Clogged Extruder
Today I was running out of filament 20% of the way into a print. First I thought I could simply poke a new filament into the hole as the old filament went out of sight. It did not seem to follow in so I pushed it and it inserted about 20 mm instantly then it would go no further. I noticed that the nozzle temperature had cooled to about 160 degrees. I then set the preheat for PLA and when it got to 210, tried "Load Filament". IT DID NOT WORK. The bottom line is I SCREW UP and now I have to take the extrude apart and see if I can get it cleared. I am now going to order a set if 4 mm drills from amazon which I am sure I will need at disassembly time.
HELP: Does anyone know the step by step procedure to use the "Pause" command to change Filament in the middle of a Print Project???
Carl
Re: Clogged Extruder
Hi Carl.
I am assuming you have the original prusa i3 mk2s version.
use the change filament option. in the menu's
it stops printing, takes y axis to the back, and takes x axis ti the right, then spits the remaining filament out ( assuming you haven't printed until the filament totally disappears into the extruder mechanism...)
you then manually change the filament roll, make sure the end of the new filament is good, by cutting off the end if necessary, then you feed the end of the filament into the top of the extruder and press the knob on the display, you should feel the filament being pulled into the extruder mechanism. and after a short while you should see filament extruding out of the hot end.
when this stops the display should say Colour clear?
this is normally needed to confirm that the new filament has cleared the remains of the old filament, out of the hot end when you do a colourchange.
if all is well, grab the extrudedfilament with your fingers or tweesers/pliers, and press the control button on the display again. the extruder should move back to where it was before the filament change, on the way, it will probably extrude another length of filament, which will pull off the nozzle as printing resumes...
best of luck, Joan
not sure what you intend doing with the 4mm drill?
I have never needed one for a filament clog...
for clogs II typically heat the hot end whilst holding the heat break cooling fan still, and push the remaining filament out as it softens in the heatbreak....
don't let the heat break get too hot or it might melt or warp the extruder housing.
I try to make safe suggestions,You should understand the context and ensure you are happy that they are safe before attempting to apply my suggestions, what you do, is YOUR responsibility. Location Halifax UK
Re: Clogged Extruder
when you are cleaning out the hot end - please be careful of the nozzle diameter
putting in a drill at an angle will increase the nozzle hole diameter
the preferable method i use is a 2mm drill in the rear and pull with a pair of molegrips(vice grips)
don't drill too far
soak it in acetone first - yes it doesn't disolve it but it does change its characteristics and soften it.
there is a post on my site about cleaning the nozzle, might be worth checking it out
phil
helping others with 3d printer problems
building 3d printers
showing you can repair almost anything with a 3d printer and innovation - well, design!!
www.best3dprinter.stan-tech.com
Re: Clogged Extruder
Thank you very much for your reply. BTW I have tried heating it up and pushing a new filament through but it is jammed. I think the jam is above the area that is heated. I will disassemble before the drastic measure of using the drill bits. Thanks for the warning on that issue.
Carl