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Replacing the Nozzle

Nozzles are consumable parts. They wear out over time, and this wear can accelerate dramatically when printing with abrasive filaments (like carbon fiber, glow-in-the-dark, or wood-fill). A worn nozzle can cause a loss of detail and extrusion issues.

Hot-Tightening is CRITICAL

You must perform the final tightening of the nozzle while the hotend is at a high temperature. Metal expands when heated. Tightening the nozzle when hot ensures it forms a perfect seal against the heatbreak inside the heater block. Failing to do this will cause molten plastic to leak out from the threads, creating a massive mess and potentially damaging your hotend.

Replacement Procedure

  1. Preheat: In the web interface, heat the hotend to a high temperature, such as 250°C. This ensures any hardened plastic inside is molten and allows the metal parts to expand.
  2. Support the Heater Block: Use an adjustable wrench or a correctly sized spanner to grip and hold the heater block steady. It is critical that you do not allow the block to twist, as this can damage the wires or break the heatbreak.
  3. Remove Old Nozzle: While holding the heater block, use a socket wrench or the correct spanner to unscrew and remove the old nozzle. Remember, it is extremely hot. Place it on a heat-resistant surface.

Removing an old nozzle while holding the heater block Removing an old nozzle while holding the heater block

A wrench holding the heater block steady while a socket wrench is used to unscrew the hot nozzle.
  1. Install New Nozzle: While the hotend is still hot, carefully screw in the new nozzle by hand until it is finger-tight. Be careful not to cross-thread it. It should not screw all the way in; a small gap between the nozzle hex and the heater block is normal.
  2. Hot-Tighten: While still holding the heater block steady with the wrench, use your socket wrench to give the new nozzle a final tightening. This should be about a quarter-turn past finger-tight. It needs to be snug and secure, not excessively torqued.
  3. Re-Calibrate Z-Offset: A new nozzle may have a slightly different length. After replacement, you must re-run your Z-offset calibration to ensure the correct first-layer height.