Lite6: The low-cost, high-quality HotEnd for everyone!

We know that not everybody needs the all-metal high-temperature performance of an E3D-v6. We’ve come to realise that there exists a need for a HotEnd that is reliable, and puts out great prints, but meets the budget of those who are just getting started in 3D printing.

 

£21.50! Lite6 is our answer to that need. By adopting a PTFE lined, “Mostly Metal” design we’re able to meet what we think is a really awesome price point of £21.50, for a fully inclusive kit with electronics. That’s a lower price than any other genuine hotend on the market and cheaper than many clones.

 

Lite6 does not supersede v6 - more compliments it, think of Lite6 as v6’s little brother. It’s a lower cost hotend, with a more modest specification, but still a great option for beginners and those on a budget. Read on to find out the key differences and features.

E3D-Lite6 vs. E3D V6

	E3D-v6	E3D-Lite6
Price
	From £43.00	From £21.50
Print Performance
Max Temp	>400°C (Any thermoplastic)	245°C (e.g. PLA & ABS)
Speed	20-100mm/s	20-50mm/s
Ease of Use	Intermediate	Easy
Compatibility
Filament DIameter	1.75mm or 3mm	1.75mm
Bowden	Yes	Yes
Volcano	Yes	Yes
V6-Nozzles	Yes	Yes

Features:

Aimed at printing everyday materials.

Lite6 cannot offer the same high-temperature performance as E3D-v6, which means that you can’t print higher-performance engineering plastics like Nylon, Polycarbonate, and ColorFabb Carbon-Fiber XT. The PTFE liner in Lite6 means that there is a temperature limit of 240C. With all of the above said, Lite6 is aimed at the more standard materials, such as ABS and PLA, and it really does produce beautiful looking prints with outstanding reliability. The full length PTFE liner also means you get great performance with flexible materials like NinjaFlex.

Lite6 has a slightly shorter effective melt-zone than v6, which does mean that print speeds are more modest, but still completely appropriate for all but the very fastest of 3D printers on the market. If you do need to get more speed from your machine then you can of course upgrade to either Volcano or v6 with ease.

A range of versions for most users.

In order to keep costs down we are offering Lite6 in 1.75mm filament diameter only, which meets the needs of the majority of users. Just like the 1.75mm E3D-v6 we have used our integrated bowden coupling system, which means that Lite6 is suitable for use as a direct or a bowden hotend right out of the box. We also have 24v and 12v electronics on offer to support as many machines as possible.

Exceptional Reliability 

The metal bodied construction of Lite6 the HotEnd makes it incredibly robust and tolerant of accidents that new users inevitably encounter. If you accidentally crash your Lite6 into a print there is effectively zero chance of it breaking. Unlike HotEnds constructed with PEEK bodies Lite6 is also very tolerant of overheating accidents. Although the PTFE liner may be damaged by the heat, there is no PEEK insulator to melt into a puddle of molten polymer. The stainless steel parts are incredibly thermally robust and essentially impossible to damage with the supplied heater. This means that in the event of cooking your PTFE liner you can quickly and easily swap it out for a new one and return your Lite6 to full functionality. New PTFE liners cost only £0.33!

We’ve also re-used as many parts from v6 and the rest of the E3D-Ecosystem as possible, the beautiful polycarbonate fan duct, the proven 30mm ball bearing cooling fan. Most importantly we’re using the same highly optimised nozzles and heater blocks. This means that we’re using tried and tested v6 components to deliver great performance in the most important areas of Lite6.

Renowned Customer Support

We’re proud of the fact that customers frequently make positive comments about our customer support. Like all E3D products, you can expect to receive proper support for any questions you might have, as well as the reassurance that if something is wrong, we’ll make it right. More than you could hope to expect from the cloners.

"Great Support and product .. Ty to Bonnie for support =) ..." - Jerem (Feb 2015)

"... E3D has GREAT costumer support. Top notch company. You will not regret ordering from them." - Scott Robel (Jan 2015)

"... excellent customer service when I emailed with my questions ..." - Hernandez (Nov 2014)

Thank you guys for your kind comments - it's always appreciated!

New, Lower Price

Low cost, high quality.

We were concerned that we needed to create something that was low cost, but not low quality. By using a PTFE liner, we are able to relax our need for aggressive thermodynamic control of thermodynamics that is needed in v6. The mostly metal construction and use of E3D-v6 nozzles means that you do not lose out on print quality. The PTFE liner reduces required manufacturing tolerances and contributes to Lite6's exceptional reliability.

The core component of Lite6 that makes it different from it’s more capable sibling the E3D-v6 is the new stainless steel heat-sink (a concept that will horrify anyone with a keen understanding of thermodynamics). This means we were able to replace our previous two component system of a stainless heat-break (which are extremely expensive to manufacture), and our aluminium heatsink. This does mean that Lite6 is a touch heavier than v6, with 22g more weight due to stainless being considerably heavier than aluminium.