Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/b3innovations/pico-all-metal-hotend-for-reprap-3d-printers?ref=live I've been following this HotEnd since a while as I am also working on a similar more economic project. This hotend looks great IMHO. The idea about the one SS part design is brilliant. The team is professional yet funny. It must be very costly to manufacture, but the price isn't overkill. It is one more hotend in the high-end market. I laughed when they showed their tests (flexion and compression tests) as I think it was completely unnecessary for a hotend in reprap community, unless someone uses super heavy duty NEMA23 steppers for all axis lol! https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,281126#msg-281126 Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:40:12 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,766404#msg-766404 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,766404#msg-766404 DjDemonD General Sun, 07 May 2017 05:12:39 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,766318#msg-766318 Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend - So-Called Jamming https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,766318#msg-766318
I had my Pico coated a few months ago. In preparation for the coating, I disassembled it and did my best to clean it out. I noticed something strange. (My Pico is a 1.75mm version, Gen1)
It seems as if the long bore through the whole piece was drilled from both sides (not surprising, judging by the diameter versus depth ratio of the bore).
Where the two bores meet, there is a step. Either the bores are offset slightly, or the drill from the nozzle side was slightly larger (which is what I think). In any case, the step makes a standard "cold-pull" impossible. As soon as the filament has cooled somewhat, and you try to pull the filament back out, the portion of thickened filament, the 'plug' present at the transition zone, jams right at the step, simulating a PLA jam.

Earlier on, I would run into the same issues with frequent jamming - primarily when I attempted to do a cold-pull. I print PLA almost exclusively. I used to do the vegetable oil seasoning, too. It won't help the cold-pull jamming, though.

Now that I have realized where the problem lies, I have given up on cold-pulls and remove the filament while the hot end is still above 150°C. I haven't had any issues since then. Of course, getting the hot end coated may have also solved that problem, who knows, and I've stopped the oil 'seasoning', too, here the coating definitely helped.

But I definitely have a step in my bore that eliminates the possibility of a cold-pull.

I was just thinking about getting another Pico. Too bad they stopped making them.

mjh11]]> rf1k_mjh11 General Sat, 06 May 2017 13:24:36 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657191#msg-657191 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657191#msg-657191 dc42 General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 18:27:41 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657173#msg-657173 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657173#msg-657173 JamesK General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 16:55:35 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657168#msg-657168 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657168#msg-657168
The 3.0mm e3d v6 doesn't have a PTFE liner, and I have yet to run into any of the jamming issues with it that I had with the Pico. Maybe they're the same exact surface and material and it's all a matter of design.]]> zachnfine General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 16:45:43 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657134#msg-657134 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657134#msg-657134 MechaBits General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:48:06 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657131#msg-657131 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657131#msg-657131 nophead General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:36:59 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657123#msg-657123 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657123#msg-657123
Confusing PLA troubles

In any case, I couldn't get the Pico to print reliably until I started oiling the filament. I wonder if the particular alloy of stainless they're using just has a propensity to stick fast to PLA.]]> zachnfine General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:08:33 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657107#msg-657107 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657107#msg-657107 I had heard about it nut not sure why, doesnt it contaminate?]]> MechaBits General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 14:33:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657098#msg-657098 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,657098#msg-657098
I installed the .6mm nozzle, cleaned out the pico, oiled up my PLA filament, and the hotend actually functioned for me pretty well. I got a few benchys printed out while trying to dial in the right amount of retraction and whatnot. All was well. But then I ran out of filament and had to unload the small length of filament that remained and load up a new spool. I heated the pico, hit reverse on the extruder, and I saw that it moved the filament for a few mm –and then the hobbed bolt lost its bite on the filament and the whole thing just spun aimlessly. I pulled on the filament by hand, it was stuck good. I got out the pliers, and again could not make the filament budge. It was locked in place. I swore a whole bunch, which didn't really help but made me feel better.

The little fan was blowing at 100% at the cooling fins from the time the printer was powered-up, I started trying to retract filament as soon as the hotend reached temperature (i.e. it didn't sit in the hotend in a melted state for more than a couple of minutes), I really don't see anything I could do differently in order to avoid having to disassemble and clean out the entire hotend every time I want to change filament.

I cast the pico aside, and assembled and hooked up an e3d v6 with .4mm nozzle (ordered 3/1, shipped 3/2, received before 3/15 -- England thus wins the prompt shipping award). It printed beautifully right off the bat without issue, producing the most precise and beautiful surface I've seen from PLA on my printer. I'm done with the pico for now, probably forever. I'm just not interested in struggling to use a beautifully milled hotend that has an incredible talent for jamming.

edit -- I should add that I don't mean for this to come across as a statement of fact that the Pico is a bad hotend. It's just been a source of frustration for me. It seems that many other people are doing just fine with their Picos, and it should also be noted that I never contacted B3 technical support about this jamming to give them a chance to try and address the issue. I did see in their support forum that they recommend oiling filament (they now ship the pico with a little inline filter that has a piece of foam that applies oil to filament on its way to the extruder), so I did do that.]]> zachnfine General Tue, 26 Apr 2016 13:47:58 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637622#msg-637622 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637622#msg-637622 elwood127 General Wed, 09 Mar 2016 19:54:36 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637497#msg-637497 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637497#msg-637497 MechaBits General Wed, 09 Mar 2016 12:02:26 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637236#msg-637236 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637236#msg-637236
My "3mm" filament measures out to 2.8mm and fits through the hot-end's heat break just fine. I just call it 3mm because everyone does.

That Prometheus v2 hot end looks like a very nice design. If I don't have luck working with the Pico, or the e3d v6 that I've got on order, I'll give it a look.

All of this is happening because my last Ubis, which had worked dependably for 3 years, finally gave up -- and the fact that Printrbot no longer makes hot ends that accept 3mm filament made this an opportunity to branch out to use other hot end designs. I'm sticking with 3mm for now just because I have a small stockpile of filament to get through and it'd be a shame to waste it in a switch to 1.75mm.]]> zachnfine General Tue, 08 Mar 2016 18:41:35 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637229#msg-637229 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,637229#msg-637229 elwood127 General Tue, 08 Mar 2016 18:24:39 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635549#msg-635549 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635549#msg-635549
What's the size of the bore on the pico? If it's tight on the 3mm filament you might want to try a different roll as a slightly oversized section of filament could cause problems. Getting some of the new 2.8mm filament might make life a lot easier. With the nozzle off, it's worth running a piece of filament back and forward through the hotend, using the tip to feel for any rough spots. If there are any burrs in there you can remove them either with an appropriately sized reamer, or with a bit of 400 to 600 grit sandpaper stuck to a wooden dowel. Once you are sure that there are no burrs you can polish the bore to a high shine using a dremel and cotton buds (Q tips) and something like autosol metal polish.

The pico is a nice looking design, but using stainless for the heater block seems a bit contrary to me. I can see why they like the idea of single piece construction, but they haven't functionally reduced the failure points (the joints in the filament path) beyond a more normal stainless heat break, aluminum heat block, brass nozzle setup. Using materials with the appropriate thermal conductivity for the task seems like a no brainer to me, and as far as I can see the e3d V6 layout looks much more rational.]]> JamesK General Sat, 05 Mar 2016 08:20:08 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635474#msg-635474 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635474#msg-635474 nophead General Sat, 05 Mar 2016 03:55:46 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635435#msg-635435 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635435#msg-635435
Onward.]]> zachnfine General Sat, 05 Mar 2016 01:03:10 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635432#msg-635432 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,635432#msg-635432
I finally cleaned out the jam using a heated section of coat hanger. Then I went through the laborious process of putting my extruder back together and mounting it on the printer. I heated up the hot-end, greased up a section of PLA with canola oil, and fed it by hand into the hotend. It took more pressure than I'd have expected but plastic did extrude. I pulled back on the filament to remove it, and it was stuck solid. The whole adventure lasted less than thirty seconds, and once again the filament was completely stuck inside the thing –and this was a super-greased bit of filament. I tried to pull it out with pliers, and it wouldn't budge, it'd only break. So I turned off the whole device, swore, and will think twice before I bother spending more time on it. This thing just has a talent for getting insta-jammed. Maybe this particular PLA (which printed fine in an Ubis) has an affinity for sticking fast to the metal tube, or maybe the design of this hotend somehow tends to form an instant plug above the heat zone if conditions are unfavorable?

I've got an actual e3d v6 on its way, I may just wait for that to arrive and see if I have better luck. Granted I'm working on a modded hobbyist machine and can be expected to have to spend time tinkering to make things work, but I have less and less time these days to spend.]]> zachnfine General Sat, 05 Mar 2016 00:11:19 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,634860#msg-634860 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,634860#msg-634860
I tried pulling the filament out of the print head with it heated to 250ºC for 6 minutes and no cooling on the fins, so it'd spread upward and hopefully loosen the blockage, but the filament just stretched and ultimately broke. It's lodged in there solidly. I've now disassembled the hot end and will be trying the heated-wire method to remove the stuck filament.

The Pico sure is pretty. With any luck I'll manage to get it unclogged and be able to try printing something.]]> zachnfine General Thu, 03 Mar 2016 13:51:44 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,435921#msg-435921 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,435921#msg-435921
I initially had problems with printing PLA but the B3 guys were very helpful in pointing me to the concept of seasoning my hot end. That resolved those issues and now I am happily printing both PLA and ABS without problems. In fact, side by side prints of my heavily modified Robo 3D with an UM2 create indistinguishable print quality. I know that 's not only the hot end as I've gone to great lengths to improve this printer from it's as-delivered state!

What I love about the hot end:
1. Built in flats for using a wrench to change nozzles.
2. The one piece construction for enhanced rigidity.
3. It's compact size.

What I dislike:
1. The need for active cooling but, that's no different than the other good hot ends so I'll live with it.
2. The fact that the two I've ordered to upgrade my new Boots Industries v2.5 delta printer have a 3-5 week lead time!

This really is a very nice piece of kit for someone with the skills to mount it and design the active cooling scheme for their particular printer.]]> leonmf General Sun, 23 Nov 2014 20:11:37 -0500 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,385080#msg-385080 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,385080#msg-385080
ok had my first issue with the pico, was working well, then started acting up.
turns out the heater element is loose. ... which I didn't thing was possible,

I don't see a way to tighten it. anyway, got a message out on the goggle support form .. see what they say.

oh on retraction, if anyone is interested .. I am using a retraction of like .4 seems to work well.
haven't gone lower yet.]]> innkeeper General Fri, 18 Jul 2014 22:29:37 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384368#msg-384368 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384368#msg-384368
Quote
nophead
I haven't tried Bowden but surely the amount of retraction needed at the hot end is the same. At the other end of the tube it will need to retract further to achieve that due to slack and springiness.

I agree that the retraction should be exactly the same at the hot end for a Bowden, or extruder mounted above the hot end.
I think one scenario that causes jams in a Bowden is probably due to not properly tuning the exact minimal amount of retraction. It's over retracting causing the jams, pulling the soften, or molten filament into the cold zone.]]> A2 General Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:35:38 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384222#msg-384222 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384222#msg-384222
It's always so cute to see a hotend get a *GREAT* rating when it's tested. Usually it is because the test was performed with 3mm ABS, which is the easiest filament I've printed with so far, very forgiving.

However, when printing 1.75mm PLA through bowden, has given me the best end-results as a filament. So it's really important to me to find out if this Pico also prints that well. I'm currently very happy with my Merlin, but I am always open to new designs as I am currently building a new printer from the ground up (doesn't have a name yet, but is inspired on a cube/corexy system).

The bottom line is, I just don't want to be a guinea pig as I am a student with a finite amount of gold in my stash ;)

I hope someone can tell me about printing 1.75mm PLA through a bowden setup Pico hotend. Probably needs a good cooling fan on the insulator part?

- Marinus]]> Ohmarinus General Thu, 17 Jul 2014 05:21:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384202#msg-384202 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384202#msg-384202 nophead General Thu, 17 Jul 2014 04:48:08 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384111#msg-384111 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384111#msg-384111
Bowden extruders require a longer retraction, and pulls more of the molten plastic up into the cold end, which increases the chance of a jam to occur.

Smaller filament diameter, fast extrusion rate, larger orifice diameter, and thicker layers help to reduce jams in the cold end.

I don't own a 3d printer yet, just my take on it, ymmv, but I have spent a fair amount of time reviewing all the designs. I am presently waiting for a ~10yr old 3d printer (never assembled, probably missing parts), I think it's one of the original ones.]]> A2 General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 22:13:01 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384069#msg-384069 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384069#msg-384069
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A2
RichRap takes an extended look at the state of Hot-Ends.
[issuu.com]

interesting read, though, I should send him my v4 E3D to test with.:)
i'm sure though he would get a better reply / response with getting it fixed / replaced then I did.

on the Pico, I noticed he is running 3mm beta with Bowden version and I am running 1.75 production version with slot mount.

My long term comfort level with it is yet to be seen - So I am cautiously optimistic.

I've not run any pla thought it, nor anything else other then ABS.
I don't particularly like pla, but for the greater good, I can give it a go if anyone is interested.

I also have some nylon, tglass and wood. plenty of stuff to try when I get time.
tglass I have seems oversized, and might not work.

I can say, at least for abs, I had no problems doing high speed printing right off the bat.
running 230c, so my experience is different then his with high speed print.

another observation, on ooze, I don't agree with him, it dosn't ooze anywhere near as much as the makergear or makerbot hotends, so I don't see where he gets that.
in fact, I thought there was a problem before my first print as it really was not oozing much , relatively speaking, on preheat, something I am used to seeing on my other hotends.
and on print the retract was not set high, and worked flawlessly. I happened to have retract already set low to try and get around the E3D jamming.

id not go so far as to make any claim how the Bowden setup works as i simply do not have that setup.

currently running a .4 tip, I also have a .35 but may not install it unless I have some need.]]> innkeeper General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 18:55:50 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384061#msg-384061 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384061#msg-384061
I still have yet to see it print, but the manufacturing on it is superb.]]> sheepdog43 General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 18:31:19 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384052#msg-384052 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384052#msg-384052
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nophead
Quote

So I have the pico now running on a makerbot m2.

Should that be Makergear M2?

Quote

m2 sat gathering dust and I just used my makerbot 1....

I assume you do mean makerbot here?

Must be easy to mix up if you have one of each.

yes exactly, I've corrected the names, and made it clearer on makerbot calling it makerbot replicator 1 thanks!]]> innkeeper General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 18:15:26 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384039#msg-384039 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,384039#msg-384039 [issuu.com]]]> A2 General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 17:35:03 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,383902#msg-383902 Re: Your thoughts about the new PICO hotend https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,281126,383902#msg-383902
Quote

So I have the pico now running on a makerbot m2.

Should that be Makergear M2?

Quote

m2 sat gathering dust and I just used my makerbot 1....

I assume you do mean makerbot here?

Must be easy to mix up if you have one of each.]]> nophead General Wed, 16 Jul 2014 12:36:08 -0400