Filament runout issue
Hi Prusa Team and Community
I just experienced a strange issue I would like to report.
I will describe what happened step-by-step
1. Started printing, went to bed, went to work
2. Returned from work, filament ran out and printer was waiting for me to change filament (probably was waiting for several hours)
3. Tried to insert new filament, but could not load, tried pushing, pulling - did not help
4. Realized nozzle is clogged
5. Tried pushing a needle through, but Z was too low
6. During screen asking if the filament was loaded properly, tried to somehow raise Z by holding down the knob, but Z screen did not show
7. System froze and I couldn't do anything except change between options of filament confirmation, however could not press to confirm
8. Hit 'X' to restart the machine as everything was lost 🙁
To me this seems like a bug and it actually made me waste around 40m of prusament :/ did anyone experience the same or similar problem?
NOTE: this was my first experience with filament sensor and runout
Thanks guys.
Re: Filament runout issue
This is a User forum: Prusa doesn't really watch it too much. If you have warranty issues, contact the Prusa team via their Store Chat option.
MK3 or MK3S ?
A printer sitting idle waiting at temp for a filament change could have burned the filament in the hotend: basically cooking out all the lower temp solubles and leaving only high temp goods. Normally the hotend is turn off, but could be something odd happening.
I assume the filament was / is still in the drive gear; if so, raise the nozzle temp to 280c and then try the unloading process. If the filament is not in the gear, then open the idler & tensioner door and remove the nozzle -- be sure to follow the instructions to loosen and tighten the nozzle at temperature.
Once loose, continue to pull the nozzle out and the filament should be stuck to it and should come with it. Blow compressed air up the heat break to remove any debris that may have been trapped in the filament path. Install a new nozzle and heat the hotend up to torque the nozzle. The HEX should NOT touch the aluminum heater block. If it does, you've done something wrong and need to go back and review.
Anyway - more or less thinking out loud ... maybe you have it all back together and working and are just asking if this has been seem before: that answer is yes. More so on MK3 (motion-laser filament sensor) than the MK3S (BB to IR filament sensor).