Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
I've been having extrusion problems with my Mk2S. I'll try to lay out the timeline as best I can.
Initially I was having problems with the first layer curling as it was put down. After a lot of trial and error and head scratching I decided it wasn't extruding properly and tried several things to remedy that, including ordering a spool of nylon for doing cold pulls. At one point it printed several small prints beautifully...that was after I had opened the Rambo box and wiggled the connectors around a bit. But when I went to print the large box I need, the first layer once again failed. This time I took the Rambo board out completely and inspected it. I expected to find a bad solder joint on the extruder connector, but no such luck. I put it back together and did the XYZ calibration, then tried to do the first layer calibration and this is what I got, and get every time I try it. I've tried adjusting Z up and down and it makes no difference. It does print better if I apply downward pressure on the filament with my fingers.
The filament loads properly. In fact I did the E-steps calibration and it's spot on. My thinking is that either the extruder motor is bad or there is a wire to the extruder motor that is intermittent, but don't know why it would load properly if that's the case. Plus, I just replaced the extruder motor a little over a year ago.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Rich
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
there could be some filament stuck in youre nossle.. some old burned out stuff... you could try to preheat youre hotend an unload the filament... then try to unscrew the nossle and clean it with a heatgun or carefully with a lighter.. if that doesnt work i´d look after some burned stuff in the heatbreak... sometimes some stuff get´s stuck between the nossle and the heatbreak , if it was not 100% connected .. Thats what i´d do first..
give a feedback if that worked
greetz Spooner
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
Thanks Spooner. I've been planning to try replacing the nozzle but just haven't gotten it done...I'll try to get that done today or tomorrow and report back. If that doesn't work I think I'm going to have to take the extruder apart and give it a thorough cleaning.
Rich
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
No luck. I removed the nozzle and cleaned it up. I thought I had at least one new spare nozzle but all I had were two that had been used. I cleaned them all up and reinstalled the one that looked the best. I was able to get through the first layer calibration and started a print. It was looking pretty good but had a flaw so I stopped it and tried again. This time it was extruding intermittently, as before, and progressively got worse. I'm going to take the extruder apart and give it a good cleaning and probably install a new ptfe tube. I'll report back when I've had a chance to do that.
Rich
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
Oh crap ... I could have been it... but you’re close !! The PTFE tube could be the reason ... but it will be the best to give all the parts a nice cleanup... did you try to extrude without the nozzle a few inch of filament ? Maybe it extrudes the burned out stuff ... don’t forget after extruding to retract !!! Give it a try maybe that’s the last chance to solve it before you have to disassemble it completely ... but as you said , a. complete cleaning would do best
Wish you the best
spooner
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
A few days ago I finally set aside some time to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the extruder. So far I've only done a few very small prints but they all came out good. I just started my first large print - 7.5 hours. I'll let you know how it goes.
Rich
RE: Filament loads OK, but won't extrude when printing
The 7.5 hour print went well, and I've done several since then took about 2 hours each and they all went well. So for now I believe my printer is finally usable again.
I've had extrusion problems in the past and I'm wondering if my problems start when I've been printing with PETG and then switch to PLA.
Rich