) is without a doubt the most common material for 3D printer nozzles. It offers excellent heat conduction for a relatively low price. Despite the low price, it also has a disadvantage: it wears out quickly and cannot withstand corrosive materials in 3D printers, such as filaments containing carbon or other filaments containing metals. Brass is a winner up to a temperature of 300 degrees Celsius and without additives.
Stainless steel/stainless steel 3D printer nozzle
Stainless steel nozzles have also certainly become popular in recent years. They can withstand corrosive 3D printer filaments a little better and the melted plastic is less likely to stick to them. Another advantage is that stainless steel 3D printer nozzles do not contain lead, making it possible to do food-safe 3D printing. If you plan to use 3D printing to print filaments that contain metal parts or other corrosive substances, stainless steel is still not recommended, but it will undoubtedly last longer. Stainless steel 3D printer nozzles can be used up to 500 degrees Celsius.
Hardened steel 3D printer nozzle
The most expensive variant among the 3D printer nozzles is the hardened steel variant. This can 3D print for years without any maintenance and in many cases I can continue to 3D print neatly for the entire lifespan. The use of the tropical 3D printer filaments is also no problem. There are also some disadvantages to using hardened steel 3D printer nozzles. The first is that they are more expensive, about 3x as expensive as a brass variant. Furthermore, they are often more difficult to make of very high quality, so your 3D printing surface can show this. Finally, the temperature of your 3D printer often needs to be set higher, because hardened steel conducts heat less well than the brass variant. We at Filamentz recommend setting this approximately 5 degrees Celsius higher for the E3D nozzles that we offer in the webshop.
Diameter of 3D printer nozzle
Which diameter 3D printer nozzle should you choose for which print job? That is a question we are often asked at Filamentz. There are a few things to say about this. First of all, it is important to know that 3D printer nozzles are often made from approximately 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm in size. Ultimately, it all has to do with how much filament is melted and how quickly it has to be melted. The most commonly used 3D printer nozzle is 0.4 mm in the industry. This allows good speed to be achieved while still achieving an acceptable level of detail.
3D printer nozzle larger than 0.4 mm
- Faster printing times are achievable
- Fewer problems in general due to the thicker print layers and the absence of details
- Recommended for special filaments such as woodfill filament, due to the pieces of material contained in it
3D printer nozzle smaller than 0.4 mm
- Higher precision can be achieved with more details
- Overhanging parts on your 3D print will be easier to print
- If supporting structures are printed, these will be easier to remove with smaller diameter 3D printer nozzles
Conclusions 3D printer nozzles
When determining the type of 3D printer extruder nozzle, several facets must be considered. Is it important to make prototypes quickly? Then it is best to choose a nozzle with a large length and a large diameter, to be able to process a lot of 3D printer filament. Isn't that all that important and is it all about details and small models? Then the standard E3D V6 nozzles are often a good place to start with, where the diameters are available over a wide range. Do you have a 3D printer with a surface larger than 800 x 800 mm? Then it is an option to take a look at a SuperVolcano nozzle, so as not to lose time and to achieve fast results. The material is also important here. Do you use filaments that can react with the brass in the hotend? Then go for the hardened nozzles from E3D, so that you can 3D print the best results for a lifetime. For food safe products, stainless steel nozzles are best chosen due to the absence of lead. The other filaments can easily be printed with brass. These wear hardly at all during normal use and can process many kilos of material before anything is visible in the print result.
What are the best 3D printer nozzles?
There are a number of good 3D printer nozzles for sale, namely:
- E3D brass nozzle
- E3D hardened steel nozzle
- E3D Nozzle X
- Micro Swiss nozzle
- Slice Engineering nozzle
- Olsson Ruby nozzle