I'll admit I am frustrated
I got my Mini assembled over the weekend but due to the fuses being put in the wrong slots (from the factory) have not been able to print until today. I am printing small test rings, about 40mm OD, 34mm ID and only 3mm high. The first few came out fine, but then when I swapped files, the extruder started clicking. No I can't get it to stop clicking. Several failed prints. Several times cleaning the extruder. Several cold pulls to make sure nothing is clogged. I checked my PTFE tube and it was 43mm long (no spare in my box).
Each of my last few prints failed when it went to infill.
I'm not sure what to try next.
Any suggestions?
RE: I'll admit I am frustrated
I'm having the same issue. It's driving me insane and I'm really questioning whether I made a good purchase here. It's not like the printer is only clogging once a month or so. It clogs so frequently, it's impossible to print a tiny little test part. My 3D printer is 100% unusable and if I can't fix it soon, I'm looking for a refund. I've tried everything on the support wiki so far 🤷
RE: I'll admit I am frustrated
Half of all troubles that new Mini owners experience is related to clogging and clicking. The thing is, that "semi assembled" doesn't mean printer is adjusted and tested. It only means, that parts are put together. "Works out of the box" doesn't apply to Mini. For printer to work properly, final adjustments and tuning should be made by owner. And I know, that's easier to say than it can be done, especially if that's the first 3D printer.
To solve the problem, it's important to understand how 3D printer works and knowing that, we can easier pinpoint the cause of the trouble. For example: if extruder is clicking, that doesn't necessary mean there's something wrong with extruder. We need to answer the question, what makes extruder clicking. Same goes for clogging: making cold pulls all the time doesn't solve the problem. The question here is, why clog happens in first place.
We should see extruder and hotend as an single entity, both depending on each other: if they're not synchronized, we get bad looking prints, usually followed by clogs & clicks.
Some conclusion would be: if Mini appears to be "bad" printer, then that's because it's not assembled properly -doesn't matter if put together by Prusa or by owner.
I know, long post without giving actual solution. What I'm trying to say is: go back to assembly manual and study it. It's important to understand why things need to be put together exactly as described there. Also look at other threads in this forum... there are hundreds of them about clogging and clicking.
The only solution is: disassemble, check it, clean it, adjust.. and assemble again.
[Mini+] [MK3S+BEAR]
RE: I'll admit I am frustrated
Use Live Chat to help desk (not email).
RE:
Mine was a kit so I assembled the whole thing myself, except the hot end.
After a bunch of reading, it seems like a lot of people complained about PTFE tubes being so short. Even though mine is 43mm, I started to think that maybe there is an issue there. I mean, 43mm isn't 43.4mm.... Is it? 😉
So, After several tries of cleaning out the extruder, I went ahead and adjusted the heatbreak to remove any space between it, the PTFE tube and the brass fitting the bowden tube is attached to. Zero failures since.
RE: I'll admit I am frustrated
Return it. I waited too long and my request to returned was denied.
RE: I'll admit I am frustrated
The same thing is happening to me. It's driving me wild, and I'm seriously considering if I made the right decision here. It's not like the printer just clogs once or twice a month. It clogs up so frequently that printing a little test component is difficult. My 3D printer is completely useless, and if I can't get it fixed soon, I'll be seeking a refund. So far, I've tried everything in the support wiki.