Original Ultimaker 2 - need stainless steel nozzle - do I go Olsson block or UM2+ addon?

[howardsmith 0]

I want to use some more abrasive filament to see whether I can generate stronger parts and it's recommending I upgrade the nozzle to stainless steel. The material in question is XT-CF20 which is 2.85mm so I'd need to upgrade my nozzle from the default one anyway since that's a smaller diameter than the material I'm buying.

From what I understand the default nozzle on the UM2 is not detachable. So am I right in thinking I need to replace the whole thing with either the olsson block or the UM2+ addon? This is just what I can glean from the forums but it's a little confusing at a glance. If someone can point me in the right direction and to where I'd purchase these parts in the UK I'd be super grateful.

Another, perhaps obvious, question; I need a 2.85mm stainless steel nozzle so if I found one would it be compatible with either system or are you locked in to certain types for each?

[krys 206]

Hi howardsmith,

Well, you *can* use CF20 with your regular brass nozzle, but it will wear out much more quickly, or so I have read. I have not yet tried CF20 myself.

If you want the steel nozzle (hardened steel or stainless steel, apparently there is a difference), then the Olson block is the way to go.

Just getting the Olson kit is the cheaper option and would get the job done.

But the Extruder Upgrade kit includes a lot more and makes a big improvement over the UM2 (better feeder, better temperature control, faster heat up and more). So, if you can afford it, I suggest the upgrade kit.

Both the kit and the Olson block kit include the exact same hot end and nozzles, so they are fully compatible with each other, no difference.

I also read that E3D nozzles work to and really anything with a metric M6 thread.

As for where to get stuff in the UK, I do not know. You can get the Olson block and the Upgrade kit from Ultimaker itself, of course. 3DSolex is also a possible source on your side of the pond.

Additionally, 3DSolex now has a new upgraded Olson block replacement you might consider if you are not going to get the full upgrade kit.

Anyway, people with actual CF20 experience can probably provide better insights, but since I have recently done the upgrade kit and recently done a bunch of research, I thought I would try and help out.

Hope this help clear things up. Good luck!

[gr5 2,177]

Don't buy CF filament. It's no stronger and no stiffer. The CF is cut up too small to make any difference. I've tested some of these. It sure looks sweet though!

Yes you will need a few steel nozzles and you will need a few per roll. Or get the hardened nozzles which last much longer.

Anyway don't get CF but consider getting the Olsson anyway as you can then change nozzles and that's great all by itself.

Which strength quality is a problem? If you want parts that aren't as brittle (can be dropped from very high) then you want it to simply be more flexible - not more strong. There are lots of great filaments for that. But if for example you are making a quadcopter arm then there isn't much (anything?) out there better than PLA.

If you want it strong enough that a human just can't break it or can be driven over with a car then you want nylon. But still will not be good choice for something that needs to be stiff - like a quadcopter arm.

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

CF20 is a very interesting material. It has the flexibilty of XT while it is significantly lighter. I printed myself a phone case out of this material (actually two cases) and couldn't get it to break even when I bended it almost 90 degree (and it is very light!). However, I printed it lying on the bed.

I also tried to print a Fairphone case with it which is printed standing on the bed. The interlayer adhesion of XT-CF20 was not good enough, it broke.

So in conclusion, it might get additional strength if the layer adhesion is secured by large overlaps of the individual layers but it cannot improve interlayer adhesion on small intersections.

I printed the CF20 with a ruby nozzle.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Guest

[meduza 191]

If you want to print XT-CF20, you should absolutely go with the Extrusion Upgrade Kit, the 2+ feeder is much better than the original feeder with extremely stiff filaments like the CF20

I did struggle pretty much to print CF20 with a original UM2, but when upgraded you just set the feeder to maximum pressure and print :-)

I also use ruby nozzles to print the CF20, gives the best results for me.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Guest

[gr5 2,177]

couldn't get it to break even when I bended it almost 90 degree

Like I said. Although I haven't found anything technically *stronger*, if you increase flexibility a little bit (like nylon) it's amazingly difficult to break. But it's not stronger the way I would define stronger. Like it wouldn't be any better if you were building say a bridge. But it *would* be better (nylon again) if you drop it (won't shatter) or drive over it with a car (just deforms and snaps back).

But if you want to use it for a quadcopter arm or a bridge or something structural that holds a lot of weight - PLA is just as good or better than most materials. Although in many cases I suppose Nylon is better.

Really I need to know what you are using the material for before I would ever recommend going away from PLA.

[LePaul 322]

I have a used the CF20 material and it's a most frustrating experience.

Parts I printed had decent horizontal strength but vertical was awful, snapping easily.

As @gr5 mentions, the nylon material or even bridge stuff seems to work much better. Be aware this stuff loves to soak up moisture, so your handling/storage process should be reviewed

I really tried very very hard to like CF20. I had numerous conversations with Colorfabb over setting tweaks (retraction, flow, fan/no fan, etc.) I had a awful time making the stuff bridge and anything vertical was a mess. I used a ruby nozzle as well.

I can't offer any advice on the Olsson Block but would encourage you to upgrade your printer for the sake of gaining all the improvements.

But save your money. Save your hair line. XTCF-20 is awful and there's other materials that do it better. As cool as "carbon fiber" sounds, this stuff isn't going to please you.

[gr5 2,177]

>Parts I printed had decent horizontal strength but vertical was awful, snapping easily.

That's the "layer adhesion" problem that occurs with all higher TG filaments (basically everything besides PLA). The fix is usually to enclose the printer to heat the air up to at least 40C and reduce fan.

[neotko 1,417]

I don't know if you got a satisfactory answer about the block part so...

 

IFrom what I understand the default nozzle on the UM2 is not detachable. So am I right in thinking I need to replace the whole thing with either the olsson block or the UM2+ addon? This is just what I can glean from the forums but it's a little confusing at a glance. If someone can point me in the right direction and to where I'd purchase these parts in the UK I'd be super grateful.

UM2 (non plus) hotend has a fixed nozzle of 0.4mm that to be replaced it need's a new heater (because the heater and nozzle are one piece).

If you plan to print with different nozzle sizes you need a Olsson block. The olsson block comes on the UM2+ kit. The UM2+ also has many other goodies that improve the printer like new extruder, TFM coupler that last MUCH longer, an improved pt100 sensor, better fancap design and 2 new clips for the bed so you can remove the glass easier, and most important 2 stickers with a '+'. Also has a pair of x/y hotend shafts that can be usefull to refresh your printer.

As soon you have a olsson block (included on the um2+ kit or sold separated on many ultimaker/3dsolex distributors) you can use any E3D M6 nozzle or any 3Dsolex nozzle. UM2+ comes with a good range of nozzles (0.25 to 0.8 if I remember well). So it's perfecto to experiment new materials. Not just carbon can deteriorate the nozzle, but glow in the dark, copper/steel/brass filaments and I think I read someone saying that also wood can erode Brass nozzle (but at a lower but consistent rate). So, the advantage of having a Olsson block is quite big.

So to move from UM2 to olsson you can:

a) Get an olsson at any ultimaker/3dsolex distributor

This means that you will need to disassemble the hotend and install it by yourself. To get an idea of how it's the process check this guide:

https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/17867-installing-olsson-block (has vídeo)

Or this other guide http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/62-installing-the-olsson-block-kit

b) Get a UM2+ full kit (around 320+/- € more than just one olsson block kit with full nozzles and stuff)

This means that you will get a new TFM coupler, new feeder for more constant extrusion, a pt100 for more accurate heat readings, a full hotend ready to plug (so you will save yours for a rainy day, something that's quite handy if something happens on a weekend and you NEED to print), and all the goodies I wrote about before.

About CFXT20 making stronger parts, depends. My experience it's with formfutura carbonfill and it's  quite fantastic at resisting heat, but it's more flexible (so it doesn't snap  also) than PLA. It really depends on what you mean as stronger. If you like the look of carbon (black matte rocks) there are some Nylon+Carbon filaments that are quite amazing (but the really good ones that don't absorb water from air can be REALLY expensive).

Steel nozzles conduct the heat worse than Brass, but they last much longer vs abrasive materials, so it's easier to get better prints with Brass, but they die quite fast with carbon (so the print quality deteriorates over time, even a very eroded nozzle could keep printing, but worse and worse).

Edited August 16, 2016 by Guest

[avogra 68]

To make the decision even more difficult : 3DSolex recently published a new Block together with the race nozzles. The main improvements are more heat transfer into the nozzle and more heat transfer from nozzle to filament. This allows to print faster at a given quality.

If you should decide not to go for the UM2+ upgrade, I would consider it instead of the classic Ollsson Block.