Once again you have been my hero. I was having problems with prints not completing, the extruder motor was skipping and I thought it was due to heat fluctuation and the nozzle clogging up. I tried tuning the heat temperature, but that only slightly helped. I then came across this fix and thought, why not. I did this and so far my problems have gone away, smooth printing and completes to the end. Thank you so much.
I know this is an older video, but I still wanted to let you know that this helped me completely solve my constant clogging problems on my Ender 3 Pro. Thank you so much!!!
brilliant!!! after months of printing, 3 of my ender 3s all started having issues and i couldn't get any consistent prints and 1000 failed prints. i have just tested this on one machine and i am now getting some of the best print quality! cant thank you enough for this guide! excited to fix the rest of my enders
I kept having leaks despite my best efforts to push my tube all the way down to the nozzle. I decided to give this fix a try and so far I haven't had any issues! The insert printed easily and fit perfectly. Your videos are so straight forward, helpful, and easy to understand. I refer other people to them constantly! Thank you!
did you use stock ptfe by the way? install the washer, install bowden hole nut, then push ptfe down till nozzle? or you use like cut from capricorn tube too? i was planning to do this without capricorn tube, cuz i want to prevent leakage.
Just thought I'd add that you really want to ensure there's no filament left in the hot end prior to doing this. The best way to do that is to remove the nozzle and push the PTFE tube the whole way through the hot end. I found that out the hard way, as I was still getting stringing. :)
Hey Chuck, I just wanted to say thank you so much. I'm from Santiago, Chile. I started a new 3D cookie cutters business and at the beginning I was so frustrated with all the "common" printing Issues. Now I have to say, if it wasn't for you, it would've been impossible for me to have this business and run my CR-10 farm successfully. You know in my country, 3D printing is relatively new and there is no one to turn to if you need help. That's why I can't thank you enough sir. Cheers!
Chuck, YOU ARE A FREAKING MACHINE when it comes to 3D printing. Really, just as insightful as a college class would be or maybe even more, please keep it up as i still have a lot more to learn from you
"PTFE cannot lose its lubrication" but after being exposed to enough heat, the compound in the throat is no longer going to be PTFE, but its pyrolisis products.
After nearly a year running this mod, I've got to come back here to say this is an absolute lifesaver to avoid that little bit of slop that just tends to develop over time as the teeth in the coupler eat away at the PTFE tube. I've been printing almost exclusively PLA, so even after all this time and a couple kilos of filament, the part stuck in the hotend hasn't failed (yet, though I'm checking it regularly) and I've had literally zero issues with clogging or stringing getting worse over time, as it had before. Also, disconnecting the bowden without potentially messing up the tubenozzle alignment is just such a welcome bonus. Literally a must-have, coffee-break length modification.
After 3 years 3d printing on an Anet A8 I finally got an Ender 3 Pro and boy what a step up. I'm getting prints that were not happening with the Anet. The first 2 weeks the ender 3 Pro was printing perfectly and I was totally happy. But suddenly the prints were bad. I discovered you video on estep calibration and now I'm back with perfect prints again. Thanks Chuck.
I had problems with my new Ender 6. The pressure on the bowden tube coupler at the hot end would cause the tube to badly groove inside the connector after only a minimal number of prints, causing blockages. The tube would also gradually creep back from the hot end, yet another cause of blockage and frustration. I'd wasted multiple lengths of bowden tube before finding this video. I was able to salvage some of my capricorn tube, measure cut and fit (after printing the washer) and then replace the main length of bowden tube with a slightly cheaper alternative that I can source locally. I printed the washer at .12mm resolution using PETG (because it's what I had loaded) and it came out brilliantly. Six prints into my new setup, and no hint of problems yet. Fingers crossed!
Thank you. I appreciate your hard work on this issue. I've been struggling with this problem for 18 months and I've finally ended up at tubing insertion depth. Now you've given me confidence to dust off my cr10 and put it to work.
The greatest of respect, I have learnt so much from you and can never repay what you have taught me and so many other newbies. I and love my Ender 3 and your videos have made me able to use it to the max.
At the time of watching this video I don't know who were the 111 people that didn't like this video but I see there are haters out in the RUclips universe! This is a brilliant idea and thank you so much because I am one of those beginner 3-D printer novelist that loves the idea of printing in 3-D. I have been having so many hotend problems with my ender 3 V2 and was about to give up the hobby all together… But I started watching more and more of your videos and I was able to fix the leveling problems and now I have fix my hotend problem permanently! Finally, getting beautiful prints from my ender 3 V2. Now the big test is to be able to print something a little large to the capacity of the printer and that will be a true test for this fix.
Hi Chuck. I just received my first printer (Ender 3) a few weeks ago (just before all this quarantine/lock down business thankfully) and just found your channel. I really appreciate your approach, presentation and explanations. Thanks for all your advice for those of us that are new to this great hobby. Cheers from Canada p.s. just sub'd
Thank you so much. My son sent me the video after me whining to him about my printer. He printed me a washer, I followed video and my first print was almost flawless.
I don't think there is someone more appreciative at the moment that you placed this video. I tried almost everything in the book to get my Ender 3v2 to print again. 3 weeks ago I found the standard video telling you how to do it right. I started to thing I will never get it right until last night I searched on RUclips again and found the standard thing again. But then your video was below and I did not see that before. So I clicked on it. This morning I tried what you explained and my printer pushed out it's first print in weeks with no problems at all. Thanks what a great idea. I will have to reprint the washer though because even that came out shitty before I implemented your strategy. Thanks again.
Great mod by Luke made better with Chuck's improvements. But I have found that even the Capricorn PTFE degrades over time especially if you print at hotter temperatures for PETG or print a lot of long duration prints. Best advice is to inspect your Capricorn PTFE at regular intervals or any time you are changing nozzles where you are disassembling the hot end.
Thanks so much. This mod worked on first try. I tried the Luke version with somewhat iffy results but the tapered spacer fit better and filament glides right through. It’s guys like you that help the hobbyists slowly become pros and keeps us from giving up. You rock and made my day with this video. Now to do 7 more creality machines. I don’t sell prints but I sure do a mess load for myself and my family till I get real good.
when assembling this hotend setup use a spare piece of filament down in the nozzle to make sure the washer and capricorn tubing line up accurately. also to prevent the ptfe tube from walking out of the lock fittings use a small dab of shoe goe between the ptfe tube and the plastic retaining ring and wait for it to set. I had ptfe tubing wear and start moving in and out of the pneumatic fittings due to the constant rotating cutting a groove in the tubing, once I applied the easily removable glue to the tube and the lock collar i have never had it come lose without me wanting it to again.
The videos on this channel are on point without useless blabbering, its satisfying to watch and learn even if you have no issues to fix on your printer. Thank you sir. You have made my 3d printing hobby so much more enjoyable, truly amazing content.
I appreciate this. I've been having many hot end issues lately on my ender 5, my printer has just been offline for over a month because I don't have time to fight with it. This gives some good ideas to get it back going.
I actually cleared a major jam in my hotend and cut about 8 mm off the bottom of my tubing. I re-seated the tubing and all is well. BUT I was worried I would need to do it again. This seems like a brilliant solution. I will print the washer in ABS to resist the heat of standard PLA prints and other materials. Great solution and technique to figure out insert length.
These videos are an oasis of calm in a world of overproduced noise! Today's project tho I'll probably make the washer in ally so my lathe doesn't sulk!
I love your videos and they are very helpful and informative, but one thing I just can't figure how and it's why you glorify the Capricorn tube cutter so much? it sucks - the blade flexes while cutting and the cut is angled 100% of the times, let alone that it doesn't hold the tube straight, and the tube is always curved... What am I missing here?
While this is a nice fix, the washer is redundant. Just cut the tube inside the hotend a little short, insert,then install the coupler, screw until it's about 1 and a half turn out from end, insert the long tube at the top until it makes contact with the cut tube inside, lock the coupler, and screw it tight. That last 1.5 turns is enough to push the tube down and keep it in place. Been running it this way on my ender 3 v2 for over 2 months and no issues.
@@FilamentFriday that is true but it prevents cutting a whole bowden tube as you only need to cut a length for the inner tube and retain the main section, as is the purpose of your video which I appreciate.
Chep as you can see the tube fitting wont go all the way in with the printed washer, i had to carve it conical to match the dish shape of the heatsink so the hose fitting goes deeper and locks, i posted a video on the cr10 facebook group but i want to share it to you so you can do a new way to do it, i even had to reduce my flow of how well i made it work 100% sealed
Had the same issue while attempting this on my stock ender 3 today. I was barely able to screw the fitting onto the block and almost stripped the thread before noticing something wasn't right. Solved by by sanding down the printed washer so that it fits inside the hole and lays directly on the cut capricorn PTFE tube, and now it's printing perfectly. Might have needed to tune my extrusion multiplier and e-steps before printing that washer since I had to sand quite a bit off.
Thank you so much for posting this! I couldn't figure out why my extruder wasn't working, and it turns out my guide tube had melted to the hot end and destroyed it! I purchased a new hot end with the tubing you recommended and now my Ender 3 prints better than ever!
Thanks Chuck!!! Figured I'd post up my little story that was fixed by this video. In the process of doing this mod, I found a nasty booger of melted plastic down in the heat block. Had NO idea it was down there until I had both the nozzle and the bowden removed. Come to think of it, that booger was the reason why I had to crank down on the extruder tension AND increase my nozzle temps up just to get anything to print (and we won't discuss the..."quality"...). So. Now I have Luke's fix, your spacer, Capricorn bowden, a new nozzle, and a clean hotend. Using your 0.20 profile, my very next print was gorgeous. I cannot thank you enough for what you have/are providing to the maker community.
I was afraid this would happen: the funnel is too rough, the filament gets stuck on the top/outside opening of the funnel and can't get down into the Capricorn tubing below, I also noticed the washer was ~ 1.5mm smaller diameter than the extruder inner diameter threads, so it can move around quite a lot while installing. I tried assembling with a length of filament going through the top/outside PTFE tubing and sticking out far enough to force the funnel & lower/inside Capricorn tubing into alignment, which seemed to work but then I pulled the filament out and tried pushing it back in, same problem: the funnel just won't align properly :'(
seems I was able to resolve it by poking an awl into the exposed top of the Capricorn tube to expand it so its outer sides are touching the inside of the heatbrake, also sanding the printed insert with a small rounded file as it spins in a drill chuck (careful!! don't snag the file on the chuck, or you're going to have a bad day..!)
I can truly attest to the value of this simple fix. Im here to watch the video again, because i had a fan go out and deciding to rebuild the hotend while im in there, and since because it has been over a year
Yes, I did this but found feeding the filament a little tough because of Capricorn's better/tighter tolerance. I change colors a lot and it became a nuisance.
Tried this in my Ender 5 last month. Working perfectly. I was thinking about an all metal hot end, but given they often jam up , I think I will stick with your method. Thanks.
I had issues with extrusion stopping mid print, upgraded the fittings, got a capricon tube, did the trick with the small piece inside the hotend and the washer. Nothing's changed, can't print anything longer than 30minutes.
Like Chep said, check the hotend cooling fan. You may be getting heat creep. That's where the hotend fan and heat sink can not keep up with the heat generated by the heater cartridge. Alternatively, you may want to turn your printing temperature down depending on what you have it set to. Edit: after reading some other comments, ensure your hotend fan is facing the right to direction.
I'm glad you addressed the length of the cut ptfe in the nozzle. I had to add 2mm to mine because I was still getting some clogging after a few prints.
Hey Chuck...do you still use this technique on all your Creality printers? This video was more than a year ago, so thought your opinion may have changed.
Solid technique. This transfers the force to compress the PTFE away from the coupler teeth and instead to the (washer) coupler body. Good job on the washer bevel, that is really important. Capricorn tube is great stuff but it's always about XS. No doubt XS is amazing stuff for higher quality filament and high print temps. No one seems to mention their TL tubing. Always perplexed why TL is not used more frequently, especially on beginner and primary PLA users. TL is not quite XS specs but it has a more stock-ish ID which is more accepting of filament made with varied thickness. You can somewhat see through TL; which I find a useful feature. I am excited to try out this technique using TL in the hot end and either TL or factory Creality tube as the carrier. AKS (or other good) couplers are still a good idea to replace cheaper couplers and keep parts held tight. One meter of Capricorn tube (which ever flavor of choice) could last you a very L O N G time.
I believe the PTFE should be cut .5-1mm longer than the calculated distance so that the nozzle presses firmly against the PTFE tube and leaves no gap. One way to do this and avoid any measuring, is to remove the heatsink with the heatbreak from the heatblock and insert a long tube with the washer and bowden coupler in place. Cut the PTFE tube so it is nearly flush with the end of the heatbreak but sticks out .5-1mm. Reasemble and you have a foolproof method with no measuring involved.
I have done all the above, plus even changed the stock springs. I am printing a print that I have printed many times before with no problems. So it’s not the slicer. But now about 45 minutes into the print it starts skipping, not all over, just the same spots over and over. I’ve replaced nozzle , extruder, ptfe tube, springs, calibrated, changed filament, aligned bed over and over and even added a washer with the horned to keep Bowden tube close to nozzle. I’ve been living on RUclips and google for help. I’ve tried everything. Please help. I’m about to pull my hair out lol. I have an Etsy store and have many orders overdue. I’m at my wits end. Any advice is much appreciated!!!!
Im guessing you have taken the whole thing apart already. Im facing the same issue. I believe it has something to do with the capricorn tubing I have inside, and the PLA cant comfortably get pushed through it and then through the hotend. Skips all over the place, but when i push a bit on the extruder, it does push filament through. Sometimes it just gets stuck too though. Im going to print a new hotend insert, and will add a new piece of capricorn tubing and see if that fixes it! Let me know if any of these fixes help.
@@frankie.7z I did everything you could think of. Cheap recommended I put in a new sd card and realize it. Worked wonderfully. I never would have guessed the card. Hope this helps
this was my last hope for under extrusion problems... i made all of the correct steps on the fly cos i had no time working hard.. and i thought to do this fix mod! it works and it works beautiful and easy!!! i print it in petg and it runs flowerless!!!! thanks CHEP!!!
I think this fix with the washer ensures the cap in the hotend stays put whereas a complete length all the way still has the possible failure point of the top of the connector I.e. it can still come loose as create a gap between the end of the tube and the bottom of the hotend. You could still use cap all the way along. This fix ensures it is much less liable to coming loose.
@@michaelquinn1926 Another piece of ptfe tube is the easiest and quickest way. Just remove the nozzle and fitting on top and shove it down from the top.
Love this video. Fyi for those having trouble putting filament through Capricorn tubing inside the hotend. Just use a razor blade corner to shave off and funnel it inwards just like the washer is doing above it as well. Make sure tube is clean before installing.
Any time I need help I come across CHEP. Just wanted to thank you and hope you are making good money and getting great good perks brother. Appreciate all the help.
An excuse to buy a second printer. “But hun, I need another in case it breaks while I’m doing a project. I used that myself. I bought a third on the grounds of “what if they both break while I’m doing a project?”.
I tried out the moded version that you gave in the last video. Although it looked very promising in the beginning, the bowden tube kept coming out of coupling after a few hours. The first it happened was when I did a 12 hr print overnight only to wake up to tangled mess of filament. I have hence switched back to the original hot end fix and been printing away for weeks. You live and learn I suppose. Thanks for the great videos.
or....... you just slightly loosen your nozle.....hit the ptfe tube to the bottom and tighten back the nozle....no capricorn needed and i'm like you 14 months solid printing without fails or stringing...
Love your videos sir, awesome content. I just got my first Ender 3 pro two weeks ago and your videos have been very helpful. I started printing PETG yesterday and got told by several people to replace the tubing with Capricorn tubes. Since they seem rather expensive, this video helps a ton. I am going to use the standard tube for the guiding and then have Capricorn inside the hotend as you said. I already have the fix in place so installing should be easy. Thank you for your videos!
That would be the Prusa MK3S. There is a reason it has such a high price compared to equivalent printers. It's not that it's THAT much better than other printers, but because there is incredible support and A LOT of R&D to make it the most consistent, and beginner friendly printer there is. You might need to change the LM8UU bearings and rods after a lot of use, and a couple of nozzles. Other than that it should run flawlessly for years.
I have just stumbled across these vids. I am a complete novice looking at my first machine and am seriously thinking of the CR10 mini. It will be used in our caravan as we will be full time on the road, because of movement in the van I am planning on setting it up on the covered in back bed of our Dodge truck. There is so much to learn lol and I am absorbing it all like a sponge.
THis fixed my problem.. cannot believe I missed this super simple fix!! I cut the bowden with flush cutter, mistake, it made the tube a V and leaked Thanks for the video!
FYI, eventually even the capricorn tubing will need replaced in the hot end. I've used mine like this for 30 months and I was having terrible problems. I pulled the Capricorn 20mm tube out of the hot end and it had melted at the end and had a blob of filament stuck to it.
I have done this mod on a FLSun Q5. Just had to scale the washer a little bit to fit. I printed the washer I abs to make shure it is heat resistant enough. I think one of the biggest advantage of the mod is that it makes changing the nozzle much more comfortable, because you don’t have to push the Bowden down till it touches the nozzle, which always includes a little guessing and hoping it sits flush and seals properly. And especially on a delta there is very much stress on the Bowden coupling because the Hotend is constantly moving in all axis with high speeds and jerks. So a Delta printer will definately benefit from the mod. Thx for showing this simple and effective fix!
In concept, this sounds like a great idea, but if you think about it, the gap between the two tubes might cause an issue if one shifts a tiny bit, witch would cause a road block when feeding filament in. I'm still a bit naive when it come to things like this but it sound like a issue that would drive me crazy
It's great to see this idea so clearly explained. Its also a good way to save money with the Capricorn. I'm forever changing out my nozzles etc and each time snipping a piece off the end. I suppose this way your tube will last "forever".
I found it easier to put the coupler on last because my filament wasn't finding the right holes to go through into the hotend. I inserted the filament thru the Bowden tube, then thru the coupler at the hotend, then let it peek out 3-4mm and then inserted it into the PLA washer, then into the 31mm Bowden tube inside the hotend. Lastly I screwed the coupler on until tight.
Not again... I'm trying to find out why my prints with PETG sometimes give weird black blobs and blobs of over extruded Filament (or so it seems), I find this german guy , look at his video, look at the comments and BOOM there you are again. Fixing something that needs fixing. Good man, love your videos, keep it up.
Perhaps someday you can make a video that covers all of the upgrades (with links) for a new Ender 3 user. That way they'll be able to purchase everything with a one shot order.
Thank you so much!!! Got my printer back around Thanksgiving last year, off and on fighting with clogs. I've learned *so* much since then, but the clogs are still haunting me - I'm hopeful this is the trick!!
Morning From Niagara falls, I wanted to thank you for you Videos. I always find peace and learning within your voice. Thanks. Plus; I have watched this video a few times ..cheers
My ender 3 has been without issue, besides the bowden tube backing out. I tried different couplers and still had to re seat it on a regular basis. So far this has been the fix. Thank You
Thanks CHEP! Just printed the washer, and I'll be doing this tomorrow. Due to a bad Z-Axis switch I just upgraded to a CR Touch and Jyers UI w/ the fancier display firmware. My E3V2 is beginning to feel like a whole new machine. Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Wow, I'll have to give this a try. I've been having all sorts of issues printing, and had to replace my hot end due to filament leakage. This is a really good idea!
Timely once again. I wish I would have watched it when it was first posted though. It might have saved me from making a bigger mess that I now have to figure out how to clean up. That will teach me to not have my notifications on.
Thank you sir. I've been having problems with under extrusion since I changed the complete hot end; inspected the PTFE tubing and found a caramelized like substance coating all over the tubing and inside the heatsink. Just fitted this mod and it's printing great, it took the guess work out of replacing the nozzle.
This just helped me so much I cant even believe. The coupler to my hot end stopped grabbing the ptfe allowing it to come off thankfully i printed the spacer before all this mess happened so I cut my tube and did the mod and what do you know, it bites the tube and I dont have to worry about the other problems this fixes down the line. It definitely made me smile knowing I can print while waiting for the new capricorn set to come in 😊
Capricorn has two versions. The normal one has a inner diameter of 2mm, the XS variant has an inner diameter of 1,9mm. So then there is an disadvantage removed and I would say this mod becomes obsolete when you just install the normal capricorn tube.
Chuck you are the man, I have learned more from you about the ender 3 then anywhere else, cheers 👌
Than. Not then
@@OrangeCrush1981
Be cool. Not pedantic
@@DavDoesThings should of thought that one thru
If you already have calipers, you can use the depth gauge end to measure the interior directly. No need to use any filament
Once again you have been my hero. I was having problems with prints not completing, the extruder motor was skipping and I thought it was due to heat fluctuation and the nozzle clogging up. I tried tuning the heat temperature, but that only slightly helped. I then came across this fix and thought, why not. I did this and so far my problems have gone away, smooth printing and completes to the end. Thank you so much.
I know this is an older video, but I still wanted to let you know that this helped me completely solve my constant clogging problems on my Ender 3 Pro. Thank you so much!!!
brilliant!!! after months of printing, 3 of my ender 3s all started having issues and i couldn't get any consistent prints and 1000 failed prints. i have just tested this on one machine and i am now getting some of the best print quality! cant thank you enough for this guide! excited to fix the rest of my enders
Was getting extruder clicking and slipping, and came across this video. Tried it out and it's printing sweetly again. Thanks!
I kept having leaks despite my best efforts to push my tube all the way down to the nozzle. I decided to give this fix a try and so far I haven't had any issues! The insert printed easily and fit perfectly. Your videos are so straight forward, helpful, and easy to understand. I refer other people to them constantly! Thank you!
Thanks.
did you use stock ptfe by the way? install the washer, install bowden hole nut, then push ptfe down till nozzle?
or you use like cut from capricorn tube too?
i was planning to do this without capricorn tube, cuz i want to prevent leakage.
@@CTZN1 I used capricorn for the cut piece
Just thought I'd add that you really want to ensure there's no filament left in the hot end prior to doing this. The best way to do that is to remove the nozzle and push the PTFE tube the whole way through the hot end. I found that out the hard way, as I was still getting stringing. :)
Hey Chuck, I just wanted to say thank you so much. I'm from Santiago, Chile. I started a new 3D cookie cutters business and at the beginning I was so frustrated with all the "common" printing Issues.
Now I have to say, if it wasn't for you, it would've been impossible for me to have this business and run my CR-10 farm successfully. You know in my country, 3D printing is relatively new and
there is no one to turn to if you need help. That's why I can't thank you enough sir. Cheers!
Chuck, thank you for saving my sanity. The hot end clogs were driving me mad until I followed your suggestion. All is well now.
Grateful guy
Chuck, YOU ARE A FREAKING MACHINE when it comes to 3D printing. Really, just as insightful as a college class would be or maybe even more, please keep it up as i still have a lot more to learn from you
"PTFE cannot lose its lubrication" but after being exposed to enough heat, the compound in the throat is no longer going to be PTFE, but its pyrolisis products.
After nearly a year running this mod, I've got to come back here to say this is an absolute lifesaver to avoid that little bit of slop that just tends to develop over time as the teeth in the coupler eat away at the PTFE tube. I've been printing almost exclusively PLA, so even after all this time and a couple kilos of filament, the part stuck in the hotend hasn't failed (yet, though I'm checking it regularly) and I've had literally zero issues with clogging or stringing getting worse over time, as it had before. Also, disconnecting the bowden without potentially messing up the tubenozzle alignment is just such a welcome bonus.
Literally a must-have, coffee-break length modification.
After 3 years 3d printing on an Anet A8 I finally got an Ender 3 Pro and boy what a step up. I'm getting prints that were not happening with the Anet. The first 2 weeks the ender 3 Pro was printing perfectly and I was totally happy. But suddenly the prints were bad. I discovered you video on estep calibration and now I'm back with perfect prints again. Thanks Chuck.
I had problems with my new Ender 6. The pressure on the bowden tube coupler at the hot end would cause the tube to badly groove inside the connector after only a minimal number of prints, causing blockages. The tube would also gradually creep back from the hot end, yet another cause of blockage and frustration. I'd wasted multiple lengths of bowden tube before finding this video. I was able to salvage some of my capricorn tube, measure cut and fit (after printing the washer) and then replace the main length of bowden tube with a slightly cheaper alternative that I can source locally. I printed the washer at .12mm resolution using PETG (because it's what I had loaded) and it came out brilliantly. Six prints into my new setup, and no hint of problems yet. Fingers crossed!
Thank you. I appreciate your hard work on this issue. I've been struggling with this problem for 18 months and I've finally ended up at tubing insertion depth. Now you've given me confidence to dust off my cr10 and put it to work.
As always brilliant. Informative, every day's a school day, please keep the videos coming. Greatest respect for what you do to help us all.
Thanks.
@@FilamentFriday link is broken on thingiverse for the washer
The greatest of respect, I have learnt so much from you and can never repay what you have taught me and so many other newbies. I and love my Ender 3 and your videos have made me able to use it to the max.
At the time of watching this video I don't know who were the 111 people that didn't like this video but I see there are haters out in the RUclips universe! This is a brilliant idea and thank you so much because I am one of those beginner 3-D printer novelist that loves the idea of printing in 3-D. I have been having so many hotend problems with my ender 3 V2 and was about to give up the hobby all together… But I started watching more and more of your videos and I was able to fix the leveling problems and now I have fix my hotend problem permanently! Finally, getting beautiful prints from my ender 3 V2. Now the big test is to be able to print something a little large to the capacity of the printer and that will be a true test for this fix.
Hi Chuck. I just received my first printer (Ender 3) a few weeks ago (just before all this quarantine/lock down business thankfully) and just found your channel. I really appreciate your approach, presentation and explanations. Thanks for all your advice for those of us that are new to this great hobby.
Cheers from Canada
p.s. just sub'd
Thank you so much. My son sent me the video after me whining to him about my printer. He printed me a washer, I followed video and my first print was almost flawless.
What material did you use for the washer?
When I did Luke Hatfields hot-end fix, I used a metal washer that fitted right into the coupler part and the filament could go right through
Applied this fix to my AnyCubic Mega S printer and it does absolutely work great. I'm amazed at how clean the prints are after making this change.
I’m glad you made a video on this. I’ve been doing this for a couple years with great results
It’s my second video on it.
I don't think there is someone more appreciative at the moment that you placed this video. I tried almost everything in the book to get my Ender 3v2 to print again. 3 weeks ago I found the standard video telling you how to do it right. I started to thing I will never get it right until last night I searched on RUclips again and found the standard thing again. But then your video was below and I did not see that before. So I clicked on it. This morning I tried what you explained and my printer pushed out it's first print in weeks with no problems at all. Thanks what a great idea. I will have to reprint the washer though because even that came out shitty before I implemented your strategy. Thanks again.
Glad I could help
Great mod by Luke made better with Chuck's improvements. But I have found that even the Capricorn PTFE degrades over time especially if you print at hotter temperatures for PETG or print a lot of long duration prints. Best advice is to inspect your Capricorn PTFE at regular intervals or any time you are changing nozzles where you are disassembling the hot end.
Thanks so much. This mod worked on first try. I tried the Luke version with somewhat iffy results but the tapered spacer fit better and filament glides right through. It’s guys like you that help the hobbyists slowly become pros and keeps us from giving up. You rock and made my day with this video. Now to do 7 more creality machines. I don’t sell prints but I sure do a mess load for myself and my family till I get real good.
when assembling this hotend setup use a spare piece of filament down in the nozzle to make sure the washer and capricorn tubing line up accurately. also to prevent the ptfe tube from walking out of the lock fittings use a small dab of shoe goe between the ptfe tube and the plastic retaining ring and wait for it to set. I had ptfe tubing wear and start moving in and out of the pneumatic fittings due to the constant rotating cutting a groove in the tubing, once I applied the easily removable glue to the tube and the lock collar i have never had it come lose without me wanting it to again.
The videos on this channel are on point without useless blabbering, its satisfying to watch and learn even if you have no issues to fix on your printer.
Thank you sir. You have made my 3d printing hobby so much more enjoyable, truly amazing content.
Thank You.
I appreciate this. I've been having many hot end issues lately on my ender 5, my printer has just been offline for over a month because I don't have time to fight with it. This gives some good ideas to get it back going.
I actually cleared a major jam in my hotend and cut about 8 mm off the bottom of my tubing. I re-seated the tubing and all is well. BUT I was worried I would need to do it again. This seems like a brilliant solution. I will print the washer in ABS to resist the heat of standard PLA prints and other materials. Great solution and technique to figure out insert length.
Best fix EVER! Before this i had non-stop clogs
You saved my printer with this video. I had a faulty tube and now my Ender 3 v2 is printing like a champ.
I recommend this mod as a backup too i had the tube snap and needed some parts to provent a line stop this got us back up and running
These videos are an oasis of calm in a world of overproduced noise! Today's project tho I'll probably make the washer in ally so my lathe doesn't sulk!
I love your videos and they are very helpful and informative, but one thing I just can't figure how and it's why you glorify the Capricorn tube cutter so much? it sucks - the blade flexes while cutting and the cut is angled 100% of the times, let alone that it doesn't hold the tube straight, and the tube is always curved... What am I missing here?
i made the changes to my hotend , that you discribed , and my printer is working better than ever before . thank you
While this is a nice fix, the washer is redundant. Just cut the tube inside the hotend a little short, insert,then install the coupler, screw until it's about 1 and a half turn out from end, insert the long tube at the top until it makes contact with the cut tube inside, lock the coupler, and screw it tight. That last 1.5 turns is enough to push the tube down and keep it in place. Been running it this way on my ender 3 v2 for over 2 months and no issues.
This helped me so goddamn much I owe my printers existence to you
@@Sokol9r Glad I can help! Happy printing!
@@Sokol9r ps the same trick works on the extruder end. Just no inner tube to worry about.
Kaotictube - That still relies on the coupler holding the PTFE in place. Might as well just not cut the PTFE and use one piece like stock setup.
@@FilamentFriday that is true but it prevents cutting a whole bowden tube as you only need to cut a length for the inner tube and retain the main section, as is the purpose of your video which I appreciate.
Chuck you are awesome. Such simple easy fixes making the biggest difference. Who would have thought?
Chep as you can see the tube fitting wont go all the way in with the printed washer, i had to carve it conical to match the dish shape of the heatsink so the hose fitting goes deeper and locks, i posted a video on the cr10 facebook group but i want to share it to you so you can do a new way to do it, i even had to reduce my flow of how well i made it work 100% sealed
Had the same issue while attempting this on my stock ender 3 today. I was barely able to screw the fitting onto the block and almost stripped the thread before noticing something wasn't right. Solved by by sanding down the printed washer so that it fits inside the hole and lays directly on the cut capricorn PTFE tube, and now it's printing perfectly. Might have needed to tune my extrusion multiplier and e-steps before printing that washer since I had to sand quite a bit off.
@@bryantran1673 look at the thingiverse link i posted here, I made conical washers and a jig so you can fit it correctly
@@tricelbor I don't see a link. I think it got removed? What's the thingiverse item code?
Thank you so much for posting this! I couldn't figure out why my extruder wasn't working, and it turns out my guide tube had melted to the hot end and destroyed it! I purchased a new hot end with the tubing you recommended and now my Ender 3 prints better than ever!
Maybe I missed it but what type of filament did you print the washer with? PLA?
Yes PLA it’s in a cool zone
@@FilamentFriday thank you
Thanks Chuck!!!
Figured I'd post up my little story that was fixed by this video.
In the process of doing this mod, I found a nasty booger of melted plastic down in the heat block. Had NO idea it was down there until I had both the nozzle and the bowden removed.
Come to think of it, that booger was the reason why I had to crank down on the extruder tension AND increase my nozzle temps up just to get anything to print (and we won't discuss the..."quality"...).
So. Now I have Luke's fix, your spacer, Capricorn bowden, a new nozzle, and a clean hotend.
Using your 0.20 profile, my very next print was gorgeous.
I cannot thank you enough for what you have/are providing to the maker community.
I was afraid this would happen: the funnel is too rough, the filament gets stuck on the top/outside opening of the funnel and can't get down into the Capricorn tubing below, I also noticed the washer was ~ 1.5mm smaller diameter than the extruder inner diameter threads, so it can move around quite a lot while installing. I tried assembling with a length of filament going through the top/outside PTFE tubing and sticking out far enough to force the funnel & lower/inside Capricorn tubing into alignment, which seemed to work but then I pulled the filament out and tried pushing it back in, same problem: the funnel just won't align properly :'(
seems I was able to resolve it by poking an awl into the exposed top of the Capricorn tube to expand it so its outer sides are touching the inside of the heatbrake, also sanding the printed insert with a small rounded file as it spins in a drill chuck (careful!! don't snag the file on the chuck, or you're going to have a bad day..!)
I can truly attest to the value of this simple fix. Im here to watch the video again, because i had a fan go out and deciding to rebuild the hotend while im in there, and since because it has been over a year
Could I just replace the whole PTFE tube with the Capricorn tubing?
Yes, I did this but found feeding the filament a little tough because of Capricorn's better/tighter tolerance. I change colors a lot and it became a nuisance.
Tried this in my Ender 5 last month. Working perfectly. I was thinking about an all metal hot end, but given they often jam up , I think I will stick with your method. Thanks.
What material did you print the washer with? Can it be PLA?
according to Chucks Thingyverse comment on the washer file, he printed it in PLA
Yes, I used PLA. If it gets too hot for PLA up there then you have a failing fan.
Chuck you rock, what a wonderful resource for people new to the hobby!
I had issues with extrusion stopping mid print, upgraded the fittings, got a capricon tube, did the trick with the small piece inside the hotend and the washer. Nothing's changed, can't print anything longer than 30minutes.
Check the cooling fan. May be spinning too slow.
Like Chep said, check the hotend cooling fan. You may be getting heat creep. That's where the hotend fan and heat sink can not keep up with the heat generated by the heater cartridge. Alternatively, you may want to turn your printing temperature down depending on what you have it set to.
Edit: after reading some other comments, ensure your hotend fan is facing the right to direction.
Thank you both for the answers, I took apart the hotend again and the washer was completely mashed in the fitting, it's heat problem after all.
I'm glad you addressed the length of the cut ptfe in the nozzle. I had to add 2mm to mine because I was still getting some clogging after a few prints.
Hi friend! So the final lenght was 33,3mm correct? Thank you!
Hey Chuck...do you still use this technique on all your Creality printers? This video was more than a year ago, so thought your opinion may have changed.
I still some using it but I recommend this now. So much better. I’m slowly switching mine over. ruclips.net/video/tYbL-O3FecY/видео.html
Solid technique. This transfers the force to compress the PTFE away from the coupler teeth and instead to the (washer) coupler body. Good job on the washer bevel, that is really important. Capricorn tube is great stuff but it's always about XS. No doubt XS is amazing stuff for higher quality filament and high print temps. No one seems to mention their TL tubing. Always perplexed why TL is not used more frequently, especially on beginner and primary PLA users. TL is not quite XS specs but it has a more stock-ish ID which is more accepting of filament made with varied thickness. You can somewhat see through TL; which I find a useful feature. I am excited to try out this technique using TL in the hot end and either TL or factory Creality tube as the carrier. AKS (or other good) couplers are still a good idea to replace cheaper couplers and keep parts held tight. One meter of Capricorn tube (which ever flavor of choice) could last you a very L O N G time.
I believe the PTFE should be cut .5-1mm longer than the calculated distance so that the nozzle presses firmly against the PTFE tube and leaves no gap.
One way to do this and avoid any measuring, is to remove the heatsink with the heatbreak from the heatblock and insert a long tube with the washer and bowden coupler in place. Cut the PTFE tube so it is nearly flush with the end of the heatbreak but sticks out .5-1mm. Reasemble and you have a foolproof method with no measuring involved.
Hi! I'm watching you from Poland and I'm impressed that you have a video for every problem I find. Thank you very much!
I have done all the above, plus even changed the stock springs. I am printing a print that I have printed many times before with no problems. So it’s not the slicer. But now about 45 minutes into the print it starts skipping, not all over, just the same spots over and over.
I’ve replaced nozzle , extruder, ptfe tube, springs, calibrated, changed filament, aligned bed over and over and even added a washer with the horned to keep Bowden tube close to nozzle. I’ve been living on RUclips and google for help. I’ve tried everything. Please help.
I’m about to pull my hair out lol. I have an Etsy store and have many orders overdue. I’m at my wits end. Any advice is much appreciated!!!!
Im guessing you have taken the whole thing apart already.
Im facing the same issue. I believe it has something to do with the capricorn tubing I have inside, and the PLA cant comfortably get pushed through it and then through the hotend. Skips all over the place, but when i push a bit on the extruder, it does push filament through. Sometimes it just gets stuck too though. Im going to print a new hotend insert, and will add a new piece of capricorn tubing and see if that fixes it! Let me know if any of these fixes help.
@@frankie.7z I did everything you could think of. Cheap recommended I put in a new sd card and realize it. Worked wonderfully. I never would have guessed the card.
Hope this helps
this was my last hope for under extrusion problems... i made all of the correct steps on the fly cos i had no time working hard.. and i thought to do this fix mod! it works and it works beautiful and easy!!! i print it in petg and it runs flowerless!!!! thanks CHEP!!!
Hi there, is this fix necessary if you use the Capricorn tubing throughout the entire setup? Extruder to Hot end?
I think this fix with the washer ensures the cap in the hotend stays put whereas a complete length all the way still has the possible failure point of the top of the connector I.e. it can still come loose as create a gap between the end of the tube and the bottom of the hotend.
You could still use cap all the way along. This fix ensures it is much less liable to coming loose.
Thank you! This has already changed the game for me and my prints.
Will it still work ok if I print the washer out of PLA instead of PTFE?
PTFE is the material of the bowden tube, not the filament, you can do it out of PLA without problem
Really appreciate the "no nonsense" approach. These printers are great with just a few simple tweaks. Thank you for sharing so much.
How do you remove the ptfe tube later on?
Remove nozzle and push out from bottom
@@Rancid_Ninja I did that and it broke my capicorn tube. What tool did you use?
@@michaelquinn1926 Another piece of ptfe tube is the easiest and quickest way. Just remove the nozzle and fitting on top and shove it down from the top.
Love this video. Fyi for those having trouble putting filament through Capricorn tubing inside the hotend. Just use a razor blade corner to shave off and funnel it inwards just like the washer is doing above it as well. Make sure tube is clean before installing.
1th link is broken :(
Thanks. It’s fixed.
Any time I need help I come across CHEP. Just wanted to thank you and hope you are making good money and getting great good perks brother. Appreciate all the help.
Capricorn is a trademark.
Is not a special PTFE tube.
I watch a lot of 3d printer vids and yours are some of the best. Great job and thank you
shit i was following along with the video exactly and didnt print the washer before taking stuff apart
An excuse to buy a second printer. “But hun, I need another in case it breaks while I’m doing a project. I used that myself. I bought a third on the grounds of “what if they both break while I’m doing a project?”.
@@simonsimpson4695 lol if I had space for them i would definitely have already bought a few more ender printers
I tried out the moded version that you gave in the last video. Although it looked very promising in the beginning, the bowden tube kept coming out of coupling after a few hours. The first it happened was when I did a 12 hr print overnight only to wake up to tangled mess of filament. I have hence switched back to the original hot end fix and been printing away for weeks. You live and learn I suppose. Thanks for the great videos.
That’s another reason I abandoned it.
or....... you just slightly loosen your nozle.....hit the ptfe tube to the bottom and tighten back the nozle....no capricorn needed and i'm like you 14 months solid printing without fails or stringing...
Yes, agree..great idea, sqish it, but not too much...🤔🤔😳😳😳😀
Love your videos sir, awesome content. I just got my first Ender 3 pro two weeks ago and your videos have been very helpful. I started printing PETG yesterday and got told by several people to replace the tubing with Capricorn tubes. Since they seem rather expensive, this video helps a ton. I am going to use the standard tube for the guiding and then have Capricorn inside the hotend as you said. I already have the fix in place so installing should be easy. Thank you for your videos!
So, I am still waiting for a printer that has no factory defects when new. Like a printer that no one has to modify after it's been running a while.
That would be the Prusa MK3S. There is a reason it has such a high price compared to equivalent printers. It's not that it's THAT much better than other printers, but because there is incredible support and A LOT of R&D to make it the most consistent, and beginner friendly printer there is. You might need to change the LM8UU bearings and rods after a lot of use, and a couple of nozzles. Other than that it should run flawlessly for years.
Moving parts = wear and tear. No getting around that.
I have just stumbled across these vids. I am a complete novice looking at my first machine and am seriously thinking of the CR10 mini.
It will be used in our caravan as we will be full time on the road, because of movement in the van I am planning on setting it up on the covered in back bed of our Dodge truck.
There is so much to learn lol and I am absorbing it all like a sponge.
THis fixed my problem.. cannot believe I missed this super simple fix!! I cut the bowden with flush cutter, mistake, it made the tube a V and leaked
Thanks for the video!
Just troubleshooting my current issue - did the v tube result in your extruder clicking?
@@nicholas2140 Yes, it would try and feed but the hot end was clogged because the filament was to cold to flow.
I just play your videos just to learn more and more. Thank you for these amazing videos!
Your changes to the washer make sense, definately a mod to do! I've had my original one in for a year or so with no issues 👍
FYI, eventually even the capricorn tubing will need replaced in the hot end. I've used mine like this for 30 months and I was having terrible problems. I pulled the Capricorn 20mm tube out of the hot end and it had melted at the end and had a blob of filament stuck to it.
I have done this mod on a FLSun Q5. Just had to scale the washer a little bit to fit. I printed the washer I abs to make shure it is heat resistant enough. I think one of the biggest advantage of the mod is that it makes changing the nozzle much more comfortable, because you don’t have to push the Bowden down till it touches the nozzle, which always includes a little guessing and hoping it sits flush and seals properly. And especially on a delta there is very much stress on the Bowden coupling because the Hotend is constantly moving in all axis with high speeds and jerks. So a Delta printer will definately benefit from the mod. Thx for showing this simple and effective fix!
In concept, this sounds like a great idea, but if you think about it, the gap between the two tubes might cause an issue if one shifts a tiny bit, witch would cause a road block when feeding filament in. I'm still a bit naive when it come to things like this but it sound like a issue that would drive me crazy
It's great to see this idea so clearly explained. Its also a good way to save money with the Capricorn. I'm forever changing out my nozzles etc and each time snipping a piece off the end. I suppose this way your tube will last "forever".
I found it easier to put the coupler on last because my filament wasn't finding the right holes to go through into the hotend. I inserted the filament thru the Bowden tube, then thru the coupler at the hotend, then let it peek out 3-4mm and then inserted it into the PLA washer, then into the 31mm Bowden tube inside the hotend. Lastly I screwed the coupler on until tight.
Not again... I'm trying to find out why my prints with PETG sometimes give weird black blobs and blobs of over extruded Filament (or so it seems), I find this german guy , look at his video, look at the comments and BOOM there you are again. Fixing something that needs fixing. Good man, love your videos, keep it up.
there's 2 sizes in capricorn btw, xs is the 1.9 you mentioned (also higher heat resist then TL) but the TL version has a 2mm inner diameter
Perhaps someday you can make a video that covers all of the upgrades (with links) for a new Ender 3 user. That way they'll be able to purchase everything with a one shot order.
Thank you so much!!! Got my printer back around Thanksgiving last year, off and on fighting with clogs. I've learned *so* much since then, but the clogs are still haunting me - I'm hopeful this is the trick!!
This is such a minor and easy thing to do but worked like a charm. Thank you very much!
Morning From Niagara falls, I wanted to thank you for you Videos. I always find peace and learning within your voice. Thanks. Plus; I have watched this video a few times ..cheers
My ender 3 has been without issue, besides the bowden tube backing out. I tried different couplers and still had to re seat it on a regular basis. So far this has been the fix. Thank You
Thanks CHEP!
Just printed the washer, and I'll be doing this tomorrow.
Due to a bad Z-Axis switch I just upgraded to a CR Touch and Jyers UI w/ the fancier display firmware. My E3V2 is beginning to feel like a whole new machine.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Wow, I'll have to give this a try. I've been having all sorts of issues printing, and had to replace my hot end due to filament leakage. This is a really good idea!
Thanks Chep!! Had a blockage and performed this fix. Have run a few prints and seems to be working perfectly now.
Thanks so much!!
Timely once again. I wish I would have watched it when it was first posted though. It might have saved me from making a bigger mess that I now have to figure out how to clean up. That will teach me to not have my notifications on.
Once again CHEP saves the day!
Thank you sir. I've been having problems with under extrusion since I changed the complete hot end; inspected the PTFE tubing and found a caramelized like substance coating all over the tubing and inside the heatsink. Just fitted this mod and it's printing great, it took the guess work out of replacing the nozzle.
CHEP you are the king of Creality man! Great videos all around!!!
This just helped me so much I cant even believe. The coupler to my hot end stopped grabbing the ptfe allowing it to come off thankfully i printed the spacer before all this mess happened so I cut my tube and did the mod and what do you know, it bites the tube and I dont have to worry about the other problems this fixes down the line. It definitely made me smile knowing I can print while waiting for the new capricorn set to come in 😊
Capricorn has two versions. The normal one has a inner diameter of 2mm, the XS variant has an inner diameter of 1,9mm. So then there is an disadvantage removed and I would say this mod becomes obsolete when you just install the normal capricorn tube.
Thanks a lot for this fix, it is the only thing that stopped the hot end clogs.
Was searching how far to screw in my nozzle/barrel after I attempted a fix for the issues indicated in this video! What luck! Thanks for the info!
Chuck this is a great idea and was part of the fix to my ender 3 headache!
I ripped out that plastic washer with the hole in it from where the Bowden tube couples to the hot end and it fixed all my jamming issues