Who uses a 0.6 nozzle instead of the default 0.4?
Do you notice any benefits? Do you notice ice any drawbacks?
I keep seeing recommendations to move to a 0.6 nozzle but I don’t want to lose details or quality etc. I print mostly at 0.18 layer height.
I don’t print a ton of functional parts. Mostly cosmetic things where the surface quality matters.
.6 is faster by far.
Depending on your model the trade offs are minor.
I did have one spool of metallic PLA I could never get to work with a 0.6 nozzle. I never figured put why.
I use a 0.6mm nozzle in my Qidi X-Plus 4 and my recently switched over to a 0.6mm flowtech cht cm2 nozzle on my SV08. The benefits in terms of flow rate are astounding. Unless you regularly print models that require really need fine levels of detail (<0.4 or 0.36 mm line width), the it’s basically a no brainer.
I’ve only had my SV08 for a few weeks now and switched over to a 0.6 nozzle after completing my first few test prints, so I can’t point to how much time it shaves off of the print time. But on my Qidi X-Plus 4, Orca slicer indicates that I save roughly 25-40% off my total print time with a Qidi’s stock 0.6mm nozzle. And orca slicer is usually reasonably accurate at predicting print times for the plus 4.
Hot take: The era where 0.4mm nozzles became the standard was before slicer software had the ability to fine tune layer width, apply adaptive layer heights, etc. I know everyone’s use case is different, but I suspect most new users would stand to benefit if their first printer came with a 0.6mm nozzle rather than 0.4mm.
Also when melt zones in most hotends were tiny and unable to support 0.6 nozzles at reasonable print speeds.
I’m running the stock 0.4 now, but when I do the swap to an SV Zero toolhead this weekend, I’ll be putting a 0.6 on it. (And the occasional 0.8 and 1.0) I honestly doubt I’ll ever put a 0.4 back on it.
0.6 advantages:
higher flow/faster prints
lower chance of clogs with CF/GF etc filaments
Downside:
Loss of very fine detail. Honestly, I only really notice this when printing things that have embossed text. But, I don’t do a lot of high-detail decorative prints, so…
In my opinion, the 0.6 nozzle prints noticeably stronger parts and completes the print faster. The main drawback is probably a little less detail on small parts, but for cosmetic details it still looks clean.