Filament Heads

Filament heads are how we print (using FFF or FDM) with filament-based materials which are deposited at over 150°C, depending on the head.

Note that at present, our Filament heads work with 1.75mm filament (actually, 1.6mm to 1.9mm), but not 3mm filament.

Materials for Filament Heads

The following materials can be printed from Filament heads.

• ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
  • Flame Retardant ABS
  • ABS - PC Alloy
  • Conductive ABS
  • Smart ABS
• BendLay
• Flex 45
• HIPS (High-Impact PolyStyrene)
• LayBrick
• LayWoo-d3
• MoldLay
• Ninjaflex
• Nylon
  • Taulman 618, 645, 910
• PC (PolyCarbnoate)
• PEI (PolyEtherImide) - AKA Ultem
• PEEK (PolyEther Ether Ketone)
• PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate)
• PETG PolyEthylene Terephthalate Glycol-modified)
• PLA (PolyLactic Acid)
  • EcoFlex PLA
  • Conductive PLA
  • SS PLA (Stainless Steel infused)
• PlastInk_Rubber
• PP (PolyPropylene)
• PVA (PolyVinyl Alcohol)
• T-Glase
• Ultem

Filament Heads

Filament-based printing is available through the following heads:

• 

  MK1-250

• 

  MK2-250

• 

  MK1-450

• 

  HT1-250

• 

  HT1-450

• 

  HT3-250

• 

  HT3-450

1. General Filament Head Videos:
   1. MK Series Printing Tips
   2. Post Processing with a Heat Gun
   3. Loading and Unloading Filament in the MK Series head
2. MK1-250 Extruder for Standard Filament Videos:
   1. Overview
   2. Loading and Printing
3. MK2-250 Extruder for Flexible Filament Videos:
   1. Overview
   2. Loading and Printing
4. MK1-450 Extruder for High-Temperature Filament Videos:
   1. Overview
   2. Loading and Printing

Please see our Data Sheets as well.

Table of Filament Heads

The following table compares the properties of the various Filament heads, including which heads are recommended for which materials. The MK1 heads drive matieral from one side, with a spring-loaded bearing system to maintain pressure and positioning. The MK2 heads drive the material from both sides, and are designed for more flexible filaments.

Filament Head Properties

Head	Min Temp	Max Temp	Filament Type	Filament Size in mm	Nozzle Type	Nozzle Sizes in mm	Recommended For	Description
MK1-250	150°C	250°C * 265°C	Standard	1.75 +/- 0.15	Hyrel Special	.35, .50, .75, 1.0	ABS, HIPS, LayBrick, LayWood, Nylon, PC, PET, PETG, PETT, PLA, PP, PVA, T-Glase	Standard Torque for 1.75mm Filaments
MK1-450	275°C	450°C	Engineering	1.75 +/- 0.15	E3D v6 or MK8 compatible	standard options	PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PEKK, PPSU	Standard Torque for High Temperature 1.75mm Filaments
MK2-250 extra torque	150°C	250°C	Flexible	1.75 +/- 0.15	Hyrel Special	.35, .50, .75, 1.0	BendLay, EcoFlex PLA, FilaFlex, Flex45, Ninjaflex, PlastInk Rubber	High Torque for Flexible 1.75mm Filaments
HT1-250 high torque	150°C	250°C * 265°C	Standard	1.75 +/- 0.15	E3D v6 compatible	standard options	ABS, HIPS, LayBrick, LayWood, Nylon, PC, PET, PETG, PETT, PLA, PP, PVA, T-Glase	High Torque for Standard 1.75mm Filaments
HT1-450 high torque	275°C	450°C	Engineering	1.75 +/- 0.15	E3D v6 or MK8 compatible	standard options	PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PEKK, PPSU	High Torque for High Temperature 1.75mm Filaments
HT3-250 high torque	150°C	250°C * 265°C	Standard	2.85 +/- 0.15	E3D v6 compatible 3 mm bore	standard options	ABS, HIPS, LayBrick, LayWood, Nylon, PC, PET, PETG, PETT, PLA, PP, PVA, T-Glase	High Torque for Standard 2.85mm Filaments
HT3-450 high torque	275°C	450°C	Engineering	2.85 +/- 0.15	E3D v6 or MK8 compatible 3 mm bore	standard options	PEEK, PEI (Ultem), PEKK, PPSU	High Torque for High Temperature 2.85mm Filaments

* limited use at up to 265°C

Research Papers Citing Hyrel Filament

These are now listed by year here.

Firmware Versions for Filament Heads

Firmware information is listed on our Firmware page.

Settings for Filament Heads

All printers and heads shipping after 1 Jan 2020 have shipped with some release of version 4, and these values are shown below.

Older settings are listed here.

Some settings for the MK-Type heads (like temperature, prime/unprime values) will vary, depending on what material you are printing with. Nozzle diameter should accurately reflect what nozzle you have loaded (0.5mm is default) AND what path width you sliced for (recipe path or extrusion width should be nozzle diameter plus 10%). Having said that, here are our default shipping settings:

Settings	MK1-250, MK2-250	MK1-450	HT1-250	HT1-450	HT3-250	HT3-450
Material
Type	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)
Color	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)
Nozzle	0.500	0.500	0.500	0.500	0.500	0.500
Layer	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)
Temp Info
Print Temp	240	410	240	410	240	410
Power Factor	100	100	100	100	100	100
Minimum	0	290	0	290	0	290
Maximum	250	450	250	450	250	450
Overrides
Pulses / µL	84.5	84.5	175	175	?	?
Multiplier	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000
Prime
Steps	200	200	300	300	?	?
Rate	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
Dwell Time	35	35	30	30	?	?
Before Tool Change	2 / n/a / n/a
Unprime
Steps	200	200	300	300	?	?
Rate	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
Dwell Time	-35	-35	-30	-30	?	?
After Tool Change	2 / n/a / n/a
Offsets
Clone Head	Off	Off	Off	Off	Off	Off
X	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000
Y	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000
Z	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000	0,000
Head Info
Model	MK1, MK2	MK450	MK1, MK2	MK450	MK1, MK2	MK450
PCB Type	4988/160J	4988/160J	4988/160J	4988/160J	4988/160J	4988/160J
RTD Type	1k_PRTD	1k_PRTD	1k_PRTD	1k_PRTD	1k_PRTD	1k_PRTD
Plot Settings	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)	(any)
Motor Settings
Step Mode	16th	16th	16th	16th	16th	16th
Motor Current	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal	Normal
Max Jog Rate	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Rot Speed	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500	1,500
Settings	MK1-250, MK2-250	MK1-450	HT1-250	HT1-450	HT3-250	HT3-450

Changing Nozzles

How to disassemble the nozzle from the MK1 head:

1. Carefully:
2. Heat to the printing temperature of the material loaded.
3. Move the manual lever to the left, retracting material until it is free of the hobbed shaft, then remove by hand.
4. Turn off heat to the head and remove it from the yoke.
5. With a 1/4" driver or wrench, remove the nozzle.
6. Inspect the nozzle cavity for any stray material; if found, remove with tweezers, solvent, air pressure or other means.

How to reassemble the nozzle on an MK1 head:

1. Carefully:
2. Ensure your MK1 has no filament loaded.
3. With a 1/4" driver or wrench, attach the nozzle.
4. Use normal procedure for heating and loading filament.