Select a heating element with a voltage and extrusion type that match your printer. In printers with a direct feed, the extruder is attached to the heating element, feeding filament directly into it. Tube feed extruders, also known as Bowden extruders, are mounted to the frame and pass filament through a tube to the heating element. Heating elements for tube feed printers come with tubing and a fitting that attaches to the extruder.

V6 heating elements are the industry standard. They heat up in minutes to melt most multipurpose and flexible filaments. All parts are precision-machined to print smoothly and prevent clogs. These heating elements are not designed for high-speed or high-temperature printing. They come fully assembled, which saves setup time and eliminates assembly mistakes.

Volcano heating elements can print twice as fast as V6 and Mosquito styles. They fit nozzles with large openings, which allow more filament to flow through and result in a faster, stronger print. They come fully assembled, so setup is quick and error free.

For printing high-temperature filaments, such as PEEK and Ultem PEI, use Mosquito heating elements. They reach temperatures up to 149° C or 300° F higher than V6 or Volcano styles, so you can melt a wider variety of materials. These heating elements come with everything you need, and are partially assembled—you’ll need to connect the insertion heater and temperature sensor.

Made of metal, heating blocks disperse heat from an insertion heater to evenly melt filament as it passes through. They also hold the temperature sensor and join the filament guide to the nozzle, making them an important connection point between parts of the heating element. Aluminum is the standard material for heating blocks, which works with V6 and Volcano heating elements. Copper heating blocks conduct more heat and hold up to higher temperatures than aluminum. Use them with Mosquito heating elements.

Before installing printer components onto the heating block, coat the mounting holes with non-bonding heat transfer compounds. Also known as thermal paste, these compounds transfer heat to temperature sensors, which improves accuracy. They also keep components from sticking to the heating block, making them easier to remove.

The metal tip on insertion heaters is the heat source that melts filaments. Connect this tip to a heating block to spread the heat evenly across the filament guide. Plug the other end into your printer controller, which allows you to adjust the temperature. Insertion heaters with a higher wattage heat up faster and reach higher temperatures. Choose a heater with the same voltage as your 3D printer.