Filament stuck inside PTFE tube on Prusa Mini
Hello, I have a brand new Prusa Mini and I was trying my very first print. During the print, the object came loose from the bed, so I stopped the print. After that, the printer stopped extruding filament — nothing was coming out of the nozzle.
I tried unloading the filament, but it didn’t move. When I heated the nozzle to 215 °C, a small piece of filament finally came out, but it seems that the filament broke inside the PTFE tube. Now there’s about 25 cm of filament still stuck inside the PTFE tube, from the extruder down to the hotend.
What’s the best way to remove it safely without damaging the tube or the fittings?
Thank you for your help!
RE: Filament stuck inside PTFE tube on Prusa Mini
Last time this happened to me I could just use another piece of filament to push the broken off part out as the filament inside the PTFE tube wasn't stuck (sticky) inside the tube.
But is the filament has stuck to the PTFE tube you can try to immerse the PTFE tube into boiling water for a few minutes (be carefull please) this should result in the filament softening enough to be removed from the PTFE tube using another piece of filament.
I hope this helps
RE: Filament stuck inside PTFE tube on Prusa Mini
What’s the best way to remove it safely without damaging the tube or the fittings?
The fitting instructions are here: https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/4-print-head-heatbed-assembly_201450#202220
Reverse them to undo - then the filament may come out directly or you may need to raise the nozzle temperature to melt it free.
The commonest reason for PLA breaking in the tube is brittleness caused by damp filament. Drying your filament might prevent a recurrence.
Cheerio,