i have a volcano high flow nozzle;
the design is 3 input streams in the throat and (obviously) the one output stream ;
i dont know the exact flow topography inside the nozzle
while i have a set of those narrow inserts to ham-handedly poke out debris, i wish to use a solvent;
for example, i recently ran into a variety of issues and changed out the nozzle;
problem still persisted and i solved that in another way;
but along the way i now have that original nozzle, presumably still good, and i want to clean it/soak it using a solvent;
ideas ?
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PLA is somewhat difficult to find a solvent for:
https://www.wevolver.com/article/dissolving-pla-how-to-melt-pla-and-smooth-3d-prints
You might want to try Methyl Ethyl Ketone:
which is available at Canadian Tire:
Note that it’s somewhat dangerous to work with and costs about the same as a new nozzle.
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I have not tried MEK to dissolve PLA. It is a potent solvent and has a lot of hazards. If you chose that route, looking up the Safety Data Sheet. I would suggest looking before you buy, you may change your mind. not only flammable but dangerous to eyes, central nervous system, Kidneys and liver… Be careful.
As @kitedemon mentioned, MEK is quite toxic. Be mindulf of that.
I havent tried this persay, bur have heard of some people hearing up their nozzles with say a blowtorch then quenching in water. The thermal shock helping break up the residual filament that dosent melt/droop out from the heating. I believe its done till no more black bits come out during quenching, but not sure myself.
Generally i accept nozzles are disposable and incorporate that logic into fancy nozzles too. If it can happen to a cheap nozzle, then it could happen to a fancy one too.
yikes, sounds like warfare…
If you want to use a more dilute concentration of MEK, there are still many PVC/ABS/CPVC primers on the market that use this as the primary solvent. Any of the brands that display “Low VOC” on the label are not MEK-based. It’s likely a lot pricier then the base solvent per volume though.
add “being a chemist” to the strongly suggested backgrounds for 3d printing
because there isn’t enough to know already.
so this really IS bottomless ?
Yes. It seems to be.