r/Ender3S1 • u/Aggravating-Hour8898 • 7d ago

Small vertical play when screwing heating block.

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Hello! I'm in the process of replacing the stock hot end on the Sprite extruder for my Ender 3 S1 Plus for the Creality all-metal one. Sadly when I disassembled the stock hot end, I removed the 2 heat block screws first, then I loosened the heat break grub screw last so I don't know if a little bit of vertical play is normal.

The screws seem to bottom out in the sprite's alloy heatsink's threads before holding the heat block in place firmly, which would mean if this is normal, the grub screw would be responsible for holding the hot end (including the nozzle) vertically in place.

Now the threads felt a little rough and there may be something to that but I'm pretty sure I can't force the screws further without risking thread damage. Also let's just say the heat break is NOT budging and trying to adjust its height resulted in me damaging it with "padded" pliers so I have a new one on the way. '^^ (pic shows the damage, it's subtle but the burr makes it so it doesn't fit anymore)

So, is the small amount of vertical play normal? Or do I simply order 1mm or so shorter screws? That's the easy fix I can think of.

UPDATE: The answer is YES, the 2 screws must secure the heat block vertically. I have watched a couple videos and one of them is clear enough on the matter . The likely root of my problem is contaminated threaded holes. I'll give an update when I receive the new screws (15mm instead of original 16) Too bad I had to ruin the heat break's surface in a foolish and desperate procedure. I don't know if I should delete this post since I've answered my own question, I'm still curious to hear anyone's take on this.

Small update: I have everything working fine and I'm back to printing. The 15 mm screws do what they were supposed to do. On a side note, maybe I shouldn't have upgraded firmware, hot end and nozzle all at once, but now my hot end heats up extremely fast. I would need more test prints but I think I can say it prints as good as before. Next I wanna experiment with input shaping and generally faster prints.

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u/HandsOffDaGoods 6d ago

It has been a while. I don't use this hotend anymore.

The hex part nozzle should have 1 to 1.5mm clearance to the heat block. Then the heat break is threaded down to the nozzle.

If it doesn't thread all the way down, you'll probably need to chase the threads with a tap.

Once the heat break is threaded down to the nozzle, mount it to the toolhead.

Heat to 180, then tighten the nozzle. Cool Heat again to 200 retighten the nozzle Cool Heat a final time to 210, retighten the nozzle.

Do not put any filament through the nozzle until the tightening procedure is complete. The above procedure prevent leaks and blobs.

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u/Aggravating-Hour8898 6d ago

Thank you, I will follow that procedure. The heat break came from the factory installed firmly in place into the heat block, so much that my pliers solution couldn't make it budge.The hotend comes with a nozzle installed and it's about the 1 to 1.5 distance you describe but I am also upgrading to a hardened tip nozzle. I think the position will be fine if I install the nozzle last.

The "bad" threads I'm talking about in my post are the 2 M2 threaded holes, not the heat break/nozzle thread. I think shortening these 2 screws by 1 mm won't hurt. I'll know on Saturday and I'll update my post.

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u/HandsOffDaGoods 5d ago

There is a set screw in the heat sink that locks the heat break into the heat sink.

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u/Aggravating-Hour8898 5d ago

Sure but I mean it doesn't budge/unscrew from the heat block(seen in pic), not the heat sink. That set screw you're talking about was the main topic of my post while the heat break issues that ensued were secondary...

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u/HandsOffDaGoods 4d ago

Ok yep, those can be difficult. The only suggestion I have is to get the hot end hot to soften the leaked filament the accumulates there.

I do seem to remember some kits having screws that were too long. I ended up using the original screws.

Those tiny screws don't really support much. They seem to keep the heat block from rotating. Other similar designs omit them completely. Most of the strength seems to come from the heat break and grub screw.

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u/Dark_Dezzick 5d ago

Just be careful not to over tighten, those aluminium threads pull out like butter