Bondtech releases statement on INDX nozzles

[Bryan Eckert]

“We want to be honest with you: right now, we don’t have a concrete solution ready.”

Yikes. Months away before they could even consider testing and production.

https://www.bondtech.se/2026/07/29/indx-hardened-nozzles-update/?v=0b3b97fa6688

[Kurt]

Yikes indeed. However, I just read the statement they posted - and it SEEMS to me that the problem using their INDX nozzles only occurs if you use abrasives materials like Glass or Carbon fiber filled filaments, or even a Glow-in-the-Dark filament. It sounds like the use of PLA and PETG should be fine in these units. Am I wrong? As it seems there was widespread issues with the INDX units - even though the statement they wrote seems to only mention abrasive filaments. 

So - yeah - I'm honestly curious...

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

Kurt the issue is they are selling "hardened" nozzles that aren't up to the industry standard and using any kind of filled/abrasive filament would excessively wear the nozzles. They are pretty much just regular steel nozzles. People bought the kits/Prusa units with the thought that using such filaments was fine, especially in a unit like the Prusa Core One that is entirely capable of doing so.

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[Jody Harris]

From my reading, the nozzles should be fine for all non-abrasive filaments. The problem is:

• They made the claim of "hardened nozzles"
• The industry has landed on a mostly ill-defined hardness for "hardened nozzles" (no standard, just general practice)
• The nozzles ended up being significantly harder that "non-hardened" nozzles
• I suspect someone inside Bondtech/Prusa kept pushing back assuming that the nozzles were hard enough and strongly wanted to let it ride.
• Bleeding edge users (the people most likely to snap up preorder units) are not the kind of people who don't push this kind of thing to it's limit. 

I'm glad I decided to wait for teething problems to shake out. I've done enough of the bleeding edge stuff. I'm happy to let someone else help work out those kinks. 

-j

Think carefully

[Alan B]

INDX nozzles are steel, already much harder than brass. But they are not hardened steel. Should be fine for all but the most abrasive materials. Look for specific data on what you want to use if that is important. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/6PIROiGo-_lrDED4n1UARJqwcSfmybAvr7ff63GWyQFR56KJN-nLco5Do764Ft0FEUGWDEkdsfjZ6y7BjxFo9HT6otUTS0LHfFmLen-UYz8%3D%40harrisdev.com.

[Bryan Eckert]

Alan the issue is Bondtech tried to sell them as being hardened. Lots of people that have received them showing the boxes clearly stating hardened.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/CAHoVSnJDR2BUTj0y1j2DK3ZHxpyCdvMiC2iL4oYoH_A8xor%3DpA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Alan B]

INDX nozzles as shipped are slightly hardened steel, and already about 3x harder than brass nozzles. They are not quite as hard as the hardest traditional hardened steel nozzles which are about 2x as hard. Hardened steel is relative, and there is no "standard" for exactly what hardness value it means. Strictly speaking they are harder than brass and harder than plain steel already, so one could argue they are in fact hardened to some degree. They are just not as hard as the hardest steel nozzles. Bondtech never claimed or specified any particular value of hardness. I suspect in a court of law Bondtech could successfully argue their labelling is not wrong.

[Bryan Eckert]

Bondtech has removed all mention of "hardened", and no longer states the nozzles are compatible with abrasive filaments, which they did before they got caught.

Gustav Bondeus, the head of manufacturing for Bondtech stated directly on their Discord channel that the nozzles are to be thought of as being equal to brass nozzle in terms of wear.

As for court of law, the EU takes shit like this seriously. Expect for hardened nozzles to have to state specific values in the future, and Bondtech to face fines.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/CAHoVSnJicWiDau_6kOqnEmZ4ssQi3urdsXTRzLxV6wn8KTsvLg%40mail.gmail.com.

[markni...@gmail.com]

This ain't rocket science folks.

This is why the good lord invented the Rockwell Hardness Scale.

Reliable testers can be had (Amazon) for less than 200 bucks.

Maybe we should all chip in and buy Bondtech a hardness tester.

[markni...@gmail.com]

Okay, I took another look at this, and to no ones surprise, this is more complicated than it looks.

For some reason they chose to use "nitrocarburized steel" rather than heat treated, high carbon steel, like the rest of the world does.

Carburization puts a tough outside skin on a soft, low carbon substrate.

This process is used extensively in the firearms industry, Glock does it's barrels this way. It allows for a hard surface over a much softer base material. This is for wear resistance and resistance to fracturing or splitting.

Apparently the carburization does not travel well, up the filament orifice, so it stays soft, with no hard skin over it.

Whatever amount of these nozzles that they pre-made can not be annealed and re-hardend.

Their only choice is to re-make them all out of high carbon steel, and heat treat them properly.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

DANG Dude! 

Thanks for doing the extra Deep Research. I swear - I heard about this "nitrocarburized steel" process recently. Although - with my Leaky Memory Banks - don't ask me where I heard about this...

Interesting Stuff. But, a rather Sad Debacle for the folks at BondTech. 

Ugh...

-K

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

What we don’t know yet is how they construct the tools. My bet is the nozzles are coupled to the heatbreak and as such any kind of treatment is a complex process that is probably not easily copied… this will make solving the problem more difficult.

[Bryan Eckert]

Well here’s the CAD:

Bambu uses a brass sleeve in the induction section on the Vortek nozzles. Then the nozzle itself is hardened.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/eb1ac351-5182-43c7-a2d9-c6d7149fa12fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Gary Myles]

Well this is at least a good path forward, with this saga

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/CANjNy1U3KabhVAZpaqBTweXtAWNo8rQYh9uYx7Q53RjM-Z2utw%40mail.gmail.com.

[markni...@gmail.com]

I think everyone posting is closing in on the actual issue, that is, if the nozzles are separate screw in units, then easy peasy, just change the nozzles.

If they are integral to the unit, then they have to redesign to allow a separate screw in nozzle.

This will require more work, but since the female threads to accept to nozzle would be on the outside, they could still carburize they rest of the unit.

[Kurt The 3D Printer GUY!!]

Yes Mark - Andy actually discussed exactly this in the newest podcast!!!

Fun Times...

-K

[Bryan Eckert]

INDX tools are like the H2C Vortek nozzles. The entire tool is the nozzle. You replace the tool to get a different nozzle (like to go from .4 to .6, etc.)

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/38fbe06a-f4aa-4587-beae-4712ac3a3175n%40googlegroups.com.

[markni...@gmail.com]

Yeah, it looked like that was likely to be the case Bryan.

This means a bigger problem for Bondtech.

It's interesting that Bambu managed to pull it off with no issues.

[markni...@gmail.com]

Look, Microcenter has hardened steel H2C induction heated nozzles for $40.00:  https://www.microcenter.com/product/706920/bambu-lab-h2c-induction-hotend-with-hardened-steel-nozzle-standard-flow-04-mm

[Bryan Eckert]

The Vortek are basically like all the other Bambu nozzles, a big chunk of brass for the melt zone with the heat break press fit and the hardened nozzle press fit. The induction section wraps iron and coils around the brass block.  

The INDX tools are really more like traditional nozzles than not, the top half of them are just plastic that routes the filament into the extruder section. A normally looking Bambu style nozzle sits below that. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/6741f722-b148-4308-8bcc-17d6e1a2aebbn%40googlegroups.com.

[3D Printing Tips and Tricks]

I suspect that with INDX the section between the nozzle to the heat sink is a bond of some sort which complicates the hardening.

[Bryan Eckert]

I think the problem is if you notice on the CAD section I posted, it looks like it's a single tube rolled down at the tip to make the nozzle, then that extends the entire length up to the heatbreak. That looks like it is wrapped in something that allows induction heating.

Bambu nozzles aren't a single pathway. It's the heatbreak, a brass melt zone then the hardened nozzle. Like the old school days, but the heatbreak and nozzle are press fit into the brass melt block instead of screwing them in like we used to do. The Vortek nozzles are the same way, except the melt zone has an iron wrap to allow induction heat.

Only the very tip needs hardening, the entire pathway up to it can be soft since it's a larger diameter than the filament.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/3d-printing-tips--tricks/e27fb3b8-8dfc-4988-b228-db273e533e99n%40googlegroups.com.