If a 0.4mm nozzle is 4x the area of a 0.2mm nozzle, should I print 4x faster with a 0.2mm nozzle?

Context - I think I’m having heat creep and printing too slow. (ender 3, pla 210c)

  • Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 months ago

    The 0.2mm nozzle has less material flowing through it than the 0.4mm

    You can only force so much material through it before your nozzle before the extruder starts skipping

    Think of a garden hose, the 0.4 mm nozzle is the hose flow unobstructed. When you put the finer nozzle on the hotend it’s like putting your finger over the end, the pressure behind the nozzle goes up.

    Try printing at the same speed as the 0.4mm nozzle (this is what I do) and make sure that your slicer is properly configured for your new nozzle and it should adjust the flow so that it doesn’t chew the filament to bits in the extruder.

    Also 0.2mm nozzles will clog a lot easier than a 0.4mm nozzle due to the smaller opening so you need to be pickier about filament.

    You say you think you’re having heatcreep issues, what exactly are the issues you’re having?

    • kitnaht@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      The thing is, you can force plastic through a smaller nozzle. But you end up with a problem called die-swell, where the filament then re-expands after exiting the nozzle. You’ll see this REALLY easily with silk filaments.

    • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.eeOPM
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      2 months ago

      You say you think you’re having heatcreep issues, what exactly are the issues you’re having?

      there’s a swelling of the filament, about 1" tall, above the hot end.

      Related - I’ve replaced the PTFE tube with a higher quality one and I’ve replaced the nozzle (it was indeed clogged).

      • ffhein@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Did you follow some guide when replacing the nozzle and bowden tube? Did you hot tighten it when putting them back?

        What speed are you printing at, which you think is too slow? What’s your acceleration?

        • GrayBackgroundMusic@lemm.eeOPM
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          2 months ago

          Did you follow some guide when replacing the nozzle and bowden tube?

          No, it’s pretty intuitive so I just did it.

          Did you hot tighten it when putting them back?

          Yep.

          What speed are you printing at, which you think is too slow? What’s your acceleration?

          I was printing a speed test, the inbuilt one from Orca Slicer. Starts with a huge, slow brim, then low speed 10 layers, then slightly faster 10 layers, repeat until it fails.