Hardware
Nozzle
Also known as: boquilla · nozzle · tobera · punta · boquilla 0.4
Short definition
The nozzle is the final piece of the hotend, with a calibrated orifice through which molten material exits; its diameter sets the achievable detail and speed.
Full definition
The standard size is 0.4 mm, a compromise between detail and time. A 0.2 mm nozzle gives more resolution on small parts and multiplies time; a 0.6 or 0.8 mm nozzle prints much faster with stronger walls, at the cost of fine detail. Material matters as much as diameter: brass conducts heat well and is cheap, but wears out in hours with abrasive filaments such as carbon- or glass-filled ones, which demand hardened steel. Nozzle wear is invisible to the eye: it shows up as progressive under-extrusion and increasingly thin walls.
Related terms
- HotendThe hotend is the assembly that melts filament: heater block, cartridge, thermistor, heatbreak and nozzle.
- Layer heightLayer height is the vertical thickness of each deposited band of material, and it is the setting that most affects visible quality and print time at the same time.
- Perimeters (walls)Perimeters are the outline passes the extruder traces at the edge of each layer; their number defines the real wall thickness of the part.
Updated
Sources
- [1]Composite materials (filled with carbon, kevlar or glass) | Prusa Knowledge BasePrusa Research · Manufacturer · accessed July 27, 2026