Printed Template Hotend, MkII

NOTE: I highly recommend you use version 3. I have found the M4 nut does not provide an adequate grip on the Bowden cable. In certain configurations this causes the M4 nut to slip off after a period of time, reducing the life of the hotend.

I made a hotend you can drill from a template.

Print out the template, wrap it around a metal rod, and drill where you see the holes. The design uses a Bowden cable as an isolator, so only the metal part requires drilling. Detailed instructions can be found here.

Adapters are available for both jhead and huxley-style mounts. The huxley-style adapter includes an optional fan mount, and can also be used to make an all metal variant. To make the all-metal variant, simply switch out the teflon tube with a m4 screw that's been hollowed out by a 2mm drill bit. This variant requires the use of a fan.

Updates

Version 2 of the hotend decouples the nozzle from the heat block. An M4 acorn nut serves as the nozzle. The bowden cable screws in firmly through the heat block before entering the acorn nut. This is done for several reasons:

• Tapering is already afforded by the acorn nut. Filing metal is no longer needed.
• Square rods can be used for the heat block, making it easier to drill holes accurately
• The interface for the bowden cable no longer needs to be drilled to a precise depth - all holes in the design can be made as through-holes
• Nozzles of different diameter can be easily swapped out to suit the needs of the print. Already I've tried this design on 0.3mm, 0.5mm, and 0.8mm nozzle diameters. A 0.8mm nozzle diameter is very forgiving and lets you print big, strong objects very fast, while a 0.3mm is needed if you want to print very fine detail.