Thermal paste missing in V6 Kit or not needed anymore?
-
Copper grease works great, enhances thermal transfer and enables easy dismantling. CPU compounds can work, but not all of them are rated to 300 deg C.
Very good point.
Arctic Silver is rated to max 180c, so that's definitely not a good fit
-Jannis
-
Only use a very thin smear of the copper grease, not lashing of it, and heat the nozzle slowly after assembly to allow the solvent in it to evaporate away before it potentially reaches its flashpoint!
-
Following the instructions https://wiki.e3d-online.com/wiki/E3D-v6_Assembly the compound should only be applied on the threads of the heatsink (cold side). I think this area should never reach 180 Deg C so a 300degC rated would not be neccessary.
Just for letting you know, the thermal compound was also not include in my order.
-
Yes the supplied thermal compound is quite safe to use as per instructions, but I wouldn't apply it anywhere else. Copper grease on the other hand is suitable for high temperatures.
-
Ref copper slip. I did some testing and a bit of a write up way back in July 2016 which I posted here http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,683821,683821#msg-683821. It's pretty good for putting around the heater cartridge.
-
I use copper slip on the studs that hold the exhaust manifold on my kit car - they get incredibly hot in use, and always come undone when required!
I have no idea about its thermal conductivity characteristics, but it is good as a non-seize agent.
-
…..........................
I have no idea about its thermal conductivity characteristics, but it is good as a non-seize agent.See the link I posted above - it shows the difference in temperature rise with a heater cartridge with and without copper slip.
-
I like the idea of using it around the heater cartridge and maybe even the sensor. But I would like some good data verifying its thermal conductivity compared to thermal paste before using it on the heat breaks. I have used whatever thermal paste I had laying around on the heat breaks so far and not had any problem removing them. With good thermal transfer the temp should not get anywhere near as high as 180degC.
-
I have very good experiences with arctic silver compound on the cold end which shouldn't become hot at all.
The copper paste can indeed be used on the hot end parts, but just use a very small amount. I use it quite some time now and I often run my Volcano at temperatures around 310°C.
The grease burns away (hence the smoke and smell) and the copper particals remain.
Copper is a very good conductor for heat and as it sits between the cartridges and the hot end body. The copper greatly eases the removal of the heater and sensor cartridges.I do not recommend to use the coppergrease for the cold end. It is a grease (!) and the heatbreak tends to sit loose in the cold end after a (short) while.
-
I have no experience of V6 hot ends but on my Diamond hot end, which uses one piece heat sinks (V6 lites I think), I use PTFE tape where the heat sink screws into the brass part, I'd guess this is what you guys refer to as the hot end side. It's mostly for sealing the joint as some Diamond users get leakage around this area, but I've never had a problem with blockages cause by heat creep that many Diamond users seem to get. Just a thought for you V6 users…........
-
I was thinking about that Ian in my post above about the copper grease but presumed that PTFE tape would not be very suitable for this area. I suppose like PTFE lined heatbreaks its fine if you keep below 260 deg C?
The idea of insulating the connection between heater block and heatsink is very appealing.
