Toolhead Vocab
A complete list of all of the major parts that go into a 3D Printer Toolhead and their definitions.
Toolhead: The moving part of the printer where the filament passes through and is melted and extruded out the nozzle. Contains the Heating Element, Thermistor, Heatsink, and Nozzle, Cooling Fans, Drive Gear, and a Motor.
Cold End: The upper part of the Toolhead that encases all of the parts of the Toolhead either not associated with heating, or that take part in active cooling. This covers components such as the Drive Gear, Motor, and Cooling Fans.
Drive Gear: A gear that directly comes in contact with the filament, pushing it down into further, lower parts of the cold end, and ultimately into the Hot End and out the nozzle. The Drive Gear is spun by the motor. The Drive Gear will be moved and not present within the Toolhead, if the extruder placement is Bowden or Floating.
Motor: This motor, usually a Stepper Motor, spins the Drive Gear, and is located within the Cold End, unless the setup is a Bowden or Floating setup, in which case the motor is in a completely different location.
Cooling Fans: Fans that create cool air throughout the Heatsink and onto the recently extruded filament that has just passed out the nozzle, allowing it to harden. These two types of Cooling Fans are called Heat Sink Fans, and Part Cooling Fans, respectively.
Hot End: The lower part of the Toolhead that contains all of the necessary elements required to make the filament melt, and allow it to be extruded. Contains the Heating Element, Nozzle, and Thermistor.
Heating Element: A component of the Hot End, inside the Toolhead, that heats up the plastic to melt it and allow it to be extruded out the nozzle.
Thermistor: A heat measuring element inside of the Hot End that measures the current temperature in the Hot End, and relays that to the printer to allow the printer to know how much more heat to apply to the filament.
Nozzle: The final part of the Hot End, and the final step in the extrusion process, melted filament passes through this to then be placed in a layer. These come in different sizes, each measured based on the diameter of the hole the filament is allowed to go through at the end. The most common options are (in mm) .2, .4, .6, and .8.
Heatsink: The bridge between the Hot End and the Cold End, designed to mitigate heat to not allow the heat coming from the hot end to harm other parts of the printer or start fires. Usually have extensions coming off of the side called fins, that Cooling Fans blow air through to further dissipate the heat. It further solidifies, with the help of the Heat Break, that no Hot End heat makes its way into the Cold End. Finally, it controls heat for a large, broad area of the Toolhead.
Heat Break: A specified type of heat protection, that protects a small specified area between the Hot End and the Cold End, from the large amount of heat it faces. The area it protects contains the filament path, so a lack of coverage may cause large problems. This is why the Heat Break has a targeted, small coverage area, but a lot of protection.
Fins: Extended parts coming off of the side of most Heatsinks, to help allow cooling fans to circulate cold air throughout the Heatsink.