Community Favorite E3D v6 Information and Installation Guide

Thread Contents

• General information on E3dv6 (post #1)
• E3Dv6 Assembly instructions (post #2)
• E3Dv6 installation instructions (post #3)
  • Additional video resources (post #4)
• Required firmware edits (post #5)
  • Optional firmware edits (post #6)
• E3Dv6 Mods and Upgrades (post #7)

General Information



Print the Widest Range of Materials Possible.

Building on our signature high temperature performance that allows you to print high temperature materials we've now focused on adding increased functionality with soft and flexible filaments. By providing a PTFE liner tube through the hotend that you can extend into your extruder this gives the ability to add the confinement and constraint needed to make excellent quality prints with flexible filaments like NinjaFlex, FlexPLA and FlexPolyester. This opens up a huge range of new opportunities for your printer.

High Temperature Performance.

With no PEEK or PTFE in hot regions of our HotEnd we can reach 300°C with the supplied thermistor. By swapping a thermistor for a thermocoupler (may require additional electronics) you can reach over 400°C.

This not only allows you to print extremely high temperature materials like Polycarbonate and Nylons but also eliminates HotEnd meltdown failures associated with PEEK/PTFE designs. Although our latest v6 hotend has a PTFE liner inside the hotend this liner is never subjected to high temperatures so there is no risk of damaging the liner through overheating.

Our new heat block gives the fastest heat up times and the most responsive temperature control by clamping around the cartridge for maximum thermal contact. The new thermistor placement means you get the most accurate temperature readings with the fastest response. What this means for you the user is that you can go from 20C to 200C in just 65 seconds, temperature control is responsive enough that you can keep the hotend within 0.5C of your set temperature or less with ease.

Reduced Bulk and Z-Height.

We've focused on cutting as much bulk from the E3Dv6 as possible. This means an overall length of just 62 mm and significant reductions in bulk in the X/Y dimensions by using our new injection molded fan duct.

Easy Assembly and Maintenance.

We've eliminated Kapton tape or any other adhesives from the assembly process of v6. The new thermistor simply clamps into place with a small screw, high temperature glass sleeving is used to insulate the thermistor legs. This makes installing or removing the thermistor a quick and clean process compared to previous methods involving fiddly kapton taping. No soldering is needed as we supply supply solder free ferrules for making heat-resistant, quick and easy electrical connections to the thermistor legs. Most parts of the hotend simply screw together, the new fan duct simply clips into place and can be oriented in many different directions to suit your particular setup.

High Quality Printing.

We've kept our sharp thermal transition that gives the high quality printing performance users have come to expect from E3D hotends. A sharp thermal break gives better control over filament output so you get more immediate start and stops when extruding as well as retracts that are more effective in combatting ooze. For the user this means sharper more accurate prints that have less stringing, oozing or blobs on the prints.

Adaptable To Suit Your Needs.

Our range of nozzle sizes gives you more opportunity to choose how you want to print. While our default 0.4 mm nozzle gives great prints with a good balance of speed, ease and resolution we are offering a range of nozzles that have special geometries that are tailored to the specific needs of how you want to print. The shape of the tip of the nozzle is key to how the hotend extrudes and flattens a track of plastic. By matching the size of the tip of our nozzles to the width of track of plastic we are able to print with increased resolution in smaller nozzle sizes and with our larger nozzles we've customized the geometry so that you can easily lay down large layers for fast strong prints. Nozzles are easily and quickly changed out because of their hexagonal shape.

Easy Mounting and Community Support.

We've kept our same 16mm groove mount dimensions from v5 to ensure that as much compatibility is maintained as possible with our extensive range of community designed mounts. See here for examples: Thingiverse

We have an active user base on many printer forums, including RepRap Forums, Google+, SeeMeCNC, Solidoodle, Ultimaker and many others. We also maintain our own E3D Forum where many people share and collaborate on clever solutions for mounting on various printers. We value the community that use our product and look to support development wherever possible.

We're always there to support you in using your HotEnd - whether that means giving advice on public forums, or private email support by our contact system. We stand behind our product and want make sure every customer gets the support they need.

Looks Cool.

With our CNC machined parts, our injection molded translucent blue fan duct, neat thermistor mounting with matching blue sleeving we have what we think is a really great looking product. Looks matter, and not only will your prints be the envy of your maker friends, your printer will look great while printing too!

Overhauled for Reliability.

We've taken and good hard look at how failures happen and worked with our community to identify and rectify problems. We've developed a new manufacturing process for our heat breaks that gives a fantastic surface finish which reduces the force needed to restart extrusion which helps reduce forces during frequent and long retractions such as those in bowden systems. We've redesigned the internal shape of our nozzles to reduce pressure needed to extrude which results in increased reliability and better print quality.



Source: E3D-Online website product page

 

Assembly Guides

E3D has a very detailed and thorough assembly documentation here: http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6-Assembly

Several YouTube videos also describe assembly procedures:








Additional video annotated in Spanish:

 

Installation Instructions

Installing the E3Dv6 on the robo3d is relatively simple. Just make sure to read this guide first and print any needed parts.

Step 1: Removal

Important: If you have a R1+ with quick release plate, you will need to print a new quick release adapter before disassembly. This one works well. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1192896

To begin with the question often comes up "How Do I remove my old hot end?" The answer is pretty simple. There are two screws holding the hot end in place for pre R1+ models and a simple slide out quick release plate on the R1+. The picture below shows the older model. For the newer, you just loosen the two screws on the bottom of the carriage.



The attachment works by the screws thread into the heat sink's J-head slot itself. This physically deforms the metal but provides a secure connection. Try not to take it out too many times or else it can cause it to become loose.

Step 2: Parts Fan Holder

Secondly, you'll need to print a new parts fan holder. It is advisable to do this BEFORE installing the E3D to save on installation time. The fan holder can easily be printed in PLA without using a parts fan. Obviously ABS is ideal as a fan is not suggested for ABS prints:

There are a few on thingiverse to choose from:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:186027
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:480350
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:226998

Let me know if there are others to add to this list.

To remove the stock fan holder and fan remove the two screws here. While you have these out follow the steps below to drill out for the PTFE tube. Use the 30mm v6 fan



This is what it will look like all said and done:



Step 3: Wiring

The third gotcha is the wiring. The v6 comes with long enough wires to not need to modify anything, though some users might want to use the stock clips. These are considered Waterproof JST connectors and can be found on amazon or eBay:

Amazon Prime Link
eBay Worldwide Search Link
Banggood (US and China)
​

If you prefer to run the wires back to the board you can follow this wiring guide, making sure to connect to the hot end positions:


Step 4: Making it fit and the PTFE tube

The fourth would be "What do I do with the PTFE tube?"

To Start, the PTFE tube is CRITICAL for the hotends operations. If you don't use the PTFE there's a very good chance of jamming or buckling of the filament. Definitely include it.

At a minimum trim the PTFE at the top of the pneumatic fitting. I don't advise this as it can be difficult to insert filament and negates the real benefits offered by the v6, such as flexible materials.

Instead I suggest you modify the Greg's Wade Extruder base piece, by drilling out a 4.2mm hole or a #20 drill bit. This will allow for the PTFE to be fed up to just beneath the hobbed bolt. You'll then trim away filament just below the bolt to allow for as seemless of a transition from the hob to the nozzle:





To ensure the pneumatic fitting isn't being pressed against the carriage, I also advise you counter bore the seat for the J-head with a 9/32" (~7mm) drill bit to about 3mm deep. you can go deeper without any issue, but just enough to allow the flat on the j-head to press up against the Greg's Wade.




After drilling out the hole it should like this:


You may also see the 30mm fan butts up against the M4 screw that secure the extruder assembly. It should be fine though if it presses down a bit.

Step 5: Hot End Fan

The final is "Where to plug in the hot end fan"

The Fan however requires a dedicated 12v supply. You can run the fan off of these ports .

This one is preferred as it is fuse protected from the PSU:



This one is less preferred but still what most people do as it doesn't require a connector and still works fine as long as you're careful to prevent shorts:



Source: @Mike Kelly E3D v6 information, installation Guides and Review Post #1

 

Video Installation Instructions

 

Required Firmware Edits

The final step of installing the E3D is modifying the firmware. The conversion is pretty simple and only 2 values are being changed.

Max Temp: 290-330

Search for this line in the appropriate version of firmware for your specific printer (located in the file named configuration.h):

Code:

#define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 290    //robo

and change it to this:

Code:

#define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 320    //robo

Sensor Type: 5 (for semitec thermistor)

Look for this line in the appropriate version of the firmware for your specific printer (located in the file named configuration.h):

Code:

#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 1    //robo

and change it to this:

Code:

#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 5    //robo

Note: If you are using the stud thermistor from printedsolid.com or the OEM supplied thermistor from Robo3D, no thermistor firmware changes are required.

 

Optional Firmware Edits

PID tuning

A Robo 3D printer controls the temperature of the Hot End and (if it has one) the heated bed. Typically a temperature control algorithm inside the Arduino reads the temperature from a thermistor, and then drives another pin connected to a MOSFET that connects or disconnects 12 V power to a resistance heater.

If a given temperature controller can't hold the temperature to within the desired range of temperatures around the desired temperature, there are a variety of things you can do:

• Increase the thermal mass.
• Add insulation, so it doesn't cool off as quickly and requires less power.
• Reduce power to the heater, so it doesn't heat up as quickly.
• Switch to a better sensor.
• Use more than one sensor -
• Switch to a more robust temperature controller

Marlin firmware already contains that robust controller and it is PID based. PID tuning refers to the parameters adjustment of a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm used in Marlin firmware for hot ends and heated beds.

The following wiki page explains PID tuning in relation to Marlin firmware used in all versions of Robo 3D Printers, http://reprap.org/wiki/PID_Tuning

Once you have determined the correct PID values for your particular setup, look for the following lines in the file named configuration.h (in the approriate firmware for your Robo model):

Code:

// Ultimaker
    #define  DEFAULT_Kp 22.2
    #define  DEFAULT_Ki 1.08
    #define  DEFAULT_Kd 114

The P (Kp), I (Ki) and D (Kd) values derived from the PID auto-tuning procedure replace the values in the lines listed above.

Note: Some versions of the Robo firmware may not have PID enabled, a quick search for the following line will determine if it is and appropriate steps can be taken to ensure it is enabled.

Code:

#define PIDTEMP

Extruder eStep Calibration

Now that you have an E3Dv6 installed in your Robop printer you may find that retuning all of your slicer profiles is in order. Before adjusting slicer settings it would be a good time to make sure that when you ask your printer to extrude 100 mm of filament that it actually extrudes 100 mm. That is done by testing and tuning the eSteps. The following video describes the process of testing for and editing firmware for the correct number of eSteps for your printer setup.



Once you have determined the correct number of eSteps for your particular printer look for a line in configuration.h that looks like this:

Code:

#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   {80,80,800,723.38}  // default steps per unit for RoBo 3D R1

and replace the 4th parameter (723.38) with the number you determined by testing to be correct.

 

E3Dv6 Mods and Upgrades

The E3D hotend has gone through a lot of changes to get to version 6. Since version 6 not much has been or needed to be improved, but there are a few items that can make life easier and they are listed here.

Cooling Fan Size Upgrade

The E3Dv6 comes with a 30 mm X 30 mm X 10 mm fan, most of them will develop noise or fail after a period of time. While they are easier to replace than the 25 mm square fan used in the Hexagon hotend they all suffer from relatively low airflow and/or static pressure. A 40 mm x 40 mm x 10 mm fan will work better but wont fit the default shroud. The following model posted on Thingiverse will allow you to mount a 40 mm fan without changing the overall space needed to mount the E3Dv6.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:929326



Stud Thermistor

The small glass bead thermistor used in the older E3Dv6, while innovative in its mounting at the time, can still pose problems for less than nimble fingered enthusiast. without upgrading the entire heat zone the easiest way to solve this is using a stud thermistor. The stud thermistor is simply a glass bead thermistor encased in an M3 stud and screws into the threaded hole normally reserved for the thermistor retention screw. Advantages are a less fragile bead, easier installation eliminating the possibility of shorted wires and no modification to the firmware since the stud thermistor is identical to the default thermistor configured in Marlin firmware and used by Robo3D.


Where to buy:

PrintedSolid.com
Amazon (No Prime links)
eBay Worldwide Link
Banggood (China)
​

Block & Sock Upgrade

The first and most obvious advantage to these is it rids the E3Dv6 of the horrible blackened smear of burnt on plastic that we’ve come to know, hate, but accept as an inevitability. Instead you have a clean, attractive blue cover. It’s not just about keeping things pretty though, these add some significant functional benefits.

The socks are made from a silicone rubber, the same sort of stuff that flexible rubber-like bakeware is made from. Except we don’t have to conform to food standards, so we could test a wide range of engineering grade silicone resins, optimising for temperature resistance and not adhering to molten plastic.

They are optimized for 0.40mm nozzles but as silicone is flexible these will fit nozzles from 0.25mm to 0.80mm without issues. The most significant functional advantage is that they keep heat inside the hotend where it belongs, and not out causing trouble where it shouldn’t. This means you can have a powerful undusted blower fan pointing right at the tip of the nozzle giving extremely effective print cooling without causing a drop in nozzle temperatures.

A custom made thermistor encapsulated into an easy to use cartridge package. Using our proven Semitec 104GT thermistors, which are then potted into a cylindrical copper cartridge with a high conductivity ceramic based adhesive. The legs are insulated with fiberglass sleeking, and terminated with a Molex Microfit 3.0 connector.

This heater block works with our New Standard thermistor sensor for V6... Along with our other temperature sensor cartridges, this now allows you easily swap to use our high temperature, high accuracy PT100 temperature sensors on your E3D-v6 HotEnd, or a Type-K Thermistor cartridge, instead of a thermistor.




V6 PT100 Total Upgrade Kit

PT100's are high temperature, high accuracy temperature sensors that you can now on your E3D-v6 HotEnd instead of a thermistor or thermocouple. PT100's are able to measure higher temperatures than thermistors -up to 400C, and are more accurate then both thermistors and thermocouples in general. Our PT100 sensors are also very easy to handle, being of a metal cartridge construction that is secured with a set screw, no more fiberglass sleeving or clamping washer.

If you want experiment with printing the crazy high temperature materials, get more accurate temperature readings, and have a much more robust and easy to assemble temperature sensor then a PT100 is an ideal option.

This is a kit that provides everything you need to get up and running with a PT100 sensor on most machines. Requires a controller board that is running Marlin or Repetier with a spare analog input pin.

This kit contains a PT100 sensor, a heater block that is compatible with that sensor, an electrical amplifier board to connect the PT100 to your printer controller board, and the required screws for holding everything together.

 

New information on Upgrades added.

 

You can't change them in MatterControl, you can change them in the source then recompile and upload the source using the Arduino IDE available for free download at httpL//arduino.cc

 

Look at the thread on the R1+ RAMPS board, probably closest:

http://community.robo3d.com/index.p...and-rewiring-to-make-generic-ramps-work.8356/

Ping @Geof if that doesn't get you there. He has one.

 

The name in the comments is irrelevant as long as you change the values (and they are not commented out)
I would suggest adding your own comments.

#define DEFAULT_Kp 22.2
#define DEFAULT_Ki 1.08
#define DEFAULT_Kd 114

There should only be one set of those lines that is NOT commented out.

 

Any line starting with "//" is ignored by the compiler.
Those are "comments" hence -- commented out

 

Yup.

 

To be safe issue an M502 and then an an M500 from your GCode terminal