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Extruder Stepper Motor Hot
 
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vikas.a
 vikas.a
(@vikas-a)
New Member
Extruder Stepper Motor Hot

I just got my MK3 kit together and have been testing. The extruder stepper motor seems exceptionally hot to the touch. Is this normal operation for this particular motor? The X, Y, and both Z motors are slightly warm but the extruder motor is hot enough I can’t leave my hand on it very long.

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Posted : 26/08/2018 4:02 pm
bobstro
 bobstro
(@bobstro)
Illustrious Member
Re: Extruder Stepper Motor Hot

A few things to check:

  • Are you printing in hot ambient temps? The E3D V6 extruder works best at up to 40C ambient. The new R3 extruder parts are designed to alleviate this somewhat, but can only do so much. If the printer is in a hot environment, try to cool it or improve air flow.

  • Are you printing in an enclosure? See above.

  • Ensure the extruder idler gear on the inside of the right-side door that flips open is not stuck or stiff. Make sure it is aligned with the other gear and filament path. Make sure it can rotate freely.

  • Ensure the path from the top, through the gears, into the PTFE tube and into the hot end is not obstructed. A 1.5mm rod with rounded edges is good for testing. Loosen the extruder tensioner gears on the left and confirm you can move the rod cleanly down from the top into the tube.

  • Inspect the PTFE tube below the extruder gears. Is it mangled or otherwise interfering with the smooth flow of filament?

  • When you re-tighten the extruder tension gears at the left, make sure not to over- or under-tighten. Typically, the screw heads will protrude < 1mm from the cover when properly tightened. Too tight can mangle the filament causing feed problems. Too loose can cause slippage. Either can put extra stress on the extruder motor.

  • Are you printing by any other means than SD card? Octoprint or other server solutions can suffer from delays which cause problems. Try the same gcode file printed from SD card.

  • Recent firmware updates adjusted the power levels for the extruder. Are you running updated firmware?

  • Models with lots of retractions can cause the extruder to work overtime. View the gcode in your slicer software preview and look for areas with lots of rapid retractions. Turn off retractions temporarily to see if it helps. You'll get more stringing but will know what to work on.

  • Try slowing things down using the front knob. Slow it to 50% and see if the motor cools off. You could be trying to push more filament through the extruder than it can process. If this helps, slow your print speeds down. A 0.40mm extrusion width printing 0.20mm layers should not exceed 120mm/s. The details depend on extrusion width and layer height.

    • My notes and disclaimers on 3D printing

    and miscellaneous other tech projects
    He is intelligent, but not experienced. His pattern indicates two dimensional thinking. -- Spock in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan Unfortunately,…

    Posted : 26/08/2018 7:19 pm
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