3D printer nozzles are consumables used, mistreated, and replaced several times throughout a 3D printer’s lifetime. How often should you change the 3D printer nozzle is the question.
After giving this subject some thought, I decided to seek out the best answers and share them with you.
When poor print quality persists despite routine maintenance, your nozzle will most likely need replacement.
Some customers have replaced the nozzle on their 3D printer six times in three years. Yet, they start printing with new filament every three months, necessitating nozzle changes every three months.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
When Should You Replace/Change Your Nozzle?
Although there is no set time frame for changing or replacing your nozzle, we recommend that you do so every 3-6 months. Replacement time is very dependent on how frequently you use your 3D printer, the type of filaments you use, and the quality of your nozzle.
A high-quality, pricey nozzle built for long-lasting smooth printing is much more likely to last you more printing hours than a low-cost, Chinese-made brass nozzle.
The factory brass nozzles that come with 3D printers are typically inexpensive, allowing the overall price of the 3D printer to be competitive.
The Nozzle Set is a good set of nozzles that will last an extended period. It is trendy and occasionally sells out, so check the website to see if they are still available.
You do not only get a variety of brass nozzle sizes and a storage box. But it’s also the best-selling item, owing to its superior quality and low pricing.
Compatible with MK8 extruders, including the Ender 3, Creality CR-10, MakerBot, Prusa I3, etc.
You may always upgrade your printer’s nozzle to something of more outstanding quality, and I’ll describe which ones are good later in this piece.
Because your 3D printer may create successful prints following successful prints, you shouldn’t change your nozzle unless you notice evidence of print quality degradation.
This is so you can get the most out of each nozzle’s printing hours and avoid having to replace nozzles sooner than necessary. This may not be the best method if you’re doing long, complex 3D prints because it could destroy the entire print.
If your printer has a resume printing capability, your layers aren’t appropriately finished in the middle of a print. You can change the nozzle; your print may not restart to a print that ends appropriately.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
How Do You Replace & Install a Nozzle on a 3D Printer (Ender 3 Pro/V2)?
To change and install a nozzle for your 3D printer, you should first remove the main fan shroud on the print head to access the heat block and nozzle. Heat the nozzle to average temperature and turn the printer off. You can then use pliers to hold the heater block while using a wrench to remove the nozzle.
Tighten the nozzle until a reasonable amount of resistance is felt. It doesn’t have to be extremely snug. Some individuals use a 3nm nozzle torque wrench to ensure they don’t overtighten the nozzle, but this isn’t required.
This is the conventional method. However, it isn’t the greatest because many people burn their fingers by accidentally touching the hotend.
A professional option now works almost too well, and several users have come to appreciate it.
The ZCatch 3D Printer Nozzle Removal Tool, available on Amazon, is a terrific addition to your 3D printing toolkit. It was explicitly designed to allow users to quickly swap out 3D printer nozzles.
A 10-piece 14 Vanadium Chrome Socket Set, 1-ZCatch Decal, and an instruction manual are included with the removal tool. Because it works so well, product reviewers only have good things to say about it!
It’s a gadget that makes replacing the nozzle on your 3D printer a breeze. When removing the nozzle, you won’t have to fight to acquire a firm grip on the heat block with pliers.
This tool secures the heater block in place with a few simple twists while removing the nozzle. You may need to do so in some circumstances because you don’t have the best leverage to hold the hotend, but you can easily remove the nozzle once it’s loose.
Rather than balancing the nozzle and keeping it grasped, it has a lovely place where it can slip into.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
What Are the Signs That My Nozzle Is Worn Out?
There are several techniques to determine whether or not your nozzle is worn out. Some aren’t quite thorough, but it’ll usually suffice if you can notice the indicators.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
Checking Your Nozzle Visually
Method 1:
The first method I recommend for determining whether your nozzle is worn out is visually inspecting it. It will help if you look for changes between how the nozzle was new and now. The critical difference you’re looking for is the diameter size.
Suppose the size of the hole on your nozzle has become more extensive. In that case, it’s a solid indication that your nozzle is wearing out and not generating the most outstanding quality prints. You may not notice this visually, but you can perform a short test to see if this is the case.
Get a set of tiny drill bits and try fitting one of the more significant drill bits into your nozzle hole to test it.
If a 0.5mm drill bit fits into a 0.4mm nozzle, you know your nozzle has substantial wear, which will most likely result in a reduction in print quality.
Method 2:
The second way to inspect your nozzle is to look for ridges, grooves, curves, marks, lumps, or anything else you can find on it.
Because your nozzle will most likely be worn out on the interior rather than at the tip, being able to observe deterioration in the nozzle’s material is critical.
It indicates that your nozzle is deteriorating, resulting in unpredictable and irregular stacking. You’ll probably still be able to print effectively, but your nozzle is towards the end of its life cycle and will need to be replaced shortly.
This is related to the nozzle diameter; however, if the tip of your nozzle becomes rounded, you know it’s towards the end of its life. Abrasive materials will change the geometry of a nozzle, causing it to lose its sharpness at the tip.
Because the height of the nozzle and the bed are out of equilibrium over time, it might produce adhesion concerns. This one is a little simpler to find, so keep an eye out for it and prepare a replacement if you come across it.
Use the Straight Extrusion Test
Use This test to see if your extrusion is straight.
You may perform this simple test to see if your nozzle is worn out. Pull your print head to the side, away from the bed, and allow your printer to extrude. You want to see a spurt of plastic straight down when this happens.
It’s excellent evidence of nozzle damage if you see the plastic bending and weird or extruding in one direction and curving around.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
How to Extend the Life of Your Nozzle
We know how often to change it and identify if it’s worn out. Now we can move on to making sure your nozzle gets the maximum life possible.
The most straightforward piece of advice for extending the life of your nozzle is to avoid abrasive filaments like carbon fiber, exotic and composite filament, and some kinds of glow-in-the-dark filament.
These filaments have qualities that cause them to react poorly with some nozzle materials over time, with some being significantly worse than others.
Basic filaments such as PLA, ABS, and PETG are usually free of these issues because they are non-abrasive and relatively smooth.
They’re not just abrasive, but they’re also more likely to cause frequent filament feeding issues, such as clogging and jamming.
You can avoid these typical issues and make your nozzle last longer if you learn a few excellent 3D printer maintenance techniques.
To extend the life of your nozzle, follow these steps:
- 3D printer flushing with a filament cleaner sponge
- De-gunk your 3D printer regularly.
- Clean up the accumulation of materials in your printer by disassembling it from time to time.
Using these approaches in conjunction with a high-quality nozzle can result in a nozzle with a lengthy life span and multiple successful prints.
This is often the difference between someone who enjoys 3D printing and achieves fantastic results and who is continuously frustrated with 3D printing and lacks the skills to solve some issues.
Don’t be afraid to clean your nozzle, extruder, and printer thoroughly.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
What Happens If Your Nozzle Is Worn Out When You Print?
Setting your slicer’s nozzle diameter to a larger size than your actual nozzle, setting your bed level too high, or printing with a partially blocked nozzle are all examples of 3D printing with a worn-out nozzle.
In some circumstances, your print may still finish without significant variances. Still, your print will have numerous faults that you should avoid at all costs in most cases. Under-extrusion, poor layer adhesion, rough surface finishes, and blobs of material around your print are all examples of this.
How Often Should You Change 3D Printer Nozzle?
What Nozzles Do 3D Printer Users Use the Most?
Nozzles come in various materials, the most common brass, including stainless steel, toughened steel, and even ruby.
If you plan on printing with abrasive filaments or want a high-quality nozzle in general, get a Hardened Steel Nozzle. Because of its thermal conductivity and ease of fabrication, brass is commonly utilized in 3D printers.
You may get a Micro Swiss Plated Nozzle from Amazon instead of sticking with brass. They are reasonably priced, and users have expressed satisfaction with the quality of these nozzles.
Check out my article 3D Printer Nozzle – Brass Vs. Stainless Steel Vs. Hardened Steel for more information on the best nozzle to use.
They not only last longer, but they have also been shown to increase the overall quality of your print while producing more minor printing troubles. When it comes to upgrading from a factory nozzle that came with your 3D printer, it’s a no-brainer, so do it today.
After reading this article, you should better understand nozzle maintenance, the best nozzles, and when to change your nozzle.
Top 7 Frequently Asked Questions about 3D Printer Nozzles
When should I replace my Ender 3 nozzle?
The nozzle’s lifespan depends on the type of nozzle you choose (brass, steel, or ruby-tipped) and the number of hours your printer runs each day. A brass nozzle will last 3-6 months if you print once or twice a week, but if the printer is on all the time, it will need to be replaced every month or so.
Check our the Top 7 Frequently Asked Questions about 3D Printer Nozzles post for the other questions and more details.
