01
Orifice drilled off-center
A 0.4 mm hole that sits 0.03 mm off the axis makes one side of the extrusion bead thinner. Walls look fine in the slicer and fail on the machine. The fix is a drilled pilot plus a reamed finish, not a single drill pass.
Brass Nozzle Machining
Field King 181870 Brass Nozzles Kit, CNC Machined to Your Orifice Size
We machine Field King 181870 brass nozzles kit parts from C36000 brass on Swiss-type lathes. Pick your orifice, thread and hex, send the drawing, get a quote in 12 hours.
Ø0.2–0.5 mm orificeC36000 brass1.75 mm filament bore±0.005 mmNo MOQ3–5 day shipping
127High-precision CNC machines
±0.005 mmAchievable tolerance
12 hQuote and free DFM analysis
3–5 dParts ship after production start
Failure modes
Where Brass Nozzle Kits Go Wrong
Four problems we see on incoming nozzle drawings and returned kits.
02
Thread burrs on the M6 shank
Brass cuts soft and galls. Threads that are cut dry leave burrs that shred the heater block on removal. We cut threads wet, then deburr and gauge every shank before it leaves the cell.
03
Bore taper after the inlet chamfer
A 1.75 mm bore that tapers to 1.6 mm near the tip raises back pressure. The extruder skips, the print under-extrudes, and the operator blames the filament. Bore reaming and air-gauge checks catch this.
04
Heat transfer lost to the marking
Laser marking burned deep into the hex flats removes surface area and shifts the thermal path. Marking stays shallow, and the character height holds at 1.5 mm or larger.
How we machine it
Turning the Field King 181870 Brass Nozzles Kit
Small brass parts, tight orifices, and a repeatable process from bar stock to packed kit.
Orifice control
Drilling and reaming the Ø0.2–0.5 mm orifice
The nozzle tip is the whole part. We start from C36000 free-cutting brass bar, turn the outside profile and the M6 thread on Swiss-type lathes, then drill the orifice in steps rather than one plunge. A pilot drill opens the hole, a reamer brings it to size, and a form tool cuts the internal cone so the melt channel meets the orifice on a clean edge.
Each orifice size gets its own tool set. Running 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm tips on the same setup without changing drills is how hole diameters drift, so we hold the tooling per size and verify with pin gauges and optical measurement.
- 1Orifice sizesØ0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 mm ground from bar, not drilled in one pass
- 2Melt channelInternal cone cut with a form tool so the transition has no step
- 3VerificationPin gauge plus optical check on the orifice axis, 100% before packing
Fit and finish
Threads, hex flats and filament bore
The M6 thread has to seat in a heater block and come back out after a few hundred hours at temperature. We cut the thread in one pass with a full-profile insert, keep the flank angle clean, and chamfer both ends so the lead-in does not cross-thread. The hex is milled to your flat-to-flat callout with a light tumble afterward.
The 1.75 mm bore runs the length of the body. We ream it to a straight bore, then blow it out and inspect for chips. A nozzle that ships with a chip inside is a nozzle that clogs on the first print, so the cleaning step is part of the routing, not an afterthought.
- 1Thread fitM6 × 1.0, cut wet, deburred, checked with a go/no-go gauge
- 2Hex flatsMilled to your callout, edges broken, no raised burrs on the flats
- 3Bore cleanlinessReamed, air-blasted and visually inspected before packing
Selection guide
Which Orifice Size for Which Job
A starting point for matching nozzle size to print intent.
| Orifice | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Ø0.2 mm | Fine detail, small text, miniature parts | Slow flow, clogs on filled filament |
| Ø0.3 mm | General detail work, prototypes | Middle ground on speed and detail |
| Ø0.4 mm | Standard everyday printing | Most common, balanced flow |
| Ø0.5 mm | Fast infill, functional parts | Visible layer lines, less detail |
What we do
Machining Services Behind the Nozzle Kit
One shop for the nozzle, the fixtures that make it, and the parts around it.
01
Swiss-Type Turning
Small brass and stainless parts turned from bar with live tooling for cross holes and flats. Suited to nozzle bodies, adapters and fittings.
02
5-Axis CNC Machining
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for parts with angled faces or compound geometry. One setup instead of three.
03
CNC Milling and Turning
Mills and lathes for brackets, plates and housings that hold the nozzle assembly. Tolerances to ±0.005 mm when the drawing needs it.
04
Rapid Prototyping
First articles in days so you can test fit and flow before committing to a run. No minimum order quantity.
05
Surface Finishing
Nickel plating, bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and laser marking on brass and stainless parts.
06
Inspection and Reporting
100% inspection before shipment with reports on request. Raw material check, in-process monitoring, final check.
Scope
What a Nozzle Kit Order Covers
Typical inclusions for a brass nozzle program.
| Item | Standard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Material | C36000 brass | C27400 and C28000 on request |
| Orifice range | Ø0.2–0.5 mm | Other sizes quoted from drawing |
| Thread | M6 × 1.0 | Other pitches by drawing |
| Filament bore | 1.75 mm | 2.85 mm variant quoted separately |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Critical diameters held to drawing |
| Finish | As machined or nickel plated | Laser marking on hex flats |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Dimensional report on request |
| Order size | One piece to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
Why GreatLight
Fifteen Years of Small Precision Parts
Numbers we can stand behind, not adjectives.
15Y
Machining since 2011
15 years turning and milling tight-tolerance parts in Dongguan, with a second plant in Singapore.
127
CNC machines on the floor
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 16 mill-turn centers, 12 four-axis mills and 27 three-axis machines.
±0.005
Millimeters of tolerance
±0.005 mm (about ±0.0002 in) on critical features, verified in-process rather than at the end.
99.99%
Qualification rate
Parts that pass final inspection the first time. Anything that fails is reworked or remade before shipping.
7,600 m²
Manufacturing space
Three wholly-owned plants and 150 technicians running the work in-house.
12 h
Quote turnaround
Drawing review, DFM feedback and quotation within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours.
ISO 9001:2015Quality management
IATF 16949:2016Automotive quality
ISO 13485:2016Medical device quality
ISO 27001:2022Information security
Industry fit
Where Brass Nozzle Parts Get Used
3D printing and FDM
Nozzle bodies and adapters with straight bores and clean threads.
- Ø0.2–0.5 mm orifice
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm bore
Industrial machinery
Brass fittings and small fluid-handling parts turned from bar.
- ±0.005 mm
- 100% inspection
Robotics and automation
Small brass and stainless parts for end effectors and pneumatic lines.
- Prototype to 10,000+
- No MOQ
Electronics
Threaded brass inserts, standoffs and heat-path parts.
- C36000 brass
- Nickel plating
FAQs
Questions on Brass Nozzle Machining
What brass alloy do you use for nozzle bodies?
We machine C36000 free-cutting brass as standard, and C27400 or C28000 when a drawing calls for them.
C36000 machines cleanly, holds a good surface finish and has enough thermal conductivity for nozzle duty. If your application runs abrasive filament, tell us and we will quote a different alloy instead of defaulting to brass.
Which orifice sizes can you hold?
We produce Ø0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 mm orifices as standard sizes, and we quote other diameters from your drawing.
The smaller the orifice, the more the process depends on tooling. Ø0.2 mm is reamed and checked with a pin gauge plus optical measurement. We do not promise a size we cannot measure.
Is the bore really straight through the body?
Yes. We ream the 1.75 mm bore after drilling so it stays straight along the axis rather than tapering near the tip.
A tapered bore raises back pressure and causes extruder skipping. We air-blast and visually inspect the bore before packing so no chip ships inside the part.
Can you match an existing Field King 181870 nozzle?
Send a sample or a dimensioned drawing with the thread, hex, overall length and orifice size and we will reverse-engineer the geometry.
We will flag anything that cannot be held to the tolerance you asked for before quoting, not after the parts are cut.
What is the smallest order you take?
There is no minimum order quantity. We run one prototype or a 10,000+ piece order on the same process.
Prototypes usually go through the same tooling as production so the first article reflects what the run will look like.
How fast can I get parts?
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours, and parts ship in 3–5 days after that.
Historical late-delivery probability is below 2%. If a feature needs an extra operation, we tell you at quote time.
Do you inspect every nozzle?
Yes. Every part is inspected before shipment: raw material check, in-process monitoring during turning and final dimensional inspection.
Dimensional reports are available on request. Laser marking is held at a minimum character height of 1.5 mm so it stays readable.
Can you keep my drawing confidential?
Uploads are secure and confidential. We can sign an NDA before you send files.
If your design is patent-pending or under a supply agreement, say so in the quote request and we route it accordingly.
Send Your Nozzle Drawing
Upload a drawing or sample and get a quote with DFM feedback in 12 hours.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
