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Introduction

JellyBOX uses a genuine E3D-Lite6 HotEnd with our own heat block upgrade for faster and easier printing.

Assembly of the hotend should take a quarter to half an hour. Please follow the instructions carefully to ensure that you assemble the HotEnd correctly.

E3D hotends are the most popular hotends in the world - and the most 'cloned' ones, too. We use only genuine E3D parts manufactured in Great Britain - the quality is miles ahead of the atrocious Chinese clones. Our custom heat block is manufactured in the Czech Republic.

Parts of this guide are assimilated from E3D's instructions (the 'old' documentation) - since our HotEnd is 85% original E3D parts, it makes sense to ping back to the source.

PS: The British use 'aluminium' for 'aluminum' = it's the same thing :-)

Parts Used

Metal Parts

1 x Stainless Heatsink (Contains embedded PTFE tube coupling (Black Plastic Collet)

pre-fitted on top)

1 x Custom 20mm Heat Block

1 x Long Volcano Style Brass Nozzle (0.4mm)

Electronics

1 x 100K Semitec 104GT2 NTC thermistor

1 x 12v Heater Cartridge

(the heater cartridge already has pre-crimped wires including parts of thermistor

wires)

2 x 0.75mm Ferrules - for Solder-Free Wire Joins

Fixings

1 x M3x3 socket buttonhead screw and M3 washer to clamp thermistor. This is the

teeny tiny screw.

1 x M3 set screw to fix the heat element

Misc

1 x Hotend Sleeve (fiberglass + red silicone)

1 x PTFE tubing

What you need

  • Vise grip OR ?? 16mm Spanner, or medium sized adjustable spanner capable of

16mm.

  • IMADE3D wrench OR 7mm Spanner OR Nut Driver.
  • M2.5 Hex Key- that's the middle sized one
  • Snips, Wire Cutters
  • Razor sharp knife. 'X-acto' or 'Stanley' types are ideal. Katana may or may not

be ok.

Warnings - Please Read!

You are dealing with high temperatures - the HotEnd gets hot, and may be off

your printer when you do the initial tightening. If you touch it, you will get

burned!

  1. Screw the nozzle into the heatblock (don't tighten). Screw the nozzle into the heatblock (don't tighten).
    • Screw the nozzle into the heatblock (don't tighten).

  2. Insert the heater cartridge into the heatblock. Secure with an M3 set screw.
    • Insert the heater cartridge into the heatblock.

    • Secure with an M3 set screw.

  3. The thermistor is small and fragile. Be gentle with the legs. The thermistor bead is made of glass - don't crush! It is also very small, so don't breathe it in. Slide the glass-fiber high temperature sleeving onto the legs of the thermistor. Make sure to get the sleeving all the way right up against the glass bead.
    • The thermistor is small and fragile. Be gentle with the legs. The thermistor bead is made of glass - don't crush! It is also very small, so don't breathe it in.

    • Slide the glass-fiber high temperature sleeving onto the legs of the thermistor. Make sure to get the sleeving all the way right up against the glass bead.

  4. Bend thethermistor legs 90 degrees about 2-3mm behind the glass bead. The legs must be fully insulated next to the bead. Careful about the sleeving - it will want to slide away. Keep it right against the bead. The legs must be fully insulated next to the bead. Careful about the sleeving - it will want to slide away. Keep it right against the bead.
    • Bend thethermistor legs 90 degrees about 2-3mm behind the glass bead.

    • The legs must be fully insulated next to the bead. Careful about the sleeving - it will want to slide away. Keep it right against the bead.

  5. Due to the manufacturing process, washers often have slightly sharper edges on one of their sides. Make sure to have the smooth side facing away from the screw head - this way the smooth side will be against the sleeving and won't damage the insulation.
    • Due to the manufacturing process, washers often have slightly sharper edges on one of their sides.

    • Make sure to have the smooth side facing away from the screw head - this way the smooth side will be against the sleeving and won't damage the insulation.

  6. Insert the glass bead into the heat block. Insert the glass bead into the heat block.
    • Insert the glass bead into the heat block.

  7. Secure the thermistor in place with the buttonhead screw. Don't overtighten - you don't want to damage the insulation and short-circuit the thermistor.
    • Secure the thermistor in place with the buttonhead screw.

    • Don't overtighten - you don't want to damage the insulation and short-circuit the thermistor.

    • Visually check that the sleeving is insulating the legs of the thermistor right down to the bead.

    • If the legs make electrical contact with the block or each other your temperature readings will be incorrect and you risk overheating.

  8. Split the thin double wire about 5cm and slide heatshrink pieces on both legs.
    • Split the thin double wire about 5cm and slide heatshrink pieces on both legs.

    • Strip about 1.5cm (1/2'') of insulation from the wire ends. Use a wire stripper, knife, snips, scissors, fire, teeth, or a combination of these.

  9. Slide on two ferrules onto the thermistor legs.
    • Slide on two ferrules onto the thermistor legs.

  10. Hook the thermistor legs to the wires. (Snip to length.)
    • Hook the thermistor legs to the wires.

    • (Snip to length.)

    • It does not matter which wire is which. The thermistor does not care about plus and minus.

  11. Slide the ferrules over the hooked wires.
    • Slide the ferrules over the hooked wires.

  12. Crimp the ferrules by firmly crushing them with a pair of vise grips/ pliers. You can use a fancy ferrule crimping tool if you have one, but it's not needed.
    • Crimp the ferrules by firmly crushing them with a pair of vise grips/ pliers.

    • You can use a fancy ferrule crimping tool if you have one, but it's not needed.

  13. Slide the heatshrink down over the now crushed ferrules and shrink into place with a heat source such as a soldering iron, hot air gun or a flame. Slide the heatshrink down over the now crushed ferrules and shrink into place with a heat source such as a soldering iron, hot air gun or a flame. Slide the heatshrink down over the now crushed ferrules and shrink into place with a heat source such as a soldering iron, hot air gun or a flame.
    • Slide the heatshrink down over the now crushed ferrules and shrink into place with a heat source such as a soldering iron, hot air gun or a flame.

  14. Checkpoint Heat Block.
    • Checkpoint Heat Block.

  15. The PTFE liner in Lite6 is an important part and crucial to the correct functioning of your hotend.
    • The PTFE liner in Lite6 is an important part and crucial to the correct functioning of your hotend.

    • The PTFE tubing is mandatory, you must use the tubing or the HotEnd will not function properly.

    • The tubing should be inserted from the top of the now assembled hotend and pushed as far down into the hotend as possible at all times.

    • The end of the tubing that is inserted into the hotend must be cut cleanly and squarely with a razor.

    • To release the tubing from the heatsink simply press down on the black collet in the top of heatsink while pulling on the tubing.

  16. Slide the PTFE tube into the heatsink. Then, push it back up (as much as the black collet on top rises) so that about 2mm of the tubing ends up sticking out of the threaded end.
    • Slide the PTFE tube into the heatsink.

    • Then, push it back up (as much as the black collet on top rises) so that about 2mm of the tubing ends up sticking out of the threaded end.

    • The PTFE guides the filament from the cold side of the heatsink right down into the hot nozzle. For it to do so effectively it must butt up against the nozzle squarely and be positively secured in that position.

  17. Cut the PTFE squarely against the stainless heatsink with a razor blade, x-acto knife, or other very sharp cutting instrument. Cut the PTFE squarely against the stainless heatsink with a razor blade, x-acto knife, or other very sharp cutting instrument.
    • Cut the PTFE squarely against the stainless heatsink with a razor blade, x-acto knife, or other very sharp cutting instrument.

  18. Gently bend the red heat cartridge wires at about 90 degree angle straight back (see picture).
    • Gently bend the red heat cartridge wires at about 90 degree angle straight back (see picture).

    • The wires will sit between the heatblock and the heatsink

  19. Unscrew the nozzle about 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn (90 to 180 degrees) to create a small gap between the nozzle and the heatblock.
    • Unscrew the nozzle about 1/4 to 1/2 of a turn (90 to 180 degrees) to create a small gap between the nozzle and the heatblock.

  20. Screw in the heatsink all the way to touch the nozzle.
    • Screw in the heatsink all the way to touch the nozzle.

    • The wires will sit between the heatblock and the heatsink.

  21. Shrink the leftover heatshrink at an appropriate place. Shrink the leftover heatshrink at an appropriate place.
    • Shrink the leftover heatshrink at an appropriate place.

  22. The PTFE should be sticking out on the top and not moving in any direction. The black collet should be all the way up. None of the heatshrink should ever touch the heatblock. Only the fiberglass sleeving can withstand printing temperatures.
    • The PTFE should be sticking out on the top and not moving in any direction.

    • The black collet should be all the way up.

    • None of the heatshrink should ever touch the heatblock. Only the fiberglass sleeving can withstand printing temperatures.

    • There should still be a small gap between the nozzle and the heatblock. The gap can be smaller than the one in the picture, but some gap must be there.

  23. Before you can use your hotend, you have to perform a  Hot Tightening' procedure. Hot tightening is essential to sealing the nozzle and heatsink together to ensure that molten plastic cannot leak out of the hotend in use.
    • Before you can use your hotend, you have to perform a Hot Tightening' procedure. Hot tightening is essential to sealing the nozzle and heatsink together to ensure that molten plastic cannot leak out of the hotend in use.

    • When done properly there is almost zero chance of leaks. Essentially, we heat up the hotend to 240C and tighten the nozzle. When at lower temperatures the aluminum will contract and lock the nozzle and heatsink together extremely securely.

    • A) If this is the first time you're assembling the hotend, you're done! You'll do the hot tightening once you have an otherwise functioning JellyBOX.

    • B) If you already have some JellyBOX built, then go ahead and follow HotEnd: Hot-Tightening Guide.

Finish Line

Filip Goc

Member since: 01/14/2016

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2 Comments

The link to the “official” guide is incorrect. Perhaps it should go here? https://e3d-online.dozuki.com/Guide/Lite...

SRG - Reply

Thanks @srg ! I have updated the link to the correct one now. … That being said, the new correct link is https://wiki.e3d-online.com/E3D-v6_Assem...) . The link to dozuki is the newest version of E3D’s Lite6, which uses a different kind of thermistor; so the original instructions are actually closer to what we have. Additional issue was is E3D abandoned their wiki in favor of dozuki (following us, clearly), and in the process changed the wiki domain, which is why even legacy links apparently need a refreshment.

Filip Goc -

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