Back to: 3D PRINTING: From Ideas to Objects!
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The nozzle is the part of the printer that melts and deposits material, usually plastic, to create your object. Here’s how it works:
Photo credit: wevolver.com
Plastic Filament
- The process starts with a spool of plastic filament, like PLA or ABS. This filament is like a long thread of plastic.
Feeding and Heating
- The filament is fed into the printer’s extruder, which pushes it towards the hot end where the nozzle is.
- The nozzle heats up to a specific temperature (e.g., 180°C for PLA) to melt the plastic just enough so it flows smoothly but doesn’t drip uncontrollably.
Melting and Extruding
- The melted plastic comes out of the nozzle in a fine stream.
- As the nozzle moves along the X and Y axes, it lays down the melted plastic in the exact shape of your design.
- Once the first layer is complete, the printer moves up slightly along the Z axis to add the next layer.