I do like the new socks for the hot end. Certainly it keeps everything looking a lot cleaner and permits more aggressive part cooling. One thing I do notice is that, over time, the sock begins to sag, no longer effectively gripping the top of the hot end. I wonder if anyone else has noticed and/or come up with a solution. At the price they are, I can happily just re-order more. Is sag just an indication that it's time to change, or a design flaw to induce repeat-purchase? Is there an actual degradation in the sock that means I really should change it. Has anyone created some sort of item to help apply pressure to keep the top of the socks over the top of the hot end. Could it just be that the hot end is dirty from previous-non-sock use and that small amount of crap is enough to cause sock droop?
I never thought I'd be talking about droopy socks but yes I've noticed it too. Built in obsolescence? Shocking. I thought about using a loom band to hold it on but I haven't tried yet
I thought about making some clips out of spring steel enclosed in a length of teflon heat-shrink tubing to avoid shorting the heater accidentally, but I haven't tried it yet
I found that there is a gradual build-up of filament under the nozzle due to capillary(?) action that eventually pushes the sock down such that the sock touches the printed surface and drags slightly causing further movement of the sock; I clean under the sock regularly.
I used a cable tie around the block. I was careful to make sure the tie doesn't touch the heater, the bare block or any of the cables. Works well, will see if I can find a pic. ...... Pic's here: https://forum.e3d-online.com/index....-part-cooling-shroud-upgrade.2282/#post-25032
Wow. I wonder what those things are made of ... I guess it must be ABS-based or there's no way that would have stayed. I like this idea though. I had tried bending a paper clip around the sock and just couldn't get it to settle.
No. Most are much lower temperature plastics. Also teflon tubing can't shrink as much other types. My usual go to is polyolefin but teflon is your best bet at high temperatures. Any higher and you go to fiberglass sleeving or some other non metallic non polymer. If you're curious go here https://www.mcmaster.com/#heat-shrink-tubing/=15p70cn You'll find a very helpful table if you click on About Wire and Cable Protection
OK. So I just pulled the saggy sock off. Here it is, as it came off, side by side with a brand new one. As you can see, I don't seem to get a lot of build up on the bottom of the sock. Any kind of print fail inevitable leads to friction against the sock and, as you can see here, the hole has enlarged itself. I think sagging could also lead to this hole enlargement and that could well add to a build of material inside the sock. However ... As you can see here, I have virtually zero content inside the nozzle. There is some sticky stuff in there though, so perhaps that's what Mike's talking about. It's also discolored slightly vs a brand new one. A closer inspection inside ...
It isn't an intentional design flaw to induce repeat-purchase, it is a limitation of the material. Silicone will deform at these temperatures over an extended duration. It doesn't make sense to use a more exotic material as that would increase prices of the socks which are meant to be disposable. Further compounding the issue is that the "fingers" of the sock can't really lock around the top of the block, since they have to have cutouts to allow the sock to be changed without removing the heater/thermistor cartridge. Some folks have used a thin wire wrapped around the sock near the top of the block to hold it on. Zip-ties are normally nylon btw, not ABS. ABS doesn't have enough impact resistance/flexibility.
Glad you cleared that up. I was kidding Just feels like a touch extra on the finger tips would have helped. My cable tie was too short, so my paper clip has just done exactly this. Knowing my luck I'll have a disaster print that tears the sock to pieces sometime soon. Now you mention that, I should have guessed. Well, I'll be ordering some more socks anyway. They're too useful not to have, and that was my last one I just fitted. Hopefully the wire will keep it from sagging though during it's intended life span.