Nozzle replacement

Replacing the nozzle on the G1 is a guided procedure triggered directly from the printer display. The built-in CHANGE_NOZZLE macro walks you through each step, positions the printhead automatically, and ensures the barrel is at the correct temperature before you touch anything.

Tools needed

• Nozzle wrench (included in the G1 tool kit, bag 05.2) — fits the nozzle hex. The kit also ships 3 nozzles and 2 teflon tapes (bag 05.1)
• Second wrench — to counter-hold during final tightening
• A soft mallet, for a nozzle that will not start moving
• PTFE tape (teflon tape) — wrap 3 turns around the thread of the new nozzle before installation
• Heat-resistant gloves or a tissue — the barrel stays hot during the procedure

When to replace the nozzle

There is no service interval — you replace it on symptoms, not on a schedule:

• Inconsistent line width even after Rotation Volume calibration
• Visible scoring, denting, or wear at the nozzle tip
• Switching to a different nozzle diameter
• After a crash that may have deformed the nozzle tip

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Procedure

Step 1 — Start the CHANGE_NOZZLE macro

From the display, open More → Macros and run CHANGE_NOZZLE. The display then walks you through a 5-step guided procedure.

The display shows: “Make sure the plate and nozzle are clean”.

The printhead moves automatically to the centre of X with Y at 0 — the front of the bed, where the nozzle is within easy reach. The video calls this “a central position”, which undersells it: it comes to the front deliberately so you are not leaning over the bed.

Step 2 — Remove the protective ring

Remove the ring (protective collar) from around the printhead to expose the barrel and nozzle.

Caution

Protect your hands. Use a tissue or heat-resistant gloves.

Danger

THE NOZZLE IS COLD — BUT NOT THE BARREL.

The CHANGE_NOZZLE macro cools the nozzle zone down, but the barrel remains hot. Do not touch the barrel body with bare hands.

Step 3 — Open the heat cover

The barrel is wrapped in an insulating cover held by clips. Open it to reach the nozzle — step 7 closes it again, and a print with it left open will not hold its zone temperatures.

From G1 Nozzle Change — Quick Guide — 0:25, “open the heat cover”

Step 4 — Remove the old nozzle

Unscrew the old nozzle with the gold wrench.

Which way — it looks backwards from where you stand

It is an ordinary right-hand thread, but you work on it from above, and that reverses what you see. Looking down at the nozzle as you stand at the machine:

	Direction you see from above
Loosen	Clockwise
Tighten	Counter-clockwise

Underneath it is the familiar way round — lefty-loosey — because from there you are looking at the thread from the other end. Nothing about the nozzle is unusual; only your viewpoint is upside down.

If in doubt, watch it: the wrench sweep at 0:43 in the nozzle change video is the loosening direction, filmed from where you will be standing.

Put cardboard on the bed first

Once the nozzle comes free it drops, and it lands on glass. A falling nozzle breaks the plate — a sheet of cardboard laid over the bed costs nothing and is the difference between finishing the job and ordering a new sheet of tempered glass.

If it will not start moving

A nozzle that has been in service can be seized on the thread. Do not lean harder on the wrench — tap it loose: a knock with the flat of your hand on the wrench, or a light blow with a soft mallet, breaks the thread free without twisting the barrel.

From G1 Nozzle Change — Quick Guide — 0:37

Remove all old PTFE tape from the threads of the old nozzle (discard it — do not reuse).

Step 5 — Prepare the new nozzle with PTFE tape

Before installing the new nozzle, wrap PTFE tape (teflon tape) for exactly 3 turns around the thread. This seals the thread and prevents molten plastic from leaking along the barrel threads.

Caution

Skipping the PTFE tape causes plastic leaks along the thread during printing. Always apply it before installation.

Step 6 — Install the new nozzle

Screw the new nozzle into the barrel by hand (finger-tight) — counter-clockwise as you look down at it, the opposite of the way you took the old one off. The barrel is still hot; work carefully.

Place two wrenches on the nozzle and wait for the barrel to reach full printing temperature before tightening.

Step 7 — Tighten it hot, then close the cover

Final tightening happens at temperature, and there is a step in the middle that is easy to skip:

1. Screw it on until it seats, then back it off very slightly
2. Let the barrel come up to temperature
3. Once it is hot, tighten it firmly

The metal grows as it heats. Tightening cold and leaving it is what lets plastic weep along the thread later, and going straight to full torque cold is what strips it.

Use two wrenches: one to counter-hold the barrel, the other to apply the torque. Firm, not forced.

Then close the heat cover back around the barrel — the same one opened at step 3.

Step 8 — Completed

The nozzle is installed. Follow the prompts on the display to complete the remaining steps of the guided procedure.

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After replacement

After any nozzle change:

1. Recalibrate Z offset — the nozzle tip position changes with every nozzle swap. See Z offset and first layer.
2. Run bed leveling — run the BED_LEVEL macro from the display to generate a fresh mesh. See Bed leveling system.
3. Check Rotation Volume if switching to a different nozzle diameter — the flow characteristics change. See Rotation Volume calibration.

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Related notes

• Nozzle set — available sizes, materials, layer height rules
• Z offset and first layer — recalibrate after every nozzle change
• Bed leveling system — re-level after nozzle change
• Nozzle and barrel clog — if the nozzle is blocked
• Barrel clog purging procedure — full purge when severely blocked
• Rotation Volume calibration — recalibrate flow after diameter change

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Sources

• G1 Nozzle Change — Quick Guide — Ginger Additive, 1:52. The short reference version: remove the ring, open the heat cover, free a seized nozzle, PTFE tape, refit.

Note

Where the two disagree, this page follows the machine. The walkthrough says the head moves to “a central position”; it actually goes to the centre of X with Y at 0.