I have a TAZ 4 and purchased the new hexagon hot end package from Lulzbot.
I have the Buda hot end assembly and was wondering about upgrading it to a Hexagon or E3D v3 hot end, but I have a few questions:
I have a lot of 1.75 filament around and would like to use it up. Does anyone on the forum have an opinion on which hot end would be better for this (hexagon or E3D v3 hot end)
If I go with the hexagon hot end what parts do I need to print and replace on the Buda hot end assembly. Are the parts that need replacing going to be the same if I replace with the E3D v3 hot end.
There is a hexagon hot end available on Amazon, that everyone says is the same as the TAZ 5 hexagon hot end, is this true, is the hot end assembly, the heater, the thermistor, and the fan the same?
Can I use the same firmware for the hexagon and the E3D v3 hot ends, are the thermistors and heaters the same.
Can I or should I, look for a 1.75 hexagon or E3D v3 hot end, I know people are saying the 2.85 hot ends will run 1.75 filament, but if I have the option should I buy a hot end that is made for 1.75 filament and again which one to buy (hexagon or E3D v3).
There is a way to make a hexagon hotend take 1.75mm filament. I’d probably go that route just so you can use the factory firmware. The E3DV6 is a nice hotend too though.
The extruder body itself has a hole for the Hexagon barrel, the extruder latch is slightly different but you can use the existing one. The toolhead carriage itself also has a mounting hole for the required always on barrel cooling fan that isn’t present on older TAZ toolhead carriages. You can see the entire assembly and parts here: https://ohai-kit.alephobjects.com/project/2b36d92e-a984-4e61-af92-245ea7fcaeaf/ The stl files themselves are going to be in download.lulzbot.com
The nozzle itself on that amazon one is going to be a different size. the Lulzbot ones came with a custom 0.35mm nozzle, the Amazon variant seems to be equipped with a 0.30mm one. At least on the one I got. Everything else is identical. the main difference from the stock hexagon is the larger heater core mount.
Nope
If you are going to be running exclusively 1.75mm filament, get a hotend made for it. The more you can constrain the filament path, the more likely you are to avoid jams. I personally went with the hexagon over the E3Dv6 just because of the firmware differences so I wouldn’t have to mess with it. That being said my TAZ has the blinky light modification so I can’t use stock firmware anyways so its kind of a moot point.
Piercet
I found a hexagon hot end on Amazon that I think will work. “RepRapDiscount Hexagon AO Hotend 1.75mm Kit with 24v Heater Cartridge by RepRapdiscount”.
My question is concerning the Hexagon hot end cooling fan, the fan they ship is 12 volt, will this work on the Lulzbot. I would like to use the same fan connection that came with the Lulzbot shipped hexagon hot end.
I have seen a lot of comments on this forum about how to cool the hexagon hot end and trying to print with PLA, do you have any suggestion on a fan configuration to use or that you have used.
The hotend cooling fan itself that comes with the kit will work fine, if you want the same stock one that came from Lulzbot they sell it in the store. You can also get the stock cooling fan there. I don’t print much in PLA, so others might have more information. There are also some user created fan options here: https://forum.lulzbot.com/t/comprehensive-list-of-taz-modifications/1971/1