Removing the hot ends from the M2 Dual

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Bernie X
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Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2017 5:26 pm

Removing the hot ends from the M2 Dual

Post by Bernie X » Fri Jan 26, 2018 7:25 pm

Does anyone know how to remove the hot ends from the X carriage? There appears to be a brace of sorts, mounted between the heater block and the hot end connectors, keeping the hot end wiring in place.

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Tim
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Re: Removing the hot ends from the M2 Dual

Post by Tim » Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:36 pm

The M2 dual is a v4 model extruder design. Like all v4 extruders, the mount is an aluminum plate that bolts to the carriage. The hot end assembly passes through a hole in the plate and is held in place by a tightening screw in front (for the M2 dual, the plate is much wider, and there are holes on either side for the two hot ends, and two tightening screws, on on either side). The rest of the extruder assembly is not physically in contact with the hot ends, but sits above them with a gap of a few mm.

Removing them is a simple matter of loosening the screws, and the hot ends just fall out.

One drawback of the design is that when the hot end heats up, the hot end and plate expand. For the same reason that you put a jar under hot water to get the lid loose, the hole expands, too. I had one hot end fall out in the middle of a polycarbonate print and melt a hole in my Zebra plate. . . which is a reminder that you should always tighten the screws while the extruder is as hot as you're going to print with. If you tighten it when it's cold, it will likely just fall right out at PLA temperatures. If you tighten at PLA temperatures, it will likely fall out at PETG temperatures. If you tighten at PETG temperatures, it will likely fall out at PC temperatures.

Note to MakerGear: Maybe a set screw would work better?

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