1st Print fine. 2nd Print not fine.
Upon initial startup, I first printed the frog sample, not the Prusa logo. Went great. With Prusa sample PLA.
I created my own custom design and the material was not sticking to the sheet. Stopped the print job. Prusa sample PLA again of course.
I tried to restart the print from the beginning and noticed no material was being extruded.
I stop the print job again. Tried to Unload the material, but appear to have some difficulty doing so. I currently have the material still loaded through the PTFE tube but was worried to damage the extruder assembly if I pull too hard.
I opened the window viewer to see the extruder gears and it appears fine, no blockage that I can see. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough…
Any advice before I incidentally destroy my printer/extruder assembly?
Your filament not feeding my be due to a wrong extruder idler pressure, try tweaking the screw.
If you cannot extract the filament look up 'cold pull.'
Cheerio,
Try to heat up the nozzle and wait few second - push filament towards heated nozzle (if you can) and then pull out. Sometimes the filament edge get big and get stuck in between extruder and out.
As for "not sticking" on your second print. Try wash the steel sheet with dish washer soap. It is to remove grease on the sheet that filament could not stick to it. I know you are not asking for this, but I just wanted to suggest.
The key was loose on the extruder motor shaft…
Tried the idler and warming recommendations to no avail. 🙁
After again trying to extract my material from the inlet PTFE tube, I ended up breaking the feed material away from the supply material coil. I then decided to remove the PTFE tube on the print head entirely. The material was free at the nozzle end, so I was able to pull out the extruded material through the extruder assembly and out of the PTFE tube thereafter. Turns out the material not feeding was a symptom of a different issue.
…So I noticed the gears could be spun manually but I would hear a clicking noise without any material in the assembly. Decided to disassemble the extruder assembly (Extruder Disassembly).
Well the set key on the extruder motor shaft came loose! I guess I didn’t tighten it enough during assembly. It stayed in place enough for one print by sheer luck. Also, the larger spur gear was not properly set to the bottom of the groove. These issues were resolved and now my extruded material feeds correctly.
Thanks for the recommendations folks. I’ll keep an eye out on the sticking issue. A nice IPA wipe down should work. Hope this helps if anyone runs into the same issue.
RE: term
…So I noticed the gears could be spun manually but I would hear a clicking noise without any material in the assembly. Decided to disassemble the extruder assembly (Extruder Disassembly).
Well the set key on the extruder motor shaft came loose! I guess I didn’t tighten it enough during assembly. It stayed in place enough for one print by sheer luck. Also, the larger spur gear was not properly set to the bottom of the groove. These issues were resolved and now my extruded material feeds correctly.
That would do it. By set key do you mean the little grub screw? I have not heard that term.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
…So I noticed the gears could be spun manually but I would hear a clicking noise without any material in the assembly. Decided to disassemble the extruder assembly (Extruder Disassembly).
Well the set key on the extruder motor shaft came loose! I guess I didn’t tighten it enough during assembly. It stayed in place enough for one print by sheer luck. Also, the larger spur gear was not properly set to the bottom of the groove. These issues were resolved and now my extruded material feeds correctly.
That would do it. By set key do you mean the little grub screw? I have not heard that term.
Yes, it's correct. I have heard that term when I assembled my racing simulator cockpit.
RE: Thank you
Thank you. I have not heard the term, but it might be correct. Undertanding it might help me better help others.
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Chuck H
3D Printer Review Blog
Said another way…
To be more specific, I was referring to the set-screw.
RE: 1st Print fine. 2nd Print not fine.
You could say "pinion screw" - that would be more general understanding. This also known as "key screw." My racing simulator assembly - they called it "rectangular key" that put a "lock" on chair to prevent from swaying around. #TheMoreYouKnow 😉