E3D just released the v6 version of their popular all-metal hotend, and it's the biggest
update their design has ever seen.
It still looks and feels like an E3D hotend, but almost every single part was redesigned.
The first thing that strikes you when looking at the v6 is just how much smaller it looks
compared to the v5, especially when you're comparing the bowden versions.
Because the v6 now uses the integrated bowden coupler from the Kraken, there is less bulk
sticking out from the top.
And because the heatsink is now seven and half millimeters shorter, you actually gain
print height when upgrading to the v6.
But that's also something to watch out for: If your printer's z axis is already short
on travel, those extra millimeters might actually have you running out of space.
The heatsink now also has more and thinner cooling fins, a smaller overall diameter and
is 10 grams lighter than its predecessor.
The next thing you'll notice is that they ditched the printed fan shroud and replaced
it with a clear injection-molded one, which grabs onto the heatsink much better and helps
dampen the vibrations from the fan.
And, while we're at it, the v6 also comes with the updated and quieter seven-blade fan
instead of the noisy five-blade one that came with the early v5 hotends.
Down at the heater block things have changed, too: One of the greatest annoyances with the
previous E3D hotends was that you needed to basically turn the heater block into a Kapton
burrito to keep the thermistor in place.
With the v6, the thermistor comes with glass fiber sleeving that allow the thermistor's
legs to be simply clamped down with a screw.
I was a bit worried that this screw might come loose over time, but if you tighten it
up well enough, it's going to work much better than Kapton tape.
The heater block now also grasps around the heater cartridge and allows for a slightly
better heat transfer.
E3D's signature heat break has also been updated: It now uses a slightly bigger thread in the
top section to allow for 1.75mm bowden tubing to reach all the way down into the heat break.
But because the heat break acts as a thermal insulator and keeps the top section from getting
hot, you can still use the hotend at up to 300°C, or even hotter when you swap the thermistor
for a thermocouple.
But there is a price to pay for this: Since the heat break is essentially a thin-walled
stainless tube, there is only a limited amount of abuse it can take before it starts to bend.
The redesigned heat break also means that you'll get a bowden-compatible version even
when you have a direct-drive setup - you can use a short piece of bowden tubing and guide
the filament all the way from your extruder gear into the hotend.
For the 3mm versions, you can still choose between a direct-drive and bowden version.
At the same time, the heat break's bore is machined in a different way, which yields
a slightly smoother surface finish and should reduce the force needed to extrude filament.
Now, none of these improvements are game-changers, but they all add up to a hotend that is simply
a much nicer overall product.
In the time that i've been testing it, it kept printing without any hiccups - but that's
something that one should be able to expect from a premium hotend.
For printing ABS, none of the improvements actually make much of a difference - just
like the v5 and v4 before it, it just works.
But for example for PLA, the smoother heat break and the extended bowden tube makes the
hotend less likely to jam.
For flexible or softer filaments, it reduces the chances of the filament buckling in the
extruder and also allows you to print them a tiny bit faster.
The v6 is still easy to service and allows you to swap out nozzles without having to
disassemble any other part of the hotend or having to calibrate your printer every time.
Spare nozzles are available in sizes from a very fine 0.25 to a very coarse 0.8mm - the
hotend comes with a 0.4mm one, which is a good choice for most users.
The whole hotend is still beautifully machined and well-designed with a proper heat management.
Now, because of this, E3D's hotends were always a bit bulky because they use such a large
heat sink and a fan.
The v6 improves on that front, but it's still much larger than for example a Jhead, though
most printer designs nowadays have enough space to use these larger hotends.
It's also not exactly a cheap hotend.
However, i do think it is worth its money - the v4 that i've been using on a daily basis
for almost a year now, has been the most trouble-free and most precise hotend that i've ever owned.
The v6 only improves on that with many new details that honestly don't make it a revolutionary
new product, but rather one that combines tried-and-true concepts with smart, straightforward
updates to the already exceptional predecessor.
And that, i think, makes the E3D v6 the most versatile and simply the best hotend there
is today.
I'm Tom, thanks for watching.
Check out my build guide for the v6 if you want to see more of its new details.