Nozzle Clogging VS Hot End Oozing – Similarities And Differences

Nozzle clogging vs hot end oozing? Do you know how to tell the difference?

In this quick read, we show you their similarities and differences.

Similarity

  • Under extruding - Not depositing enough plastic
  • Compensating for under extrusion by increasing filament flow
  • Poor retraction and bridging that leads to artifacts, overhangs and other combination of problems

Differences

Clogging

3d printer nozzle clog

Dried-up materials or other particles can block the small hole at the end of the nozzle to prevent the flow of filament material.

It's either going to be partially clogged or full clogged. Regardless of the status, clean it up before continuing the print.

In some cases, materials that aren't compatible or not heated up appropriately will experience this problem.

In addition, poor material storage can lead to moisture absorption that lead to filament problem even if you have everything else perfect.

These include wood-infused plastics, carbon fiber, metal, and even PLA.

You can find more details on unclogging procedures in our articles on atomic pull procedure to clean up the problem.

Oozing

3d printer nozzle oozing

Oozing causes the print to look like messed-up string cheese on the object. Oozing is generally caused by a badly assembled hot end, switching filament, poor settings...etc Or it can just be poor quality check at the factory.

3d printed object oozing and stringing

Oozing problem still allows the nozzle to print with a "leaky hot end", where the filament leaves blobs around, inconsistent flow, and under extrusion.

Over time, the problem will build up and become a fire hazard if left unfixed.

The solution is to disassemble the entire hot end, clean it and then reassemble it. Or replace it with a higher quality product.

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