Solidoodle Jigsaw Extruder Replacement w/ Fan Shroud and Receiver - MK5 Compatible for Hexagon and Other Hotends.

thingiverse

This is meant to replace and complement other components: lawsy's Mk5 parts (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:111213) I have two replacement bases, as well as fan mounts and a receiver, which are designed to help extrude softer filament. Sometimes, softer or more flexible filament can bend instead of trying to extrude. My bases aim to alleviate extrusion issues for those types of filament by constricting the distance from the stepper to the hotend opening. Base3 is more aggressive than Base2 when it comes to guiding the filament. Base2 should be the default option unless you are experiencing problems with your filament. The bases are intended for groove mount hotends and provide enough heatsink space to support the size of the hexagon hotend, but they may also work for many other hotends. When mounting, you'll probably want to loosen the hobbed pulley/gear attached to the extruder stepper motor to ensure it aligns correctly with the directed filament guide. The directed fan mount and receiver are sized for the hexagon hotend, but they may be used with others. The directed fan mount should work with most hotends, including j-head styles. However, the receiver has a piece that extends past the filament guide and could interfere with non-hexagon hotends. If you want to use it without a hexagon anyway, you can simply snap off the extending piece. There is support material included for all pieces. If you need to remove support material using a knife, you might want to revisit your printing settings. The bases have support for the tension arm mount, as well as the spacing of the stepper motor. The directed fan mount has support for its accessory clips. You can apply force in the print direction and then slide them out. The receiver also has two tiny supports for the mounting hole bulges. Base3 is the only untested base as of this writing, but Base2 has served me well enough for everything other than ninjaflex, so I haven't seen a need to switch yet. The pictures show the complete assembly using Base2 - Base2, Receiver, Fan Mount. There's an action picture of the assembly during printing of a PET+ calibration cube. I plan on replacing all extruder parts with PET+ due to its strength, temperature, and print quality characteristics. This project is nearly complete. All pieces (except potentially Base3) are in fully working order. I apologize for how dirty my hexagon appears in the pictures; it has been heavily used. In fact, I went through three J-Head MK V-BVs before switching to an all-metal hotend and realized the mistake. Linings often limit temperatures and can be a cost-saving manufacturing method that ultimately sacrifices performance. My experience with j-heads was hampered by a cartridge "glued" in with cement, as well as weak thermistor leads. However, hexagon kits come equipped with robust and reliable parts, which exhibit neither of those weaknesses. I'm not trying to promote the Hexagon, but it's obvious why it's popular – versatile, cheap to produce, and above all, very usable for various filaments. Instructions These models were based on lawsy's jigsaw replacement (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:111213). A replacement base piece has been provided along with optional accompanying pieces. The base pieces include support material under the filament receptacle as well as the tension arm mount. This should easily snap off. The directed fan shroud also features support material for its mounting clips, which can be loosened by applying a little force in the opposite direction of the print and then slid out. The receiver includes two supports for the mounting nubs and one U-shaped piece that allows room to bend, however this piece might need to be removed if it interferes with your hotend. The sizing of the directed fan shroud was specifically designed for the hexagon hotend.