The Copperhead™ is a low-cost, open-source hotend option that can handle the heat — heat creep, that is. Replace your factory model hotend with the Copperhead™, to upgrade your 3D printer’s performance and reduce jamming, giving you a smooth print every time.

Unlike most materials, plastics don’t have a clean transition from solid to liquid during melting. As filament moves through the hotend, it heats up and reaches the material’s glass transition temperature (Tg), entering a semi-solid, semi-liquid, “gooey” state. While in this state, the plastic responds to applied forces like a wet noodle, causing undesirable print effects like reduction in resolution, blobbing and jamming. An efficient heat break narrows the physical distance during which the plastic is at it’s Tg, and thus improves 3D printer performance. The Bimetallic Heat Break™ from Slice Engineering® is the only heat break designed through the use of thermal imaging to optimize heat transfer.  

We highly recommend the use of boron paste with the Copperhead™ to provide good thermal conductivity between the hot block and heater/thermistor.

Primary benefits:

• Heat sink designed optimized for noise reduction
• Bimetallic Heat Break™ technology
• Rate to 450°C to cover the gamut of 3D printable thermoplastics
• Versatile mounting options, including a groove mount configuration for optimal flexibility
• Uses Rep Rap style nozzles
• Quick-swap capability for hot components
• Adjustable length to level multi-extrusion systems
• High-quality materials include a hardened copper alloy hot block, cold-worked stainless steel, and aircraft-grade aluminum
• Open source - published under a CC BY SA 4.0 license