Printing using PLA-Pro - questions before buying a spool

#1

I’ve recently got an M200 and so far only used Zortrax’s own ABS with very good results. I’ve tried some PLA the other day, namely PLA and PLA+ from rigid.ink, results where terrible but I’ve blamed this on the material settings in Z-Suite. Having done more research though I can see that using PLA, even Zortrax’s own PLA Pro isn’t a trivial task on the M200:

Can someone explain why the need for a brand new hot end just to print PLA? isn’t this the easiest material to print with? I’ve never seen any other manufacturers suggesting brand new hot ends for PLA prints, so I’m just trying to wrap my ahead around what makes the M200 different.

Using rigid’s PLA I’ve had no major issues with extraction, but I’ve taken the entire hot end apart and cleaned the nozzle properly before loading PLA (btw this hot end has been used for a long time with ABS). I’m now contemplating getting Micro Swiss hot end for all filament types, but I’m still not 100% the machine can handle PLA without issues.

Regards,
T.

#2

Hey there!
We suggest to use a separate hotend, as the residues of materials with higher printing temperature (such as Z-ABS) can cause issues with extrusion, as Z-PLA Pro prints with much lower temperature.
You thoroughly cleaned your hotend before printing, that’s most likely prevent it from clogging.

#3

Hi Marta,

Thanks for the reply, a few more questions:

  • there seems to be three hot end versions from Zortrax V1/2/3, which one is the latest suitable for a bog standard M200?

  • is the clogging happening in the nozzle as that’s the only part which is not PTFE lined?

  • what symptoms normally point to extrusion issues? Missing steps on the extruder? Filament “balling up” on the nozzle?

Rgds,
T.

#4

V1 Hotend was sold with first hardware versions of M200. V3 Hotend is dedicated for M200 Plus and M300 Plus 3D printers. For M200, you can use Hotend v2.

Clogging can happen both in PTFE tube and in nozzle.
Symptoms of extrusion issues are normally extruder clicking, paths missing on the model or visible artifacts, and generally quality deterioration.