How to Fix a Leaking Micro Swiss All Metal Hot End on a CR10S Pro V2

[@FlorianGronau]

For everyone not willing to watch the whole hour: at around 24:50 - 27:20 you get an explaination on how to assemble your MicroSwiss to avoid any leakage that goes beyond most other videos. This video is very valuable regarding the cleanup of the leakage mess but also regarding advice on how to avoid such a mess by assembling the MicroSwiss hotend the right way. Thanks a lot 🙂 Only downside is the length of that video. If you would break that video down to ~10min, this would be very helpful. Friendly advide: Put that 30min of bed leveling, gantry adjustment and test printing in another 10min video - although many vidos do exist on that topic already

[@vbared]

Hello Florian, Thànk you for commenting, your kind words, and the great feedback on improving my delivery of info. I'll work on cutting out the least relevant video segments of moving them to a new video. Best of luck with your projects!

[@chrisjamieson6818]

THANK YOU. no one has time for this.

[@thefeet]

i came here looking for a quick/dirty video as a refresher.. this is the 4th time ive had to do this... this video wasn't available back in the day...i highly recommend folks watch it ALL. It HAPPENS over time(heat/vibration) & eventually they will come loose and leak /shrug ..no getting around it

[@thefeet]

Actually.. for those wanting the TL:DR the secret info is at 19:20 . /wink and I, for one, could have used this video 4 years ago the 1st time this happened to me.

[@livefreeprintguns]

You're an absolute legend... I spent the entire day doing a complete teardown of my Neo and was able to completely clean my hot end and finally get back up and running! I still need to get a new extruder gear, and I am planning on eventually replacing the stock hot end but at least I'm able to continue printing until then! I also learned my issues started when the nozzle was flush with the heater block and not the heater break... it makes SO MUCH SENSE now after watching your video and getting hands-on with disassembling, cleaning all the parts and then reassembling it. Thank you so much again!

[@vbared]

Hi buddy, Thank you for your encouragement. I'm glad the guide helped you learn more about how your hotend is put together and how to fix it when things go South. The hotend below is what I have on one of my bowden Ender 3 Pros and a direct drive version on my CR10S Pro V2. Video on the REVO hotend - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqatY2OJmJxmjcUsi=LrjvkksPRCju9F6l REVO CR for your Ender 3 MAX NEO - amzn.to/4dr5xtq It's a game changer!

[@thefeet]

Buddy! I have had to do this 4 times now in the life-span of my ender 3 w/micro swiss direct-drive+all metal hotend... i had 2 leaks recently in less than 2 weeks and knew it was time to do a thorough breakdown/clean again...went hunting for a quick & dirty video but ended up here... glad i did... this is how it should be done! Hopefully it will last another 6 months b4 i have to do this again... eventually they DO LEAK because of extreme temps(up/down) and vibration etc... it is what it is! TYVM! Earned my sub for sure!

[@vbared]

Hi friend, Thank you for commenting and encouragement. I'm glad you found value in this video for your viewing time. Unfortunately, titanium and brass don't play well together, their expansion and contracting properties are such that over time tight seal inside the heat block is lost. I run a small 7 printer farm and have tried many different hotend combinations over the years looking for ones that eliminate this problem. I currently run two styles of hotends reliably without any more leak issues, both are made by E3D and use stainless steel heat breaks with brass nozzles. The first link is the E3D aluminum heat block budget style and the last links are to their new super compact heat sleeve design with seamless and toolless nozzle swapping features. If your budget allows choose either the single nozzle kit or the fully loaded kit that includes different size nozzles. E3D V6 all-metal hotend - amzn.to/3KFvlEl Check out my video below on the E3D hotend that solves this problem for good below along with links to a couple of kit options available. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqatY2OJmJxmjcUsi=2wd42CoIeJnFP3Ta Revo CR 24v hotend - amzn.to/3Xd7yBH​ Revo CR 24v Fully Loaded Kit with 3 additional different-sized rapid change nozzles - amzn.to/3Jfrhe8​

[@davidnunez3523]

My 3d printer nozzle was leaking from the threads and I thought I did something wrong. I had a gap from the heater block but I just needed more torque from a ratchet. The included sheet metal wrench wasn't enough to keep it from leaking but your process here fixed that for me.

[@vbared]

Hi David, Thank you for commenting. I'm glad you found value in this video for your viewing time and resolved the problem with your hot end. Best of luck with your mods!

[@IrulianDark]

Too funny and a very timely video. This just happened to me again with the exact setup you have. Never had an issue before with my other printers, but after switching to Micro Swiss it has happened twice in 100 hours of printing. What a pain!

[@vbared]

Hello rashton33, Thank you for commenting. Yeah, I figured someone somewhere was dealing with this same headache. I have two of the Micro Swiss All metal hot ends one on my Ender 3 V2 and one on the CR10S Pro V2. The first printer is working without any issues since installed. The CR10S Pro V2 has the Micro Swiss's M2 Hardened High Speed Steel Nozzle - MK8 on the all metal hot end. This is the one that has leaked a couple of times. The first time was due to my installation error and the reason I pointed out the needed gap between the nozzle and heat block after it's tight. Hopefully, this will be the last time for awhile. Check out this video for how to fix this issue on a non-all metal hot end setup CHEP KZbin video on how to keep clogs from happening - kzbin.info/www/bejne/baWmqYJnbL2Nqtk Best of luck with your fix!

[@martinalcala2735]

Having this exact issue, thank you so much for sharing your experience

[@vbared]

Hello Martin, Thank you for commenting and encouragement. I'm glad you found value in this video for your viewing time. One thing I learned since making this video is make sure to heat up the heat block with a heat gun before using the tap to clean out the threads to avoid messing them up. Best of luck with your repairs.

[@marksneyd1262]

Hi Victor Happy New Year to you. On your printer what do you set your initial height to between nozzle and bed? I don’t suppose you have a file for printing the squares for a Ender 3 do you also? Many thanks 🙏

[@vbared]

Hi Mark, Happy New Year! I've found that setting a .15mm gap using a feeler gauge works best then fine tune using the squares from there. One important thing to do is set the initial layer, skirt/brim, and prime tower flows under the Materials section in CURA to 120%. This will ensure that you aren't too low to pickup filament along the edges of the nozzle that cause stringing and tiny blobs. Send me an email [e-mail] and I'll send you the files I currently use.

[@1science100]

Thanks for trying to make the leaking Swiss problem hotends better. My Creality Ender 5 Pro did the same thing suddenly these last days. You mentioned the inch pound torque wrench set to 30 inch-pound. But I like to know what wrench you have and where I can buy one. Because I am unsure what yours is. Please add that info to this video. Your video at about 26:21 became clear but I have watched the video several times to make sure I will do it also exactly right (still without any exact pound torque wrench though). Anyway after successful cleaning the Swiss hotend it is somehow damaged in that I can't remove the heatblock from the cooler breaker part anymore that also is not far enough stuck into the cooler block. And to make it worse after that also a replacement new shorter swiss hotend clone can't reach the hotbed by setting the Z-offset because now the hot bed already reached the maximum old Z endstop on my Ender 5 Pro. Those Swiss hotends are sadly quite useless leaking troublemaking expensive components!

[@vbared]

Hi Albert, Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience with the Micro Swiss all-metal hot end. I've switched from using the inch pound torque wrench to a 3D printed torque wrench linked below. I came to the same conclusion, the standard Micro Swiss hot end needs those two side screws like the clone to keep the heat block from coming loose. I run a small print farm and use 2 hot-ends two of my machines running stock MK8 hotends for the last 5 months with no issues. The others are E3D V6 all-metal hotends with 3D printed adaptors that I designed. The MK8 hotend can be made super reliable and good for up to 260c with a piece of Capricorn bowden tube. Check out the video I made on it below. Should you need to print above that temp get the E3D V6 all-metal hotend. I made a video on how to install it on all the Creality printers. I've had zero maintenance to do on it since installing it 7 months ago. E3D V6 all-metal hotend - E3D V6 all-metal hotend - amzn.to/3KFvlEl MK8 hot end fix video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3bHlJSVYrOkr9U E3D V6 all-metal hotend installation video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/movdXpiIaMloj6c Inch pound torque wrench - www.harborfreight.com/14-in-drive-click-type-torque-wrench-63881.html Nozzle Torque Wrench by Perinski on Thingiverse: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4332963 Best of luck with your repairs!

[@1science100]

@@vbared Thanks very much for the tips and fast reply! I now started using a clone Creality Swiss all-metal look-alike hotend. That was the only one I had at hand as replacement. Today I was luckily able to print the case for the on the Prusa webpages found USB cable tester case for the testerboard on eBay and Aliexpress with the active ic controller chips on it. But another new problem started to make printing rather miserable on my Ender 5 Pro. That is the squeeking sound I noticed on the Z spiral axe at rapid Z movements when the hotbed moved up or down. Lubricating sadly had little effect. So I guess that my Ender is starting to deteriorate and needs other replacements now soon too. But I'm unsure what replacements I need and are available? I didn't have those 10mg Grease tubes they advise so bought 2 yesterday. Hope that it helps against the squeeking noise. (; )

[@vbared]

@@1science100 Hi Albert, Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the Ender 5 Pro aside from the components shared with other Creality printers but Doug O'Connor has upgraded many things on his Ender 5 Pro including the installation of the Micro Swiss clone. He might have some info that could help you. Message him at: @Doc' Trains & Modifications Best of luck with your mods!

[@luannels3075]

Awesome videos, just want to know if you ran into any hick-ups with parts wearing out faster with the direct drive upgrade? (Introducing more weight to the nozzle)

[@vbared]

Hello Luann, Thank you for commenting and kind words of encouragement. I haven't experienced premature wear of the belt or wheels yet. I'm sure the extra weight will impact something but it will take a long time. Best of luck with your build!

[@DevilbyMoonlight]

How I manage without a torque wrench is by fitting the nozzle 1st then bottoming it then unwind 3/4 a turn then I fit the heatbreak and snug it up against the nozzle I find thats more than enough to heat tighten a couple of times if I have to, after the 1st print I check to see then again after the 10th, if all is good I leave it alone..

[@vbared]

Hello friend, Thank you for commenting and process for nozzle torquing. Sure that would totally work. I'm currently tightening E3D V6 stainless steel all-metal heat break cold to a brass nozzle at 3 Newton meters. I haven't had a single titanium heat break not come loose at some point and begin leaking filament through the heat break threads. I've tried torquing the nozzles cold, hot, and room temperature but they all come loose eventually. Best of luck with your mods :)

[@DescendedLifeGaming]

This is about to be the 3rd time having this issue and finally looked up how to fix it. This is the first vid I found and makes so much sense on torquing order and also torquing to heat break makes so much sense and I assumed they made the hotend to perfectly "mate." Thanks for the info! Just need to find a small torque wrench, all I have is one for my car lug nuts and too huge.

[@vbared]

Hello DescendedLifeGaming, Thank you for the kind comments. In this video I was able to resolve the hotend issue but despite being torqued and I tried tightening it cold as well as hot the blowouts kept happening. I've since ditched both of my Micro Swiss hotends and upgraded the stock MK8s with the $8.99 two pack of bi-metal heat breaks linked below. The stock MK8 has those two screws that keep the heat block from turning so that type of blowout that happens to Micro Swiss can't happen to the MK8. I tested it for a month on one of my farm printers and switching away from bowden as I service the others. www.amazon.com/dp/B09V46R7YR/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_apa_gl_i_9HJSZYVH9BXDD1G7VF80?linkCode=ml1&tag=vb0a7-20 Best of luck with your mods!

[@DescendedLifeGaming]

@@vbared Great I'll check it out thanks! EDIT: may have to go to a completely new hotend since my stock hotend was the Cr10v2 (big blue casing with the knock off E3D PTFE hotend)

[@davidnunez3523]

@@DescendedLifeGaming I just used a regular 1/4" ratchet and was able to stop leaking. Torque wrench seems like overkill but it works.

[@airingcupboard]

Thanks for this. Very useful. Managed to clean up my hotend using the video and the levelling info is also excellent.

[@vbared]

Hello airingcupboard, Thank you for commenting and encouragement. I'm glad you found value in this video for your viewing time. Best of luck with your projects!

[@marksneyd1262]

Another great video 👍 Do you clean the wham bam plate with anything prior to printing? And can you take a picture of the cable harness from where the old extruder was please cables seem short on mine. Thanks

[@vbared]

Hello Mark, Thank you for commenting and encouraging words. Yes, I clean it before each print with isopropyl alcohol and use steel wool along with the alcohol every 5 prints or so. I deviated some from the installation instructions for the direct drive system and routed my wires differently so as to not lose build volume from cables getting pinched under the upper cross bar. Let me know if this quick video gives you the cable routing view you need. photos.app.goo.gl/qxHLyQXq8hivYdvb7

[@marksneyd1262]

@@vbared thanks for this, really helped me out.

[@marksneyd1262]

@@vbared hi Victor do you have the STL of the small clip that holds the wiring into the micro Swiss back plate please. Thanks

[@vbared]

@@marksneyd1262 Hi Mark, You have a good eye, I made that part about a week after doing the direct-drive upgrade. I added the clip to the original zip file linked below. drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1lM7vr-GJKSqZjkQfOVVfO3q3lF5AXaeT Thank you for pointing it out.

[@marksneyd1262]

@@vbared thanks

[@ing.riccoskombar]

thanks for the video, very helpful. Did you use a specific force in newtonmeter on the torche wrech?

[@vbared]

Hello Ricco, Thank you for commenting and words of encouragement. I'm currently using this 3D printed nozzle torque wrench using the thickest fin insert (linked below) and it has been working fantastic on tightening all my hotends. www.thingiverse.com/thing:4332963 Best of luck with your mods!

[@BushPigADV]

intresting, mine came with a 0.20 feeler gauge. Do you think tighter is better?

[@vbared]

Hi Bush Pig, Mine also came with a 0.2 but I always struggled getting it calibrated after working on the hot end with stock setup. After switching to a .10 feeler gauge I was in the ballpark then just played with z offset to fine tune it. Paying close attention to your calibration prints and how hard or easy brims are to remove. I set my brim flow to 100% and gap at .1 but if it's too hard to remove then I know I'm too low still so I tweak it up .1 till it's easy to remove but not too easy.

[@gabebjerke6033]

I torqued my nozzle to 30 in-lbs and it stripped the threads from the heat block.

[@vbared]

Hello Gabe, Thank you for commenting. I'm sorry that your upgrade didn't go as planned. The 30 inch pounds number was from one of two Micro Swiss's all metal hot end installation video's that was on their website at the time I purchased my first one about 8 months ago. I looked for it just now to send you the link but they now have just the one video that doesn't give the 30 inch pound figure. Please understand that if your torque wrench has ever dropped stepped on, stored without being zeroed out or hasn't been re-calibrated recently the end torque will not be accurate. My instructional videos include this disclaimer: "Use proper eye, hearing, hand, and respiratory protection. This content is for learning purposes only. Follow these instructions at your own risk." Send me your email address to [e-mail] and I'll PayPal you the $16 cost of a replacement Micro Swiss heat block.

[@jure224]

Vielen Dank für die sehr gute Erklärung.

[@vbared]

Hallo Ju Re, vielen Dank f Ihr freundlicher Kommentar. Ich freue mich, dass Sie in diesem Video Wert für Ihre Betrachtungszeit gefunden haben Viel Glück bei Ihren Projekten!

[@markallen623]

What camera are you using to show the Vise grips?

[@vbared]

Hi Mark, Thank you for commenting. I'm using a Motorola G7 on a magnetic stand with a bit of zoom.

[@wsawsawsa]

awesome video, thanks

[@vbared]

Thank you for your kind comment. One thing that I didn't do in the video that I've learned is important is to heat up the hotend using a heat gun before using a tap to clean out the threads. Unheated solidified filament can cause you to strip the aluminum threads.

[@RushHour2k5]

This shit literally just happened to me yesterday on my LONGER LK5 Pro and Micro Swiss Hot End!

[@vbared]

Hello Jordan, Thank you for commenting. I noticed that I've only had this trouble using the Micro Swiss upgraded hardened steel nozzle. The nozzle that comes with the All Metal Hot End kit hasn't had any issues running on my Ender 3 V2. Are you running the stock nozzle that came with the all metal kit? Best of luck with the repair!

[@RushHour2k5]

@@vbared No, I'm using a 3rd party hardened steel nozzle.

[@vbared]

@@RushHour2k5 I spoke too soon a worse leak happened on my Ender 3 V2. It could be my fault since I use a stainless steel brush on the nozzle every few prints. So between the heat cycles and me brushing the heat block is loosening from the heat brake somehow. I'm currently looking at a Micro Swiss copy that has two screws in addition to the heat brake to secure the heat block. I'll make a video on it when it arrives.

[@rileyneufeld7001]

@@vbared Have you tried the triangle labs microswiss clone? Haven't heard of anyone have issues with this on them.

[@vbared]

@@rileyneufeld7001 Hi Riley, Huge coincidence that you mentioned the clone. I ordered it right after the same thing happened to my Ender 3 V2. It was the exact same thing, the heater block loosened from the heat brake despite the heat brake being tightened against it and it being torqued against the nozzle. I like the clone because of the two extra screws that hold it to the heatsink. That should eliminate that problem. Best of luck with your projects!

[@dreamsprayanimation]

26:23

[@vbared]

Hi Stu Pot, I'm needing more information on what question you have.