Tiertime Wear Resistant Steel Nozzle 0.6mm for UP Box+/UP300/Cetus Extruder Heater Kit-V2

I changed the nozzle on my UpBox+ to the 0.4mm hardened steel version from Tiertime, mainly because I’m printing a project using carbon-fiber filled PETG, a material known for abrading and widening the diameter of brass nozzles. I’ve changed nozzles a few times on my previous UpMini, and the UpBox+ extruder assembly is similar, so I already had some familiarity with the process. It was a little daunting the first time, though, because the most critical detail about changing nozzles is that the extruder must be hot, whether you’re removing or installing the nozzle; you’re working around some very hot metal – 210°C is over 400°F. I took my time, didn’t get burned, followed procedure, and the new nozzle installed easily. For first-timers, check youtube for help with changing nozzles on your specific machine.I extruded a couple lengths of filament to make sure everything was tight, and it was; no leaks, no oozing around the threads. Then for a test, I printed another copy of the part I’ve been printing using the original brass nozzle, in the same carbon-fiber filled PETG. I was impressed to see that the hardened steel nozzle gave me a better print than the original brass one…! Maybe the filament I’ve already run has chewed out the brass nozzle’s opening (?), don’t know for sure why, but the print quality was definitely better, and the part required far less cleanup to be ready for use.I can assume that if you’re considering a hardened steel nozzle, it’s because you’re planning to print with specialty, material-infused filament, like carbon fiber or metals. I have a newly-learned tip to pass on: after you’re done printing with the specialty stuff, run a few extrude cycles with PLA to clean out the nozzle; particles from the infusion material get left behind and can interfere with clean printing. Use white if you have it, so you’ll be able to see the grunge bits better. I was shocked at how much junk came out with the PLA – the first extrusion looked like a skinny tiger tail…! Gradually the crud lessened, and by the third cycle, the extrusion was clean and normal width; overall, it took less than a foot of material.