Clearing a Blocked Snapmaker Artisan Nozzle: When You Have to Take the Hot End Apart

A maker carefully disassembling a 3D printer hot end on a workbench

There’s a particular sinking feeling when the Snapmaker Artisan starts a print, the nozzle moves happily across the bed, and nothing comes out. I’ve had it happen, and the temptation is to grab tools and start pulling things apart straight away. Don’t. Disassembly is the last resort, and Snapmaker says so itself. But when you genuinely need to go inside the hot end, you want the official steps, in the right order, without improvising. That’s what this post covers.

As I wrote in Why Everyone Needs Basic Technology Troubleshooting Skills, the simple checks come first. That applies to a 3D printer just as much as a laptop.

Symptoms of a blocked nozzle

Snapmaker’s How to replace the nozzle page lists the situations where the nozzle needs attention:

The nozzle is clogged and filament can’t be extruded.
Filament has leaked and filled the space between the nozzle and the heating block.
The nozzle is wrapped in a blob of filament that can’t be cleaned off.

Try the simple fixes first

Before reaching for a screwdriver, try unloading and reloading the filament. The official Dual Extrusion Module quick start guide describes the process: tap Control > Nozzle, select the nozzle, set the temperature and tap Heat. When it’s heated, tap Unload and pull the filament out, then insert the filament again and tap Load until it extrudes.

If filament has wrapped the heating block, Snapmaker’s Remove extruder blob guide says to heat the hot end, remove the blob with tweezers, wipe the block with a clean cloth and replace the silicone sleeve. A note of honesty: I couldn’t find an official Snapmaker cold pull procedure for the Artisan, so I won’t give you one here.

When disassembly is needed

Snapmaker’s How to disassemble the hot end of Dual Extrusion Module guide is for when filament is stuck in the nozzle, heat break or heat sink of the Artisan standard hot end and normal methods won’t clear it. Snapmaker rates it Difficult and warns that delicate parts can be damaged if you get the procedure wrong. Take your time.

Tools you’ll need

H1.5 screwdriver (the gray handled wrench provided by Artisan worked well for me) handled
4″ adjustable wrench
8″ adjustable wrench
A lighter (used in step 6 of the official guide)
High-temperature protective gloves, which the extruder blob guide recommends

Before you start

Power off the machine before removing or refitting anything on the Dual Extruder. The official top cover kit guide says not to plug or unplug anything while the machine is on.
Unload and pull the filament out of the module.
Detach the hot end from the module. According to the extruder blob guide, you remove the print head bottom cover and front door panel, then loosen the bolts securing the lower hot end throat.

Disassembly: the hot side (heat break, heat block and nozzle)

Remove the thermal insulating casing.
Unplug the wires.
Use the H1.5 screwdriver to loosen the two set screws on the heat block.
Pull the heating rod and the thermistor sensor out of the heat block.
Use the H1.5 screwdriver to loosen the set screw on the heat sink, then pull out the heat break.
Clamp the heat block with the 8″ wrench and heat the nozzle with a lighter to melt any filament inside. If you skip this, Snapmaker warns the nozzle may be damaged when you unscrew it.
Keep the heat block clamped with the 8″ wrench and use the 4″ wrench to unscrew the nozzle counterclockwise.
Keep the heat block clamped with the 8″ wrench and use the 4″ wrench to unscrew the heat break counterclockwise.

Disassembly: the cold side (heat sink)

Only go this far if the blockage is higher up.

Use the H1.5 screwdriver to loosen the set screw shown in the official guide.
Clamp with the 8″ wrench and use the 4″ wrench to unscrew the upper throat tube counterclockwise.

The official page has photos for every step, and it’s worth keeping it open on a tablet beside you as you work.

Clearing the blockage

Snapmaker’s guide just says to carefully clean away the blockage once the parts are apart. It doesn’t specify any cleaning tools or methods, so I’d be careful and avoid forcing anything through the delicate parts. If a part is worn or damaged, the blob guide says to contact Snapmaker Support for a replacement rather than refitting it.

Reassembly

Snapmaker doesn’t publish separate reassembly steps for this guide. Its other module guides simply say to reinstall each part following the disassembly steps, so work backwards. For the nozzle itself, the nozzle replacement page (dual extruder method) does give specifics:

Refit the upper throat tube and tighten its set screw, if you removed it.
Screw the heat break back into the heat block.
Point the heat block upwards. Align the nozzle with the hole in the heating block and tighten it clockwise.
Clamp the heat block with one adjustable wrench and the nozzle with the other, then tighten the nozzle again.
Slide the heat break back into the heat sink and tighten its set screw with the H1.5 screwdriver.
Insert the heating rod and thermistor into the heat block and tighten the two set screws.
Plug the wires back in, refit the thermal insulating casing, and refit the silicone cover.
Refit the hot end in the module, tighten the lower throat bolts, and replace the bottom cover and front door panel. Then power on.

Snapmaker doesn’t publish torque values. Its official nozzle replacement video is a useful visual reference.

Testing and calibration afterwards

Don’t skip this step. The quick start guide says that every time you replace the hot end, you should redo the XY Offset Calibration and Z Offset Calibration. After reassembling the module, you should also redo Leveling. Swipe left on the Home Screen and tap Calibration. If the calibration model won’t print, Snapmaker’s Calibration Model printing failed page walks you through what to check. Load filament and confirm it extrudes cleanly before you trust it with a real job.

Prevention tips

Snapmaker’s replacement kit includes an upgraded front cover with ventilation holes. Snapmaker says it improves cooling around the hot end and reduces clogs.
Make sure the first layer sticks. Snapmaker lists poor first-layer adhesion as a cause of filament build-up around the nozzle.
Check that the nozzle and heat break are snug, because Snapmaker notes that a loose fit causes leaks.
Keep the Artisan troubleshooting hub bookmarked.

The lesson is the same one I keep coming back to in troubleshooting in general. Follow the documented process, change one thing at a time and verify the result. A little patience with the hot end saves a lot of grief, and a lot of spare parts.

References (official Snapmaker sources)

Print head and included tool used to allow disassembly

My stuff 2026

Over on the CIAOPS Blog I do a number of annual posts on a range of items I use in my business. I thought therefore I should start doing one here. So here goes:

Snapmaker Artisan – My 3D printer of choice. I have had this for a few years and use it to create everything I need. Love the quality of the device as well as the results that I get. I can do laser cutting and CNC as well if you change the print head but for me, most of time is spent printing.

Snap Make U1 – After supporting this on Kickstarter earlier this year I have only just received my unit this week. I’ll be posting more about this printer once I have it all working. In essence, where it differs from the Snapmaker Artisan is that the U1 allows you to print four (4) different colours without having to change filament. Looking forward to what I can get from this.

Visual Studio code – my software development environment. Free from Microsoft. I use this to managed and develop all the code for my IoT projects.

PlatformIO – I use this extension in my coding environment to actually managed my IoT projects. It allows me to select the right controller board, manage the driver libraries as well as upload the code to the actual controller boards. A must. Many other use the Arduno IDE and even though PlatformIO does take a little to get used to, for me it is the way to go and allows to to develop and test things easily.

Github Copilot – starts with a free version but I’m using the Pro version for $10 per month and would recommend that as it just makes life so easy. Code is the real secret to getting IoT projects working and I am not a developer and my C programming is pretty rusty so the number of times AI has allowed to create what I want is amazing. It also deals with compile and syntax errors, missing driivers, commenting code and so much more. I’d still be battling away with the basics if I wasn’t using this and for free so should you!

Github – where I publish all my code and documentation for my projects. Hopefully what I create can help others as they have helped me. Also a great place to file projects for the time you need to go back and find out how do did something. Again, there is no cost to get started using GitHub.

Core Electronics – My primary source for components. Great range, easy purchasing and quick delivery. Highly recommended.

Little Bird Electronics – My backup source for components. Again, great range, easy purchasing and quick delivery. Highly recommended.

Acebott controllers – My current choice when it comes to controller boards and projects. Their stuff is the way I shoudl have started my IoT journey.

Keyestudio – Another great controller and kit seller I use regularly.

Amazon – Always a great source for anything I need, whether controller or sensor boards, tools, etc. Easy ordering and quick delivery. This is where I got my Robot Arm from.

That’s probably enough to give you an idea of the main things I use in the lab. Hopefully, it you can take a look at these if you have any interest and let me know if you have any questions on anything here.

Gridfinity print times update

I’ve been back printing more Gridfinity containers on my Snapmaker Artisan and have updated the times taken above.

My COG Odyssey

One of the reasons that I got into 3D printing initially was to create a COG that was no longer available to purchase. Initially, I tried to find a commercial business to do it for me, but alas no luck. The upside was that I decided to get into the 3D printing world, which has been great.

However, my attempts to create a COG that I am happy with still seem to elude me. I’ve gotten close using PLA:

but I wanted to make it out of Nylon so it was more heat resistant but have had challenges doing that.

Currently, I am using red PETG and have managed to get my version 5 to print with the 0.2mm head::

but the shaft is all wrong and doesn’t have the definition for the screw fitting.

What I tend to get a lot when I’ve been testing is results like this that I got with version 4:

Now I’m not quite sure why the same basic model ends up with these vastly two different results?? I also would have thought that the finer nozzle (0.2mm vs 0.4mm) would have made the definition of the screw in the shaft better, but apparently not.

My aim here is mainly to have a base model (COG) and see what different materials and settings, like the nozzle make.

Random blob prints

I am still trying to work out why I occasionally get these random blob prints! As you can see the model on the left works fine until towards the end when it goes all ‘blobby’ for some reason??

I have seen this before when attempting to print a cog, but I’ve never bothered to isolate it. In this case, the first print was fine, then second ended in a ‘blob’ and third print was fine. Exactly the same model, no change.

Now I will admit that when I was importing the model it did tell me there was an error and did I wanted that fixed. To which I naturally said “Sure”. Thus, I’m not sure if that is the source of the issues, but if it was a code error, why doesn’t it happen every time I wonder? More investigation it seems.

Luckily, I managed to print out two good columns to finish this model of a Tori gate as you can see above. It is still quite rough as I was testing using PETG this time instead of PLA. I also didn’t use any support and I probably should have looking at the resulting top beam. As always, there is refinement that will be required but I’m happy that I could get this printed without too much hassle.

The original model had the two columns printing together in the same model but that was slow and also created a ‘spiders web’ of filament between the columns. So I canned that and editing that part of the model using TinkerCAD and made a new model with only a single column I printed twice. Much better.

Happy to add this model to my collection and hopefully will get some time to do some refinement to it soon.

A nozzle mishap

After setting a 3D print on my Snapmaker Artisan to run overnight, I returned to find that it had failed and whole print had amalgamated into a single enormous blog hanging from the print head. DAMM!

So, I heated each nozzle to the operating temperature and then did a load to force the printed lump away from the print head.I cleaned the nozzles as best as I could and I continued on with the 3D printing.

However, once I had removed the 3D print head in exchange for the laser to do some etching I found that my 3D nozzles where a bite worse for wear as seen in the above photo.

When I’m finished with my etching work I’ll recommend the 3D print head but NOT connect it to the X axis so I can turn it upside down for better access. I’ll again heated each nozzle to the operating temperature and try and scrap away as much junk as I can CAREFULLY!

I also see that I can buy some new Hot End for Dual Extrusion modules from Snapmaker which I may end up doing anyway as I see they have a 0.2mm nozzle as well as a hardened 0.4mm nozzle.

You get the 0.4mm nozzle when you purchase the unit as shown above. The nozzle size is denoted in the labels for each when you open the print head as shown.

Seems like you can simply ‘pop out’ the print heads as shown above. So, hopefully not a major deal if it comes to that. But first, let me try and see if I can clean the existing nozzles up without damaging them.

Loading/Unloading filament in a Snapmaker Artisan

After following through the initial ‘wizard’ set up to load the filament into a Snapmaker Artisan, I could never figure out how to do it manually. I generally wrenched the filament out because I couldn’t see how to do it otherwise, but I knew there was a better way and here it is.

On the Snapmaker integrated controller, from the main menu select Control in the top left.

Select Filament from the menu on the left. Next, select the nozzle you wish to work with at the top of the page.

Before you can load or unload you need to select the Heat button at the bottom of the screen as shown to bring that nozzle to operating temperature. Until you do the Unload and Load buttons on the right will remain greyed out and unavailable.

When the nozzle reaches the operating temperature, the Unload and Load button will become available. Use these button when you need to get your filament into or out of the print head.

In short, don’t wrench the filament out of the head as I’m sure it will screw the gears that feed the filament to nozzle. Instead, use the process shown above using the Snapmaker Artisan controller. Given these actions are quite common it would be nice if Snapmaker put them on the home screen or at least allowed the ability to customise what appeared on the home screen. However, for now, I just follow this simple process now whenever I need to load or unload my filament from the print head.

The extruder is continuously pulled up

XY Offset Calibration
The extruder is continuously pulled up and printing is paused
Error code: 13-18
Please check if the nozzle is clogged or pushed up, or if the filament is stuck outside and cannot be pulled in successfully.
If the problem persists, contact our Support for help.
Confirm

When I first got my Snapmaker Artisan and I started doing 3D prints, I found I got the above error quite regularly. Turns out the solution is in fact quite simple.

Initially, I had my filament feeding from the top of the roll into the enclosure. This creates additional friction and resistance to the filament feeding smoothly. When I changed the the orientation of the filament roll to feed from the bottom, as shown above, and let gravity do some work, ‘the extruder continuously pulled up’ error has not returned.

The resolution seems simple in hindsight, but during initial set up, on top of everything else, it wasn’t something that I paid attention to. So, if you are having filament being pulled up issues, ensure your filament is feeding with the least amount of friction. This typically means ensure it is feeing from the bottom, not the top, of the reel.