What is an effective way to clean a 3D printing nozzle without involving excess heat?

[Simple Jack]

What is an effective way to clean a 3D printing nozzle without taking it to a blow torch? I've seen a few videos on where it's an option. I frankly don't feel comfortable taking my nozzle to a blow torch. My nozzle is all gunked up and clogged with PETG. I prefer to clean my nozzle without the involvement of fire or excess heat. A liquid cleaning solution comes to mind but I don't know what solution would be safe to leave my nozzle soaking in. What solution can I leave it soaking in for a short period and clean it out afterwards? I would like to do a very thorough clean out of my nozzle. Please and thank you for any and all help.

[manikyath]

heat it to the melting temperature of the plastic that's clogging it, and push it trough with the same or a similar heat plastic.

 

past that, a small drill is your best option.

[DoctorNick]

33 minutes ago, Simple Jack said:

What is an effective way to clean a 3D printing nozzle without taking it to a blow torch? I've seen a few videos on where it's an option. I frankly don't feel comfortable taking my nozzle to a blow torch. My nozzle is all gunked up and clogged with PETG. I prefer to clean my nozzle without the involvement of fire or excess heat. A liquid cleaning solution comes to mind but I don't know what solution would be safe to leave my nozzle soaking in. What solution can I leave it soaking in for a short period and clean it out afterwards? I would like to do a very thorough clean out of my nozzle. Please and thank you for any and all help.

You can buy cleaning fillament if you want. or do this: 

 

4 minutes ago, manikyath said:

heat it to the melting temperature of the plastic that's clogging it, and push it trough with the same or a similar heat plastic.

 

past that, a small drill is your best option.

You can clean it on the outside with a soft cloth and alcohol like ethanol while heated. You might not want to heat it up all the way. Remove fillament from the print head before you begin the cleaning process.

[manikyath]

2 minutes ago, DoctorNick said:

You can buy cleaning fillament if you want. or do this: 

 

You can clean it on the outside with a soft cloth and alcohol like ethanol while heated. You might not want to heat it up all the way. Remove fillament from the print head before you begin the cleaning process.

if you have a clog you need to push trough, no amount of alcohol is getting that out.

also, note i said the melting temperature of the plastic, not the printing temperature.

i clean PLA out my print head at around 175c

[DoctorNick]

23 minutes ago, manikyath said:

if you have a clog you need to push trough, no amount of alcohol is getting that out.

also, note i said the melting temperature of the plastic, not the printing temperature.

i clean PLA out my print head at around 175c

Please read my post again...

Edit: But yes it depends on fillament. I use 210c for petg and 230c for another roll of petg.

[Imbadatnames]

Heat gun 

[Isuck Assimov]

You could try to use a solvent, but using heat and a syringe needle or something comparable to remove the clog would probably be cheaper and less dangerous.

https://www.3dprintbeast.com/petg-solvent/
 

Quote

Here are some of the solvents that can dissolve PETG successfully:

• Ethyl Acetate
• Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)
• Toluene
• Tetrahydrofuran
• Dichloromethane

While there are many choices, we ONLY recommend working with ethyl acetate for those who don’t have prior experience with solvents, considering the rest are for professional use and can be highly dangerous in a household environment.