New heater block to fit standard nozzles on Ultimaker 3
Posted: January 6th, 2017, 11:34 am
So, a few months ago I realized that I need the dual printing technology of the Ultimaker 3 to print very abrasive materials, and that I can't wait for Ultimaker to release a good enough solution (if they ever do).
At first I thought making new ruby nozzles for the Ultimaker 3 would be the best option (which it might be in the long run), but after some thinking I realized making an "Olsson block" to fit UM2 nozzles in the UM3 is actually easier.
In fact, one can fit the UM2 Olsson block on the UM3, but the heater/sensor-cables will suffer and the heat break is likely to be destroyed when tightening the nozzle.
So I made a new block with a special feature to handle the torque without interfering with the lifting or aligning mechanism and which does not require any modification to the rest of the parts of the print core.
I did not really intend to make this into a product, since there are other issues with the concept, like that the nozzle size is programmed into the EPROM of the print core (so changing size of the nozzle might require additional hacking) and that standard UM2 brass nozzles might ooze too much for dual printing.
One might also need to hack the automated bed leveling on the last firmware since the nozzle sits about 2.5 mm lower with the new block.
Automated bed leveling works fine with the older firmware that I use and the ruby nozzles though.
In case someone is in desperate need of this kind of solution, I might be able to provide a few more blocks for testing/evaluation.
Note though that this is a very early prototype which needs additional testing, there might be issues with it that are yet to be found.
One thing that might need consideration is some kind of protective silicone rubber thing to protect the nozzles, as an example.
I will not share photos on the actual design of the block right now since I don't want people to copy it. (Partly because I am not sure it works properly yet)
Printing with ABS with dual ruby nozzles, without priming tower: (I forgot to tighten the right nozzle, so it is a bit dirty due to the plastic that leaked the first hours before I noticed it)
The ruby nozzles actually appeared to ooze slightly less that the UM3 nozzles in my initial tests.
Here is another interesting one, the white is TPU95A and the red ABS, no priming tower here as well: There were some strings on the upper right corner that I removed, but apart from that I was amazed how well the TPU95A prints on the UM3.
TPU and ABS does not bind together that well by the way, so one should either design interlocking structures (like I did) or possibly increase the overlap.
At first I thought making new ruby nozzles for the Ultimaker 3 would be the best option (which it might be in the long run), but after some thinking I realized making an "Olsson block" to fit UM2 nozzles in the UM3 is actually easier.
In fact, one can fit the UM2 Olsson block on the UM3, but the heater/sensor-cables will suffer and the heat break is likely to be destroyed when tightening the nozzle.
So I made a new block with a special feature to handle the torque without interfering with the lifting or aligning mechanism and which does not require any modification to the rest of the parts of the print core.
I did not really intend to make this into a product, since there are other issues with the concept, like that the nozzle size is programmed into the EPROM of the print core (so changing size of the nozzle might require additional hacking) and that standard UM2 brass nozzles might ooze too much for dual printing.
One might also need to hack the automated bed leveling on the last firmware since the nozzle sits about 2.5 mm lower with the new block.
Automated bed leveling works fine with the older firmware that I use and the ruby nozzles though.
In case someone is in desperate need of this kind of solution, I might be able to provide a few more blocks for testing/evaluation.
Note though that this is a very early prototype which needs additional testing, there might be issues with it that are yet to be found.
One thing that might need consideration is some kind of protective silicone rubber thing to protect the nozzles, as an example.
I will not share photos on the actual design of the block right now since I don't want people to copy it. (Partly because I am not sure it works properly yet)
Printing with ABS with dual ruby nozzles, without priming tower: (I forgot to tighten the right nozzle, so it is a bit dirty due to the plastic that leaked the first hours before I noticed it)
The ruby nozzles actually appeared to ooze slightly less that the UM3 nozzles in my initial tests.
Here is another interesting one, the white is TPU95A and the red ABS, no priming tower here as well: There were some strings on the upper right corner that I removed, but apart from that I was amazed how well the TPU95A prints on the UM3.
TPU and ABS does not bind together that well by the way, so one should either design interlocking structures (like I did) or possibly increase the overlap.