I'm just building my first reprap and I have pretty much all the parts sourced, but I'm still wondering about the hotend. I do plan to print ABS and possibly experiment with plastics, so heat is an issue.

First I'm looking at these hotend:
1:ebay.ie
2:ebay.ie
3:ebay.ie
I'm wondering about the PTFE in their construction, will they weaken with heat during operation?

The final one is made from PEEK, a slightly older J-head model?
4:ebay.ie

The J-head from hotends.com looks good also. however I would prefer to order from Europe, because of customs. If hotends.com is much better, I would order from there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2012 06:12PM by rptynan.

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-Richard

[tynan.me]

The third and fourth are the same. This is the only one that I would take a closer look at. But I wouldn't buy it without more detailed info showing drawings of the parts (nozzle, heater block, PEEK insulator and PTFE tubing. I would also want to find others who have been successful with them along with some sample prints.

Sorry, just changed 4 there, what exactly am I looking for when buying a hotend?

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-Richard

[tynan.me]

I recommend getting a J-Head from hotends.com. I have the Mk IV-B and Mk V-B for printing mainly in ABS. So far, the V-B is working well. I had some issues with the IV-B due to the teflon lining getting tighter near the hot zone over time. I fixed this by pushing and pulling a drill bit by hand while the assembled hot end was upside down.

I'm not familiar with the difference between the Mk IV which is your choice 4 and the Mk IV-B.

Hello,

The J-Head Mk V-B is shorter than the MK IV-B and no longer has a taper on the liner as it goes into the brass nozzle. So, the crimping problem is resolved. In addition the MK V-B has a longer melt zone.

Regards,

Brian

I think I will order from hotends.com, they seem to have a really good name around here. Does anyone know if I would likely to get charged by customs on the hotend, seeing as it's coming from outside Europe and is worth around €50?

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-Richard

[tynan.me]

I too live in europe and have ordered j-heads from hotends.com more then once, I've never had to pay taxes. unlike when i order from china, everthing i order gets red-flagged and taxed like a motherfucker

And picking the J-Head is the RIGHT! choice, best hotend on the market.

lol I had the same problem with Mk IV-B as brnrd and fixed it the same way.

Anywho. Check out Arcol sometime.

The Mk V-B is an awesome hotend especially for beginners, but I think it's more suseptible to dragging through prints if you dont use Z-lift and arcols tip will just kinda smooth the prints out.

Arcol isnt exactly a beginner hotend though.

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-Tom

I don't see why it would be more susceptible to dragging compared to other nozzles if you're not extruding too much plastic.

Not so much over extruding, but rather my first layers are a little squished. Anyway both of these issues are something a beginner like rptynan will have.

Maybe I just like the extra staying power of a squished layer ok? ok!?

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-Tom

The archol hotend is a bit out of my price range, considering this is my first build, but I'll keep it in mind if I ever build a higher spec reprap. So I probably will order the J-head once they're back in stock, nice to know there probably won't be customs tax on it.

As far as nozzle size goes, should I stick with .5mm or would I be able to get a .4mm, considering I'm a beginner?

Thanks for all the help everyone

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-Richard

[tynan.me]

When I built my first printer thought I'd be a badass and get a .25mm nozzle AND save money by ordering 10lbs of cheap plastic. Still havent managed to unclog that nozzle.

Stick with .5 and it'll save you a headache or go with .4 and learn from your mistakes.

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-Tom

I also started with a 0.5 mm nozzle, but I don't see why I couldn't have started with a 0.35 mm nozzle. At the time when I got my first printer, smaller nozzles were harder to find. Now, they are more readily available.

Thanks for the help guys

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-Richard

[tynan.me]

+1 on the 0.5mm nozzle, I started with what I thought to be a 0.35mm and after several calibration prints with very little plastic I found out that it was a 0.3mm... When I switched to a 0.5mm everything was much easier!

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Prusa with cast PU parts, RAMPS 1.3, Wades extruder, J-Head hot end

My first hotend was 0.25mm, things took a long time to print but they looked very nice. I had minimal problems.

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Charles S.
Software Engineer
Prusa Mendel I2, RAMPS 1.4, Marlin 1.0 R2, Pronterface, Slic3r