I feel as if too much filament is starting to get stuck on the tip of my TAZ 5 nozzle. I know the mini has some sort of cleaning accessory so I was wondering is there supposed to be daily cleaning of the print head exterior and underneath? How is this done?
Also should a nozzle be removed and cleaned out inside regularly?
I am noticing the filament comes out pigtail like instead of straight lately. Is this a small clog of old filament or do I need to clean the underneath of the nozzle better with a wire brush or something? What is the material used on the mini nozzle cleaner?
It might be some charred carbon. It’s almost never actually a clog. Never ever ever ever use a wire brush to clean the nozzle, you can short the thermistor or heater core and destroy the Rambo board.
The mini hotends cleaner is basically a felt sponge soaked in acetone . You can buy them in the lulzbot store, and the retrofit mount I designed is on thingiverse.
Heat the hotend to printing temp.
Put on leather gloves.
Fold up an old cotton washcloth to make a thick pad.
Wipe the hot nozzle vigorously with the dry wash cloth.
If it needs a little extra cleaning, I use a blue scotch brite pad.
The extruded filament should drop straight out of the nozzle. If it is curling at all, you have a partial blockage inside or right at the tip. These types of blockages can sometimes be cleared by raising the hotend temp and extruding plastic. If that doesn’t work, I use a drill bit smaller than the nozzle size to clear the orifice. I just heat the hotend to printing temps and gently insert the bit into the nozzle, move it up and down a few times then extrude more plastic. Repeat as necessary. Using this method, I have not needed to remove a nozzle for several months.
28 - 32 AWG magnet wire can be inserted through the 35 - .5 nozzle for cleaning. Its a single solid strand and ensures any remaining particles are cleared from the nozzle opening.
The insulation (enamel) can be scraped off, but its fairly tough. If its a concern, bare copper wire is probably available.
I use copper beading wire to clean carbon and such from the nozzle, available at most hobby stores. I just cleared a extruder last week that had had a drill bit broke off in it.
When Radio Shack used to be around they sold tinned bare copper wire on a small spool for making jumpers on circuit boards that might work. On my 3D printers I’ve cleaned the nozzle when hot with a green Scotchbrite pad and it seems to do the job. In fact I keep right by the printer and wipe before and after every print.