Filament problems
So I set a print and it was going fine for a few days. I came home today to find that the filament reel had a twisted bit in the middle that prevented the filament from advancing and finishing the print. I went to unload the filament from the filament menu but the unloading cycle didn't pull the filament out of the hot end but the filament snapped off at the gears that feed the filament into the hot end.
Next I tried to purge the filament from the filament menu and the nozzle came to temperature and the gears that feed the filament into the hot end spun but the filament did not advance. I then tried to reload some filament to help push the stuck filament through the hot end but when the gears were turning, the filament I tried to load would not advance.
I want to try taking the hose that feeds the filament into the hot end off and removing the filament from there but is that possible? Is there something else I should try?
RE: Filament problems
I want to try taking the hose that feeds the filament into the hot end off and removing the filament from there but is that possible? Is there something else I should try?
It should be no issue to remove. I had to install this tube when building my Mini+ from a kit. See step 17 here: https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/4-print-head-heatbed-assembly_201450
If the filament is still stuck in the extruder, you could try loosening then tensioner screw, the one with the spring, second and third picture on step 44 here: https://help.prusa3d.com/guide/3-x-axis-extruder-assembly_199519
And if the filament is still stuck in the extruder, you could completely disassemble the extruder by following steps 41-48 in the above link, but in reverse.
Two things:
The 'twist', usually one turn passing under the next, is almost certain to have happened at load-time; it is essential to control the loose end as IF it slips under the next turn it can quietly slip around the spool for hours until suddenly binding.
And let us know if this helps: https://help.prusa3d.com/article/clogged-nozzle-hotend-mini-mini_112011
Cheerio,
RE: Filament problems
ohhh I see what you are saying but the twist was actually in the middle of the entire spool. It looks like something happened during the manufacturing process and some filament got fed onto the spool and then bent over into an L around another thread of filament.
It looks like that but it's deceptive. If you think about the manufacturing process it's effectively impossible ...
The harder filaments can slip for hours even if the end has gone under a couple of turns but eventually, as the diameter of the spool decreases, it binds - often not until the second or third print since loading.
The trick is never to let the free end get loose; it's the spring back as filament coils loosen that allows the end to wander.
Cheerio,
RE: Filament problems
Thank you!
You're right, it really does look like that. Now I just need to figure out what happened with the spool cradle.