E3DV6 Hotend Sock

thingiverse

This is a mold for a sock designed specifically for your e3DV6 hotend, which you can easily print. If you don't already have one or if your existing sock has degraded to the point where it's no longer usable, consider using a new sock. A sock on your hotend significantly reduces the cooling effect caused by your fan when it activates to cool the print. A sock also prevents materials from sticking to your hotend while printing and then depositing elsewhere. If you're printing very high detail objects with bridges like chain mail, a sock will prevent the hotend from melting previously completed work due to proximate heat. Using a sock reduces the chances of setting fires or getting burned by your hotend. However, socks do have drawbacks - they fall off and degrade over time. Instructions: 1. Print the part using TPU for flexibility or PLA if you prefer. 2. Cover the inside with a thin layer of petroleum jelly to easily release from the printhead after molding. Wipe any excess. 3. Fill the mold about 1/3 way with high temp silicone gasket maker. 4. Let the mold sit and smooth out the level for at least 10 minutes. 5. Leave filament in your hotend, disconnect it from the bowden inlet to the heatbrake, and cut the filament off just above the connection point. Keep your thermister and heat cartridge connected. 6. Place the mold on the bed with a paper towel under to catch any silicone drips near your hotend location. Use a knife or scissors to cut a slot in the mold for passing wires through. 7. Unscrew the hotend and throat from the heatbrake, leaving the throat in the hotend. The filament should still stick out above it. 8. Insert the hotend into the mold and fill the sides with more silicone if necessary. You have plenty of time to get this right, so wait for it to even out before sticking the hotend back in. 9. Wait a day without printing anything. Your printer sits with its head in the mold. 10. Assemble your printhead enough to activate the heatbrake fan and screw the mold-covered hotend onto the heatbrake. 11. Heat the hotend to 160C and let it sit for about 10 minutes. 12. Using a pair of pliers, pull the mold off the printhead. It should release easily at this temperature. 13. Assemble your print head and start printing. After pulling the mold off, you may need to do some manual cleaning of silicone off the head to prevent it from creating its own hole to print through and depositing little pieces of silicone on your print surface during the next print. I found high temp silicone that can withstand up to 275C, which is well above my typical print temperature requirements.