Reddit reviews [Gulfcoast Robotics] All Metal V6 Bowden Extruder Hotend for 3D Printer 1.75mm Filament / 0.4mm Nozzle

I've tried running without the tube once, at least in the V2, it just starting leaking every which way around the heater block...

If you're up to it, I just bought a E3D V6 copy from Amazon that claims that no PTFE tube is needed and is able to print very high-temperature plastics like poly-carbonate.

I myself am sick of having to cut a new piece of PTFE every couple of weeks and then having to open up the hotend and replace everything...ugh..

I haven't gotten the V6 yet, but seems like a design change from the current hotend is the only way.

Btw, I have the MPSMV2, which has a slightly different hotend than the V1. If you have the V1 of the Mini, you have to first print a carriage adapter.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4FHN72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-Z9cBbSRMNVZ0

UPDATE EDIT:

I received the V6 and managed to put it on...what a wonderful hotend. Everything just works. Had to do a bit of soldering for the heater cartridge and to accommodate the new brushless fan (that is amazingly quiet btw) but totally worth the work!

I've bought about $100 of parts for my printer. I'd consider everything up to the the glass bed from here essential. Also printed many of the parts like frame braces and belt tensioners. The powers supply switch was also nice, but hard to find the right cover because the power supplies changed over the years. If you get a glass bed get some clips made for glass beds off amazon, the nozzle will hit binder clips.

Upgrade the firmware to Marlin and you can enable bed leveling in the printer menu. This firmware is 110% required, the stock firmware has safeties disabled, and Marlin has tons of improvements.

Use a ruler or caliper to make sure each side of the z-axis is the same distance above the acrylic frame over the motors when it is on the stop switch, then level the bed the easy way from the upgraded menu.

Also if you've ever had filament leak around the threads and coat your heater block, get some teflon tape, cut a strip in half, and put 2 or 3 wraps around the threads on the nozzle and the threads from the extruder. Tighten everything back in and keep on printing. The first time it heats up it will smell for 15 minutes, but goes away.

If you want better nozzles that won't wear out like the cheap brass ones, get Micro Swiss nozzles. I've been using the same nozzle for months with no wear, even after having to torch it after a wood filament jam.

If you want to go the extra mile get a Gulfcoast Robotics E3D V6 bowden hotend off amazon and print the hotend and motor mounts. There are Micro Swiss heatbreaks for it, I replaced mine after breaking it tightening the block on.

And of course, settings. It took months after upgrading to a bowden hotend to get my settings fine tuned, and now I'm printing with a 0.2mm nozzle regularly. Check out this video and read the comment by the Cura dev.

https://www.amazon.com/Gulfcoast-Robotics-Extruder-Printer-Filament/dp/B07B4FHN72/

It is new, and I did tighten it down again after bringing it up to temp.

I'm using the GulfCoast Robotics V6 clone (linked below), with the all metal hot-end to make sure I don't run into any issues burning the PFTE tube.

The clog was in the nozzle heat break. I don't recommend getting a clog in there, as it was extremely frustrating to unclog and clean.

I was printing ABS with the stock air flow bracket, so I had turned the fan down to 20% to not cause excessive shrinkage, and Cura saves this setting between prints. I had completely forgotten about it, so the heat break wasn't getting nearly enough cooling, melting the PETG inside, and making a nasty clog.

Thank you for your advice, though!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4FHN72/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1QaSBb99CXK5K

Edit: Clog was in the heat break, not the nozzle.

Try this ones

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https://www.amazon.com/E3D-All-metal-HotEnd-Full-Approximately/dp/B00NAK9JFO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2RY68WD3KQDGT&keywords=e3d+v6+hotend&qid=1562208147&s=gateway&sprefix=E3D+%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-3 *original*

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Cheap version

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https://www.amazon.com/Gulfcoast-Robotics-Extruder-Printer-Filament/dp/B07B4FHN72/ref=sr_1_7?crid=2RY68WD3KQDGT&keywords=e3d+v6+hotend&qid=1562208147&s=gateway&sprefix=E3D+%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-7