I found this spring attached to a needle in the parts box. What’s it for?
I’ve looked through the spare parts list (and for the other store regions too) but don’t see it anywhere.
For reaming out a 0.4mm nozzle without removing it from the printer. If you get a partial clog.
Or at least, that’s what I’ve used mine for. 
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I believe it is designed to help you poke out any blockages you might experience in the hot-end nozzle.
I always thought it was too thin to do a good job and that it might break.
It’s an acupuncture needle.
It’s for relieving stress when you first layer just won’t stick to the build plate. 
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just used it yesterday. But could not get in to the nozzle. In the end i used the good old cold pull method.
Ah, I see. Thanks for the replies.
Shame if it doesn’t work for that purpose.
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it works perfectly for what is intended to. You can actually find out if your printer nozzle is clogged or not. Which means, if it is, you can heat the nozzle and try again until it passes through with ease
Used mine just a couple of days ago on the A1 mini
I’ve not had a printer for very long so forgive the dumb question but wouldn’t the nozzle always be “clogged” with dried filament when at rest and cold? Just with whatever was left over from the previous print.
I tried it today with a heated hotend and it went in fine, but it felt like I was just pushing melted filament around.
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Its not a dumb question. Besides, this is the perfect place for dumb questions.
Thats what i was saying. First you poke it through the nozzle to see if the road is clear. If it is, the nozzle is free. If its not, then the nozzle is clogged so what you would need to do, is heat up the nozzle 250*C + and poke the needle until you get through.
Of course, safety first, you need to wear gloves to avoid filament drips.
After you declogged it, just flush the old filament out with another filament end and you’re good to go