Prusa XL silicone tube nozzle wiper

prusaprinters

Nozzle wiper for the Prusa XL based on the brilliant original for the BambuLabs X1C by technerd on Maker World.I used the original design on my BambuLab X1C as a replacement for the stock nozzle wiper and it's one of the single best upgrades to that printer, so when my Prusa XL finally showed up, I carried that idea over to this one. Simpler and cheaper than the other XL nozzle wiper that uses the brush from a Dremel, especially if you have the silicone tubing on hand already.Pro tip: Have a MK3 and have done (or got ready to do) the silicone bed levelling mod? This is the same silicone tubing, 7mm OD with 3mm ID.In action:Mounting:Mounts with a single screw onto the 3030 extrusion. You can choose the M3, M4 or M5 version based on what screws you have on hand. Pairs nicely with my fully printable drop-in T nut for 3030 which also comes in M3, M4 and M5 sizes. Snug it down until there's no slop but you can still move it side to side, then use the pointer on the top to line up with the nozzle on the parked print head. There's 10mm of movement when the print head is unparked so this will have the nozzle go right across the tubing. Once you've got it lined up, tighten it down just enough so it holds and double check that the nozzle does go through when you park/unpark the print head.Sourcing the tubing:If you're based in the US, you can source the tubing from McMaster-Carr. I picked up part number 5054K823 which is white tubing with a 7mm OD and 3mm ID, and a Shore durometer of 35A - which is quite soft and works really well. If you're in the US, I highly recommend that. It might be more than you need, but you'll know that it is what you need.The original designer from Maker World looks to be from Germany and suggested these links for folks there:https://schlauch24.de/Silikonschlauch-Meterware-3-mm-x-7-mmhttps://de.aliexpress.com/item/32608855966.htmlLooking on Amazon, there are some 7x3mm silicone tubes available, but no indication of Shore hardness so I can't say if any of those will work well. Translating that AliExpress listing to US gives this link. Only issue is the descriptions are sparse so you don't have much indication of what you're getting in terms of hardness of the tubing.Cutting the tubing:Uses the same tube cutting jig as the original to make the cuts in the end of the tubing which is necessary. Use a razor blade or fresh xacto blade to make the cuts. First cut the length in the horizontal channel, then stick that in the upright section and use the guides to make the four cuts which convert the end of the tube into a simple silicone brush.I did add a small hole to the bottom of the cutter as sometimes my silicone tubes aren't super eager to come back out, so now I can poke something through the back to get it out. Other than that it is straight from the original's shared STEP file.