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First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(  

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Dave
 Dave
(@dave-10)
New Member
First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

Hi ya'll, I just got my new partially pre-assembled Mini+ installed and I'm soo excited. However I've spent a few hours troubleshooting yesterday and today getting nowhere.

- The test pattern prints I tried were just not good at all until tuning the Z-level to -1.850 which sounded extreme to me. I've cleared the nozzle (heating it up, pushing through filament manually while cooling it off to ensure that no filament debris was stuck on the inside, then unloading the filament and starting the print again. When unloading the filament, it had some large bite-marks which looks a bit concerning. (see attached). Also It looks like there's a bit of debris on the feeding gear (I'm yet to learn the names of all the parts).

I just printed a cube which started out well and then went haywire after 2/3 of an inch (2cm). Gaps started to appear getting gradually worse. I had to cancel the print after getting less and less filament. 

Does anyone have any pointers to what this could be?

Best Answer by Diem:

IIrc the acceptable range on the Mini goes to -2mm before any mechanical changes are needed.

Your first, bottom layer photo isn't quite sharp enough to be certain but I do see some poor adhesion on the lower left corner.

I suspect this may be a combination of a marginally off first layer Z height and maybe a slightly greasy print bed, fingerprints are enough to cause problems.  If the print is wobbling on a partially sticking first layer the upper layers get progressivly worse as they have more room to move...

Give the bed a thorough clean and revisit your first layer calibration.

And the idler tension on your extruder needs adjusting until it grips without grinding.

Cheerio,

Posted : 03/04/2021 8:20 am
lparry
(@lparry)
New Member
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

Hi Dave,

Suffering similiar issues with the pre-assembled kit myself that I received the last week. The z-level came in around -1.85 to -1.9 on mine during calibration.

Have you tried another filament such as the sample prusament?

I am wondering also if there is a mechanical fix needed to solve this.

 

 

Posted : 09/04/2021 9:42 pm
Dave liked
Daryl
(@daryl-2)
Trusted Member
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

It sure looks like nozzle is getting clogged and then extruder grinds on filament trying to push it through.  What filament are you using, what temperatures are you running at?  Did you successfully print anything from the supplied prints on the usb stick?

Posted : 09/04/2021 11:46 pm
Dave liked
Daryl
(@daryl-2)
Trusted Member
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

Btw - every mini’s ideal z-height varies due to differences in super-Pinda height to nozzle tip distance.  Also there are thickness differences between the smooth and textured steel sheets.

are your first layer tests coming out well or do they also pull apart?

Posted : 09/04/2021 11:58 pm
Dave liked
Diem
 Diem
(@diem)
Illustrious Member
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

IIrc the acceptable range on the Mini goes to -2mm before any mechanical changes are needed.

Your first, bottom layer photo isn't quite sharp enough to be certain but I do see some poor adhesion on the lower left corner.

I suspect this may be a combination of a marginally off first layer Z height and maybe a slightly greasy print bed, fingerprints are enough to cause problems.  If the print is wobbling on a partially sticking first layer the upper layers get progressivly worse as they have more room to move...

Give the bed a thorough clean and revisit your first layer calibration.

And the idler tension on your extruder needs adjusting until it grips without grinding.

Cheerio,

Posted : 10/04/2021 6:32 am
Dave liked
cwbullet
(@cwbullet)
Member
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

I would definitely loosen the idler screw just a touch and try again.  If it fails again, loosen it a little more.  

--------------------
Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog

Posted : 10/04/2021 12:49 pm
Dave
 Dave
(@dave-10)
New Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

Thanks for the support. It looks like it's the idler tension that caused most of my headache, and loosening it a bit did have a massive effect. It was basically not feeding the filament through.

Also, I've gotten myself some Isopropyl Alcohol and Acetone to properly clean the bed, so it sticks much better in the corners. 

Thanks again, I think this might have been solved. (I'm printing a test print right now and it looks much much better). I did some cold pull cleaning just to make sure the nozzle is free from any debris:

 
I did get a very similar answer from Prusa's support. This forum rocks 🙂
Posted : 10/04/2021 8:57 pm
Dave
 Dave
(@dave-10)
New Member
Topic starter answered:
RE: First Time Print - Under extrusion issues? ;(

@lparry

Just tried another filament to be sure, will try the Prusament Black Galaxy again after this successful test print (loosening the idler screw totally did the trick, plus some further test bed cleaning).

Posted : 10/04/2021 8:59 pm
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