A hotend is a component used in fused filament deposition 3D printers. Its purpose is to heat up and melt filament material for depositing into the intended shape.
The hotend is usually made of a bulk heat-conductive material with an internal resistive heater, coupled with a thermistor for precise temperature control. In common desktop 3D printer designs, the heater is located near the nozzle, and a heatsink is attached upstream (on the colder side).[1] A heat break component made of dissimilar metals can be used to limit heat transfer to filament above, increasing the controllability of the melted filament.[2][3]